D&D One-on-One

What It's Really Like?

I recently ran the largest rpg session I have ever run, 8 people. I don’t know about you but that’s a lot of people for me. Eight is about three more than really what I'm comfortable running.

This had me thinking back to when I ran sessions at the public library when I ran for one person.

We had a scheduled to play and I would often push players to other tables so that other DM could have a full table. I would hang back and take any stragglers. If there were no stragglers, I jumped in a game.

One time, games had gotten underway and all seat were filled when an older gentleman came in. He looked around and paused, unsure of where to go. I said, “Hey, would you like me to run something for you?” He was open to that and away we went.

Never mind that I had never run a game for one person. I didn't know, how this was going to work. In my mind, I'm thinking, “I’m used to the dynamics of a full table, a party of 4 or 5, how do I make this interesting for this man, if they don't have anybody to play off of?'“

I had a lot of questions about, running a duet game. In fact, at that time I didn’t even know deut gaming was a thing but it was a ton of fun and he had a good time.

Reflecting on table size had me wondering if one on one isn’t the best way to teach Dungeons and Dragons to someone.

I think this is especially appealing for those who don’t like crowds or are self conscious.

I think duet gaming is something every game master, especially professional game masters should keep in their tool bag because a one to one game can lead to that person joining a group once they have leveled up their confidence.

I hadn't ever played in a duet game until last year when my friend Tim, who ran our Shadowdark campaign, ran a duet for my character, to help me with my backstory and to get to know his world/setting.

Duet gaming is a great option for leveling up someone’s character who has missed a few sessions or to help them feel comfortable with the setting their playing in.

I think the best example of duet gaming is, if you haven't seen it, is when Deborah Ann Wall taught Jon Bernthal how to play Dungeons and Dragons while she was on his Real Ones podcast.

Jon asked her about her playing Dungeons and Dragons (Jon had never played) stuff. And she says, “Well, do you wanna play?” to which he responded “You mean right here, like now?”. Clearly, he thought you needed more than two people, a table and dice and Deborah Ann blew his mind.

She just painted a scenario and said, “What do you do?” and Jon started asking questions. They were off to the races.

A few tips about running a duet game

I am certainly no expert, but this is what I learned through my brief experience with on one gaming.

Run the game for as long as the other person has patience

The session I ran for the older gentleman went for 90 minutes. My session with my DM, Tim, last about an hour. Mileage will vary if you are running for friends or a stranger at a convention.

My friend Tim wrote a good book called Starter Adventures, which is offers the best adventures, in my opinion, for getting new people into the hobby and perfect for duet situations.

Give them a companion

If you don't want that person playing alone, in the game, give them a buddy, a sidekick. There are rules for this in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. You can also give them a pet, a familiar or even a mount.

In giving them an NPC or pet or whatever, you give them a chance to role play and offer a team dynamic that allows them to use strategy.

Encounters versus adventures

You do not need to run Curse of Strahd for them, a simple encounter or five room dungeon will be sufficient and will save you prep time. Giving them a small area to explore can deepen their immersion and emphasize one of the pillars of the game, exploration.

Keep it Going

So after you do a session with them, do a debrief asking

“How was it?”

“What did you think?”

“Would you like to come play in this group?”

Would you like to come back for another session to get more comfortable with it?”

Cool Tool for Duet Gaming

You don’t need anything tools beyond dice and a character sheet to play D&D and maybe not even that as Deborah Ann Walls showed us, but I did find a tool that might be helpful.

An 11x14 whiteboard

This board is dry erase and is plain on side for drawing up maps like this

Or, if you want to be more tactical, you can use the gridded side.

This size board is perfect for carrying in your game bag/backpack and could be dropped down on a table at a fast food place.

If you have any questions about duet gaming or you have any questions about, running these type of games, happy to answer any questions.

Have you run a duet game? Have you been played in a duet game?

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