A solo RPG adventure using the so1um v0.2 rules
Name: Jet Starrow, smuggler
Body: 2
Mind: 2
Will: 3
HP: [ ] [ ]
Cliché: Owner of the fastest correlian transporter after the Millenium Falcon.
Goal: Ship this (illegal) freight from system Naboo to D'Qar
The cargo is loaded, the spaceship is ready to leave.
Could I leave the astroport without being noticed?
No, but... the only Alien that has noticed you were a bit in a hurry is a friend of yours, Lingo D'qorq ; he's a bit too curious at times, and he wanted to know what was the thing you were loading.
Lingo => B: 2 / M: 2 / W: 3 HP: [ ] [ ] -- Clichés: Always wants to know what's going on ; I can't keep a secret if you have enough money.
I chose to tell him a little lie: “It's some crates I'm taking care of, my brother, who lives on D'Qar asked me to carry.”
Would he believe it?
I think it's a "Mind contest".
My roll: 6 - 3
His roll: 6 - 5 - 4 - 5 -- it's a success.
So he believed me and wish me "bon voyage".
Leaving the Naboo atmosphere and preparing for hyperspace.
Is there any unexpected imperial patrol?
No.
Do I manage to enter the right hyperspace coordinates?
I assume it's a Mind contest, Difficulty level will be Easy (3)
My roll: 1 - 6... so no problem at all.
Getting out of the hyperspace and heading to D'Qar.
Is there any kind of spaceship in the area?
Yes, and... it's an obstacle ; some space pirates are trying to attack the transporter! There are two pirates:
Pirate #1: B: 4 / M: 3 / W: 2 - HP [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Pirate #2: B: 3 / M: 2 / W: 2 - HP [ ] [ ] [ ]
Do Pirates have the initiative?
No, And... they didn't expect my ship to be so fast, so I'll roll with advantage on the first round and make one attack and then trying to escape.
I'll decide on this rule for a spacefight: The attacker is rolling with "Body", while the defender is rolling with "Will" (escape maneuvers, quick response when stress is involved).
I attack the first Pirate:
My roll: 3 - 2
His roll: 1 - 2
One Damage!
Pirate #1: B: 4 / M: 3 / W: 2 - HP [x] [ ] [ ] [ ]
Then I'm trying to escape: it's a Will contest (?)
I'm rolling 4 dice (3 for the will + my only cliché)
Roll for escaping: 5 - 1 - 1 - 5
Pirate #1: 5 - 4
Pirate #2: 2 - 6
Because of the successful hit on my first round, the first Pirate has problems with his engine ; if forces him to give up the hunt, but the next one is ready to fire at me!
Pirate #2 attacks: 2 - 2 - 2
My roll: 6 - 5 - 4
No damage!
Still trying to escape, hiding in an asteroid field. Will contest, using a Tricky (5) Difficulty level.
My roll: 1 - 4 - 4 - 6
Success!
The pirates have given up, and then I'm waiting for the things to settle... And then heading to the D'Qar astroport... Rolling for encounter / event: 3 / a Unique Feature or Situation.
There's a big religious event and a lot of people is gathering in the area. Which means that the authorities won't look much after my load.
Is my regular client available?
No, but...
One of my contact tells me that he can find someone else that could buy my products. He told me to meet him at the "Zeit'th Tavern", near the festivities center. There are a lot of customers in the Tavern but I can manage to find my (potential) client sitting at a table.
It's Menlo Sigman
Menlo => B: 3 / M: 2 / W: 1 - HP [ ] [ ] [ ]
Clichés: You won't make me pay the price you want ; Nobody has ever been able to give proofs ; I never forget somebody who stabs me in the back.
I'll go for a Mind contest when it comes to negotiation.
My roll: 1 - 3
His roll: 4 - 5 - 1
Menlo has the advantage on this bargain, and I'm selling this good for 3000 credits, while I was expecting 7000.
Menlo will pay 500 credits now, and the rest when I'll deliver.
One last thing:
Is there anyone that knows me in this tavern?
No, And... the concert (unique feature or situation) is performed by a band. And the singer is absolutely beautiful. I wonder if Jet's next goal would be to try to seduce this singer...
Post-scriptum:
I've tried to use it in a "non-medfan" settings, just to see if the system was working in a Sci-Fi mode. This and... I wanted to follow the old saying: "If there ain't a Star Wars version of it, it's not a RPG".
There are a lot of very interesting features: the Yes/No/But/And rolls give valuable input to my imagination. I've even rolled on the And & But Results to see if there was something interesting happening on D'Qar.
The chargen is so fast that it costs almost nothing to create a NPC.
The combat rules are very fast, too, and you solve the contest in a dozen of seconds, I like it!
But I think that at least there are two things that bug me in the system:
- I'm not sure I've used the right stat for the given challenges / contests. My intuition about starfighting was... well... I'm still unsure of the choices I made. And what would it be in case of firing blasters? A Body roll?
- In case of a direct contest: what to do in case of ex-aequo? Success or failure? I've chosen Success, but again, I'm not sure it was the right decision.
All in all, I think that so1um is a solid solo RPG engine, and you can run an adventure from chargen to end in half an hour or less. Using only six-sided dice and those simple mechanics, it's a great game for a lunch break or a distraction when you're in a waiting room, for example.
I even think that you could use the engine in a "Players + GM" environment, with your GM giving you interpretation of your rolls.