Building your solo TTRPG kit

Creative and mechanical aids

Buying through an affiliate link supports Bug & Claw. More information

So you want to do some solo tabletop gaming? We went absolutely batty during the pandemic and starting to explore all sorts of ways to get the most out of our games. I started buying up half of Amazon trying to improve my games. Much of the lists on this page are things I would put in my backpack if I was going to a park or would generally just keep on my desk to help me out (see more of my kit in this article). Eventually I thought I would start asking others what they use to help their games and decided to share this list with you!

These are organized into the following sections:

  1. The general kit
  2. Oracles & generators
  3. Recording & art
  4. Organizing & mobility
  5. Getting into the "zone"
  6. Maps

This list will constantly be expanding any time I find or learn of something I think should be added. Have a suggestion? Reach out to @bugandclaw on Twitter. The main things that won't be on this list is gaming books. The best books of things like oracles, random tables, and so on, are such expansive topics that we'll get into that separately. There are also items on this list that may have you ask but why wouldn't I use my computer/phone/device for that? And the answer to that might be go ahead, but if you're feeling like a purest, don't want distractions, to get pulled out of the experience, or just want to avoid the glow of a screen, some of these options are for you. They're options, not prescriptions.

So, without further delay...

Equipment tables

The general kit

D6ItemGeneral UseQuick find
1Polyhedral diceNo tabletop gamer is without themDice Envy
2A deck of cardsMany games use these as well as or instead of diceAmazon Theory11
3Regular journal/diaryWhere you take notes, track your journey, or play the gameAmazon
4A coinQuick yes/no decisions
5A big D100Rolling on giant tables, much more enjoyable than the two smaller polyhedralsAmazon
6Snacks & drinkKeep that energy up!

Oracles & generators

If you aren't familiar with it, oracles are game mechanics that use randomness to answer questions or guide narration in an uncertain situation. They have evolved a lot over the last few years, especially during the pandemic when solo play gained major traction. There are entire books of self-contained oracles and artificial intelligence apps that play the role. As for me, I like dice, cards, simple game mechanics, prompts, and imagination before I head to a hefty book or table. If you get used to it, it can keep things moving faster, too. Try some of them out!

D23ItemGeneral UseQuick find
1Game Master's Apprentice DeckReplaces many oracle systems on a deck of cardsDTRPG
2Scrabble tilesWriting prompts & inspiration, name & word generation, tokens. Read how I use them, here.Amazon
3Emotion, weather, direction diceRandomly determine weather, NPC reactions, replace oraclesAmazon
4Dungeon, wilderness, terrain diceRandomly generate entire dungeons, terrain, treasure, moreAmazon
5Blank D6Make your own simple random generators or oraclesAmazon
6Blank polyhedral diceMake your own complex random generators or oraclesAmazon
7Interrogative diceReplace oracle actions: who, what, why, when, how, whereAmazon
9Decision diceReplace oracle actions (yes, no, maybe)Amazon
10Being and helping verb diceReplace oracle actionsAmazon
113-sided diceStand-in for yes, no, maybe oraclesAmazon
12Colour diceReplaces colour-selecting oracles. Mostly adds flavour.Amazon
13Hit location diceAutomates where enemies attack you, afflictions, etcAmazon
14Time diceSet a random deadline, timer, clock, etcAmazon
15Game spinnersLike blank dice, make your own oracles & randomizersAmazon
16Deck of WorldsPrompts for lands, lore, and story-driven mapsKickstarter
17Tarot cardsFolks use these as story prompts, oracles, and adventure promptsAmazon
18Quest decksRandom quest, side quest, and adventure promptsDice Dungeons
19Monster CardsTrack 5E monsters, organize by CR and draw for randomMonster Cards
20Dictionary & thesaurusFor interpretting and playing off of oracles and promptsAmazon
21Rory's Story CubesSo many prompts for writing, ideas, what's around, oracle replacementAmazon
22MtG CardsMagic the Gathering cards as prompts, game gens, inspiration
23Other game decksUse cards from other board/tabletop games as prompts or oracles for your current game

Recording & art

If you're interested in adding more sketching and art to your gaming kit then, as a trained illustrator and professional product designer with a bachelor's degree in design, these are some of the starting bits I recommend. I will try to add to this over time as well. I can't speak enough about straps/pen loops and roll-ups for your pencils, though, so they don't bang against each other, causing the leads inside to break or for the tools to otherwise get messy.

D10ItemGeneral UseQuick find
1Gridded journalAids drawing maps, tracking numbers, keeping alignmentAmazon
2Specialized RPG journalHas a mix of paper types for different tasksAmazon
3SketchbookBlank paper to sketch maps, creatures, charactersAmazon
4Pencil/brush roll-upFor travelling with art/writing supplies so they don't break/get messyEtsy
5It measures things, draws straight lines, and helps draw maps, tables, and character sheets.Great for quick sketches, maps, etc. Forced limit on palette.Amazon
6Water brushesFill with water for use with watercolours on the goAmazon
7RulerIt measures things, draws straight lines, helps draw maps, tables, character sheets.Amazon
8Voice recorderUsed in some games, record your plays
9Flash/Index cardsTrack things, make oracles, make NPCs, many uses
10Straps/Pen loopsHolds pencils and other tools safe from breaking leads or making a messPaperlote

Organizing & mobility

I've noticed a lot of folks trying to sell these big, expensive, specialized TTRPG bags with all of these neat compartments for dice, printouts, and things like that. I don't think we need things like that. A simple bag or backpack to put things in, and a few things to help you read, travel, and roll (or however you play), is all I think you need. I was hesitant to add point counters to this list but a lot of folks report them aiding memory and the tactile aspect aiding like a fidget spinner would with attention.

D9ItemGeneral UseQuick find
13-hole punchPunching holes in print-outs to put into a binder/duo-tangAmazon
2ClipboardFor gaming on the goAmazon
3Pronged Duo-tangsHold your printed sheets that belong together, like adventuresAmazon
4BindersFor items you'll add or remove occasionallyAmazon
5File foldersHold sheets you want to keep looseAmazon
6Dice trayKeep dice in one place, stop rolling onto the floor, make any surface rollableEtsy
7Dice bagCarry your dice wherever you want to goDie Hard Dice
8A printerPrint your adventures, character sheets, etc to help disconnect from techAmazon
9Point countersTrack HP, XP, damage, and other "points"Etsy

Getting into "the zone"

There's no one item that can help you get into the zone. I've had some really interesting recommendations, though. For example, one person on reddit told me they would use spent bullet casings as their tokens in a game where their character had to shoot a gun to track ammunition. Many folks like to hold something (like a focus object), fondle or squeeze something (I sometimes wear mala prayer beads and flip them back and forth between fingers), or some other folks just like to have interesting objects nearby. I've read about a couple of players who like to try and eat what their character might eat while they play– though you may want to be careful with that!

You might even bleed this into your other equipment: playing a spy game that requires a deck of cards? Maybe you get a James Bond themed deck of cards. Whether it's a shiny stone, candle, or spent bullet casing, it's important to add items to your solo roleplaying equipment that help get you into "the zone".

D5ItemGeneral UseQuick find
1FM RadioLimited controls for distractions, ambient noiseAmazon
2HeadphonesIn case you need focus
3Sand timersForce yourself to complete tasks in set amounts of timeAmazon
4CandlesAtmosphere
5Shiny gemsAtmosphere

Maps

D8ItemGeneral UseQuick find
1Dry erase gaming matFor when you get tactical, want to plan, understand how something would workAmazon
2Dry erase markersFor use on the dry erase matt, mixed coloursAmazon
3The DungeneratorGenerate random dungeon maps with cardsKickstarter
4Atmar's CardographyGenerate random dungeon maps with cardsKickstarter
5Black Fortress' RDGsBlack Fortress' Random Dungeon Generators do what you think they might!DTRPG
6Inked AdventuresGenerate random maps (and dice) by drawing cardsEtsy
7Old game mapsPrint old video game stages as TTRPG maps
8City/trail/area mapsPrint maps of the real world as TTRPG mapsGoogle Maps
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram