Everything you need to get started playing solo tabletop RPGs

Four Against the Darkness, a leather-bound notebook, dice, pens, and a ringbound booklet on a wooden surface — (Image credit: Future/Danielle Lucas)

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The basics
Materials
Solo RPGs
FAQ

The hardest thing about playing the best tabletop RPGs is finding a consistent group to play with. Things often start well with frequent meet-ups, but inevitably life sneaks in with random events and illnesses, and soon your weekly game night becomes maybe every other month. So what do you do if you’re really in the mood to play a campaign but don’t have anyone to pay with? Find some solo games instead.

I’ll guide you through everything you need to know about solo tabletop RPGs (or 'TTRPGs') alongside a few recommendations to help get you started.

The basics of solo tabletop RPGs

A selection of D&amp;D dice laid out on a wooden table — (Image credit: Future / Benjamin Abbott)

If you’ve ever read a 'Choose Your Own Adventure'-style book, then you’ve played a solo RPG. They can be as simple or as complex as you like, but they’re generally more streamlined and introspective than group RPGs as there are no Game Masters or other party members to balance out with.

There are loads of different types and themes available, ranging from traditional fantasy to space-based survival, but ultimately solo games mostly fall into one of two camps: dungeon crawler and journaling RPGs.

Alternate paths

The scenario book, map, models, and box of Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion on a wooden table — (Image credit: Benjamin Abbott)

It's worth noting that many of the best board games can be played solo as well. The likes of Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion is a great example.

Dungeon crawlers are usually a series of randomly generated encounters that see you building and moving through various rooms. So you’ll roll a dice to find out what kind of area you’ll find - maybe a poisonous bog with a skeleton to fight, or a grassy area with a friendly creature - and then you’ll decide how to navigate each challenge as you approach them.

Journaling RPGs, on the other hand, are a lot more freeform. There are still usually elements to guide you on your adventure, but it's more about storytelling and writing your way through. Also, anything can be used as a prompt. Because there are so few rules when it comes to journal-style RPGs, they’re incredibly varied and will put you into the shoes of all sorts of characters, be that knights or an industrious raccoon.

The materials you need for solo tabletop RPGs

Thankfully, solo tabletop RPGs don’t need you to have a lot of gear to get started, and usually it’ll be stuff you already have. The only exception will be game books for the RPGs themselves, but I’ll have some recommendations for those below.

Notebooks | From $2.79 at Amazon
The most important item you’ll need is a notebook, so playing solo TTRPGs is the perfect excuse to hoard even more cute ones for when "just the right project" or game comes along. You do need to consider what paper type is inside, though. If you’re making anything involving map drawing you’ll want grid paper, or dot paper if you’re feeling fancy. Ringbound notebooks also help for easy flipping back and forth when looking at maps.

Journaling RPGs let you get a bit more creative so paper type is less important, but it’s also a good excuse to go all in on a theme. Playing a fantasy RPG? Pick something with leather and thick paper to make it feel like an old tome and use a fountain pen for the full effect.

UK price: From £2.99 at Amazon

Best solo tabletop RPGs to get you started

Artwork depicting adventurers between notebooks, surrounded by dice — (Image credit: Future/Danielle Lucas)

Now that you have everything you need to play, here are a handful of what I'd call the best solo TTRPGs to get you started.

Alone Against the Frost | View at Amazon
This is one for Call of Cthulu fans, and you’ll need a copy of the rulebook or beginner's set as well as the Alone Against The Frost campaign book to play. You are a professor leading a team into the cold of 1920s Northwestern Canada to make new discoveries… but at what cost? Atmospheric and full of horror elements, you’ll need to help your group survive with their sanity intact. It’s another dungeon crawler, but with a lot of twists to keep you hooked.

UK: View at Amazon

Last Tea Shop | View at itch.io
This is a free journaling RPG that sees you running a tea shop that straddles the line between the living and the dead. Souls pass through for one last cup of tea and conversation before they move on. Rolling dice determines where you set up, who visits you, and even the type of tea you serve, but it’s up to you to get creative and fill in how each encounter goes with the prompts provided. Each session takes about an hour, and since the game is free and all on one sheet, it’s great for trying out your first journaling RPG.

UK: View at itch.io

Alone Among the Stars | View at itch.io
Another journalling RPG, but this one has more of a sci-fi flavour. You’re a solitary explorer in space recording a log of all the discoveries you make on the planets you visit. Each planet and what you find there is determined by drawing cards that you use as prompts to write your entries. They don’t need to be long or complicated; a few sentences is all you need to capture the essence of each encounter. Better still, you can download and suggest your price.

UK: View at itch.io

Solo tabletop RPGs FAQ

Can you make group tabletop RPGs solo?

Yes! A lot of established TTRPGs have solo versions, like Against The Frost in the list above, but usually require rulesbooks from the group version as reference and an extra campaign book. You can even play Dungeons & Dragons solo, though it takes a fair bit of research to get set up and familiarity with the world.

How long does a solo tabletop RPG take?

Most games are designed to be 40-60 minutes long, but you’re the master of your own time so can extend or shorten play as you see fit. Maybe you fit in a few solo encounters in a spare 15 minutes at lunch.

Looking for more recommendations? Don't miss the best card games, or the best adult board games.

Dani's ears prick up every time the words 'final' and 'fantasy' are mentioned in the same sentence. Great when talking about JRPGs, but it becomes a real hassle when discussing the finals of your fantasy football league. Cloud would totally be a better striker than Rooney.

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