One on One play

[aprewett]

Hello,
I only have one player at the moment and was looking for idea on running a Traveller game.
Does anybody have a suggestion for a published module or run something similar with help on what they actually did for a scenario/campaign.

Usually I generate a sidekick NPC to go along with the player, so its a two person group.

Thanks
Allan

 

[flykiller]

depends on the character.

I've run two solo games. in one the character was a marine squad leader, it turned out great. in the other the character was an engineer in a mining facility where the robots try to take over. I thought it went fantastic but the player didn't like it so much.

just consider the character and what he does, then put him in an environment where his strongest skills shine but he has to face a few extra things not in his skill set.

 

[robject]

Fly is right, and I'll go one further: ASK the player what kinds of SF scenarios he thinks might be fun and interesting. Have the player generate a three-line backstory for the character. Then, go with that.

 

[Ulsyus]

Turn character development into an interactive process between ref and player? If there's going to be only one (not said with lightening crackling in a medieval Scottish sky...) player, the whole series of adventures need to be tailored to a certain extent don't they?

One PC can't do everything, so they're either going to need a couple of sidekicks or valets or troopers or robots or whatever, or the scenario should be written to enable the PC to succeed with the skills s/he has at hand. Or am I missing something obvious?

 

[Mako]

You could consider using Mythic, which has a Game Master Emulator (GME), so you can both GM, and participate in the games, on the fly, as either another party of your player's group, or in opposition to him or her.

I think that, meshed with Traveller, would be great for setting up various scenarios.

The GME also has rules to introduce plot twists, etc. into the games as well, so even you as the GM might be surprised at how events turn out.

Worth checking into as an aid to gaming/story-telling, and for solo play.

 

[ovka]

How about a character that works as an agent for the Vemene (Tukera's covert security branch)? Free transportation wherever you need the campaign to go. Just file an expense report at any starport on an xboat route if the character has to travel on a non-Tukera ship. A covert operator can then be assigned any task that meets their skillset. NPC's can come and go as necessary and can be recurring or not as the situation warrants. It also lends itself to the occasional "can so-and-so jump in and play with us tonight?"

If you can eventually work in a background theme (hey, I've seen that guy over there on seven of my last nine missions) that leads to something the player may want to check out on their own, all the better. Your version of the Vemene might have a vacation policy that says they get one week off for every three weeks spent travelling for business. After six months of work, they can take two months off to investigate "that guy."

Cheers,

Baron Ovka

 

[nats]

Think about all the films and TV series where its only got one main character: Dr Who where he explores new places and solves problems, James Bond where he is a special agent, Silent Running where he has to keep a starship running on his own, Outland where he has to investigate a series of murders and everyone is against him, Alien where he has to deal with a dangerous monster, North by Northwest where he has unknown criminal pursuers, Commando where he has to perform a rescue, Predator hunting or evading an alien, Rogue trooper where he has to travel a wasteland with intelligent weapons, Judge Dredd ... etc well you get the idea. But I think a NPC sidekick is a good idea even a sporadic one like Dredds wobot Walter.

 

[Supplement Four]

My very first Traveller game as a player was with Classic Traveller. The GM had me roll up a character, and the world where I mustered out was the world where we started. IIRC, my character was a Marine, and I had my discharge papers in one hand, my duffle bag in the other. And, the GM just looked at me and said, "You're on the lawn of the Naval Base. What do you want to do?"

The GM just winged it. I think I got a cab, tried to secure lodging for the night, then went to a bar for a drink.

Things got very interesting there.

It was one of the most fun times I've had playing Traveller, and it hooked me on the game.

I eventually, after some dirtside adventure, found myself employed as a Gunner on a Tramp freighter. A couple of other players joined our one-on-one game. They played the rest of the crew.

We had a blast.





So....to the OP. My suggestion is (if you are comfortable enough winging it), just muster out your one PC and let him do whatever he wants. Create the adventure together.

That kind of free-form gaming is, truly, a blast.

 

[Scratches]

I recently ran CT DA01 Shadows with a single player, we both had a blast.

We had a skittish Vargr NPC and a faulty probe droid along for the ride. The grav module was broken otherwise it could have just flown around by itself so the player had to use it like a bowling ball.