Once you have your answer, you should take into

Maze
account the story so far, the type of adventure you
want to have and the answer you rolled.
Closed questions use the 2d format used in Danger
Rolls. This includes Advantage. If a question is more
likely to be yes than no, it is rolled with Advantage
[3d] and the higher two dice used.

Rat
Questions that are unlikely are rolled with
disadvantage [3d] and the lower two numbers taken.

ROLL ANSWER
2 No, and…
3-4 No

INTRODUCTION 5-6
7
No, but…
Complication
Maze Rat is a solo roleplaying add-on to Maze Rats. 8-9 Yes, but…
These rules attempt to emulate the role performed by 10-11 Yes
the Game Master [GM] by using some simple d6 12 Yes, and…
tables. No, and… The answer to your question is no, and it is
No table could have enough entries to predict every the most extreme result.
possible question you could ask the GM or cover every No, The answer was a clear no.
possible situation. Just as a roleplaying game is a game
of improvisation, these rules provide prompts for your No, but… This is a toned-down version of the no
improvisation, enabling you to resolve questions that answer, it maybe offers some kind of consolation.
would be answered by the GM.
Complication A complication is a plot twist or an
Maze Rats uses a common format of a d6 of d6 tables. unexpected event that will make the question you just
You will find the same format used here to make these asked out of date. Something just happened that is
rules feel natural and a part of a single system. going to make you rethink your course of action.
Yes, but… This is the mirror of the No version, it is a
How to Solo yes but not quite as good or full-on as it could be.
Solo play revolves around imagining your story much Yes, the basic yes answer.
the same as you would in a shared group game, but
when there is a conflict you are responsible for playing Yes, and… The most extreme form of yes, what you
both sides. When you would ask the GM for more asked for and much more!
information about your situation, you use these rules to
give you a prompt from which you can answer your
question and move your story forward. The answers Complications
are frequently not fixed yes-no answers. They use a
random element to throw up unexpected results. Complications are one of the cornerstones of solo play.
They are the moment when the GM turns the tables on
Broadly, there are two types of question. Closed you; when the drama suddenly ramps up; or a vital
questions can be answered with a yes-no response. clue is revealed.
Solo play takes these and expands upon them a little to
force you to think a little more about your character’s Earlier I gave an example closed question, “Is the city
situation. watch guarding the gate?” Any of these could be a
complication to that question.
The second form of question is the Open Question.
Open questions cannot answered yes-no. They take a An Ogre has just smashed the gate in, scattering the
long-form or more descriptive answer. guards. The Ogre fills the gate and looks enraged.

Closed questions are used for “Is the city watch The gate is being opened by the city guard and in rides
guarding the gate?” your worst enemy with their henchmen.

Open Questions are used for “What is the snake queen An officer and a civilian are stood by the gates, the
really after?” civilian waves his hands and a shimmering wall
appears before the gates.

CloseD Each of these will make you reconsider your options. It

is from complications that new adventures are born.
How did your enemy get here, when the last time you
Questions saw them they were in a prison cell, what does the
Ogre want, who is the wizard?
Before asking a closed question, you should phrase it
so that it makes sense as a yes-no format. You should With complications, you can move your story forward,
ask the question that is best for the game, not introduce a side quest, break a loop if you are
necessarily what is best for your character. You should struggling with finding a way to progress or add layers
consider how likely the result is to be either yes or no. of complexity if that is what you enjoy. In pulp TV
series, you would see the hero or villain in an
impossible to survive situation at the end of an
episode, and the start of the next show would have the adventure you enjoy to inform what these phrases
same scene from a different angle and reshot so give mean.
the hero and escape. That is the sort of thing you can
do with complications. You may think you saw your
nemesis die, but that doesn’t mean they may not come
walking in at any moment.
NPC Encounters
Maze Rats contains a simple 1d table for NPC
encounters.
Open Questions 1 2-3 4-5 6
Open questions cannot be answered with a simple yes- Hostile Wary Friendly Helpful
no. They cover situations like, what do people really
want, what is a book about, what is remarkable about a
treasure. You can follow up this broad outlook with a single
closed question that relates directly to the situation.
The way that they work is by giving you a pair of For example “Do they trust me?” or “Do they believe
words that you need to interpret. me?” These follow up questions will add an extra level
of detail, one that is normally provided by the GM.
Action
Avenging Compelling Dispelling Prepping Sessions
Banishing Concealing Emboldening In solo play, you don’t need to prep sessions. The
Bewildering Deafening Expanding situations, preferred in Maze Rats, should evolve
Blinding Deceiving Energising naturally from either complications, unexpected
Charming Deciphering Enlightening answers or from open questions giving you an insight
Communicating Disguising Enraging you didn’t have before. Maze Rats says “The first
Excruciating Hindering Silencing campaign session should start in the middle of a high
Foreseeing Paralysing Soothing energy situation in order to get the players hooked.”
Intoxicating Revealing Summoning This is especially true of a solo game.
Imprisoning Revolting Terrifying You should be able to jump straight into an adventure
Maddening Screaming Warding with no more prep than creating your character.
Mesmerising Shielding Wearying
Subject
NPCs
Blood Poison Flesh
Serpent Worm Beast If you need an NPC that has stats, just create what you
Crown Sentinel Servant need when you need it. The five-step character
Throne Aura Faction creating process can be done in any order. You will
Dance Word Book frequently find that you create the appearance, from
River Symbol Sewer the World Building section, long before you need any
hard numbers for making Danger Rolls. I found that
Negotiation Guard Protector table 10. Personality was by far the most important in
Inquisitor Raiders Outlaw the game.
Hunter Wise one Worshipper
Song
Fanatic
Puzzle
Leader
Coward
Target
Magic
Priest Soldier Murderer In writing these rules and playtesting, it was the magic
that created the most fun. In a world that is being
To use this tool, you roll two pairs of d6. Two for the created as you adventure, with people made up on the
action and two for the subject. spot, in only make sense to get new, completely
For example, I rolled 5, 3 and 4, 3. These give random magic each morning.
Revealing + Hunter.
To answer some sample questions: Record Keeping
“What is the snake queen really after?” In this case, I suggest you keep a journal. Use it to record the
Revealing Hunter suggests that the queen fears that questions you asked, answered rolled and their
someone is out to get her. This fear is what motivates interpretations. The spells you gained each day and the
her actions. NPCs you create. It is my preference for something
every brief, bullet points etc. and highlighter so I can
“What is a book about?” Revealing Hunter could pick out NPCs or important questions and answers.
mean that the book either reveals the identity of a
hunter or killer, akin to all those books about Jack the You can then read back through this record before you
Ripper, or it could be a mundane book on hunting start your solo session. It will help you get back in
techniques. character and pick up where you left off.
“What is remarkable about a treasure?” Revealing You may also spot loose ends you did not follow last
Hunter here could suggest something magical, like a time, which could come back in future sessions, or you
crystal ball or divination magic that will show you the may identify a continuing theme to your adventure that
identity or location of someone hunting you, or could be a campaign spanning plot.
something you seek.
In each case, the answer was the same; it was the
interpretation that varied. You must use the context of
Credits
the situation, the adventure so far, and the type of Maze Rats was created by Ben Milton (CC 4.0 BY). www,questingblog.com
Maze Rat was created by Peter Rudin-Burgess www.ppmgames.co.uk