Solo Play and Parties

I tried Cypher with a three-character party playing solo, and I did not enjoy it as much. There is a lot to keep track of regarding pools, XP, and Player Intrusions by each of the characters. I would inevitably split them apart to run solo, since the stories were better focused and more compelling. In the end, I was playing three characters solo, and there I was again.

I can play almost any OSR game, or even 5E, solo with a whole party of four all by myself. The characters lack significant depth. The healer is the healer. The DPS is DPS. The tank is the tank. Everyone has a job to slot into. That can happen in Cypher, but there is far more to track and manage in Cypher than there is in 5E.

Cypher characters look deceptively simple, but they hold more depth than a 5E character.

A lot is happening inside them, and even more externally, as each character can impact the narrative. With a party of three, I am shuffling XP around, tripping multiple Player Intrusions, and pulling GM Intrusions on them all. It becomes a bit much, and I prefer to focus on one character, keeping the lens tightly on that character's story.

There is also the issue of not having another player to give GM Intrusion XP to, so the player only gets one. I bank that other XP in a "story pool" which I will later use to determine other end-of-session rewards, such as money, favors, treasure, artifacts, lucky breaks, helpful NPCs, and benefits that NPCs and communities can give the players. It becomes an "NPC Intrusion Pool" that will favor the solo player at the GM's discretion, at 1 XP per favor or reward.

The solo player is still feeling the benefits, but can't spend or use those XP for themselves, as they are indirect rewards. If the player needs a helpful town guard to wander by as the character is losing a fight, I can spend an XP from that pool to give them a little help. The town (or any NPC) could also "help itself" with this pool, such as increasing patrols at night, which would make it harder for criminals to operate at night, thereby indirectly helping the PC by reducing enemy encounters after dark.

This pool could also be used to start Story Arcs for the town or NPCs, theoretically, and also to pay to advance them (instead of being rewarded by achieving each step). Like if the city wanted to build a bridge over the river, this pool could be spent to advance that subplot, since it will ultimately be helpful to the town (and the PC) if getting across the river were easier for everyone. The player could be called to help in this plot, too, so XP rewards could be earned there. If my solo character wanted a change to the city, such as a new blacksmith opening, and this did not require a plot, pay an XP from the NPC Pool to do an NPC Intrusion and open one.

With me running three or four characters, I get overwhelmed. With just one, I can use my XP smarter and pool them to advance the narrative.