Recently, after a 3 years hiatus due to my son being born, I’ve gotten back into Warcraft. I played Warcraft before 4e came out in order to satisfy a gaming itch I had, and now the recent Cataclysm event in the game piqued my curiosity. But this isn’t an article about Warcraft, but rather what Warcraft is teaching me about solo gaming, or in the case of tabletop gaming, DM+1.
I’ve been playing Warcraft a little bit differently this time around, and I am now concentrating on the solo quests portions of the game, and not worrying as much about finding a group, a guild, or dungeons to explore. That’s the part about Warcraft that turned me off before, and I’m going to stay away from that for the time being.
As I was playing the other day, and loving the heck out of the quest I was on, I thought that this type of game could very well serve as a campaign mode of sorts for people who are perhaps looking to start a D&D game with one other person and are not really sure of how or where to start.
Image courtesy of rknl.com
D&D with one other person only? Blasphemy! From the very beginning, and up until now, D&D has long established itself as a game meant to be played with a group. And 4e (which in this regard borrowed heavily from online games such as Warcraft), emphasized the importance of characters “roles” in battle: strikers, controllers, and so on. But does this mean that D&D can’t be played with just one? No! And as I put my thoughts out on Twitter the other day, I saw just how many people are playing, or are thinking about playing in this type of game.
And as a DM, what are some of the advantages to running this type of game, and some of the pitfalls you need to look out for? Well, lets take a look. Keep in mind now, my thoughts are sort of free form, as I have not had the opportunity to DM a game like this. I am sure that we’ll see comments from people that have though, and I invite you guys that have experience to please chime in and tell me what I got right or wrong.
Story and Roleplay are Key
When you DM for 1, it gives you an opportunity to craft a story that’s custom made for that particular PC you are running the game for. Take advantage of that, it’s his or her spotlight-all the time! In Warcraft, for example, all raves have unique starting areas and quests, so why not try something like that for your PC?
Create a memorable nemesis just for the PC, one that ties into the history of the character. This could be your chance to create a Professor Moriarty to your PC’s Sherlock Holmes. Use that! You don’t need to worry about dividing the time between 5 PC’s, so make sure that the story you are crafting is tailored made for him. Don’t create a generic adventure and plug the PC into it.
Also, don’t be afraid to roleplay, and often. The PC is the protagonist in your story, so tell the story. Stories have characters, so create them. This could be a great exercise in you NPC design skills, as well as skill challenges, but I’ll get to that in a second…
Rethinking Combat
4e’s emphasis on tactical combat may not be the best thing for a DM+1 game, but it can work if you DM the game in a smart way. Remember that everything you do in this game is geared for that specific PC, and combat shouldn’t be different. Your combats are going to feel very different if the PC is a Wizard, as opposed to a Rogue, so think about them before you roll initiative.
The first question you need to ask yourself is the following “is this combat really necessary to advance this PC’s storyline?”. Once you’ve convinced yourself that it is, then begin to think about the encounter. What monsters work well for 1 player? Well, minions come to mind. The can give a very cinematic feel to an encounter. Think about the wild barbarian swinging his axe like a mad man, cutting through minions like butter. Think about the Wizard casting fireball upon countless bad guys rushing towards him. Can that get boring though? I imagine it can, so that’s why I think that looking at combats is key here. Perhaps you can find ways to abstract the combats a bit to get rid of some of the tactical nature of the game? That could work nicely. A PC fights an ogre:
PC: Okay I hit him with my power, but now I want to do something else. Can I try to run and slide under his open legs, then quickly use my sword as a tool to trip him, knock him prone, and perhaps get some nice damage in there just to finish the move?
DM: Sure, as a move action, you can run and slide, give me an acrobatics check. Great, you made it… now as a standard, quickly use your athletics to turn yourself around and trip him with your sword. Awesome roll, ok, he fell, he’s prone. He took some damage… Action Point to hurt him while he’s down?
So not only is the PC coming up with ideas, you’re also suggesting things too, and finding a way to fit it within the context of the 4e rules. Also, never forget the awesome power of page 42 of the original DMG, which is prime reading for a DM+1 game.
Skill Challenges
Skill Challenges can provide a nice way to let your player get by with wits rather than brawn. After all, one guy fighting a room full of goblins may not be the best situation he can be in, but perhaps there are other ways to get things done. Look at Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars for inspiration. “There are alternatives to fighting” he said. And he was right. He had to sneak around the Death Star in order to turn off the tractor beam so the Millennium Falcon could escape. If that wasn’t a skill challenge on film, I don’t know what was. Stealth, Acrobatics, Thievery, Bluff. All those things came together in that scene. You can do the same. Remember to reward the player for the challenge, whether he fought or not. The point of the encounter was to accomplish X, and if X was accomplished without having to fight 5 goblin, the PC should be rewarded.
Look at your PC. The skill list of a rogue is very different from the skill list of a warden. You need to always keep in mind who you are making the adventure for, and what abilities are available to him or her. Don’t create a stealthy, assassination skill challenge for a Paladin, just because you think it’s a cool story you want to tell. Wait for the player to roll a rogue instead.
Manage your expectations
This applies to both sides of the screen, but obviously a talk about the character, campaign and rules of the game is essential before the campaign starts. Plan out in advance any house rules you’d like to introduce, and speak with your player about them. Also, bring up the idea of companion characters as introduced in the DMG2, as there’s always safety in numbers. Sherlock Holmes always had his Mr. Watson.
Also, don’t expect the same type of game you’d get from a table full of players. This will most likely be a story driven game, with fewer combats and more role playing. Embrace that, it gives you more time to tell the story you want to tell for the PC.
What’s the Story?
So I’ll close the article by going back to Warcraft. I’m really enjoying the solo quests in the game, and how they branch off into further quests and adventures. This may be a solution for the DM’s out there that perhaps rely on published adventures due to a perceived lack of creativity on their part. Obviously a published adventure is not a very good choice for a DM+1 scenario . My advice would be to first stat off with the character that the player wants to play, and work off that. If his choice is to play a ranger, who tends to keep to himself and not really venture into the city, well, that gives you a good solid base to start with. Create situations in the wilderness that would lead him into the cities, and take it from there.
There are plenty of characters that fit nicely into a solo archetype. The rogue, the ranger and druid come to mind. A monk can live a life of solitude up in the mountains somewhere, while a barbarian may have been raised by feral wolves somewhere in the wilderness. The key is to have the character’s concept planned out *before* you have the story, that way you can tailor make it for him or her.
Also, don’t be against the idea of allowing the PC to help you in crafting some of the plot and tossing campaign ideas around, after all, it’s his game too, and he needs to be the one that’s ultimately invested in it for it to survive and thrive.
Small quests, like in Warcraft, provide a nice way for the character to get to know how much he can get away with in the game world in as far as his abilities, and also provide a nice way to ease into the roleplaying aspects of the campaign. Don’t throw the epic plot right off the top, ease into it, give both of you time to learn if you like where it’s going, and if perhaps you’d like a change.
So in closing, if you are planning to start a DM+1 game, think about tailor making it specifically for the PC involved and his abilities, be mindful of combats, and be open to more cooperation and involvement in the plot from the PC. If any readers have anything to add based on personal experiences, I’d love to read about it, as I’m sure others would as well.
www. Newbie DM .com 
Dave T. Game
November 29, 2010
Along the lines of your suggestions for rethinking combat, I wonder if you could just give a PC two complete turns per initiative? That way, they could still have some teamwork with themselves, in a way. At the very least, an action point per combat would help.
newbiedm
November 29, 2010
I think that yeah, some rules bending needs to happen to make it effective. Action point per combat is good, as maybe more effective healing surges.
But a lot of the burden lies on the Dm side, in making sure that what he’s designing is compatible with the character that’s playing.
sniderman
November 29, 2010
I’m reminded of the AD&D “…. Challenge” modules of years back — designed for one DM and one character.
http://www.waynesbooks.com/ModulesHI.html
Josh
November 29, 2010
I’ve never done this with 4e, but my brother and I did the DM+1 thing for years before we found stable gaming buddies. We discussed running another one soon with 4e, so I’ll be sure to return to this post before we start it up. Thanks!
EverRaven
November 29, 2010
DM+1 was how I got started as a DM, years ago. As there were only two girls interested in the game – myself and my roomate – I drew the “DM” straw and we taught ourselves how to play for the rare occasion the boys would let us join in. We both grew very accustom to what we called the “Girl Way” – the story driven game, that didn’t focus quite as much on combat, but how the character interacted with the myriad of NPCs. My roomate became quite skilled at talking herself out of trouble 😉
Fast forward 20 years later, and I’m still the DM (and the roomate still games with me – just with her husband, and our friends) The table is usually filled by me +5 every other Saturday. Yet, DM+1 “roleplay” sessions are common between the actual bi-weekly game – I have lunch once a week with one player, just so he can discuss the things his character is up to “behind the scenes” – and so his roleplay doesn’t stop table play for the other players. I even have a side story going with one friend who can’t make the normal game. Since he can only play on the occasional weekday – he and I are the only common points of his game. Sometimes another player will join in. But as a troll learned last week – that one player can beat ya down like a dog. The balance of combat is my responsibility… and, I’ve got a lot of practice 😉
There is a completely different style to such – more of a “roleplay” style – where combat isn’t what you always want. I’ve had sessions where dice never dropped, and players never noticed. Instead of killing the dragon, my players have talked their way outta the fight and found an ally where a corpse might have been. All because I learned how to DM with only one other person – it shaped how I DM, and I hope my players would agree for the better.
Thunderforge
November 29, 2010
I would imagine that with a DM+1 game, you could pretty much do away with the battlemat if you wanted to. After all, all the benefits from positioning like flanking and such don’t mean anything if you’ve got one guy. I suppose if you’ve got a flock of companion characters with you, it might need to go back in for the more complex battles. But if it’s just a matter of walking down a hallway solo, seeing a bunch of baddies, and stabbing the snot out of them, then I can’t really see where a battlemat would be necessary.
j-man
November 29, 2010
I run 2 games as DM, and one of them is just me and my best bud. I couldn’t stand the idea of a 1 PC game and he had several character ideas, so a simple solution was obvious: let one player controll 4 PCs.
The 4 PCs he created are have very different personalities so we still get great roleplaying. When we roleplay, I can play one of the PCs partially to add in my advice or hint at something. Rather than saying as a DM, “I wouldn’t do that”, I can slip in and say as Eve the halfling rouge, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this guys.”
Combat does get somewhat lenghthy though with one player deciding and rolling for all the charaters. But that doesn’t mean it’s dull. For example, just the other day we were playing and the evil necromancer of Orcus was beginning to descend a ladder to the chamber where his well of souls lied. Meanwhile the PCs were trying to fight past his undead minions. Arcturo the elf ranger wanted to pick off the gaurds first but Pim the dragonborn fighter had other ideas. He used tied of iron to smack a gaurd out of the way and then ran forward and jumped right on top of the necromancer. They failed their catch hold checks and both fell 30 ft. and took damage. In the air Pim made a acrobatics check to land on top of the necromancer to further his damage and succeeded! Not at all what Arcturo the ranger planned.
Pierce
November 29, 2010
Great post. I wonder if I could convince a friend to play one-on-one. What would you recommend?
Geek Ken
November 29, 2010
I have to cry foul and pout about posts. I’ve been slowly outlining my own experience with a D&D party of one for my blog. The skinny of it is yes it can be done, but you’ve got to make changes in your game. You beat me to it with great advice of your own.
Kelsey
November 30, 2010
It’s an old thread from 3.5 days, but KJW and Illion the Red hosted a really good thread on the Wizard forums on Solo (or Duet) Campaigns with great information.
http://goo.gl/OgwdY
Worth checking out.
Dave
December 1, 2010
How to handle combat with only one PC? Two words: interactive environment.
I’d suggest watching a Jackie Chan movie for inspiration. He often fights a number of opponents at the same time, and they aren’t all one-hit minions. Jackie’s superior fighting skills keep him alive, but more often than not it’s his creative use of the environment that tips the balance.
You can pit a single PC against two or three normal enemies if that PC can deal damage like two or three PCs. Fill your environment with props that can be used as weapons. A minor action to deal at-will level damage, and a standard action to deal 2x or 3x this (depending on the number of enemies). The player’s challenge will be finding the parts of the environment that can be used as weapons, as most of them will be one-use.
Josh
December 2, 2010
I also think that the “cut scene” from DMG2 and any movie worth it’s salt to watch always have action going on away from the main character.. why not let the PC play that other character? Not necessarily a party of 1-running-4 (like j-man suggested), but one player with 2 PCs who aren’t hanging out together all the time… or you could do the “Tribe of One” multiple personality character from the Dark Sun series of novels where one body contains more than one personality and skills and the player (or the DM or both) has say in which personality is active at each time.
I am pretty sure I still have a lot of those AD&D 1 PC only adventures and will take a look at those as well, even if it is just for the maps (and another benefit of smaller parties; you don’t need football field sized rooms anymore) and non-combat encounters…
I think this would also be a great way to start rewarding players with bonuses to their attacks or skills when they have good roleplaying or good ideas about the battle… with a group of 4 or 5, you might feel like you unbalance the party if you give “bonuses for roleplaying” to some players when others aren’t good roleplayers, but with 1 player, you can encourage that and reward them for creative thinking and roleplaying their skill challenges more thoroughly.
Josh
Rock Firedriver
December 2, 2010
I grew up playing with people that were sleeping over at my house. I never had exposure to the grid based game until much later in college. Because of this I felt it was very easy to move to a DM+1 game. I would, in fact, say its the game I prefer to DM. The gridless existance allows for a lot of imagination where realism is checked in the same way that you would check someone who was telling you about something they saw IRL.
The two major pros of DM+1, imo, are 1) you custom everything for this player. Suddenly it becomes reasonable to introduce artifacts into story lines because you can grow and scale them slightly outside of the rules. Or tailer spells and abilities to the game instead of to the ballence. For instance, you can allow a player to progressively turn into something great game character like a vampire or astral gaurdian and not have to worry about spreading the love to other players. I often find out what the person is looking for loot and experience wise and try to drop in specific carrots. Games can become truely epic. Of course, the draw backs of this are that you can’t join any other group with such an unballenced character, and if you talk about what you are doing with other people they may jealously beat you down with rulebook rhetoric.
2) You can play anywhere. As long as you have a basic idea of the characters abilities then you really only need to come up with DCs. DM+1 is something I would do when I was in college and would carpool down with a friend to see the parents some 500 miles away. I’d craft the story and she’d play along and when it came time to roll I’d pick a random number from any license plate that went by and that would become 0. She would tell me a random number that she had picked and I’d add that to my number wrapping around at 20 to come up with a d20 roll. ( or wrap at w/e d# you needed. ) She went on to continue this practice with the child she ended up taking care of when they would travel and he loved it.
The 3rd pro is that if you happen to be drinking while playing it is much easier to keep a flow and not bore or annoy anyone.
The major con that I got from this type of game is that when I finally sat down to play the minture based map game everything took so long and the roleplaying was so thing I often wondered why I wasn’t just playing a videogame anyway.
Great article.
Lugh
December 6, 2010
I’ve been running DM+1 with my wife for close to a decade now. Most of the stuff in the main post and comments above is what I would echo.
One thing that Rock Firedriver mentioned, I want to reiterate. Solo campaigns are an excellent time to pull out all those Mary Sue characters that hog the spotlight in regular games. You want to be the Chosen One? Boom you’re the Chosen One. You want to be the sole survivor of an ancient race? No problemo. You want to invent an entire new kind of magic that revolutionizes the world? Er, okay, we can do that. You want an endless parade of pretty and important people to fall in love with you? Yeah, totally possible.
Those concepts really suck in regular groups. It quickly turns the party into “The Chosen One and her sidekicks.” And nobody wants to be the sidekick. If you try to have two Chosen Ones, then it just gets weird. But, in a solo campaign, you can have your own Scooby Gang, because they’re NPCs and they don’t care.
As a final note, one huge advantage to solo campaigns is that you can get a lot more mileage out of fiction as inspiration. Most fiction, especially novels, has a single protagonist. The plot generally revolves around that protagonist having just the right combination of skills, contacts, and spunk to be nearly uniquely qualified to save the day. James Bond, Batman, Conan, Harry Dresden, Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, Robinson Crusoe, John Carter, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Sure, Crusoe has his Friday and Holmes has his Watson. Bond has Q and Carter has Dejah Thoris. Batman and Dresden both have a rotating and loosely connected cast of assistants. But, ultimately, the story is about one person.
Chicagowiz
December 8, 2010
Great post, Newbie. I’d like to add a couple of thoughts from my own solo campaign?
Use henchmen/hirelings and NPCs that will go on the party. This avoids the “one person against an army of kobolds” situation – and the interaction between solo player and NPCs can be increased.
Don’t be afraid to suggest alternatives, but always leave no doubt that the PC has the power. That’s why my wife’s NPC companions/henchmen are weaker than her – they look up to her for the decisions, they’ll just voice their opinions.
Strangely enough, I found that the sandbox really works well for solo play as it allows the solo player to really drive the story to his/her satisfaction.
david xross
February 2, 2011
great advice. me and my younger brother are currently running a dm+1, but to hold true to the traditonal 4 man party, we each run two pcs, his being the decision making leaders and my own the support/back-up and advice giversand so far its worked out fine with innovative combat and a great story.
Richard Dezeeuw
February 5, 2011
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Google
July 10, 2014
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Tony
January 24, 2015
Thank you for all your suggestions and advice for running a 4e DM+1 game. I have yet to be so bold as to run my own game, but I am scouring the internet for sites and resources to provide an enjoyable experience when I do. I would be interested in any more of your, or any others here, advice to help run a challenging yet fulfilling game for a single person. I was particularly intrigued by a couple of suggestions I read here but I haven’t considered before when setting up a game. One example is getting the perspective of a WoW player. I’m not ashamed to say I haven’t played and admit I didn’t know what might come to mind for someone comparing the two experiences and what would be expected in an individual play style. Another idea that shifted the way I though of individual play in dnd was the idea of having the PC becoming or starting out as a “chosen one” (at the expense of sacrificing the possibility to incorporate a most likely unbalanced character in with a party given the opportunity). That idea brought immediately to my mind the world of The Elder Scrolls which just happens to be my favorite RPG series of all time. I am open to and welcome ideas, thoughts or comments you might want to share with a wanna-be-newb-DM like myself. Thanks