Welcome to the July Newsletter of The Lone Toad. It continues to get colder and colder down here in Australia, and my tadpoles and I got wrecked by a nasty bug. Feeling better now but it was a rough month, that’s for sure.
In this newsletter, I’ll talk about how to help others get started in Solo RPGs, what the plans for the rest of July are, some cool games I want to try, and Work in Progress for Croaker RPGs. Let’s get stuck into it.
Are you enjoying the newsletter? Like it, please! I’m not desperate or anything and my self-worth totally isn’t tied to how many people like this…
New Games!
I was brave enough to release two games on Itch this month. Be sure to check them out.
Once Upon a Giant - Once Upon a Giant is a fairytale fantasy OSR adventure for Cairn by Yochai Gal, or any other OSR game with minimal conversion.
Pay what you want! Contributions help!
In this 13-page PDF, an adventuring party will face a dark journey through the centre of an enormous Toadstool, a hike through the Forest of Stalks to the town on top of the Toadstool called Shroomtop. Finally, the party must storm the Giant's fortress and attempt to kill him in his sleep.
Sea Beast - Sea Beast is an adventure to be used with Ironsworn by Shawn Tomkin. Use this adventure as a starting point for an Ironsworn campaign, or can be dropped into an existing game.
This 9-page PDF contains an adventure start, descriptions of the people and locations of the village of Karvee, questions for you to answer, and two foes to challenge your Ironsworn traveler. And it’s only $1!
How to get others started in Solo RPGs
If you are like me you’ve been asked ‘How do I start in Solo RPGs?’ and ‘What’s a good Solo RPG to start with?’ and the always fun ‘I just don’t get Solo RPGs’. Now normally I don’t try to convert or convince anyone of anything, but I know Solo RPGs give a ton of benefits to people in the RPG world, and when I’m asked I like to do my best in giving good advice about solo RPGs. So here is what I say when I’m responding to questions about Solo RPGs.
Come with an Open Mind: This is clearly the most important thing I tell people. Solo RPGs are neither better or worse than traditional RPGs, but they are Different and because they are different, you need to come with an open mind. There is negative sentiments about Solo RPGs that I won’t go into here (it pops up on the bird site from time to time) and a lot of people have a curiosity about Solo RPGs but they may have an inaccurate view of what it is. Come with an open mind, come with a positive mindset and you’ll probably have a great time.
Ask Them What They Want: I typically ask the person what they are interested in accomplishing. Do they want something they can play at night to relax? Do they want to roll some math rocks and smash some baddies? Do they want to create some epic stories and have a longer-term campaign? This helps narrow things down for them.
Ask How they Think They Want to Play: Ask them if they are keen on writing a story out or bullet pointing? Or maybe they will record it using audio? Maybe they don’t want to record anything and just want to play through some adventures.
Then I start making some suggestions: I almost always mention Ironsworn to them. Why Ironsworn? Well not only is it peak Solo RPG and one of the best games out there (only surpassed by Starforged), but it’s free and has a low barrier to entry. It can also be played in many different ways, such as writing epic stories, or doing it bullet point, or just playing in your head.
But I may not recommend Ironsworn to everyone, especially for those with different interests.
If someone seems keen on kicking ass I may recommend Rune as a good place to start, with its emphasis on tactical combat. I’d also suggest this to someone coming over from board gaming or video games as a good entry into the hobby.
Then finally if they are interested in having a relaxing journaling experience or something to do at night I’d recommend games from S. Kaiya J. such Her Odyssey, which is a beautiful journaling game that anyone can fall in love with.
And that should do it! Hopefully, they find the beauty in Solo RPGs after that but I’ve also come to realise they aren’t for everyone.
Favourite Blog Post from Last Month
Interview with S. Kaiya J. of Mirror Lock
Kaiya of Mirror Lock, creator of excellent games such as Her Odyssey and Untitled Moth Game was kind enough to answer my interviews questions about her process, how she got into RPGs and what she loves about Solo journaling games.
Naxalis Preview
Up for crowdfunding right now and written by an excellent solo creator Cezar Capacle, Nexalis is a hopeful fantasy game of exploration. The art is great and the game has some good concepts. Be sure to check out the preview.
Cool Solo Game I Haven’t Played Yet
Folks, I wish so hard I could play all the solo games I hear about but it just IS NOT POSSIBLE. Still, I like to highlight some really cool ones from solo designers out there. Solo RPGs are like a niche in a niche, so we have to share things around and get visibility or each other.
Do you have a solo-game you’d like to highlight? Message me and let’s chat!
Hedge Witch by Shouting Crow
Roll up your sleeves, pick up your wand, and become a Hedge Witch in this game by Shouting Crow.
Junk Noir by JadeRavens
Junk Noir is a cooperative, zero-prep, GM-less story game for 2 or more players. If you've played Brindlewood Bay, Paranormal Inc, or other PBtA-style games, you'll feel right at home. Not quite a solo RPG, but kinda close as a GM-less game. Close enough.
Insurgent by Cezar Capacle
Another Cezar Capacle game! Insurgent is a solo or co-op game where you play in the heart of an insurgency against tyranny.
Work in Progress
This is a new section where I want to talk about games that are a work in progress. I work in an interesting way and talking to others and sharing my ideas helps me follow through with them. But there is no guarantee I’ll finish these projects. So let’s get into it!
Once Upon a Giant - Released! I’m happy to have this one out the door for both the Cairn Jam and OSR Jam. I do wish I had a bit more time with it but I’m considering coming back to it and creating a more in-depth mini-campaign with it.
Sea Beast - Released! I was working on this one for a while but finally got around to releasing it.
Under Ground - No progress on this one sadly.
Synergy - No progress this month.
That’s it for concrete projects. This may morph into its own newsletter with more information. Let me know if you want to hear more about what I’m working on.
Other RPG Stuff
Want a zine that covers cool literary and RPG stuff but is also kinda freaky? Check out Dead Horse Issue #1! Good friend to Croaker RPGs, Reece, is featured in it with a poem of his own creation. Check it out here!
Ever read a Fighting Fantasy gamebook? They have fantastic art Check out this article about a current crowdfunding project about Fighting Fantasy Art. Check it out here!
Hate your job? Well, whatever you do it isn’t as bad as working for Corp Borg. Soon to be kickstarting.
Next Month for Croaker RPGs
July may be a quieter month for Croaker RPGs. I want to get my first official logo done, work on the new website for the blog and restart some projects I put on hold this week. I’ll also be taking a break from the blog for a couple of weeks as the family heads to a well-deserved holiday.
Be sure to check out the League of Incredible Soloists. We have just been joined by Steve Morrison of Errant Adventures!
Thank you for Reading!
As always I write this because you all read it. Please like this newsletter and share it with others who may be interested.