David H. Jackson - Solo Games: 12 Exciting New Board Games to Be Played By One Person

Use the pencil and paper to set up a status sheet for your characteristics and for the challenger. The status sheet for each opponent should look like this:

Name
Strength (ST)
Dexterity (DX)
Money
Offensive Weapons (OW)
Defensive Weapons (DW)

The information is written on your paper in the following manner:

Nameuse any name you desire.

Strength (ST)Roll the dice. This number, between 2 to 12, is the offensive factor which determines the ability of the character to inflict damage upon his opponent.

Dexterity (DX)Roll the dice again and subtract the result from 20. This value, between 8 to 18, is the characters defensive factor and defines how well he can take punishment from the opponent.

Note: If you wish to reuse a character that was successful in a previous bout, then reenter the numbers that were used for that contest and add one to them as a bonus for success. The rest of the setup is the same whether a new or previously successful character is being used.

MoneyRoll the dice again to determine the number of credits you have at your disposal. Use the credits to purchase one offensive weapon and as many defensive weapons as possible from the weapons tables. Record the weapon names in the offensive and/or defensive part of the status sheet. In addition, record the hit data, OW or DW, after the weapon name. If more than one defensive weapon has been purchased, the sum of the hit data should be calculated and entered on the sheet. The usage of the hit data will be explained later.

You cannot purchase weapons that cost more than the number of credits that you have. For instance, if you roll a 4 for your money, you may purchase a small shield (2 credits) and a sword (2 credits) for a total of 4 credits. However, you may not purchase leather armor (3 credits) and a sword (2 credits) because that would total 5 credits.

When you have completed the setup for your character you should set up a status sheet for your opponent using one of the following methods. In either of the following methods the money entry on the status sheet should be ignored.

Predetermined Method

Roll the dice and record the data for your opponent, using the information listed in the opponent table, beside the number thrown on the dice. In general, the table has been set up to provide a more difficult opponent when a specific type of number is rolled. For instance, a giant (produced by a roll of 7) is very difficult to defeat.

Variable Method

Give your opponent whatever name you wish. Determine his strength and dexterity as you did for your own character. Roll a single die and use this number to pick his offensive weapon from the table. Repeat the process to determine his defensive weapon.

After completing all this data, compare the strength (ST) number of one opponent to the defense weapon number (DW) of the other opponent. If the ST is not at least 3 greater than the DW, then reroll the ST until it is. That is, ST minus the opponents DW must be greater than 2. Repeat the process for the other opponent if necessary. This adjustment prevents the development of an impossible no-win situation for a low ST character.

OFFENSIVE WEAPONS TABLE