Agon and One Page Solo Engine Review
Welcome to my review of Agon for solo play.
As my second campaign on this blog, I felt it went smoother and I hope it was an improvement over the previous The One Ring 2E solo campaign I did. My goal for these actual plays is to inspire readers to try new systems and fun ways of soloing. Now for the main attraction.
Agon is an RPG of epic storytelling in the vein of the Greek myths, Swords and Sandles adventures and modern-day full-on action movies. Written by John Harper and Sean Nittner and published by Evil Hat Productions (of Blades in the Dark fame) https://evilhat.com/, the game is a masterclass in packing drama and action into a rules-light structure.
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| Its an excellent game, go get it! Credit to John Harper, Sean Nittner and Evil Hat Productions |
Agon Review
Swords, sandals, spears, sun and the odd evil spirit and demi-god, that was our Agon campaign, Islands of Myth. I had a great time playing Swift-Footed Kassander as she adventured across the sunbaked island in search of the evil that was plaguing it. There were twists and turns (and I still feel bad about Kassander throwing the wrong Strong-Armed Eros off the rock pillar, yikes!). How did Agon, with The One Page Solo Engine stack up as a solo game? Well bottom-line up front, really well! Agon lends itself to solo play I believe, it was simple to convert over and the lack of other players was less apparent than it was in my The One Ring 2E, with Strider Mode, play through. Well, let’s dig deeper into the game.
Campaign Reflections
I went into this campaign intending to make as much of the campaign random and up to the dice as possible. To achieve that I had to make some random tables and tools. I think I was successful, and I’d say the whole campaign was a fun experience. I pegged it for a three-post campaign, but it evolved into a four-post one, which was enough to complete a full island. For reference, the game is designed to complete one island per traditional session of about three hours.
I liked how the campaign developed and how I was able to collect a few NPCs to bring along. That made the world feel more alive and prevented Kassander from wandering around alone on this island. The inclusion of random tables for minor gods, spirits, and monsters meant I didn’t know what I was going to face next. All in all, it was a fun campaign.
The most memorable scene from the campaign was when Kassander and her crew came upon the mountain stream and met the nymph. The whole scene was random and I was just amazed at how it all came together. I just love the power of solo play.
The Core Game
The Agon core book is not long and the whole rules and character creation could fit in a few pages easily. But the book goes to great lengths to help build the feeling that you are in an epic Greek story and that you are more than a regular person. The rules are also easy to read, learn and then play with. They can be learnt in as little as 10 minutes. I’m a fan of rules-light games, doubly so if I’m playing them solo.
The art gives the book the feeling that you are picking up a museum piece and it fits the whole concept the book is going for. The book is incredibly well organized and laid out. It is easy to flip through and find the spot you are looking for.
The inclusion of tons of islands is good also. I didn’t use them for this campaign but it was good to read the islands for monster ideas or island challenges. The version of Agon I got had an extra supplement with even more islands, written by guest authors. Lots of inspiration and islands to run for a solo or traditional game.
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| The Greek gods can be pretty petty. Photo by Egor Myznik on Unsplash |
The Paragon System
I liked the Paragon system to build drama and drive the storytelling further. I find dice pools fun (who doesn’t like grabbing a handful of dice and rolling them!) but having different dice for your name, epitaph, domain, and other things was really fun. I also appreciated that not every contest ended up in combat, but they were often solved by being clever, or artistic. It is a great system and I’m glad to see other creators are already starting to hack it into different settings.
The Setting
While I was playing Agon I kept thinking why the Swords and Sandles genre isn’t more popular than it already is in RPGs. It is a fantastic setting and allows lots of great opportunities for roleplaying. The constant drama and conflict between the gods are also a great aspect of the game. I’m hoping with Agon and the computer game Hades, we will see more games inspired by Greek mythology.
As a Solo Game
There is a saying in the solo RPG community that any game is solo-able, and I agree with that 100%. You really can solo anything, from one-page RPGs to complex systems spanning half a dozen books. But I would argue that some systems are easier to solo than others. Agon was a smooth and enjoyable solo experience. Converting it to solo play is as easy as picking which solo engine you’d like to use and getting started. I did a few extra things like making the strife level lower and creating a few random tables of my own, but it wasn’t needed.
The core gameplay loop and the structure of the island also lend well to smooth solo play. The rolls in an Agon game are few but consequential, and there is plenty of time between the contests to explore the island and the NPCs that are with you.
One Page Solo Engine
I’m glad I used the One Page Solo Engine for the Agon campaign. It's a simple emulation engine, all the rules can be found on one page (hence the name), and there is an app you can download also. Its simplicity worked well with Agon, as a more complicated emulation system would have been overkill. I wasn’t a fan at the start of using a deck of cards instead of dice, but I found a good online random card generator that helped move things along. Each suit of the card also had a different aspect, so the possibilities were greatly expanded.
It is more complex and powerful than a simple D6 ‘Yes, no, but, and' system and is probably equivalent to MUNE. I’m a believer that you’ll get your best solo gaming if you match the game you are playing with the GM emulator you are using.
Well, that is it for Agon and Islands of Myth! We are moving on, always onward. I’m excited to say what the next campaign will be, A Star Wars-inspired campaign using Starforged: Ironsworn! I’m pumped about it and I’ve already started it. Tune in next week for the start of Rebel Sworn.
As always thank you so much for reading. I’m still humbled by the number of people who tune into the blog to read my thoughts and my actual plays. You make it all worth it.
And if you have suggestions for what I should cover, let me know! I’m happy to take a look at unusual or different games.
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