It’s spooky season, so naturally I’ve been looking for solo RPGs to get me in the Halloween mood! These are the games currently on my list, ranging from cute horrors to grimdark fantasy and everything in between.
Unlocked Bones
Unlocked Bones is a micro-RPG meant to be set as the lock screen on your phone! It’s a super fun little game where you’re a skeleton using your powers for evil. The game calls for a d4, d6, d10, and pen/paper to play, but I made it work on the go with an online dice roller and my phone’s Notes app.
Brain in a Jar
If you’ve ever wanted a creepy, analog Tamagotchi, Brain in a Jar is the game for you. You play as the caretaker of a brain in a jar, and fulfill its needs in a desperate bid to keep the accursed thing alive for just one more day. With a real-time schedule that prompts you to check in throughout the day, you must roll to attempt care tasks. Through feeding, playing, and clearing the dreaded brain fog, you can boost its mood and earn its love. If its mood gets too low, it may become self-aware. Horrifying concept. Cute game!
Reap
Reap is a grimdark fantasy solo RPG where you play as a necromancer who is driven to hunt the horrors of a dead world. Switch between Exploration and Combat phases to defeat enemies, discover new realms, and reap the souls of the horrors within. With great art, 100+ pages, and a print edition available, this is basically a tabletop version of Dark Souls.
the Jester King’s Dance
In the Jester King’s Dance, you shepherd the titular Jester King through the depths of Hell in search of their identity. Based on the Hints & Hijinks system, you meet with various entities in Hell to gather clues about who the Jester King was and what, exactly, their sins were. With heavy themes, a host of demons, and a horrifying mystery at its heart, the game will truly go as dark as you’re willing to make it. If you’ve ever wanted an excuse to pore over ancient demonology texts and Medieval torture methods, this is a great pick.
Witchier Woodland
A sinister twist on the much cozier Witchy Woodland. In this version, the cute fantasy forest you occupied in Witchy Woodland is infested with horrors- and you must save it! Explore the vile woods and drive out the horrors within using a deck of cards and two d6 dice. Presented as a trifold pamphlet download, the layout and visual texture of this game are absolute perfection.
Image credits:
- Public Domain Image Archive (most images from the Woodcuts from 18th-Century Chapbooks collection)
- Wikimedia Commons
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