u/Roll_The_Tale

Was deep in an Ironsworn session last week and the Oracle gave me a no at probably the worst possible moment. I have been building up to this scene for a few entries and everything was kind of pointing in that direction. Then I rolled and the Oracle said "Nope, screw you. The door stays shut". I sat there for quite some time and ... chose to ignore it. Just wrote the yes instead.

But I still think the scene worked better because of it.

I know that the whole point of solo play is letting the game surprise you, even when it goes somewhere you don't want and if you only keep the rolls you like, what's even the point? But sometimes the oracle just seems ... wrong.

Curious how you guys handle it. Do you stick with every result no matter what, or do you occasionally throw one out if it completely kills the momentum? And if you do that, where's the line?

Five standalone games. A die, a deck of cards, dominoes, a handful of coins, a clock. Each one puts you somewhere different: a lighthouse vigil, a buried city, a bridge over fog, a polar expedition, a walk home.

No GM, no group. Just a notebook and whatever the prompt gives you.

All pay-what-you-want: rollthetale.itch.io

I've played a fair amount of solo RPGs at this point, across dice systems, card draws, coin flips, dominoes, clocks, and a few stranger things. Every tool creates a slightly different relationship between the player and the unknown.

But I'm curious what sticks with other people. Not just which oracle you use most, but why it works for you. Is it the texture of the randomness? The physical feel? The way it shifts the mood of a session?

No need to name a specific game. Just the mechanic itself and what it does for you.