Only 1 player help please

Buzzardo · 09-06-2009, 02:08 AM

My best friend and I did a lot of this when we were in college (shared a dorm room). I GM'd a long-running thief/spy campaign for him. It included both city action and dungeon delving (usually into temples or wizard lairs to acquire something on commission).

A fighter as the sole character is going to be tougher, but perhaps he can be a freelance bodyguard.

As for advice:

Pitch the encounters to be lethal only if he acts stupidly or has a series of awful rolls (just one critical failure shouldn't get him killed). edit: Of course, they should be tough enough to be interesting

Keep him poor. Money can unbalance a campaign in a hurry, as I've learned the hard way. Taxes, repair costs, meals, transportation, and supplies (especially expendable magic, such as potions and arrows) can eat up profit in a hurry, and it's your job as GM to see that they do.

Restrict access to magic, especially permanent magical items. Each one should be a hard-won, cherished treasure, not something that he can replace tomorrow at the magic shoppe across the street. One of the finest items I ever gave my friend was a cursed magic dagger that he got as a reward from a lich for whom he procured something (he had no choice in his employer, by the way). He was forever worried about that curse, but he had no other magic weapon. :D

edit: come to think of it, that's pretty fair advice for any campaign, one player or many. IMO, of course.

09-06-2009, 02:08 AM	#2
Buzzardo Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Austin, TX	Re: Only 1 player help please My best friend and I did a lot of this when we were in college (shared a dorm room). I GM'd a long-running thief/spy campaign for him. It included both city action and dungeon delving (usually into temples or wizard lairs to acquire something on commission). A fighter as the sole character is going to be tougher, but perhaps he can be a freelance bodyguard. As for advice: Pitch the encounters to be lethal only if he acts stupidly or has a series of awful rolls (just one critical failure shouldn't get him killed). edit: Of course, they should be tough enough to be interesting Keep him poor. Money can unbalance a campaign in a hurry, as I've learned the hard way. Taxes, repair costs, meals, transportation, and supplies (especially expendable magic, such as potions and arrows) can eat up profit in a hurry, and it's your job as GM to see that they do. Restrict access to magic, especially permanent magical items. Each one should be a hard-won, cherished treasure, not something that he can replace tomorrow at the magic shoppe across the street. One of the finest items I ever gave my friend was a cursed magic dagger that he got as a reward from a lich for whom he procured something (he had no choice in his employer, by the way). He was forever worried about that curse, but he had no other magic weapon. :D edit: come to think of it, that's pretty fair advice for any campaign, one player or many. IMO, of course. Last edited by Buzzardo; 09-06-2009 at 02:11 AM.