Solo Tabletop RPG Review & Actual Play – Against the Wind Part One

You can purchase Against the Wind here

I recently used Cezar Capacle’s excellent zine of tables Random Realities as part of my solo world-building for another series. I love the versatility and depth of those tools, so I thought I would try out this game system he’s put out, Against the Wind. This solo/co-op fantasy game is set in a wintery world ravaged by strong winds and brutal cold. The artwork leans heavily into classic fairy tale design, and the game complements that vibe. What I found in playing Against the Wind is a robust procedural system for solo play that feels like what an official version of solo Dungeon World might be like.

A character in Against the Wind is comprised of two core elements – Resources & Traits. Resources resemble Abilities but are actually a currency that is spent and replenished. These are Vigor, Resolve, Essence, Talent, Gear, and Factor. Traits are looser and appear to be inspired by Aspects from Evil Hat’s Fate. They are details about your character that can be Leveraged during play to create more beneficial results from rolls. A Trait might be Shapeshifting, Arcane Knowledge, Minstrel, Frost Knight, Talks to plants, or more. Traits are rolled during character creation from some fantastic tables provided in the game.

When a character takes an action in Against the Wind, they roll two six-sided dice. If the result is 10 or higher, you have succeeded. If it is less than 10, you have two options: Spend resources to reach a 10 or Leverage a Trait and double the benefits of the two dice you rolled. An 8 made of 6+4 can be turned into a 6+6 = 12 by Leveraging a Trait. Resources can be replenished through rest, a good meal, communing with people, or anything you believe provides your character with a break from the struggle.

Interactions with monsters, people, and environments have been streamlined in a satisfying procedural way through Challenges. Every Challenge has two stats: Maneuver and Endurance, which are created by rolling 2d6 and splitting that number however you choose. Maneuver becomes a currency pool that is spent to increase Endurance. Endurance represents the number of actions needed to complete the Challenge. The Upper Hand serves as fictional positioning, and as long as you can score Hits without spending Resources, you hold onto the Upper Hand. When the Challenge has the Upper Hand, you roll for actions on its behalf, which might be the depletion of one of your character’s Resources or spending Maneuver to increase Endurance. I have found that this creates surprising, exciting, and fun situations.

Map making is also procedural, involving Dice Rolls determining the general landmass and coastline angles. Below is an image of my initial map before I started exploring and adding location details.

I rolled details for my world which I have listed below:

Name – Beloria
Technology – moderate, stable, or limited
Communities – strong, structured, nation-like conglomerates
Justice – strict, well-enforced
Conflicts – Widespread, intense warfare
Religion – Omnipresent divinity, gods among mortals
Magic – Occasional, specialized practitioners 
Monsters – Present in forsaken places

It’s an interesting setting – Gods walk among us and humans have nations engaged in constant war

From there it was Character Creation which involved assigning the initial Resources and rolling for Traits. And there I had a character. Here are my Traits below:

Name – Aelwen
Background – Acolyte
Role – Forge Warrior
Gift – Foresight
Skill – Masterful Diplomacy
Quirk – Tries to befriend all animals
Eyes – curious and sparkling
Hair – Raven-black, sleek, and long
Build – Slender with elegant poise
Voice – Clear as mountain air
Attire – Radiant saffron, adorned with jade
Adornment – Antique golden monocle
Trinket – Tiny music box with no key
Weapon – Longbow, crafted from mystical tree

Finally, there is your Starting Situation which is another series of table rolls. While these aren’t used mechanically, they can help you understand where your character has come from and what they are about. Mine are below:

• Training with the mountain monks has honed my agility.
• Resilience tested in the trial by the Elder Council.
• Empowered by the Elemental Spirits, I’m attuned to the pulse of the land.
• In Allerville, my powers manifested in unusual yet awe-inspiring ways.
• Salvaged what I could from the wreckage of the Skyship.
• New paths unfold, guided by the promises made in the Council’s last conclave

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I began my adventure allowing myself to detail & develop the character further through play. My first session is below:

Starting point: 1, 6

Temperature: Cold | Sky: Partly overcast | Humidity: Moderate |
Ground: Sinking or shifting | 

Paths: Well-trodden, clear paths | Time of Day: Dusk to Midnight |
Mood: Foreboding, sense of unseen eyes watching | Sights: Enchanting phenomenon, glimpses of the world’s magic or mystical mirages

Event: Hazard – Constructed
Crumbling monuments
Opportunity: Information carved into surfaces | Cost of Avoidance: Alert nearby threats

A long-forgotten shrine to the primitive gods of the natural world, the ground has softened over time, potentially a large sinkhole underneath. Aelwen has come here because he read that an artifact that can hone his powers might be hidden somewhere within. However, he can sense grand creatures that slumber nearby and wants to avoid them at all costs.

Challenge: Search for the Powerful Artifact
Maneuver: 6 | Endurance: 4

Action: Attempt to find the carvings that will direct me to the hidden treasure. Roll: 5 (3+2)

Make an Effort with Talent (3) and Vigor (2) = 10, a Hit but Lose the Upper Hand.

Challenge Endurance: 3

Aelwen watches each stone to see if it sinks or stays unmoving, he methodically works his way through the great hall of the shrine and pauses to examine the carvings. Eventually he finds the correct one. It directs him to behind the crumbling statue of Nesha, the Tree King. 

Challenge turn: Tactical action – increase Endurance by 1

Challenge Endurance: 4

Part of the floor crumbles away and Aelwen can swear he sees something large writhing and slithering beneath it.

Action: Reach the statue of Nesha unharmed. Roll: 4 (3+1)

Leverage: curious and and sparkling eyes – Aelwen pauses to scan the room carefully before continuing forward – 3+3 = 6

Make an Effort with Essence (2) and Vigor (2) = 10, Hit

Challenge Endurance: 3

Aelwen uses his connection with the elements to make the wind blow just slightly to send his scent in the opposite direction while he deftly leaps across the stones in the floor, reaching the statue

Challenge turn: Aggressive action (Lose 1 Vigor)

A stone Aelwen had thought was stable is loose and he twists his ankle leaping onto it. He manages to balance himself though and waits a moment to let his heart slow down.

Action: Find the mechanism on the statue to unlock it. Roll: 7

A scaled claw reaches up through the hole in the middle of the hall floor. Aelwen stops feeling around the statue to see a giant ebony salamander emerge from the hole.

Challenge turn: Special action – 

spend 1 Maneuver to gain 2 Endurance  |  Aelwen loses 2 Essence

This is no ordinary ebony salamander. As it slithers across the crumbling floor it glows violet and Aelwen can feel his magical connection to nature being drained away from him.

Action: Aelwen attempts to get the salamander to move further away from him. Roll: 6 (4=2)

Leverage: Tries to befriend all animals – Aelwen is able to make the hisses of another salamander – 4+4 = 8

Make an Effort with Gear (1) and Resolve (1) = 10

Challenge Endurance: 5

Aelwen pulls a bit of dried, salted fish from his pack and uses it to lure the salamander close. When he has its attention, he tosses the fish into the shadows and the creature lumbers after it.

Challenge turn: Aggressive action (Lose 1 Essence)

The excitement of the salamander causes its magic draining aura to expand for a moment. Aelwen feels light-headed but keeps his focus.

Action: Aelwen searches for the mechanism to unlock the statue. Roll: 8 (4+4)

Make an Effort with Gear (1) and Factor (1) = 10

A click and the statue slides away revealing a staircase that descends into the dark catacombs beneath the shrine. 

Aelwen decides to make camp and wait until the morning light to explore further. Here on the dais he sets up his bedroll and sleeps.

(Recover 5 Resources)

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Challenge turn: Tactical action. 1 Maneuver for 1 Endurance. Total Endurance: 6

Aelwen thought he could just drop into the small chamber beneath the statue and find the item there. However, once he descends he finds a passage leading deeper into the ground. He walks the passage until it opens into another room.

Room #1 – Regular room

Size: Large or expansive | Purpose: Rest | Sight: Bare, unadorned stone walls | Smell: Smokey, ashen smell | Sound: Sudden, sharp cracks | Connection: Crumbling wall revealing a hidden room | Passage position: In front of you | Room event: Encounter – People – Fugitive Hiding Out

Fugitive

Eyes: Curious and sparkling | Hair: Sun-kissed golden waves | Build: Dexterous with lean muscle

Attire: Swirling marble patterns, silk-smooth | Adornment: Ornate, feathered hat | Weapon: War scythe, wrought from meteoric iron

Aelwen notices a bedroll on the ground, a smoldering small fire in a pit in the center of the room. A hole in the ceiling allows the smoke to escape into the blue sky visible above. Ahead a wall looks to have been chipped away at giving a slight peek at a hidden room beyond this one. Aelwen watches a man with his back turned to him smashing a rock at the wall to break it away further. Laying beside the man on the ground is a war scythe that Aelwen knows is the preferred weapon of The Lunar Keepers, a clan of moon-worshippers.

Ask the GM: Does the man notice Aelwen? Answer: No

Action: Aelwen pulls out his bow, nocking an arrow but not drawing yet. He clears his throat to let himself be known and see the man’s reaction. Roll: 7 (4+3)

Leverage Masterful Diplomacy = 4+4 = 8

Make an effort with Factor (2) – My weapon is already nocked and I got the drop on the man = 10, Hit

The man places the rock on the ground. 

Disposition: Hostile or suspicious.

“Come to kill me and take my things, eh?” the man spits angrily. “I figured it would happen like this. Were you hired by Vaermir? Seduced by his coin?”

Aelwen explains that he is from the monastery in Allerville and has no interest in harming the stranger.

Ask the GM: Does the man show signs that he believes Aelwen? Answer: Yes, but he stays close to his war scythe.

Action: Aelwen explains he came to the ruined shrine in search of Simbi’s Finger, a gnarled branch hewn into a powerful wand of elemental magic. He is not in pursuit of anyone and would be willing to help break the wall down. Roll: 7 (3+4)

Leverage Masterful Diplomacy = 4+4 = 8

Make an effort with Resolve (1) and Factor (1) = 10

Aelwen explains he learned about the basics of this shrine during his studies in the monastery. He also notes he has no interest in betraying this stranger as he is on his own journey to find a purpose. Perhaps this stranger is a part of that journey. His name, he asks? Morwen, the stranger replies.

Challenge turn: Aggressive action. Lose 1 Essence.

Aelwen approaches the cracking wall and feels some of his magical Essence sapped from him, just like the encounter with the ebony salamander in the large hall. Whatever is behind this wall is quite magically potent.

Action: Aelwen helps Morwen continue chipping away at the wall to make the room on the other side accessible. Roll: 8 (5+3)

Leverage Acolyte – Aelwen is a monk and dedicated to the discovery of the world, he pushes forward despite the pain in his body = 10, Hit. 

Challenge turn: Aggressive action. Lose 1 Vigor. 

The wall is very well constructed despite its age and it takes Aelwen and Morwen beating away with it with all their might to make the hole large enough for a person to slip in.

Room #2 – Regular room

Size: Large or expansive| Purpose: Containment | Adornment: Dimly lit alcoves| Sight: Rich dark colors and textures | Smell: Fresh, herbal fragrance | Sound: Unidentifiable, strange music | Connection: Narrow, winding passage | Passage position: To your right | Room event: Feature – Lore – Tapestries of the Eternal Winter’s Dawn

Aelwen and Morwen step into the hidden chamber which has torches already lit in small alcoves. How could these flames remain burning with the room sealed off for so long? Aelwen hears strange music coming from down the nearby twisting hallway. The scent of burning alder and cypress roots follows.

The most striking thing is the large tapestry hanging against the wall depicting the shattering of the sky by the primal gods and the ice and thunder that fell to the ground. Aelwen touches the tapestry and realizes there is a slight frost accumulated on it. In the tapestry, Aelwen spots one of the primal gods wielding a gnarled branch, pointing it at the sky. Perhaps Simbi’s Finger is behind this?

Aelwen lifts up the bottom of the tapestry searching for a trigger or mechanism. Ask the GM: Does Aelwen find this? Rolled double 4s. Answer: Yes, but it has already been triggered, opening a hidden slot which is empty. Simbi’s Finger has already been found and taken.

Action: Aelwen searches for signs of who did this or when in the large room. Roll: 3 (2+1). 

There appears to be nothing left here which means whoever took the wand either did it long ago or was very good at cleaning up after themselves. The music from the twisting hallway is getting closer.

Challenge turn: Tactical action. 1 Maneuver for 1 Endurance

The music pauses and the sound of manic giggling emerges. A long shadow enters the chamber before its owner is fully seen. Aelwen nocks his arrow. Morwen grips his war scythe.

Monster: Powerful Undead

A long-dead druid stomps into the chamber. Aelwen realizes that this was meant to be a prison for this monster and they have opened the door. Tattered robes, covered in patches of moss and crawling with vines, hang loosely on its skeletal frame. Hollow, glowing eyes peer out from a skull adorned with a crown of thorns and twisted branches. Long, claw-like fingers, gnarled like ancient roots, clutch a staff made of petrified wood, pulsating with a faint, malevolent energy.

Action: Aelwen quietly motions for Morwen to back out of the chamber and try not to draw the attention of the zombie, using the shadows for cover. Roll: 6 (4+2).

Leverage Foresight to see what the druid will do next = 4+4 = 8

Make an Effort with Essence (1) and Factor (1) = 10, Hit. 

Aelwen mutters a simple spell to create conflicting scents and small sounds that will bounce off the walls of the chamber to confuse the druid. He also clings to shadows so as not to be spotted as the creature wheels its head around in search of the source of these things.

Challenge turn: Tactical action. 1 Maneuver for 1 Endurance

The druid roars and the ground shakes. Aelwen notices the stones near the top of the formerly sealed wall. They could collapse and trap him and Morwen inside.

Action: Aelwen motions and he and Morwen make a mad dash back to the outer room before the wall collapses. Roll: 4. Aelwen makes it through and reaches back just in time to see the stones crumble down and Morwen disappears. A moment later he can hear Morwen screaming and knows the druid has him. Aelwen crawls back out of the hole and into the shrine. There’s nothing left for him here. He says a prayer and departs. He must find who has Simbi’s Finger.

Read session two here