# Loner tags: #game/rpg/loner ![[Loner (cover).jpg|600]] **Loner** is a solo, fiction-first RPG that hands you a pair of dice and a question and expects you to do the rest of the work yourself. Roberto Bisceglie's minimalist engine — published by Zotiquest Games — strips roleplaying down to an oracle and your own imagination: you ask yes/no questions, roll, and then make sense of the answers. It's built on the same bones as Nathan Russell's *Freeform Universal*, and it's the quiet little engine that spawned a whole line of supplements, plus the multiplayer spin-off **[[Ensemble]]**. If you've ever wanted to play a game where the only other person at the table is you, this is it. ## Core Resolution Mechanics The heart of **Loner** is the Oracle. You need two pairs of differently-colored d6s — two Chance Dice and two Risk Dice. When you face uncertainty, you ask a yes/no question and roll one Chance die against one Risk die. If the Chance die is higher, the answer is Yes; if the Risk die is higher, it's No; if they tie, you get a "Yes, but…" and add a point to the Twist Counter. Modifiers add nuance. If both dice come up 3 or less, the result gains a "…but…"; if both are 4 or more, it gains an "…and…". That gives you the full Freeform Universal range, from "Yes, and…" (success with a bonus) to "No, and…" (failure with an extra kick). Character traits and situational factors grant Advantage (roll two Chance dice, take the highest) or Disadvantage (roll two Risk dice, take the highest); they don't stack, and having both cancels out to a plain roll. The Twist Counter is the spice: when it hits three, the story takes a major, unexpected turn. It's a simple system designed to get out of the way and let you tell a story to yourself — and only yourself. ## Editions **Loner** has gone through three editions. The first was a spartan ten-page document; the second expanded it with more examples and diagrams for beginners; the third refines the presentation and adds an optional diceless mode that resolves outcomes through a decision matrix instead of dice. The core mechanic has barely budged across all three, which is either elegant restraint or a stubborn refusal to change. You decide. **Loner 4e** swung the other way. An **open beta launched May 2026**, and the **full 4th edition is set to release imminently** — announced for **September 25, 2026**. Where editions two and three thickened the book with examples and guidance, 4e loops back to the spartan roots: a lean build of the same Chance/Risk Oracle and tag-based, fiction-first engine, tight enough to live on a page or two. It ships with a companion tool, **Loner Assistant** (Obsidian plugin / PWA, v2.1), which runs the Oracle, Twist Counter, scene transitions, conflict resolution, and inspiration tables with state kept in your notes. Given a full release is right around the corner, this is the edition to watch — the library doesn't hold a 4e record yet, so expect that to land once the complete edition drops. ## The Loner Line **Loner** has grown into a small empire of supplements, each a genre dial on the same core engine. The core rules come as **Loner** (3rd edition) and the **Loner Omnibus**; the rest are standalone adventure packs that bolt a genre onto the Oracle. ![[Loner - Cinematic Action (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner Cthulhu (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - Dungeoneer (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - Galaxy Drifter (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - Kwaidan (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - Kwaidan Revised (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - Mech Requiem (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - Norse Saga (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - Paranormal Files (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - Rocketpunk (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - Spacer (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - Steel & Sorcery (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - The Path Not Taken (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - The Shattered Reach (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - Urban Fantasy (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - World Builder's Guide (cover).jpg|300]] ![[Loner - Concord Arcology (cover).jpg|300]] - **Loner** — the core rules (3rd edition) and the **Loner Omnibus** compilation. - **Loner: Cinematic Action** (2026) — action-movie heroics: Action Points, a stunt system, chases and pursuits, and momentum/pacing rules for physics-bending, over-the-top action. - **Loner: Cthulhu!** (2026) — cosmic horror; investigators who delve into mysteries that challenge their sanity and reveal humanity's place in an indifferent universe. - **Loner: Dungeoneer** — solo dungeon crawling: delve into ruins and lairs, face traps and monsters, and haul out treasure. - **Loner: Galaxy Drifter** (2025) — far-future spacefaring: a lone wanderer crossing a galaxy of ancient ship routes, seeking passage to the next world. - **Loner: Kwaidan** — feudal Japan steeped in Japanese folklore: ghosts, demons, and yokai haunting a world of warring clans. - **Loner: Kwaidan Revised** — the revised edition of Kwaidan: wandering exorcists, cursed warriors, and lost souls in a realm of spirits, curses, and karmic fate. - **Loner: Mech Requiem** — a 2300s Earth fractured by proxy wars, fought through advanced mechs. - **Loner: Norse Saga** (2026) — the Viking Age: honor, blood feuds, raiding, settlement, and blood vengeance, reputation built through deeds. - **Loner: Paranormal Files** (2025) — paranormal investigation: conspiracies, classified incidents, and reality-warping anomalies. - **Loner: Rocketpunk** (2026) — an alternate 2026 where the space race never ended; hard sci-fi with a retro aesthetic, the Cold War continuing in orbit. - **Loner: Spacer** (2025) — a lone starfarer navigating the cosmos as trader, explorer, or outlaw. - **Loner: Steel & Sorcery** — dark, gritty fantasy: ancient ruins, corrupt cities, and wild frontiers where magic is rare and dangerous. - **Loner: The Path Not Taken** (2026) — adds Loop Mode (repeat a stretch of story for a better outcome) and Leap Mode (jump to an alternate timeline), tracked on a time-web. - **Loner: The Shattered Reach** — a fractured sector of space where colonies struggle to survive political strife, environmental hazards, and an ancient alien presence. - **Loner: Urban Fantasy** (2026) — contemporary cities where magic bleeds through the cracks of mundane reality. - **Loner: World Builder's Guide** — worldbuilding tools: settings, character archetypes, locations, and adapting existing worlds. - **Loner: Concord Arcology** — an independent production by Dwarfmine Entertainment: the last bright city in a dead world, a sealed vertical metropolis where life is curated, monitored, and quietly timed out. # References - [Loner Official Website - Zotiquest Games](https://loner.zotiquestgames.com/) - [Loner SRD (free full text) - Zotiquest Games](https://lonersrd.zotiquestgames.com/) - [Loner - Core Rules (3rd Edition) - DriveThruRPG](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/427674/loner-core-rules-3rd-edition) - [Loner - All Products Bundle (Omnibus) - DriveThruRPG](https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/495049/loner-all-products-bundle) - [Loner Assistant (web app) - Zotiquest Games](https://lonerassistant.zotiquestgames.com/) - [Loner Assistant - GitHub (loner-obsidian)](https://github.com/zotiquestgames/loner-obsidian) - [Zotiquest Games - itch.io](https://zeruhur.itch.io/) - [Zotiquest Games Newsletter - Substack](https://zotiquest.substack.com/) > [!note] Editor's Note > > **Loner** is based on the mechanics found in **[[FU RPG|Freeform Universal]]**, which is pretty fantastic and you should probably check it out too.