Many players of Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games know it: the problem of finding a suitable date with everyone. A new adventure for pen & paper aims to bypass this obstacle directly.
What adventure is it about? The Mystery of Witchhaven is an adventure by Obvious Mimic Press. The special thing about it: it can be played solo, without a game master or other players. It is compatible with the 5th edition of the Dungeons & Dragons rule set.
With the adventure, they want to create an experience where a lone hero solves problems and overcomes challenges without needing a whole party or a game master. Each story is designed to be compatible with other D&D modules and can serve as an adventure between sessions or as preparation for your own character in a campaign.
Your journey takes you to the quiet village of Witchhaven, where children have been kidnapped, and strangers are not welcome. Your task is to find the missing children, uncover the mystery behind it, and not lose your life in the process.
You can get The Mystery of Witchhaven for around €16.95 on the Obvious Mimic Press website and download it as a PDF or Epub file. The adventure is designed for characters from levels 1 to 4.
How does the whole thing work without a game master? We will explain it to you below.
A solo adventure at your own pace
How does it work? Essentially, the mechanics of the adventure should not differ much from a classic round of D&D, so that experienced role players should feel at home right away. You can freely choose your character and create it using the DnD Beyond tool.
Then you follow the instructions in the book and turn to other pages depending on your action or decision. Rolling dice should also be included, and depending on the result, you will refer to other parts of the adventure.
This way, you navigate through the story and interact with NPCs, use your abilities and skills, items, and spells, and combat your opponents. The book is intended to act as your game master. There should also be replay value due to the different decision paths.
How is the adventure received? The principle is well-received by the community and is said to be suitable for newcomers who want to experience D&D without having to commit to a group right away. The adventure should also generally transfer well to groups. However, others criticize the decision-making options and the difficulty:
- Karen Kenney writes in reviews: ‘Great for beginners, with a surprising narrative twist at the end. I’m already looking forward to my next run!’
- Bruce Ford comments: ‘The purchase is worth it for both a solo evening and a whole party.’
- Valdespar rates: ‘I have nothing to compare it to, but I found it somewhat formulaic, meaning that every path led to the same goal. This made me feel like I didn’t really have a choice. But overall, I had fun, and I found the story well thought out and engaging. Although the adventure is recommended for characters of levels 1 to 4, I found that every level 1 character I tried could not finish it.’
There are also voices noting that a book can never replace a real game master and that it is in the nature of things that this system primarily lacks role-playing and creative freedoms.
Nevertheless, the adventure is very well received by most players and offers a great way to play D&D when others are not available.
In addition to The Mystery of Witchhaven, Obvious Mimic Press also has three other adventures: The Wolves of Langston, The Crystals of Z’leth, and The Secret of Oki Island. So if the premise of the former doesn’t appeal to you, you can take a look at the story of the others. The principle is the same for all solo adventures from Obvious Mimic Press.
Many of the reviews also mention that the solo adventures are very suitable for beginners to get an idea of Dungeons & Dragons. A YouTuber also got her 97-year-old grandmother excited about the game and showcased her first session in a video, illustrating that D&D knows no age: 97-Year-Old Plays Dungeons & Dragons for the First Time with Her Granddaughter, Captivating Almost Half a Million Viewers on YouTube
