My favorite things in gaming make me a very annoying player. I love shape-shifting, having lots of animal companions/summons, crafting, making money, and having solo side adventures.
So, in order to make the game fun for others, I don't get to play my favorite type of characters or peruse my favorite story lines except by accident. Some would ask, "Why game at all then?"
First, I really enjoy playing with other people who I consider my friends and care about. It fills me with great joy when my friend the GM runs a successful game and makes us all 'angry' at the monsters. It's awesome when my friends' characters reach their goals or do something really awesome that puts the spotlight on them.
Second, it puts me out of my comfort zone. I'm forced to play characters I normally wouldn't--this has actually lead to me finding out I really enjoy support and buffing characters. I also like characters that have all the skills (but not necessarily all the powers) for a situation. Although, with that last character type, I really have to be careful not to step on other's toes all the time!
And lastly, it gets me out of the house! =)
Solo gaming allows me my guilty and incredibly boring (to other people) gaming pleasures. Being a GM and the players all at once. Characters that mesh well or a single character that gets an extremely specific story. Playing game types or story lines anyone else would find boring or strange.
In order to make my games not fall into 'just writing a novel' trap, I use multiple solo gaming tools: Mythic GM Emulator, Rory's Story Cubes (and all the expansion sets), websites and several books full of random charts for names, places, dungeons, and NPCs.
However, depending on how detailed you get, solo gaming can be very draining but mentally and if you're getting serious, physically! Making sure to not fall into the 'every PC is the same' trap is actually the most difficult part of the whole operation for me. Also, knowing the stats for literally everything and doing maps if you want can be taxing.
This side of the hobby also allows me to use my LEGO figures and bricks to full effect. Dragging around a whole 66 quart storage container around to your normal gaming session is out of the question!
What else can I say about solo gaming? It takes a specific type of person to really enjoy it. I know it's not for everyone, but I'm glad there are communities for it (as funny as that is--communities for a solo activity 'meant' for groups).
I'm currently writing up five characters for a Ryuutama RPG game. You have a calculating yet charming merchant, a stern faced hunter who can see forest spirits, a healer trying to finish her brother's herbalism research book, a farmer with a love of music and the gift of Summer magic, and finally a mustachioed man artisan cook who wields a cast iron frying pan who sparkles when he speaks of the cookbook full of recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. I haven't figured out their pack animals or pets, but I'm sure there will be a donkey with a bad attitude in there somewhere.
Fun times!
Also, I apologize for the lack of posts. Luckily I finally have a doctor that is taking my issues seriously!
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