Skip to content

Solo Play & Referee Prep

Runnable in one click: this portal puts solo loops and prep routines up top, with expansion links below.

At-a-Glance

Play Mode Routes

Solo Route

  • Keep one active objective and one pressure clock at all times.
  • Use oracles only when uncertainty changes decisions.
  • End each session on a hard next-step choice.

Duet Route

  • Emphasize relationship stakes and personal consequences.
  • Keep prep to short modular scenes with flexible outcomes.
  • Preserve at least one social and one stealth option per obstacle.

Table Route (Party)

  • Use shared prep artifacts: mission board, rumor list, faction tracker.
  • Keep objective clarity high and bookkeeping visible.
  • Gate escalation by group choices, not fixed scripts.

Player Quick Rules (Solo Focus)

  • State intent as a concrete question before oracle use.
  • Treat each scene as objective -> obstacle -> consequence.
  • Spend resources to avoid dead ends, not to erase all risk.
  • End sessions on a loaded decision, then start next session there.

Referee Procedure Loop (Solo/Duet Session)

  1. Set objective and current pressure clock.
  2. Roll or choose scene catalyst.
  3. Ask oracle only for uncertainty that changes decisions.
  4. Resolve action, then apply consequence even on success.
  5. Advance clocks, supplies, and faction tension.
  6. Log one unresolved thread for next session start.

Solo Sci-Fantasy Catalyst Table (d10)

d10 Catalyst
1 Distress ping from a location you already looted.
2 Patron asks for extraction, not extermination.
3 Rival scavenger offers temporary alliance with bad timing.
4 Cybernetic side effect creates a new compulsion.
5 Settlement council posts a bounty on unknown tech.
6 Weather event opens a route for one day only.
7 Old contact requests a favor tied to your debt clock.
8 Relic map reveals one real site and one trap site.
9 Faction patrol arrests your best information source.
10 Safehouse compromised; immediate relocation required.

One-Click Deep Dives

Solo Engines and Toolkits

Prep Frameworks

Advanced/Edge Cases

  • For high-lethality solo play, stack Emergency Survivability Buffers with your oracle loop.
  • For long campaigns, attach faction turns between sessions so solo play still feels world-reactive.

See Also