Solo September: Discover Solo Journaling Games!

Solo September is the perfect reason to start playing solo roleplaying games. Many of them are currently on sale or included in game bundles so you have even more incentive to do so. Even better, you can play solo games whenever you want. You don’t have to work around other people’s schedules or need to find a game master. Play whenever you want, wherever you want, however you want.

But what are solo roleplaying games? To put it succinctly, they are games designed specifically for a solitary player. It’s you, the game, your imagination and maybe some dice, cards, tokens, minis, paper, pen, and/or other tools—it depends on the game.

Solo RPGs have been around in one form or another for decades. Some early examples include solo rules like Tunnels & Trolls, the Invisible Ink line of solo adventures for Basic Dungeons & Dragons and gamebooks like the Fighting Fantasy series. Solo RPGs have only grown from there, with a resurgence in 2020 which shows no signs of slowing down! The category has expanded though, and now includes games that are rules lite to those with more crunch, cozy to dark, narrative-heavy to strategy-based, etc. The options are endless and oftentimes you’ll see a mix of game types.

Today we’re going to focus on journaling games. Mostly because these are the games I currently prefer to play. It’s a different way to embody a character and play the part as solo games tend to be more narrative-focused and will usually be on the rules lite end of the spectrum. The basic premise of these games is that the character you are playing is expected to chronicle their experiences. It is an essential part of playing. You take on the role of a character and write in your journal, or a letter or in a log book. I’m going to add here that you can totally record a podcast or video if you want. Whatever works for you, as long as it’s in character.

But how do you know what to record? Each game provides guidelines around this, usually in the form of prompts. These are randomly triggered using dice, playing cards or some other randomiser. Prompts can be as simple as keywords in a table or in the form of questions, specific events and other details. And the beauty of it is, you can chronicle as many words as you want. Some games will encourage you to write less but say more. If you feel your character is meticulously detailed, be as verbose as you want. If they are a person of few words, don’t be afraid to bullet point. There are no hard rules when it comes to games, only guidelines.

Probably the most well known journaling game is Thousand Year Old Vampire by Tim Hutchings. This game prompts you to experience the weathering impact of the immortal life of a vampire. It plays heavily on memories, forming and losing them over a long period of time. You start as a human sometime in the past, learning about actual history and your character as they grow and change, right up until their second death as a vampire. Prepare to be sad.

New in Town by Cutest Patoot Games is about arriving in a new place, reminding yourself of all the possibilities that brings and everything you might sometimes forget you’re capable of. It’s cosy, it’s introspective and, if you like Animal Crossing, you’ll probably enjoy this!

Interested in podcasting, spooky creatures and small towns? You should check out All Night Breakfast at the Midnight Owl by Tim Roberts. Be the creator and host of a supernatural investigation podcast and investigate a supernatural mystery. Includes optional map-making rules for deeper world-building.

For Small Creatures Such As We from Blackwell Games is a science fiction journaling game that has a little bit more crunch. You are a human captain in charge of an alien crew. Choose their skills and customise your spaceship before going off on missions, tackling events and learning more about each other. It’s on the cosy side but there are expansions that can add war to your universe or help you explore relationships, from platonic to something more adult.

If you’re looking for a darker experience then Exclusion Zone Botanist from Exeunt Press should scratch that itch. You are a botanist assigned to explore and document the Exclusion Zone flora. Get in. Discover and document. Get out. It’s a mix of journaling, drawing and hex crawling, wrapped up in horror. A stand-alone sequel will be crowdfunded soon, so if you enjoy EZB, keep your eyes peeled for it!

I’ve saved my favourite for last. Reincarnated as the Unlovable Villainess?! by Wym Lawson. You have been reincarnated into an otome (dating sim) game as the villainess and all endings lead to doom! You don’t have to be familiar with the isekai romance fantasy genre to play but it helps. It also comes with additional settings: paranormal, wuxia, school, and idol.

These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to solo journaling games. There are so many out there and I hope you can find one you enjoy. If journaling doesn’t appeal then that’s okay. Maybe my next column might, I’ll talk about how to play a group game or adventure, solo.