One of the disadvantages of being very non-social is that D&D is a social game. And sometimes it's difficult to find a group of people to play with. Fortunately, D&D did release a few modules designed for solo play, such as Blizzard Pass, Lathan's Gold, and Mystery of the Snow Pearls.. This is the best of the bunch: Thunderdelve Mountain.
This adventure is written for a solo dwarf, between levels 7 and 9. The goal is to rescue the lost Keeper of the Force of a dwarven stronghold that was attacked and destroyed by a fyrnasca, an underground flame serpent. Simple, yes? Well, not so much.
This is a 'choose-your-own-adventure' type of module, with numbered entries for you to follow (if you go east, go to entry 25; if you go west, go to entry 54, etc.). There are six pre-generated characters, and a blank map that you can fill in as you explore; the rooms are drawn out in the entries where you first enter them. In addition, there is a runic alphabet, along with a bunch of inscriptions for you to translate that will give you clues as to what lies ahead in your explorations.
The adventure also has an 'Event Log' that keeps track of things that happen; if you kill the creature in room 74, for example, you mark off Event C in the log. Later on, you might be given a choice based on an event you may or may not have completed. It gives the story a good, organic feel as you go through and actually see results and consequences of what you've done.
The adventure is actually in two parts; there's the 'rescue the Keeper' part, but there's also an ancient artifact, the Hammer of Vitroin, that wants you to kill the fyrnasca. And since it's an intelligent weapon, it can take over your will and force you to obey. Even that is handled well in the game, though, and it doesn't limit your player agency except that you just can't leave the place until you've killed the beastie or died trying.
Since this is a BECMI module, don't expect the pregen characters to have stellar stats; two of them have Constitution scores of 10, and one of them has no scores outside the average range of 9-12. But, they're dwarves, so they automatically have great saving throws, and they're all tough fighters. Any of them has the potential to succeed in the adventure if you are careful.
So, what do I like about this adventure? First, the atmosphere. This is Wagner meets Tolkien at the Sword-and-Sorcery Tavern. Sometimes it feels like you're in the Mines of Moria; there's a definite gloom about the whole place. Second, the runic writings scattered around. They are conveniently collected on a back page (and the back foldout of the module cover), and while it takes time to translate them, it's worth the effort. As I mentioned earlier, there are clues and warnings as to what awaits ahead in these runewords, so don't skip them.
Finally, it's fun to just relax and play a solo game once in a while. Not a lot of RPGs offer solo play, so it's nice to not only have that type of adventure available, but to have one of this quality. And yes, there are suggestions for group play as well, but it's recommended that you play through the solo adventure first before running it for a group. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to take Goin Cleftfist on an adventure.
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