The Difference
In a one-on-one game the focus can and often does shift from a party-centric story to a player character centered story. This will allow your player to really dig into playing the type of character they want to and make decisions as their character would. This will also help the GM learn the character, and later, should the character be incorporated into a group, the player and the GM will be able to understand better how to keep the character involved in the story. This player-centric story can be a lot of fun to create, and usually has a plethora of good roleplaying opportunities. This is especially good for players who are newer, or even more quiet at the table. However, these new perspective means several shifts will occur in the mechanics and the dynamic between the GM and player. As this is a brief summary we'll skim these before we visit them in full articles.
Harder On Everyone?
It may also be difficult for the player at times to feel in charge of the story, and they could very well feel like the story idea that the gm is offering doesn't match up with their character. Sometimes, it is better to resolve it to be more sandbox like until something more attention grabbing comes along. In a one-on-one session, the player may feel less compelled to follow what will feel more like a "generic quest for some adventurers." The very nature of this style of session is to allow the character navigate as they would like. To some degree, this style of game allows the GM to be more reactionary than proactive. The player will innately indicate where they want to take the character by asking questions. Railroading a player in this style of session will only upset them as much as any other player.
Even though the player is in charge of where they are going and constantly telling the GM where they're are headed to next, it is still, coincidentally, more work for the GM in these kinds of things. The GM is not planning in advance but instead needing to react to the desires of the player. Of course, this isn't always the case but it is common for the GM needing to either improvise more, or plan accordingly after the fact.
Easier On Everyone!
However, ultimately, one on one can allow the player and the GM to take more time with their roles. Because of my own one-on-one sessions, my homebrew setting has been much more fleshed out, making larger games much easier to manage. With the player at the forefront of the story, the party decision discussion which can be overly long, and with the wrong players take most of a session, the story moves faster, and you can accomplish more. In another interesting note, the GM gets a better glimpse as to how player mechanics work and why. Rather than having to try to acclimate to four character classes to GM for, the GM will become very familiar with a single one, and may very well gain a better insight as to the design ideas behind the class. I don't think that without my extensive experience with these kinds of games/sessions that my homebrews would be as cohesive as they are.
Another reward to one on one sessions, is that because they follow a single player, that player could even create other characters that should they not feel like playing one story one week, they can instead use another character allowing them to stay interested in the game without boredom. Probably one of the worst feelings is being "stuck" with a character you don't like.
Communication between the GM and player is, of course, easier. It is a 1:1 ratio, and therefore the game that the two want to play can be made more easily. Sometimes when a party has a problem with the GM communication can be less direct and there can be more drama, confusion, and general lack of fun while forgetting the key idea of the game; Having fun. Though mechanically the styles are different, one-on-one games are an awesome way to hang out with a friend who may be too busy to join a full game, or for you guys to scratch that gaming itch.
Summing Up
One-on-one games are big topic to cover, and I would definitely attest that with a bit of practice, the pros outweigh the cons. I will be talking more about this in the future, as you may be able to tell in the title. Next time we approach this subject, we'll talk more about the mechanical end of things and what it does to the story.
Til then, happy one-on-one-ing, Arcanists.
In terms of playing difficulty, unless the GM runs a a GMPC or uses a hireling system of some kind, your challenge ratings for enemies won't be accurate as they would in a four person party. If a gm for a one-on-one player is going to challenge that player. It is important to carefully consider the character that the player is using to create challenges. Some systems like the newer Scarlet Heroes has rules to fix the scale for one on one play. Scarlet Heroes' fix for this is using a different damage system and what is called a "Fray die" that sort of cinematically help deal with "minions," so solo characters can deal with larger encounters faster and with the odds less stacked against them.
It may also be difficult for the player at times to feel in charge of the story, and they could very well feel like the story idea that the gm is offering doesn't match up with their character. Sometimes, it is better to resolve it to be more sandbox like until something more attention grabbing comes along. In a one-on-one session, the player may feel less compelled to follow what will feel more like a "generic quest for some adventurers." The very nature of this style of session is to allow the character navigate as they would like. To some degree, this style of game allows the GM to be more reactionary than proactive. The player will innately indicate where they want to take the character by asking questions. Railroading a player in this style of session will only upset them as much as any other player.
Even though the player is in charge of where they are going and constantly telling the GM where they're are headed to next, it is still, coincidentally, more work for the GM in these kinds of things. The GM is not planning in advance but instead needing to react to the desires of the player. Of course, this isn't always the case but it is common for the GM needing to either improvise more, or plan accordingly after the fact.
Easier On Everyone!
However, ultimately, one on one can allow the player and the GM to take more time with their roles. Because of my own one-on-one sessions, my homebrew setting has been much more fleshed out, making larger games much easier to manage. With the player at the forefront of the story, the party decision discussion which can be overly long, and with the wrong players take most of a session, the story moves faster, and you can accomplish more. In another interesting note, the GM gets a better glimpse as to how player mechanics work and why. Rather than having to try to acclimate to four character classes to GM for, the GM will become very familiar with a single one, and may very well gain a better insight as to the design ideas behind the class. I don't think that without my extensive experience with these kinds of games/sessions that my homebrews would be as cohesive as they are.
Another reward to one on one sessions, is that because they follow a single player, that player could even create other characters that should they not feel like playing one story one week, they can instead use another character allowing them to stay interested in the game without boredom. Probably one of the worst feelings is being "stuck" with a character you don't like.
Communication between the GM and player is, of course, easier. It is a 1:1 ratio, and therefore the game that the two want to play can be made more easily. Sometimes when a party has a problem with the GM communication can be less direct and there can be more drama, confusion, and general lack of fun while forgetting the key idea of the game; Having fun. Though mechanically the styles are different, one-on-one games are an awesome way to hang out with a friend who may be too busy to join a full game, or for you guys to scratch that gaming itch.
Summing Up
One-on-one games are big topic to cover, and I would definitely attest that with a bit of practice, the pros outweigh the cons. I will be talking more about this in the future, as you may be able to tell in the title. Next time we approach this subject, we'll talk more about the mechanical end of things and what it does to the story.
Til then, happy one-on-one-ing, Arcanists.
I've done this before with my wife. We got some pretty epic tale out of it with her character Phalas Foestrunner (a ranger using the 2E Forest Runner class kit) and my 1st Edition style Bard who followed him around and recorded his tales, only to sing about them every time they reached a tavern.
ReplyDeleteSome gender flipping shenanigans occurred due to misspeaking and a bad dice roll, which led to my wife's first male character becoming female. She actually used this to her advantage in an attempt to dodge some of the "fame" from here adventures and all the songs about her.
That's pretty entertaining! I am actual right now between scene transitions for my wife and my Duet game. Fantastic pass time for nerd positive couples if you ask me.
ReplyDelete