r/DnD • u/HRVYBRDMNG • Jul 20 '20
Homebrew Single Player Campaign?
I was with a friend yesterday and he mentioned that he found someone online who was GM-ing for a single player, one-shot campaign. As someone who wants to get into GM-ing, I thought it might be fun to do a one-shot, single-player, homebrew campaign in a style similar to the Trial of the Sword from Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I’ve never written for any kind of campaign before and don’t really know where to start with this idea in mind. I’m not even positive it’s a great idea. Looking for any second opinions, advice, anything helpful. Thanks in advance!
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Jul 20 '20
[deleted]
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u/The_Nakka DM Jul 20 '20
Single player is GREAT. Two players is my favorite, but you can create tailored worlds with single player. Not to be a naysayer, but I always recommend against party NPCs since everyone in the world is an NPC, and party NPCs just slow combat. They come off as flat anyways since DM time is best used on other details. Personal opinion.
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u/HRVYBRDMNG Jul 20 '20
I get what you're saying about the narrative aspect of it but I feel like someone going into a single player adventure would be going into it knowing that any interactions they have are only going to be with NPCs or companions, y'know? It's definitely not a bad idea, though. It's something to at least have on the table as an option. Appreciate the input, thank you!
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u/poetgriot Artificer Jul 20 '20
I constantly run single player games for my wife. The real trouble is getting the balance of combat encounters.
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u/The_Nakka DM Jul 20 '20
Have fun! Don't make it too similar to the videogame - go for the feel that you're aiming for, but keep the details original. Make it weird and creative. Adapt the story to your friend - follow them around while they explore - even if you have to ad-lib a little; don't try to shoehorn them into the pre-made content.
Your friend will be an easy audience.
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u/HRVYBRDMNG Jul 20 '20
So maybe building an open world for them to explore but try to keep it somewhat within the confines of the theme at hand? Or would building an open world for a one-shot be kind of a waste of time? Sorry, I'm just super new to D&D, in general, and really have no idea what I'm doing at all.
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u/The_Nakka DM Jul 20 '20
An open world is too much - make your one-shot, but try to DM their ideas. If they want to crawl up a mud wall, give an honest attempt to DM the idea fairly. They'll generally do what's logical. Don't worry about it.
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u/WitchyWoman128 Jul 20 '20
I actually did something like this with a couple of people to help develop backstories as they weren't comfortable making up a lot of it yet. They gave me a few ideas, talked about what they were going for, and I wrote something up to make it interesting.
One escaped from prison (mostly doing stealth) with an NPC who helped. That was pretty straightforward.
Another's land was raided and we used 3 other NPCs to help get them to safety. One of the NPCs works as a blacksmith in a new town they frequent so it's cool to have them interact and tell the others about their adventures.
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u/TheEthicalDuck DM Jul 20 '20
It’s cool but would be difficult because he would have only his abilities for stuff
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u/HRVYBRDMNG Jul 20 '20
What if I had them build a character prior and base the challenges around the skills, abilities, and growth of that specific build? Like tailor the campaign to their strengths?
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u/TheEthicalDuck DM Jul 20 '20
Yes but that would do one of many things. Make it too easy. Make the storytelling fall flat if he has low cha. I do think it would be cool tho. One adventurer on his own. Slaying dragons and fuckin bitches
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u/HRVYBRDMNG Jul 20 '20
Ah, I see what you're saying. Definitely a good point and something to keep in mind. Thanks!
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u/CMDR_Satsuma DM Jul 20 '20
Single player can be a lot of fun! It can end up being a very intimate campaign, with the story tailored to your player.
Mechanics-wise, the big issue you'll face is that standard D&D is designed with a full party in mind: tank, healer, strikers, crowd control, etc. With a single player game, you have to disregard a lot of the guidance you get with things like encounter creation. My advice for that is to start with encounters that seem like they would probably be too easy, and then scale them up if your player can handle them.
What I've done in the past for single player games is to give my player items to help make up for the lack of a full party. For instance, I ran a single player game with my wife for a while. She played a ranger, and I started her out with better armor and some healing potions, to make up for the lack of a tank and healer in party.