Just me, my dice, and a solo pen and paper session...

 So tonight, I decided to try something a bit different. About a year ago I came across a small community of RPG players that enjoy all manner of solitaire pen and paper games.I always wanted to give it a go myself but it seemed every time I did, I was unsuccessful but this time, I decided I'd give it a good try and I'm pretty happy with the results, if they are a bit rough. I had fun, that's all that matters! If you're interested, then read on, if not, scroll on by. :)

RPG System: Unbelievably Simple Role-Playing Game (USR)

The tools used were:
Mythic GME.
Rory's Story Cubes
No Budget No Frills Pencil and Paper Dungeon Generator ver 4.1
The treasure tables from Basic Fantasy RPG

Now, before I get started, I'll explain how I went about it. It was kind of a mash up of different systems and tools. I generated my room/corridor and its contents then rolled two Story Cubes (Original and Voyages), thought up a description of the inside of the room, and went on with the scene. Then I simply went about from room to room exploring. I asked Mythic some questions when appropriate, such as if something were of use or if a creature had loot on it. It was a simple dungeon bash affair, nothing super complicated. I rolled up a couple dice for a little background on my character and a setting and I was off!

Just remember, it's probably a little clunky since it was my first solo in this manner and my first time ever using these systems!

The Adventure of Merklin
 

Merklin the Warrior (Based on Smiley face and Key) is your run of the mill seeker of adventure. Hearing tales of gold, glory, and magical treasures, he wishes to try his luck at entering the local dungeon (House and Music Note), a large stone keep sitting atop a hill that once was the home to a famous group of bards until they were all massacred by the local music hating tribe of goblins.  It is now said to be infested with monsters and other terrible denizens but also the horde of riches the bards once amassed.

Room 1 (Hand and Flashlight): Merklin descends the stairs and enters the first room, rubbing his hands together with the prospects of wealth and fame. Looking around, Merklin spies a smallish room illuminated by the eerie orange glow of torches. The dominant feature of the room is a man-sized statue of a musician strumming a lute.  (I generated a trap in the room, so I roll two Story Cubes to see what the trap is. I rolled a Beaker and a Tower…I also rolled to see if Merklin would think to examine the room for traps but, being a warrior, I gave him Unlikely odds and he failed to notice). Upon a hasty examination of the room, Merklin decided to press on to the next seeing that this one was empty. No sooner did he pass the center of the room did he hear the click of a plate beneath his feet, the sound of turning cogs and machinery, and a rushing of liquid, he had sprung a trap! (I decided the trap was of hard difficulty to avoid, so Merklin would need to pass a 7 on his action score but I added +1 since he wasn't paying attention, so he'd have to score 8 or higher to avoid the trap. He rolled a 10, lucky!). Merklin's reflexes were quickened by years of training for battle and he leaped out of the way just as boiling oil splashed from the ceiling down onto the floor where he was standing. Surly he would have been burned alive had it not been for his keen reflexes!

Room 2 (Pyramid and Shield): Moving into the second area, a T-section spanning north and south, our intrepid hero came upon a great many shields fastened to the walls in a triangular shape. They bore many different crests upon them, perhaps devices of noble bard families. Were these, perhaps of any value to Merklin? (Ruled No way and rolled 28) Alas, they were just decorative shields of no monetary or battle worth.

Room 3 (Arrow and Camera): Merklin decided to press on east into a very small stone room. To his dismay, through the doorway he saw a goblin who grunted with great effort, his hideous and yellowish hued skin glistening with sweat as it worked hard to pry a painting many times his size from the wall. Merklin noticed the painting depicted a hunter with his bow amongst the rack of a downed great stag. Smirking with delight, he thought to himself, this painting should indeed fetch a hefty price! Hearing the warrior approach, the goblin whirled around, surprised and a bit put off by his interrupted looting. Drawing a wicked looking dagger from its sheath, the goblin sprang at Merklin. The goblin, quicker than expected, struck first but missed. Counterattacking, Merklin thrust his short sword into the goblins side giving it a grievous wound (3 hits, it started with 4).  The goblin did not give up though, jumping behind the warrior, the goblin struck Merklin a stab to the back causing some hurts (2 damage). Alas, the goblin was struck down by the stronger human, a slash to the throat sending its lifeblood flowing to the rough stone ground (7 damage to the goblin). Examining the body, Merklin found nothing of worth and as for the painting, it was far too cumbersome to carry, so he pressed forward.

Room 4 (Cauldron and Puzzle Piece): Backtracking, Merklin chose to travel to the north and west through the T-section. Although empty, except for burning torches along the walls, a pungent odor wafted through the air. It was as if some unknown thing was being roasted over a pit. Perhaps the answer lay behind the next door?

Room 5 (House and Waves):  In this direction lay a flight of stairs leading upwards. Adorned on the wall to the left was a painting of a house near the ocean. Merklin didn't even think about taking the painting. It was crudely done with rough skill, a child could have done better! Thankfully, that foul stench from the last room didn't radiate into this one. Mounting the stairs, he trudged onwards.

Room 6 (Abacus and Sack): Entering the next room, Merklin stumbled over some bags that bore the mark of the local bank! Could these be the untold riches? Alas, upon further examination of the bags, they had already been emptied of their shiny contents. Just his luck

Room 7 (Glasses and Flower): Another stairway appeared as he traveled north. On a windowsill sat some flowers in vases, still healthy and strong. Apparently the creatures of this place decided it was good to keep some pretty things around. Strange!

Room 8 (Mushroom and Diamond):  A four way intersection faced Merklin. At first, he grew excited, seeing a glistening on the stone floor but his hopes were dashed as all it turned out to be was some slimy and wet fungus growing in the musty room. Bitterly, he moved to the west.

Room 9 (Camera and Jeweled Necklace): This room was well lit, showering pictures of beautiful women adorned with expensive jewelry and other adornments with radiant light. Also though, a figure lay sleeping on a divan covered in blankets, or at least it had been sleeping. Warriors aren't known for being quiet. The creature arose angrily, furious at whoever had aroused him from his slumber. It was another goblin! Goblin and man parried each others blows for a short time but Merklin brought his blade to bare in a cunning low horizontal arc, cleaving the goblin in two (8 damage!).  Rifling through his victim's corpse, Merklin hefted a small pouch then poured its contents into his hand. There glistened 7 coins of electrum stamped with the face of the local king. Not much but for a pesky little goblin, not bad.

 
Remembering the wound at his back (and me getting tired and ready for bed!), Merklin thought better of adventuring on further this day. As he again emerged from the bard's keep into the sunlight without,  he thought to himself that 7 electrum coins were hardly worth risking his neck for.  Nonetheless, he had earned some loot, it was better than nothing!. He bounced the small bag of coins in his hand and set off to spend his plunder at the local brothels and taverns.