Solo Dungeon Crawler - Solo DnD Tutorials

I've recently been experimenting with 1:20 scale combat in my own solo OD&D campaign. This experiment was prompted by a few lines of text in the 1973 OD&D draft which states that when normal-types are fighting fantastic types, "It is suggested that the 1:20 Combat Tables be used." but such an approach is not so straight forward in practice due to the Post Melee Morale system that should technically apply to any melee conducted in this manner. The Post Melee Morale system is used to test whether one side of the melee will move back, rout, retreat or surrender. The problem with the Post Melee Morale system in an OD&D context is that it relies on specific Morale Ratings for individual types of creatures, i.e. normal troops (light foot, heavy foot, armoured foot, cavalry and so on), fantasy creatures such as elves, dwarves, goblins and of course the stronger monsters. The Morale Ratings in CHAINMAIL do not cover all the monsters and super-normal (character types) ...

 In OD&D's "Underworld & Wilderness Adventures" movement rates are given as numbers of hexes per day which can be travelled according to type. This is followed by a suggested scale of 5 miles per hex. So, a figure on foot who has a rate of 3 hexes of movement per day would therefore travel 15 miles in a day. This works fine when making longer journeys on a typical referee's wilderness map, but what about if a journey is being taken to reach somewhere that is only a few miles away? For purposes of time keeping you may wish to compute how much time this would take. OD&D Movement Speeds as Miles per Hour To calculate how many miles per hour a figure can move first you need to figure out how many hours are in a typical day. Presuming a medieval European setting the day would be measured from dawn until dusk, so we are really only dealing with the daylight hours between. For a temperate climate you would typically have about 12 hours of daylight in spring, 16 i...

There are almost endless challenges to forming a suitable set of rules to enable solo play of Dungeons & Dragons. This hobby has kept me fully occupied in trying to solve many of the problems I have come across so far and I wouldn't want to change that. It is very much part of the fun! A recent challenge for me has been handling positive reactions rolls by monsters. What happens? In a group game this is left up to the referee who gets to keep the players on their toes. This is difficult to recreate in a solo experience. However, I enjoy the challenge of giving it a go! OD&D Handling Positive Monster Reaction Rolls in Solo Play One approach I have recently been experimenting with is allowing myself (as the solo player) to decide what the outcome of a positive reaction roll will be. To make this work a finite number of options should be available that best represent what is typically offered in an OD&D game. Studying the rulebooks inside out is the best way to decide what...

 I've come across some examples of solo TTRPG enthusiasts attempting to create what they sometimes call a "Monster A.I.", which is designed to determine the behaviours of monsters when encountered in a game of solo D&D or the like. It got me thinking about OD&D and how in those earliest rulebooks monsters behaviour is already (albeit in a very simple way) codified to some extent. OD&D Default Monster Behaviour for Solo Play To begin with are some basics to setup a typical Wandering Monster encounter. Typically the circumstances of the encounter are determined as follows: A roll for Surprise is made. To quote Underworld & Wilderness Adventures "A Condition of surprise can only exist when one or both parties are unaware of the presence of the other. Such things as ESP’ing, light, and noise will negate surprise. If the possibility for surprise exists roll a six-sided die for each party concerned. A roll of 1 or 2 indicates the party is surprised. Distanc...

 You might have read my previous entry in this series in which I discussed things that player characters might spend their hard earned gold on (excluding building strongholds). I only scratched the surface in that article so I decided to follow it up with a second entry. With adventurers delving into underworld mazes and bringing up various treasures there is definitely an implication that the "world economy" of any fantasy campaign based on the original rules would yield opportunities to buy more than just the mundane items listed in Men & Magic. There are also mundane items mentioned across the various rule books and supplements that are not in the basic equipment list, such as shields of variant sizes, and a few additional weapons. I will also cover some suggestions regarding these. Things to Spend Money on in an OD&D Campaign - Part 2 Sometimes players will need to spend gold on things they need outside of what is listed in the basic equipment list given in Men ...

 The mysterious "Alternative Combat System" first mentioned in OD&D Vol.1 "Men & Magic" appears to have caused much confusion over the last 50 years. Especially regarding its connection with the combat rules in its predecessor, CHAINMAIL. It appears to me that for these past 5 decades there has been a bit of misinterpretation in regards to utilising the Alternative Combat System in the way it was initially intended. This if fine, of course, nobody needs to, or even should play the original Dungeons & Dragons game rules as written. In many ways, you cannot. As the rules were supposedly left incomplete in purpose to allow for variation and evolution. However, like most things, in order to get the best of of it, making well-informed decisions in its regard, an adequate understanding is a huge boon! OD&D Alternative Combat System, what is it and when should you use it? What is commonly known about the Alternative Combat System is supplemented by an artic...

Monster Reaction Rolls have become a Dungeons & Dragons staple since its inception in 1974. Adjustments to this kind of roll have always applied but there is some abiguity involved that may be considered to affect consistency. If you are a solo gamer like myself and playing original Dungeons & Dragons then consistency is key and therefore some level of robustness is necessary! OD&D Applying Consistency to Random Actions by Monsters In Underworld & Wilderness Adventures there is some discussion in regards to Random Actions by Monsters. These rules tell us that "Other than in pursuit situations, the more intelligent monsters will act randomly according to the results of the score rolled on two (six-sided) dice: 2–5 negative reaction 6–8 uncertain reaction 9–12 positive reaction The dice score is to be modified by additions and subtractions for such things as bribes offered, fear, alignment of the parties concerned, etc. There is also some additional...

In a game of Dungeons & Dragons it is never surprising if a group of Player Characters decide to visit an inn or a tavern in order to gain some local information pertaining to myths and legends. This is to be expected, so if you are playing solo (and like me you strive to achieve an authentic version of the game) then picking up a legend in this manner should be standard procedure! In Underworld & Wilderness Adventures (the 3rd Volume of Original D&D rulebooks), it says, "RUMORS, INFORMATION, AND LEGENDS: Such activity as advertising will certainly gain the notice of the locals and begin a chain of rumors. So will almost any other unusual activity. Even the departure of a party from a town is likely to be noticed. Obtaining such news is usually merely a matter of making the rounds of the local taverns and inns, buying a round of drinks (10–60 Gold Pieces), slipping the barman a few coins (1–10 Gold Pieces) and learning what is going on. Misinformation is up to the ref...