Duetgames - a thread

#Duetgame = 1 #ttrpg with 1 #GM/ #DM + 1 Player

works with pretty much any #ttrpg ruleset

I have the most experience as a #DM with #DSA and #DnD/ #dnd5e Duetgames, but I’ve played in both #Shadowrun and #Vampire the Masquerade Duetgames and it was great fun!
A #Duetgame is not that different from other #dnd or #ttrpg games in general, as you still use the rules, roll dice etc. But a Duetgame feels in a way more like a book or movie, as there is only one main protagonist whose story is developing by playing the game
#dnd5e #DM
Be ready to talk a LOT! With only two participants, you both will talk a lot more in a #Duetgame
As the spotlight stays on one character, you also have time to explore at your leisure – have breakfast to socialize, go to the Barber getting the latest gossip, stuff like that
#dnd
As with any #ttrpg game I highly recommend a Session 0, where you not only decide on the world, the character and talk about lines and veils (safety tools), but in a #Duetgame you need to have an in depth talk about what kind of story you want to tell together
#dnd5e #dnd
What does the player want to get out of the #Duetgame and what are the goals of the character they plan on playing?

#ttrpg #dnd5e #dnd
Create the background together so both get a feel of the character and you as the #GM/ #DM will be able to use the background #RPGhooks in the #Duetgame story. The character can start on level 1 or higher

#ttrpg #dnd #dnd5e
If you aim for a higher level in the #Duetgame, make those level part of the character background and talk about what happened to the character for them to reach that level. Where do they get their spells/equipment/other from?

#ttrpg #dnd #dnd5e
If you start on a higher level, equip the character to match that level
If the player is after a certain magic item consider making that into the first quest, that already matches the tone you are aiming for, so you both get a better feel for the character in the #Duetgame #ttrpg
Player agency is key in #ttrpg and even more so in a #Duetgame, give the player freedom to act and do as they please.
In my experience it works best if you choose a setting and NPCs you are familiar with so you can improvise easily

#dnd #dnd5e
I prepare the story arc and how it connects to the character background and where the character will hear about it during the #Duetgame, or how it affects them to get them “into” the story

#ttrpg #dnd5e #dnd
In a #Duetgame things tend to be "reversed". I don’t prepare much in advance, but I take a lot of notes during the game and think about how the actions of the character change the overlaying story arc.
#ttrpgs #dnd5e #dnd
So far the players of my #Duetgames have all been taking even more notes, than me, even if they normally don’t do that in #ttrpgs at all

#dnd #dnd5e
To avoid awkward pauses in a #Duetgame it helps when the player put a lot of thought into their character and know how they tick and what their goal is.
If a lot has happened I remind them now and then of things they learned but have not followed up on yet. #ttrpg #dnd5e
We have had no awkward pauses as of yet in the #Duetgame, but instead a lot of things happened that I have not anticipated and were played out in greater length than I would have guessed and surprisingly influenced the story more than I would have imagined
#ttrpg #dnd5e
With other words - never underestimate a Bard visiting his favourite barber to glean gossip

#Duetgame #ttrpg #dnd5e #dnd
As for encounters – in a #Duetgame I put a focus on encounters that are not necessarily fights. Stuff that will give the class or personality of the character an opportunity to shine, while advancing the story arc

#ttrpg #dnd5e #dnd
If things turn “violent” (encounter = fight), I set the CR usually a bit lower in a #Duetgame and I give a lot of options to solve it in a clever way, either by using the environment or people around it. I usually also give the option to flee
#ttrpg #dnd5e
If push comes to shove and the worst happens in a #Duetgame I stick to the movie/comic rule of not killing the character outright. Instead, they fall unconscious and wake up in the ditch at the side of the road, chained to a wall in the lair of the BBEG etc #ttrpg #dnd5e
It helps if the character of a #Duetgame has strong ties to NPC’s or factions. If things get challenging, consider giving them a sidekick for the adventure.
Seeds for those ties, can be planted in the backgroundstory and/or developed during the game

#ttrpg #dnd5e #dnd
Those ties are great for a #Duetgame especially if "the worst" happens and they go down, get captured etc.
If that happens to the character you can use their #NPC friends, allies, factions they work for etc. to help them escape the dungeon of the BBEG etc

#ttrpg #dnd5e
I hope that helps, if you want to try running a #Duetgame

I highly recommend @AndaDiePodcast - they have a great Duetgame podcast 🧡🧡🧡🧡

#ttrpg #dnd #dnd5e #podcasts
You can follow @Tahina_Andale.
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