This is a great resource even if you don't play fantasy. Most descriptions don't specifically invoke fantasy elements. I successfully used it in a solo post-apocalyptic game. When you get something fantasy oriented it's a simple matter to substitute the content for the genre you're playing. For example, the entry "Somebody has thrown around some very old magic." could easily be swapped to "chemicals", "nuclear waste", or some other word applicable to your setting.

Don't let the title fool you, it contains more than 1234 entries. By my calculation there are 1520 total entries. There are 12 d100 tables and a d36 table in the main portion. After that it is more directly "ambiance" with sounds, smells, etc. and those make up the other 284 entries in various tables.

First of all, I love the cover! It evokes the spirit of solo roleplaying. I'm a semi-experienced solo rpger and have been hanging out on the Solo Roleplaying subReddit and Discord for a while now that's run by the author. I encourage you to check it out, we are a welcoming and helpful bunch!

As part of that experience, I've learned a lot about solo rpging and didn't know how much I would learn from this supplement. I was pleasantly surprised! As the title indicates, the product starts from the ground up and explains the basics of what solo roleplaying is and how to do it at a basic level. This filled some gaps in my knowledge. As a semi-experienced solo player, I was also looking for additional insight and wisdom. Alex provides this through sample scenarios and elaboration of how the techniques are used in play. The nice thing is that he presents it all in a conversational tone without interjecting his personal preferences. There's solo philosophy in here! At the end he provides links to the subReddit, Discord, and some recommended starting solo resources.

There are only a couple of very minor caveats. The first is that it is usually assumed that people who decide to get into solo roleplaying are at least minimally experienced with at least one RPG. This is just how the progression generally goes. As such, Alex doesn't explain the basics of what an RPG is, but starts from that baseline and explains solo from the ground up. That doesn't mean you couldn't read up on RPG's first, then take on this book afterward. Secondly, while he gives examples, I'm sure some will want more. My impression is that Alex was staying true to the word "brief" in the title and that was one of the reasons for including the subReddit and Discord.

As an aside, this product is an introduction and his other product, Tilt, is an evolution of two more advanced techniques and advice. It is excellent as well!

Quick, short read... and nicely put together. I went into it not really having much idea about solo RPGing, and came out feeling like I was off to a good understanding/foundation. Thanks.

Tilt is a new and unique take on solo RPG oracles; it provides a yes/no answer on a different basis than familiar oracles like Mythic or TSS. It definitely takes some time to get used to it, and I haven't quite made up my mind whether I like it more in general. Where this product really shines, however, is in the advice on how to use the oracle, and that isn't really specific to Tilt, it could apply to oracles like Mythic as well! The best part is the mechanism to encourage ad-hox worldbuilding through supporting questions -- that's just a wonderful idea!

In addition to the oracle, there's an idea generator based on the cut-up method. That, too, is new for solo RPGs as far as I can tell, and I can see it to lead to very thematic ideas -- although, truth be told, I have been reluctant to invest the upfront investment of time to prepare it. I may combine it with a different method of randomization to get a similar effect with less effort.

Throughout the booklet, there are extensive examples and explanations, though it expects you to be at least somewhat familiar with solo RPGing in general.

Overall, I'd say this is worth getting even if you're not currently looking for a new oracle, as there's enough content that is applicable to other oracles as well!