Solo Hero Advice

Games Sentinel Comics RPG
#1

Howdy,

So, I’ve recently bought a physical copy of the Sentinel Comics RPG Core Rulebook. I’m yet to actually play, but I am fairly certain that the first Book* that I will participate in I will be Moderating, and my sister will be the only player. I’m also fairly certain that she will want to play only one Hero.

I know that the SCRPG was designed mainly with Hero Teams of 3+ in mind, but that it can also accommodate solo Heroes. So, I’m mainly here to ask for advice on running a Game with only a single Hero. What do y’all recommend doing differently? Any helpful tips or tricks?

More specifically, I’ve noticed that creating Scenes might prove somewhat problemsome and limited. Moderate Difficulty Scenes, for example, can only contain 1 Moderate Difficulty Scene Element, or 2 Easy Difficulty ones. This means that (in Moderate Scenes) Villains and Environments will always be the only Elements in their Scenes, and I’m not really sure how an Environment-only Scene would play out. (Or a Challenge-only Scene, for that matter.)

Also, since :h: = 1, a single :d8: or :d10: Minion is a whole Moderate or Difficult Scene Element, respectively, but so is a whole Villain without or with Upgrades, respectively, which seems a bit wonky.

Anyway, any thoughts or advice are appreciated.

* I'm using this term as an equivalent to other RPGs' "campaign," as the SCRPG seems to lack a synonym for such.
#2

My suggestion would be to include 2 D10 Lieutenants as teammates, and have :h: = 2 total. Make one with a bonus to Boosts or Hinders, and one with a bonus to Overcomes. This way you sister can still be the star of the show, but she’s got some backup to make the game run a little smoother. Have not tried this myself, but it seems right.

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#3

I know that she’ll probably want a sidekick of sorts, but I am unsure whether to model it with the temporary sidekick bought with Hero Points rules, or just give her a Minion or Lieutenant for free.

I think that, for the purpose of Minions (and sometimes Lieutenants), I’ll have :h: = at least 2. I have a hard time imagining a lone, single Minion of any size being a credible threat for any number of Heroes.

I don’t think having an NPC teammate who specialises in Overcomes is a good idea, as Attacks and Overcomes are the two Actions that really drive the story forward. I would limit helpers to get bonuses on Boosts, Hinders, and Defends.

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#4

My main thought behind the Overcome Ally is simply “a hero is not good at all overcomes.” There are some the PC’s excel at, sure, but for most Overcomes, unless you are always crafting it specifically to your sisters character, you want a generalist who can advance the plot (complete challenges) without constantly generating Major Twists. But to each their own.

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