Why I'm doing this?
This is not a post about why I should play solo; I play solo because I want to be free to enjoy my TTRPGs whenever I want, without having to organize a group or wait for friends to be in the mood or willing to play that specific game. It also lets me immerse myself more deeply in the world.
With that said, I only started taking solo play seriously a few weeks ago. I’m currently running two GM-less co-op campaigns with Mythic, one in Salvage Union and one in Mörk Borg. On my own, I’ve also used Shadowdark and Mörk Borg for some shorter one-shots and two-session tests.
After successfully adapting Mythic to Salvage Union—a game without any solo rules—I worked up the courage to study a crunchier game and start my first proper solo campaign. The game I’ve chosen is Fabula Ultima. Unfortunately, the official Solo Modo and one-to-one rules are not available yet, so for now I’ve picked up Fabulus.
The point is that Fabulus doesn’t explain how to handle some of the game’s most “anti-solo” mechanics. I’m talking mainly about Opportunities and Ultima Points.
For those who don’t know, Ultima Points are spent by Villains, while whoever controls the opposition gains an Opportunity when a character rolls double 1s—a fumble. Ultima Points allow a Villain to invoke a Trait and reroll, recover, or escape from a scene. Opportunities offer a wider range of effects: for example, giving the opposition a +4 bonus on its next Check, inflicting a status effect, or causing a PC to make a compromising statement—although the exact statement is still chosen by whoever controls that PC.
My point is: how do you usually manage mechanics like these?
Until now, I’ve used the Mythic Fate Chart or Meaning Tables, or quick rules such as “on a d6, with 1–2 the enemy targets this character, with 3–4 another,” and other small procedures like that.
But this is the first time that the answer I keep finding online is simply: put on the GM hat and play in the best interests of the Villain or enemies.
What I’m afraid of is getting caught in a conflict of interest, where I might unconsciously try to do less harm to my PCs while I’m wearing that GM hat.
At the same time, I’m wondering: why am I afraid of that? Is this a competitive game? Is this something I should feel dishonest about? What are your thoughts? Has anyone else felt this way in this kind of situation?
I really want to understand this and clear my mind, because I own many games with interactive mechanics like these. Daggerheart is another obvious example.