Holiday at the Lone Toad!
What I'm playing this holiday season and what I'm doing with the Lone Toad
Welcome to the December 2024 Lone Toad Newsletter!
The end of the year is approaching, like a kaiju rising from the sea. No avoiding it, no hiding, it will be here soon.
I’m fortunate enough to take some time over the holidays to get really stuck into a few solo games and projects. And while I’m away, I’m trusting the keys to the house to some other RPG creators to do some guest posts. But don’t worry, I’ll be back soon!
2024 in Review
2024 has been a big year for the Lone Toad. Let’s go through a few highlights.
167
The number of subscribers on 1 January 2024.
1,174
The number of subscribers as of publishing. Thank you so much for the huge growth over the year!
Ribbiting Adventures
One of the big drivers of growth was Ribbiting Adventures, the Lone Toad’s mid-monthly newsletter that focuses on taking deep dives into solo RPGs with retro reviews, reviews of new releases, creator interviews, and articles focusing on interesting solo mechanics.
22
Editions of the Lone Toad. I love writing each and every one. I look forward to posting them and reading the comments
6
Number of games I’ve released through the year. They include full games like Identity, Cargoth: Runious Edition, and Night Terror. And also smaller game jam games like, Draw!, and An Antique Land. My newest release is Zorg! More information below.
Sneak Leaps
I introduced a second newsletter, Sneak Leaps, which is just all my insane ramblings not fit for the Lone Toad. Subscribe at your own risk.
And thank you!
Thank you, readers, so much for reading and engaging with the Lone Toad over the year! I write this because you read it!
What I’m playing over the holidays
Now on my break I won’t just be sitting on my lillypad eating flys. I got a ton of Solo RPGs to play.
Sundered Isles
I think I was literally the last person in the world to get Sundered Isles. But it’s just showed up at Croaker HQ, and I’m excited to get stuck into it and start a big play over the holidays.
Gloomhaven: Buttons and Bugs
A cool solo board game with heavy RPG elements, Gloomhaven: Buttons and Bugs is a lot of fun! I want to play through it completely and maybe start on another hero.
Plot Unfolding Machine
JeansenVaar’s Plot Unfolding Machine is an excellent companion App I recently picked up. It puts all their tools into one, along with a dice roller and logs for your solo games. It’s such an effective tool for playing solo RPGs!
Final Girl
A solo-only intense horror game, Final Girl really gets your heart pounding. I got the Into the Void scenario which I’m keen on getting stuck into.
Five Leagues from The Borderlands
Assuming Amazon doesn’t destroy the next Five Leagues book I order, I’m looking forward to taking a few small steps into the solo wargaming world
What I’m making over the holidays
But it isn’t all fun and games over here. There are still projects to work on here.
Learning Affinity Publisher
You may not know that all my RPGs have been built using Canva Pro. I think it’s a great tool for a beginning designer, with a ton of graphics and design help to get your creations off the ground.
But, it’s a bit hampering, especially with larger projects. So I’ve picked up the Affinity suite of products and I’m going to start learning them.
11-Minutes
I’m going to keep working on my solo journaling card game and hope to have some play testing going soon!
Identity
This game has been free for subscribers of the Lone Toad to check out but I’m planning on continuing development for a full release early next year!
Collaborations
I might be the Lone Toad but that doesn’t mean I always want to work alone. I’m looking to collaborate with some creative folks over the next year.
Guest Contributors
I may be taking a break but that doesn’t mean The Lone Toad is stopping. We have guest contributors over the next couple of months.
of Drakonspyre is an excellent solo RPG designer and actual playwriter. Eric has his own newsletter on Substack and some excellent thoughts on Solo RPG game design.Adam Bell of Adam Bell Games is a tabletop game designer and publisher out of Pittsburgh, PA. He’s written a ton of cool RPGs including Grasping Nettles, Legend Has It and My Brain is a Stick of Butter.
from The Digital Wasteland is a jack of all trades, with skills in design, filmmaking, RPGs and more. Reece always has great insight into how film and RPGs intersect.Zorg! - A Cozy Dungeon Dive
I’ve just released Zorg!
The perfect game for upcoming relaxing holidays, Zorg! is a cozy choose-your-own-adventure dungeon crawl meant for 1 person. Pick one of three adorable characters. Dive into the grotto to save the frogkin family maybe find some cool items along the way.
Time to play Zorg! is 15 to 60 minutes per dungeon dive. You just need this game, and a D6, a D4, a pencil and some scratch paper.
Suitable for ages 8 to 108. Want to introduce RPGs to a young person? Print out a copy of Zorg! and walk them through it.
Be sure to check out my other games here!
Other RPG Stuff
Sale Sale Sale - When you read this you have a few more days to pick up Queenless and Cargoth: Ruinious Edition for 33% off. I may extend the sale if I get a good response so check this link out if you are reading it a bit later in December.
- has an excellent gift guide for anyone in your life who likes RPGs or board games.
- wrap up his year in solo gaming with an excellent post.
An interesting post from
about how do you know you have a good game on your hands when your making one. Focused on video games, I think there is a lot to think about as an RPGDid you spend Black Friday fighting the masses for deals or maybe you spent it working (I’m sorry), well Friend of the Toad Reyes just released Shut Up, Cary! A game about playing a stressed-out security guard just trying to survive black Friday.
Play as the last human left on Earth in ENDLING, a tarot-driven solo-journaling game by M. Allen Hall. Kickstarting now!
What RPG or solo RPG news do you think we should all be talking about?
Have a wonderful holiday and end-of-year
No matter what you celebrate or where you are in the world, have a wonderful end of year and may all your solo RPG dreams come true.
As always I write this because you all read it. Please like this newsletter and share it with others who may be interested.
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Thanks for the mention!
Eric Dill is an awesome writer!