Asking why…?

One of the important things a player needs to do in Libre Solo Role Playing is to ask why, whether that’s to ask yes-no questions, or to fill in the blanks with window dressing. If the protagonist was going to meet her/his patron at a cafe, and instead the scene quality indicates the scene takes place at a factory, there’s a reason for that change in plans. Why is the scene happening at a factory? There must be some significance.

Get curious and think up what’s going on here. Is the factory new and sleek? Older and outdated? Abandoned or in ruins? Is the meeting taking place during working hours, or after hours? What is, or was, manufactured in this place? That could be a random (d100) item roll. All these questions, whether they’re asked as formal yes-no questions or just something for the player to think about, can be significant to infer more about what the conversation is going to be about. The patron might be there to introduce a randomly rolled (d100) person as a third party who is relevant to the plot.

If you do roll and get an unusual result (let’s say “religious lay folk”), you’ll have to sort out how it all comes together. One possible answer is that the “factory” is a working monastery. Another possibility is that the factory assembles goods used for religious purposes. That may be re-printing a version of the good book. Or it could seem to be a bustling factory on its surface, hiding unsavory and sinister activity underneath.

The point is always to think about the details based on any random roll results Libre Solo Role Playing gives you for a scene. That could be scene qualities (including places and rationales), persons or items, or unexpected events. Why X and not Y? That leads to asking interesting yes-no questions that fill out a scene with plenty of detail, that can in turn be important and relevant to creating a richer story.