Here's an idea that can fit neatly with post canon Solo Leveling:
Sung Jinwoo goes on vacation with his family to Italy. With his sister, wife, kid - it doesn't matter who, when, why. What happens is that when they are in Rome, on a tour in the Roman catacombs, Jinwoo is... intrigued. So after the tour, he heads back to the catacombs and explores. And then he proceeds to do the same with the other Italian cities they visit.
Unlike normal humans, Jinwoo doesn't have to worry about getting lost in the long tunnels. Plus he can talk to the dead, so he tries summoning a couple dead humans to see what he can learn from them. (Does it work on souls with no mana and those who have passed away for so long? Keep in mind that sections are from 2nd century AD. But some are much more recent bodies with the most recent burials being in 1800s, so I mean, maybe?) Sections of the catacombs are unexplored; parts of them were said to have been used for smuggling and hidden activities under the government's noses.
It would be terribly funny if this is how Jinwoo runs into a couple mafia secret pathways. Unbeknownst to Jinwoo, the mafia has noticed Jinwoo's lurking. But because Jinwoo has been portaling in and out of the catacombs via his shadow summons... they can't pin him down or how he comes in and out. Gradually rumors spread... of the ghost haunting around the Italian catacombs. Some mafia men, the more religious ones, even start taking to praying to him.
And that's how Jinwoo unknowingly gets his first worshippers. Pity for Jinwoo, his shadow summons don't care to let him know of that fact and instead, encourage Jinwoo to keep exploring the tunnels. By encourage, I mean whining like 5 year old kids who really really want something of course.
209 notes
·
View notes
do you know of any solo-player crafting / designing games? like a witch making posions or someone building a cottage? the dream is a pen and paper solo-player architecture design game. or exploration/scavenging??
THEME: Crafting and Exploration
Hello friend, I selected some games that try to fit as many of the different prompts you are looking for here. Nothing fits everything, but everything fits something.
Dust and Void, by Robin Gibson.
The last remnants of humanity reside on Cathedral, a space-faring city, on its centuries-long mission to find a new home. Cathedral relies on spacecraft designed for deep space scavenging for vital resources.
In Dust and Void, players take on the role of these pilots. Players will explore the depths of space, look for resources, avoid dangers, and balance work, well-being and worship to make a name for themselves and build a legacy. Can you bring in enough to see humanity to a brighter tomorrow, and also to stay in the relative comfort of deep space?
This looks like a game that balances multiple characters, but is still designed for one person. It also appears to be a balancing game, so I’d expect being required to fulfill multiple objectives without depleting energy reserves or resources. If you want a game with high stakes and strategic options, you might want to check out Dust and Void.
Courier, by Sleepy Sasquatch Games.
Courier is a solo-RPG where you take control of a Courier—someone who travels the Wasteland delivering and trading cargo in exchange for REP, the currency of this post-apocalyptic future. As you explore the world around you, locations and factions are revealed and recorded on your map.
Choose to take jobs for factions and build reputation to access new benefits all while becoming better at your job and earning new character perks.
Courier is a highly structured game that focuses on exploration and salvage, leading your character through locations and various encounters, including Combat, Trade, and salvaging cargo. You work towards completing quests, earning money, and upgrading your reputation. Courier is probably the most like a traditional ttrpg in this list, and is great if you want to play a game but don’t want to be responsible for creating the world around you.
Guillotine Earrings, by Ella Watts.
You are a magical jeweller in a city on the brink of revolution. A solo RPG.
Guillotine Earrings is a magical journalling game on two pages. Your character is a jeweller living in a city on the brink of revolution, held in the grip of a cruel and despotic tyrant. Over the course of the game, you describe and draw the jewellery they make as they attempt to fan the flames of protest in the city with their art. You also describe the parties they attend, the allies they find, and the communities they enlist as they start a revolution behind the unlikely barricade of their storefront.
It's up to you to decide which you prefer - or to play the game more than once, creating different people in different cities as they try to rise up against their oppressors.
This game is intriguing to me because while your character is responsible for making items, you’re also crafting a revolution. Your decisions throughout the game will determine whether you’ll have a better chance to improve your art or improve your revolution’s odds through persuasive checks - recruiting for the cause, making powerful allies, and improving your network. There’s also optional rules for a jenga tower or a pool of jewelry, if you want to heighten the tension and increase the randomness of your results. If you want a game where your character occupies a niche in society that gives them the ability to cause great changes in the world around them, I’d recommend Guillotine Earrings.
Botanicals, by Ben K Rosenbloom.
A game for making potions to solve peoples' problems.
For one or more players. You will need some flowers, spices, maybe some bottles or cups, and anything else you want to throw in a potion.
This game can be played solo, although it also has instructions for higher player counts. This game might even work as a single-person larp, as it recommends creating your potions and determining their effects based on their colour and scent. The crafting of this game is more literal than it is theoretical, and it is likely to require some cleanup afterwards, so if what you are looking for is something immersive, this might be a good option. If you’re looking for mechanical crunch, you might want to look somewhere else.
Salvager, by TEU Games.
Collect salvage from wrecked space ships. You will gain in power and equipment. If you live long enough, retire to a life of luxury.
This is another exploration game that brings you across a hexmap as you look for salvage. The game fits on 2 pages, but is full of descriptions of what you find inside the ships, as well as roll-tables determining what your retirement looks like depending on how many credits you save. Just be warned - if you duck out of a job before it’s done, you risk losing money and also retiring in disgrace!
Bad Bad Brew, by CABBAGEHEAD.
BAD BAD BREW features a colourful trifold spread with all the rules and inspiration you need to brew your next potion. It includes all the instructions, several tables for ingredients and side effects, and your Alchemist's Tools to easily change its properties.
The game is designed to be accessible, easy to play and highly replayable. All you need is one six-sided die, writing tools and some creativity to start playing. The average session can be last from 10 minutes to as long as you want.
This is another game that has some tactile components to it, asking you to literally brew some of your concoctions. The game also expects your character to not always get the recipe right - and when that happens, expect a number of interesting side-effects. The game also suggests porting your creations into group sessions - perhaps something that your character made gets sold to an adventuring party! If you want something that can be played quickly, with many possible uses, check out this game.
Renovation, by kay w.
Renovation is a solo journaling game about a house. Whether or not the house is haunted depends on your definition of a haunting. In this game, you play as the house, old and worn, full of many memories and perhaps even ghosts. A new owner has come to renovate.
You do not wish for the renovation, but it comes regardless.
This is a story in which the architecture of a house is a form of resistance - and the new creation that you turn into at the end of the game is a horror, not an accomplishment. This is the closest I could find to an architecture game, using a deck of cards to determine what element of your house is changed. If your foundation crumbles, you are no longer the house you once were. This game certainly isn’t for everyone, but if you’re interested in a horror take on a game, this might be worth taking a peek at.
Masterpiece, by LordPaido.
It was on my walk home from the store when I saw it. A bird floating through the air, barely flapping its wings. At once, ideas began clamoring for attention; moving without movement as the theme for a new poem! But my masterpiece could also use such an allegory, although it might take more editing to make work….I'm so close, and yet, I feel so much further than when I started….just a few days more, and it should be complete.
Masterpiece is a solo GM-less journaling game about the creative process and what goes into making a truly unique work of art. Maintain your inspiration as you draw on the influences of the world around you, past, present, and future. Strive to remain focused and not grow distracted by lesser works. Weather whatever storms the outside world and your inner landscape throw at you – and see if you have what it takes to reach your full potential.
This game lists architecture as one of the forms of art you could use in your creative process. The game depends on a deck of cards, which you draw from to navigate your ideas, as well as tokens, which you use to track your character’s inspiration. Every “day”, you draw and place a card, and then interpret your progress into a journal entry. Sometimes you might draw an idea for a lesser work, which is mean to replicate how artists often have more ideas than time to complete them. The game might end with a finished Masterwork, but it might not! Out of all of the games I looked at, this is probably the most suited to the architecture prompt you listed. I hope you find it interesting!
Games I’ve Recommended Before
Grimoire, by Anna Landin.
Exclusion Zone Botanist, by William Rose.
94 notes
·
View notes