Before today, I wasn’t a fan of Peter Rudin-Burgess’ “Parts Per Million” publications about solo roleplaying. I had grabbed a few and found them not to my taste. That’s ok, I thought, Peter didn’t make them for me.

Today, I received Peter’s “Easier Solo Play” in print from DriveThruRPG and I was intrigued. Reading a good way through the articles over lunch, I was impressed. Why? Because this is the first useful solo advice I have come across since I first read “Solo Roleplayer” back about 10 or 15 years ago.

Peter’s book is compiled from his blog posts written last year while he was actually playing hundreds of roleplaying games. His goal was to review the games but along the way, playing hundreds of games over many hours, he noticed some behaviours that were helpful. This book contains his learning.

Not every point resonates but most do. It’s sometimes counter-intuitive and a little weird advice. But he has got me back to wanting to play solo and given me pointers on how I might unlock my own play for something longer term. If you’re a struggling solo player, this might help you too.

There are flaws, such as his assumption that you know the RPG scene’s latest jargon (e.g. “failing forward”) but it’s a good read for the initiated. It’s a good addition to the aforementioned “Solo Roleplayer” resources and would be well-worth reading.

Thanks, Peter – sorry I didn’t understand your earlier products but I feel like this one (especially the first article) did a good job of opening the door on those guides. I feel like a bundle with “Easier Solo Play” and another of the PPM games would be a worthy investment.

Game on!