I hated solo games until... 11th Beast.

Eleventh Beast snatched me up in it's jaws.

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Solo RPGs were not my cup of tea ~strong brew, dash of milk please~

But then came Eleventh Beast, a solo RPG that broke my fortress of… non-solitude?

This pamphlet sized 18th-century London monster hunt comes from the wonderful Exeunt Press. So why, despite my outlook, did I fall for (to?) Eleventh Beast.

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Procedure & Randomness

One of my prior gripes with solo RPGs is that I dislike being in charge of the world whilst playing within it. I have all the power. For some, this is a non-issue because solo RPGs, for them, are about the story and not necessarily a feeling of beating a challenge. But for me, I need that to have fun.

It doesn’t feel like you self-adjudicate in Eleventh Beast.

It’s procedural. The system is shaping the situation as much as you, but it doesn’t feel so ‘solvable’ because chance is a big player.

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Choices Matter

The map is a pointcrawl. It’s a source of tension and demands decision making.

At some point, ‘the beast’ will appear and it’s going to start moving towards you. If it finds you, you’ll have to fight, and if you aren’t ready… things may become dire.

Look at this map.

Image Credit: Exuent Press

It has choke points and a dead end. Turns are tense, because you can become trapped. Some actions make you stronger against the beast, but can you afford to take those actions in place of moving when the beast is on your tail?

I’ve written about how much I love pointcrawl structures before. Check out how you can use pointcrawls to run dungeons here.

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Purposeful Journaling

The journal system is clever. You use random tables to generate witnesses and information they relay to you.

Your journal isn’t simply a narration tool - which I struggle with in solo games. It has a direct function within the game. You’re making notes on how to fight a monster terrorising London. It has in-game world purpose, and those tables make it flow without you needing to think much.

Theme

A gothic 18th-century London monster hunt is the kind of palpable nastiness that gets it’s hooks into me and makes me want to play games. It reminds me of how Blades in the Dark drew me in.

Just look at this thing. It’s oozing with theme.

Image Credit: Exeunt Press

Compact & Complete

Eleventh Beast took about 30 minutes to play. I like solo games that run quick - without other people around the table, my motivation dies fast.

When you get to the end of this game, it feels like a wrapped up experience. You’ve got a bangin’ monster hunting journal at the end. ~sick~

It’s easy to grab Eleventh Beast. You can get it digitally (PWYW) or in print.

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Recommendations

Blog: An r/osr comment led me to this chestnut by Chris McDowall, on simplified hex profiles. Chris takes the approach from Traveller (where you encode information about an area in a code like B785457-C) and simplifies it (Chris’ codes look like 12HN). It’s a neat way to record info about areas in a hex map!

Ennies: Don’t forget to vote in the 2024 Ennies - your chance to champion creators in the TTRPG space.