The Lone Toad Newsletter - June 2023
One year anniversary!
Wow! One whole year of Croaker RPGs! Isn’t that amazing? Seems like just yesterday that I started the blog with the intention of sharing some of my actual plays and thoughts on Solo RPGs. It has taken off in an amazing way and I’d like to thank you and everyone who has read the blog, played a game I’ve made, or read the newsletter. It’s because of all of you that I continue to make these newsletters, posts, and games!
SO THANK YOU!
Now to some numbers. 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…
Numbers from Year ONE of Croaker RPGs
Croaker’s RPG Corner - The Blog
First post - Prologue to my Shadows in Eriador Campaign where I built my character. I was so nervous people wouldn’t like it or wouldn’t read it. But I’m happy to say its gotten over 900 page hits!
Check out my first ever post here!
85 posts - Many of them are actual play episodes but also a lot of reviews, previews, creator interviews, and other things.
44,000 Page views - Wow! This is excellent. Sure a page view is just a click somewhere on the blog but to me it means people are interested and reading things. Thanks so much!
Most Popular Post - My Starforged Review with over 1,100 page views. Love that game and am glad people are interested in what I have to say about it.
Check out my Starforged Review here!
Seven Campaigns - I’ve played campaigns for Blade Runner, Five Parsecs from Home, Alien RPG, Mork Borg, Starforged, Agon, and The One Ring 2E.
Eleven Reviews - I’ve reviewed Sworn by Ghostlight, Alone Against the Flames, Mork Borg (with Solitary Defilement), Nomadic, Starforged, Long Haul 1983, Grimoire, Agon (with One Page Solo Engine), Golem, and Stoneburner.
Croaker RPGs
I also make games, mostly solo but I’m thinking of branching out into traditional games but always with a solo aspect.
Two Full Games - In December I released my first game, I Come From a Land Down Under. A solo journaling game where you survive a post-apocalyptic Australia.
Check out I Come From a Land Down Under
And recently I released Queenless where you play a Bee saving your hive.
Two Adventures - Ferrum Mysteries, an adventure for Starforged Check it out here, and The Zoo, an adventure for Cy_Borg. And here!
1,018 Downloads - It’s great to see people have taken the time to download and play my games!
40 Payments - Wow! Just wow! A lot of these are from Queenless but many are donations from my other games that are Pay What You Want. This will get plowed back into making games, trust me!
82 Itch Followers - Love to see it. Follow me on Itch also! I need to do some updates to games so you’ll get notified there.
0 Drive Thru RPG sales - Let's move on from this number. haha!
The Lone Toad Newsletter
103 Subscribers - Love doing these newsletters, a lot more than interacting on Twitter or other social media. I’m shocked that many of you tune in every month to hear my ramblings!
Nine Monthly News Letters - Well six through substack but I did three through the shutdown Twitter-owned platform (thanks Elon).
Future Plans for Croaker RPGs
In summary, MORE GAMES! I want to make some more games over the year. Bigger and better ones, putting to use what I’ve learned over the last year.
A new blog hosting site. I started out with Blogger but good lord is it bad. Fine if you go back in time to 2010 but today it isn’t cutting it. I’ll start looking into options for a more permanent home for The RPG Corner.
A proper logo. Commission some art or something.
Fewer blog posts. I know, I know. It’s a shame but doing weekly blog posts, a newsletter, social media promotion, and making games has become too much. I’ll never stop doing solo RPG campaigns because I love it but I may pull back the posting schedule or take breaks between campaigns.
Of course thank you to everyone who has read a post, a newsletter, downloaded a game, or interacted with me online. Love you all!
Favourite Blog Post from May 2023
Hands down would have to be Crafting Items with Epics Stories! I wrote about four excellent Solo RPGs that allow you to create some pretty cool story items you can then use for any other game you are playing. Magic swords, cool spaceships, spell books and statutes, create some great backstories!
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!
Nihilation by Eucatastrophic
A fellow Firelights Game Jam entrant, Nihilation is a post-doomsday solo rpg about what happens after the end of the world. Because it’s based on Firelights, it has exploration as a key component. But there are a lot more features added to the game. I definitely recommend checking it out.
MIRU-II by Hinokodo
A sequel to MIRU, you’ll need to explore, survive and build up your character. Watch out for those Colossoal enemies. The art looks great and who doesn’t love a hex crawl, so check it out.
Wands and Laserguns by Shouting Crow Games
Play as a high fantasy wizard that was just transported to a cyberpunk dystopia. So like Harry Potter meets Edgerunners? Hell yeah, sign me up.
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!
Shoulders of Giants - This I’m working on for the Cairn Game Jam. It will be a traditional adventure that will centre on a group of adventurers trying to kill a giant. They will need to travel through an enormous mushroom to find the giant’s lair. It’s still early days.
Cover mockup. Under Ground - I recently got into noir movies and thought it would be great to make a noir game about trying to solve murders in a city being bombed nightly. Based on London and many other cities during WW2, it will use the mechanics of Ironsworn and have a day and night cycle of play. I’m keen on this one so I hope to continue to talk about it.
Synergy - A Trophy Dark adventure where your Cyber Punks trying to steal something from an evil corp. Early days but I have most of a draft done.
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
Legend of the Bones Podcast - Tired of playing Solo RPGs and want to listen to one? Try out Legends of the Bones. A lot of Actual Play podcasts are a bit more on the action-comedy side of things, not Legends of the Bones. No mercy, the dice rules all. Good luck to those characters.
Darkonspyre Gaming has just started a Solo Star Wars-inspired Starforged actual play series. It’s good, so definitely give it a read! He’s even got the opening crawl going.
Methods & Madness has an interesting discussion on why Moldvay B/X version of D&D was so good and some options for retro-clones
PTFO has some interesting thoughts on player character motivation within their solo campaign
Check out Black Dragon Dungeon Company playing Queenless! BDDC plays all sorts of cool solo games, so be sure to sub to his Youtube or podcast.
Next Month for Croaker RPGs
I have a busy month planned for June before I take a break in July for some well-deserved holiday time. I am releasing Sea Beast soon, an Ironsworn adventure, I’m working on TWO (yes I’m crazy) game Jams. I have another feature I want to write about solo games of exploration AND an interview with a great solo designer. Stay tuned!
Be sure to check out the League of Incredible Soloists! Always going great stuff!
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.