Skip to main content

OD&D - Rumors, Information and Legends in Solo Games

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 referee. Legends will be devised by the referee as the need arises, but they are generally insinuated in order to lead players into some form of activity or warn them of a coming event."

OD&D - Rumors, Information and Legends in Solo Games

There are two mechanisms in the above test: the first pertains to receiving information or rumours regarding the movement of other adventuring parties. This works really well in group games because it allows players from different groups in the same campaign to discover the activities of others and this can lead to many interesting scenarios of a competitive nature, if desired... There are many ways this might become useful in a solo campaign too. A party might get split or you might have several parties and desire a rendevouz but the parties have no in-game knowledge of where to find eachother.

Legends on the other hand are something altogether different. To quote a portion of the above text again. "[...] they are generally insinuated in order to lead players into some form of activity [...]". I was inspired by this little fragment, to devise some rules of my own for solo OD&D. Here is a PDF showing what I came up with...

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Play Dungeons & Dragons Solo - Part 1 - Which Ruleset? A Solo DnD Tutorial

Hello and welcome to this blog. “ How to Play Dungeons & Dragons Solo ” . This blog will explore the concept of playing Dungeons & Dragons solo . This means playing the game completely by yourself with no Dungeon Master. The idea to write this blog naturally developed from a YouTube video series I created back in July 2020, dedicated to the process of how to start and run a Dungeons & Dragons solo campaign . I was increasingly requested to write all the information down to aid my viewers and provide something that brought all the information together in a concise format. How to Play Dungeons & Dragons Solo - Part 1 - Which Ruleset? A Solo DnD Tutorial In this blog I will present the information from the original videos (which I would advise watching in full as a reading accompaniment to obtain the full context) and expand upon it, showing you in further detail how to design and play a solo Dungeons & Dragons campaign by yourself with no involvement from ...
17 comments
Read more

Solo RPG Using Mythic GM Emulator and OD&D - Part 2 - Running the First Scene

Welcome back to my Play by Blog Campaign. In the previous session I setup the first scene of the game using the mighty Mythic GM Emulator. In this session I am going to play out the scene. This will entail asking various questions using the Mythic GM Emulator oracle system as well as how to end a scene once it reaches a natural breaking off point. Solo RPG Using Mythic GM Emulator and OD&D - Part 2 - Running the First Scene The first thing I need to do is set the scene, so here goes... My character Mona is out in the forest checking her hunting traps, when suddenly she discovers the mutilated carcass of a deer caught in one of the traps. She inspects the remains closely noticing immediately that something has brutally torn the animal apart, stripping it of huge chunks of flesh, and breaking the bones. Whatever did this clearly has a great deal of strength and sharp monsterous claws and teeth. Mona is going to attempt to track this unknown creature and see if she c...
2 comments
Read more

OD&D Domain & Faction Play

I've just got done listening to an episode of Blogs on Tape. Specifically episode 172 - Pleasures of the OSR: Emergent Story and Open Worlds, by Ben. L. This got the cogs turning in my brain thinking about "faction play" or "domain play". In particular I felt inspired to take a trip down the rabbit hole to explore what the original Dungeons & Dragons rule pamphlets says about these concepts. From memory, not much considering this original system was marketed as a "top-down" war game. However I have a suspicion that much can be extrapolated from what these pamphlets do say. So let's take a look... OD&D Domain & Faction Play In Men & Magic the character section provides details of high level character play, which is very applicable to domains or factions. In particular what income is available to high level characters: "Top-level fighters (Lords and above) who build castles are considered “Barons,” [...]. Base income for a Baron ...
1 comment
Read more