Dungeons & Dragons is generally viewed as a multiplayer game where players gather around the table while the Dungeon Master guides them on an epic adventure full of magic, might and monsters. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with a group of friends who long for adventure. On the other hand, there are no rules that say a single player can't brave it alone.

There are plenty of resources -- a good many of them offered free or pay-what-you-like -- specifically designed for solo heroes who long for the open road and dungeons chock full of treasures and danger. Regardless of why a player chooses solo adventuring, the benefits of doing so will strengthen player skills in ways sure to impress the rest of the table should they eventually join a party.

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The Best Types of Adventure for Solo Players

Wizards of the Coast has released a plethora of fun adventures over the years, and while the majority of them are designed for multiple players, any of them can be molded to a solo adventure. Some modules are certainly better than others for this type of play. Modules that explore a linear storyline like Tyranny of Dragons work better for solo play than sandbox delves like Curse of Strahd. However, imagination really is the only limit. How far the solo player is willing to go is what dictates the success of a campaign.

There are even resources on sites like Dungeon Master's Guild and DriveThru RPG that other solo adventures created to help players explore the game alone. Books like Solo Adventurer's Guide and DM Yourself offer tons of tips, tricks and guidance for solo gameplay. Additionally, there are plenty of solo adventures designed by other gamers specifically for these types of games, and a good many of them are free.

Useful Apps for Solo Players

Necromancer holding out a skull-topped mace emanating pink magical smoke

It's hard to imagine how one can actually adventure and DM without spoilers or cheating the system, but there are tools and apps available that make it possible to explore dungeons, discover loot and even battle monsters. Endless RPG's Random Dungeon Generator for D&D Fifth Edition and Pathfinder is a paid app that does exactly what the title says, and then some. This app was specifically designed to aid solo players and parties without a DM through random dungeons that feature encounters, traps, treasures and more.

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Random Dungeon Generator can be integrated into other useful apps like Roll20 and D&D Beyond to help solo players keep track of their adventures, characters, spells, equipment, tools and items. Browse through RPG adventuring apps and tools out there and test them out to find the right one for your needs.

Keeping Track of the Adventure

Dungeons & Dragons is often about coming together and jointly telling a story. For solo players, the storytelling aspect has even more impact. Not only will the player be forced to study the story from every angle, but they will approach NPCs and situations from a unique perspective. Without other players to bounce their thoughts and theories off of, they'll have to find other ways to look at the story.

A lot of players use journaling to help keep track of their D&D campaigns, especially those participating in lengthy adventures who may need to reference details months or even years later. It takes a lot of dedication to keep track of campaign details, and this is even more important in a solo game. Journaling throughout the campaign keeps the solo adventurer on track and may even help them develop a richer understanding of the story and enemy motives that they have no control over as a player.

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How to Avoid Cheating

A samurai facing off against a giant monster

It's difficult to imagine how a player could adventure solo without skewing the odds in their own favor -- after all, who is going to know if that natural one gets rerolled? For some players, that may be exactly the kind of game they're looking for, but others know it isn't truly a game if they never face risks. After all, that's half the thrill of D&D in the first place.

Using the tools and resources mentioned above, players can come to understand the mechanics of the game, for both groups and solos, and a deeper understanding will make the experience that much richer. Choosing to play a solo game of Dungeons & Dragons was a choice the player likely didn't make lightly. In the end, there really is no way to keep a player from being honest with themselves, but solo players should keep in mind that the threat of defeat -- and working hard to overcome a failure -- are part of the game.

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