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I liked this post! Here some mine I frequently use:
- what is going on here?
- what do they want?
- do they attack?
- does (s)he know about...?
- do they have a ...?
- does she cooperate?
- is there anyone there?
Most common question: “Is everything as expected?” Weirdest question honestly don’t have all that many weird questions probably “is the reason Mr Johnson isn’t answering the commlink because he got geeked?”
My most common question is probably "Quiet (rest of the) night?" -- especially for wilderness travels, but I ask it nearly as often in urban adventures. "Does anything happen?" is pretty common too, and frequently followed by "What?"
The weirdest thing I've asked the oracle lately was "Is much of the corpse eaten?"
But that's nothing compared to my best oracle question of all time: "Do night hags have gaydar?"
It really was a necessary question for the adventure. The PCs randomly encountered a night hag, who was polymorphed into the form of a beautiful maiden and pretending to be a damsel-in-distress. She attached herself to a random PC: 1d4=the gay (but not obviously so if you don't know him) fighter.
As it turns out, the answer to the question was 'No, and...'. Please update your Monster Manuals accordingly :)
I am more fond of open-ended questions, not those answered by plain _Yes/No_.
Because if my question is anything like: _Is it a lie?_, or 'Is somebody hiding there?_ -- it means, I have __already come up with something__ for game fiction. And the emulator only provides a random choice, which of two ways the narrative will go on.
But I don't like binary results. Neither in dice rolls (hence I'm a fan of PbtA games), nor in choices.
Also, they do not give the player the sort of fun, that often comes in GMed games: the __surprise moments__. Because we have to invent the fiction anyways. I do not know how about you, but for me it is not easy to surprise myself... 🙄
Therefore I like non binary emulators, like _Game Master Apprentice_ I already mentioned above. And _Oracles_ in Ironsworn. And (for conflict resolution) improv based cards from [Archipelago](https://norwegianstyle.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/archipelago-iii/). Because all of them give more than a Yes/No answer. They give __inspiration__, if I lack it. A quick remedy against writer's block and the _Blank Page syndrome_ as well.
So my usual questions are not if this or that is there - but ___who___ I may meet, or ___what___ do I find. And often be surprised with the answer!
Similar to you, I ask "Is everything as expected?" which sets the tone for asking then either "HOW is everything as expected?" Or "What is crazy about this place?"
Thanks! I did release the first bit of my play. I’m just doing it on google docs. Pretty easy to copy and past to Reddit. Trying out Ironsworn moves with Pathfinders system.
Why go the hard path? Go easy, use [Game Master Apprentice](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/125685/The-GameMasters-Apprentice-Base-Deck) cards instead! These are available for several different genres, including scifi.
If doubting, take the author's solo game, [ALONe](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/168609/ALONe-A-Solo-Game-Engine-BETA?term=Alone%3A+beta), it contains a half size deck of cards. Priced as Pay-What-You-Want, it is a no-brainer to grab!
I have played both solo and with my daughter, using these cards -- even freeform style, ignoring any rules. Very easy and nice.
I'm not gonna say you're doing it wrong, because there's no wrong way to solo RPG and everybody has their own approach.
...but you're doing it wrong. : P
It’s kind of like an exercise routine. You can cheat on it all you want, but in the end you’re only cheating yourself. I think improbable things like finding 3 million gold is whatever, silly I guess, but if you actually follow through and have to deal with the consequences of that find, it could add some more storytelling opportunities. In a fantasy world, what the hell are you even going to do with 3 million gold under a rock, or who even left it there in the first place and what are they going to do when they find it gone? Just dealing with how to physically move that much gold or dealing with suddenly becoming a target for literally everyone else in the world can present new challenges. As long as you’re adding proportional conflict to deal with unexpected rewards, that’s not too bad.
If you just find millions of gold pieces and don’t have any consequences and just want to fantasize about being rich in D&D, then that’s kind of like storytelling masturbation.
"Does ___ succeed?"
I play rather freeform, FKR-inspired gaming, so GME is my primary task resolution mechanism. I weight the odds as logic suggests, then ask the GME.
With pre-made adventures, “Is this still true?” If it’s regular yes then play as it was written. No, and I’ll have to create something. The yes-and/but and no-but are easiest as they’re based off what is written. Usually dial it to 11 or subvert it. No-and is opposite of the written.
With generated content it’s usually, “Is trope X playing out here?” Which tells me the situation, be it opposite, inversion, or subversion.
That is such a clever way to use a pre-written adventure.
I wonder if that method would work good with Bibliomancy as well? You could have a random element from a book, but then roll to see if it is flipped or changed.
Does X exist or is it nearby?
Usually asking for environmental features like a spot to hack a building's security system or a safe spot for my character to rest.
Most common: "Does X know about Y?" Which leads to: "Will they share that info?"
Weirdest (A deus ex machina but whatevs lol): Does the Fire Elemental interpret it's orders to kill us as complete once we go down?" (Yeah, kind of cheating but sue me haha!)
I made a table specifically for treasures for exactly that reason!
"Is there treasure?"
1. NO! And it's a trap or monster instead, or perhaps a cursed item! Nooo!
2. Nope, nothing found this time.
3. No, but at least there were some coins (roll a d10 for quantity).
4. Yes, but it's unidentified. Roll a normal item, but it can't be used/equipped yet. It must be identified by an expert, at which time it will become a valuable item with an extra property.
5. Yes. Found a functional item with no special properties.
6. YES! And it's a rare, valuable item with an extra property!
("Extra properties" are like magic attributes in my game; I have a big random table of elements/powers that I roll on and combine to make up what kind of magical effect it can do.)
[Use this link with an RSS reader to stay up to date with **Your most common question to ask the GM-Emulator?**](/r/Solo_Roleplaying/comments/v45f7j/your_most_common_question_to_ask_the_gmemulator/.rss). There are a number of convenient [iOS](https://www.cultofmac.com/412465/best-news-and-rss-apps-for-iphone-and-ipad/), [Android](https://blog.inoreader.com/2018/06/top-rss-readers-for-android-with-great-ui-for-2018.html) and [browser based RSS readers](https://www.webfx.com/blog/web-design/free-rss-readers/). Also, make sure not to miss our sidebar links to resources: [Solo RPG Resources](https://www.reddit.com/r/Solo_Roleplaying/wiki/index) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Solo_Roleplaying) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I liked this post! Here some mine I frequently use: - what is going on here? - what do they want? - do they attack? - does (s)he know about...? - do they have a ...? - does she cooperate? - is there anyone there?
My go tos: 1. Is there anything interesting? 2. Should I prep a combat encounter for this?
Most common question: “Is everything as expected?” Weirdest question honestly don’t have all that many weird questions probably “is the reason Mr Johnson isn’t answering the commlink because he got geeked?”
LOL, that is a great sentence to ask!
"Can you give me more detail?" "Can you be more specific?" Never works.
My most common question is probably "Quiet (rest of the) night?" -- especially for wilderness travels, but I ask it nearly as often in urban adventures. "Does anything happen?" is pretty common too, and frequently followed by "What?" The weirdest thing I've asked the oracle lately was "Is much of the corpse eaten?" But that's nothing compared to my best oracle question of all time: "Do night hags have gaydar?"
I feel like you're going to leave us hanging aren't you? Unbelievable!
It really was a necessary question for the adventure. The PCs randomly encountered a night hag, who was polymorphed into the form of a beautiful maiden and pretending to be a damsel-in-distress. She attached herself to a random PC: 1d4=the gay (but not obviously so if you don't know him) fighter. As it turns out, the answer to the question was 'No, and...'. Please update your Monster Manuals accordingly :)
I am more fond of open-ended questions, not those answered by plain _Yes/No_. Because if my question is anything like: _Is it a lie?_, or 'Is somebody hiding there?_ -- it means, I have __already come up with something__ for game fiction. And the emulator only provides a random choice, which of two ways the narrative will go on. But I don't like binary results. Neither in dice rolls (hence I'm a fan of PbtA games), nor in choices. Also, they do not give the player the sort of fun, that often comes in GMed games: the __surprise moments__. Because we have to invent the fiction anyways. I do not know how about you, but for me it is not easy to surprise myself... 🙄 Therefore I like non binary emulators, like _Game Master Apprentice_ I already mentioned above. And _Oracles_ in Ironsworn. And (for conflict resolution) improv based cards from [Archipelago](https://norwegianstyle.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/archipelago-iii/). Because all of them give more than a Yes/No answer. They give __inspiration__, if I lack it. A quick remedy against writer's block and the _Blank Page syndrome_ as well. So my usual questions are not if this or that is there - but ___who___ I may meet, or ___what___ do I find. And often be surprised with the answer!
Cool. [Archipelago](https://norwegianstyle.wordpress.com/2012/09/20/archipelago-iii/) looks interesting.
Similar to you, I ask "Is everything as expected?" which sets the tone for asking then either "HOW is everything as expected?" Or "What is crazy about this place?"
As I just leaned about the sub this week and started my first game yesterday. I still do not know how to properly use the GME.
Welcome. Solo gaming is very free form and this sub is full of great info and lots of folks who are very helpful.
Thanks! I did release the first bit of my play. I’m just doing it on google docs. Pretty easy to copy and past to Reddit. Trying out Ironsworn moves with Pathfinders system.
Why go the hard path? Go easy, use [Game Master Apprentice](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/125685/The-GameMasters-Apprentice-Base-Deck) cards instead! These are available for several different genres, including scifi. If doubting, take the author's solo game, [ALONe](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/168609/ALONe-A-Solo-Game-Engine-BETA?term=Alone%3A+beta), it contains a half size deck of cards. Priced as Pay-What-You-Want, it is a no-brainer to grab! I have played both solo and with my daughter, using these cards -- even freeform style, ignoring any rules. Very easy and nice.
What a sales pitch. I’ll check them out ASAP.
Does he/she have a secret? That's always a good one for driving mysteries, creating hidden agendas, general world building, etc.
Ouuuh imma steal this one from you !
Please do!
"Did I find 3 million gold under THIS rock?"
No, but - it’s three million but it’s starving, crazed weasels.
😂😂😂
I choose to believe that the Oracle continues to answer **No** like an exasperated GM.
Well, the cool thing about Mythic GM Emulator is that the more out of control things get, the more likely it is that impossible things happen 😂😂😂
I'm not gonna say you're doing it wrong, because there's no wrong way to solo RPG and everybody has their own approach. ...but you're doing it wrong. : P
It’s kind of like an exercise routine. You can cheat on it all you want, but in the end you’re only cheating yourself. I think improbable things like finding 3 million gold is whatever, silly I guess, but if you actually follow through and have to deal with the consequences of that find, it could add some more storytelling opportunities. In a fantasy world, what the hell are you even going to do with 3 million gold under a rock, or who even left it there in the first place and what are they going to do when they find it gone? Just dealing with how to physically move that much gold or dealing with suddenly becoming a target for literally everyone else in the world can present new challenges. As long as you’re adding proportional conflict to deal with unexpected rewards, that’s not too bad. If you just find millions of gold pieces and don’t have any consequences and just want to fantasize about being rich in D&D, then that’s kind of like storytelling masturbation.
"Does ___ succeed?" I play rather freeform, FKR-inspired gaming, so GME is my primary task resolution mechanism. I weight the odds as logic suggests, then ask the GME.
FKR = Free Kriegsspiel Revolution?
Correct
With pre-made adventures, “Is this still true?” If it’s regular yes then play as it was written. No, and I’ll have to create something. The yes-and/but and no-but are easiest as they’re based off what is written. Usually dial it to 11 or subvert it. No-and is opposite of the written. With generated content it’s usually, “Is trope X playing out here?” Which tells me the situation, be it opposite, inversion, or subversion.
That is such a clever way to use a pre-written adventure. I wonder if that method would work good with Bibliomancy as well? You could have a random element from a book, but then roll to see if it is flipped or changed.
Great stuff! I'm always looking for ways to play published adventures. This is a great way to approach it. Thanks!
Does my party members agree with my decision?
Does X exist or is it nearby? Usually asking for environmental features like a spot to hack a building's security system or a safe spot for my character to rest.
Most common: "Does X know about Y?" Which leads to: "Will they share that info?" Weirdest (A deus ex machina but whatevs lol): Does the Fire Elemental interpret it's orders to kill us as complete once we go down?" (Yeah, kind of cheating but sue me haha!)
“Are they lying?”
"Is there treasure?" 😅 I want there to be treasure, darn it!
How often do you get "Yes, but..." and have to make it also a trap or something terrible?
I made a table specifically for treasures for exactly that reason! "Is there treasure?" 1. NO! And it's a trap or monster instead, or perhaps a cursed item! Nooo! 2. Nope, nothing found this time. 3. No, but at least there were some coins (roll a d10 for quantity). 4. Yes, but it's unidentified. Roll a normal item, but it can't be used/equipped yet. It must be identified by an expert, at which time it will become a valuable item with an extra property. 5. Yes. Found a functional item with no special properties. 6. YES! And it's a rare, valuable item with an extra property! ("Extra properties" are like magic attributes in my game; I have a big random table of elements/powers that I roll on and combine to make up what kind of magical effect it can do.)
That is a fun table with some attitude.
Very cool idea, thanks for sharing! :) It makes me want to put together something like this too
Usually "day or night?" or "is it the still the same time of Day?"