LIKE

NO ONE
EVER
WAS
A SOLO RPG ABOUT
ADVENTURE WITH YOUR
BEST FRIEND
You Are Going on a
journey.
You are a Handler--a being, human or otherwise, who has a special
bond with a creature Companion. Perhaps you're a Ranger with
her devoted wolf by her side. Maybe you are a wizard, whose small
dragon familiar aids them with their magics. Maybe you train a
monster that possesses unique powers.

Whatever the case, the important thing is that you share a vital
connection with this Companion of yours, and it is that connection
that will fuel your journey. The two of you shall undertake challenges
together until you have proven your mastery in your chosen Quest.
In the end, it will be your bond to this, your dearest friend, that
determines your success or failure.

To play this game you will need:

Something to write with and something to write on
A deck of 52 standard Playing Cards with the Jokers removed
One twelve-sided die
Either a six-sided and a four-sided die or ways to randomly
generate numbers 1-6 and 1-4
Create your handler
and companion
Your Handler and Companion will each possess their own stats in
two categories: Spirit and Bond.

Spirit represents one's physical and mental energies--the strength

your Handler and Companion have to fight, dance, race, cast magic,
or whatever else they may have to do to overcome their obstacles.
Bond represents your Handler's and Companion's connections with
one another--their ability and willingness to sacrifice for one
another.

Your Handler and Companion will each pick a set of starting

numbers:

1&5 2&4 3&3

Assign one number from the set to Spirit and the other to Bond, first
for your Handler and then your Companion. Your Handler and
Companion cannot pick the same starting numbers.

Name and Describe your Handler. What is their name? What are
their pronouns? What do they do each day? What are their goals and
dreams? How did they meet their companion?

Name and Describe your Companion. What is distinctive about

them? What powers do they have? Why did they decide to travel with
their Handler?
Determine your quest
Your Handler and Companion are about to undertake a grand
adventure to achieve mastery over their chosen Quest. What sort of
Quest do they want to master together? It could be a grand battle
tournament, a cooking competition, a racing championship, or
anything else you can think of.

Before they can become masters, your Handler and Companion must
overcome a series of obstacles and complete Milestones to achieve
Renown. Renown is a shared stat that represents their progress on
their Quest. They will begin with a 0 in this stat.

Select or Roll a number between 1 and 6. This number plus 3 is the

total Renown your team will need to make it to their Final
Challenge. Once they have obtained this Renown and completed
the Final Challenge, they will be Masters.

The more Renown required to complete the Quest, the longer your
game will be.
Begin your journey
Your Journey will play out over a series of turns, wherein you
will draw and interpret playing cards, roll to overcome the
obstacles they present, and track the changes and growth your
Handler and Companion experience.

After removing the Jokers and shuffling the deck of cards, draw
the top card. If it is a King, Queen, or Jack, see the section
discussing Milestones. Otherwise, look at its suit to determine
what sort of obstacle this card represents:

Spades represent physical obstacles such as mountains to

climb, rivers to cross, or battles to conquer.
Diamonds represent mental or social obstacles such as persons
who need convincing or puzzles that need solving.
Clubs represent Companion Challenges, in which most of
the exertion for the task must come from your Companion.

Consider and, if you like, write down the sort of obstacle

represented by the card. Then, roll your 1d12. You must exceed
the number on the card to overcome the obstacle. Ties are in
favor of the obstacle. Ones are always a failure.

You may lower the difficulty of the obstacle by one for each point
of Spirit you spend from your Handler (or Companion, in the case
of a Companion Challenge). You may also ask your Companion
(or Handler) for help. To do so, you must either spend bond or
perform a Bond Check, explained below.
Bond Points and checks
Your Handler and Companion are a team, and they will sacrifice
to aid one another.

Before rolling any obstacle check, the Handler (or Companion, in

the case of a Companion Challenge) may petition for aid. Roll
your dice and compare the result to your Companion's (or
Handler's) Bond score. If the die result is equal to or below this
Bond score, your Companion (or Handler) may aid their dear
friend. They may spend their own Spirit points to lower the
difficulty of the obstacle as well.

Instead of rolling, the Handler (or Companion) can spend one of

their Bond points to gain aid. No roll is then required, and the
Companion (or Handler) may spend Spirit points to lower the
difficulty as above.

Important to Remember:

If a Handler or Companion ever reaches 0 in Spirit, their

strength is gone. They must return home to recover and begin
their journey again another day.
If a Handler or Companion ever reaches 0 in Bond, the
trust between partners has been severely damaged. They must
return home to reconnect and begin their journey again when
they have re-established their connection.
Victory, Defeat, and
Growth
No matter the outcome, after every obstacle your team will grow
and change.

If they have succeeded in overcoming the obstacle, both Handler

and Companion receive 1 point to add to whichever stat they
desire. Describe how this victory has strengthened them and
drawn them together.

If they have failed to overcome the obstacle, one member of the

team sacrifices so both can keep going. Either Handler or
Companion loses 1 point from one of their stats. The other will
gain 1 point in one of their stats. Describe the sacrifice and how
this failure has taught them about one another.

Of course, every team needs moments of rest, to reflect and to

train with one another for the difficulties ahead.

If you draw a Heart card of any value, it is time to Rest and

Train. Both Handler and Companion gain 3 points to divide
between their stats as desired. If you draw a heart and do not
wish to take time to Rest and Train, you may save one card to use
as a Rest and Train phase after any obstacle before the Final
Challenge.

Spirit and Bond both have a maximum value of 12 per Handler

or Companion. Excess points are not saved for later.
Milestones
When you draw a Face Card, you have encountered a
Milestone: an obstacle that will increase your Renown and
advance your Quest. The nature of the Milestone is determined by
its suit, as with regular obstacles.

The Difficulty of a Milestone is 10. The Handler and Companion

must spend 2 Spirit Points for each level of difficulty they wish to
lower. Bond can be rolled as normal, but spending Bond requires
2 Bond points as well. Once points are spent and the final
Difficulty is determined, roll 1d12 as normal to determine the
outcome.

Treat a failure the same way as you would for a regular obstacle.
Describe how your Handler and Companion are foiled by this
Milestone, and what they believe they must do to overcome it in
the future.

If you succeed in overcoming a Milestone, your Handler and

Companion each receive 2 points to add to their stats as they see
fit. You also gain 1 point of Renown. Describe how this victory
has advanced your Quest.

Face Cards that are Hearts may be Rest and Train phases, or
Milestones. Treat them as Companion Challenge Milestones if
you desire.

When your Handler and Companion have gathered enough

Renown, they may proceed to the Final Challenge.
The Final challenge
At long last, your team has arrived at their final destination. It
is time for the most difficult challenge they have experienced.

Before beginning the Final Challenge, your Handler and

Companion may spend any saved Heart cards, and take one free
Rest and Train phase to prepare for the challenges ahead.
Describe how they make their final preparations. Then shuffle all
drawn and discarded cards back into the deck.

Roll or Determine a number between 1 and 4. This number, plus

one, will be the number of obstacles in the Final Challenge. Draw
these, removing and discarding any Hearts, and lay them in
front of you.

Handler and Companion must now overcome each of these

obstacles in sequence, with no further addition of stats or Rest
and Training phases.

Points may be spent and checks are rolled as normal, including

double point rules for Face Cards. No Spirit is regained after
each obstacle.

If the team fails on any obstacle, they were not ready for the Final
Challenge. They lose half their Renown and must return to
training. Describe their journey home and how this failure has
drawn them together.

If the team succeeds against each obstacle, they are now Masters.
Epilogue
Your Handler and Companion may return home at any time, or
their story may end if one of them loses strength or trust. They
may return home to regroup after a bitter defeat, or be escorted by
a parade in celebration of their stunning victory.

Describe the Epilogue of their tale, or at least this chapter of their

tale. How do Handler and Companion feel about one another?
What have they learned? What were their favorite memories?
What will they do next?

If your Handler and Companion returned home because of a stat

reaching 0, they immediately gain 1 point when returning home.
Describe how a time of rest and bonding replenishes them and
helps them to reconnect.

Whatever the outcome, Handler and Companion have tested

their connection in the fires of adversity, and they are stronger
for that journey. What do they want to do next together?

After you have finished the game, take some time for yourself to
process your feelings. What did you enjoy about the game? What
was surprising or difficult? What story would you want to tell
next time?

When you are ready, put away your game supplies, and step into
your own adventure.
A letter for you
Thank you so much for trying my little game. It was inspired by
the stories I love in Companion tales like Pokemon and Digimon -
stories of love and sacrifice, victory and defeat, growth and
change. I hope you have as much fun playing it as I did creating
it.

Thank you to all of the incredible folks of the No-Chill Cafe for
encouraging and inspiring me to write this, because I never
would have otherwise.

Please leave a comment or review on itch.io if you enjoyed this

game. Tell me about the stories you made! I want to know what
adorable, fierce companions you've created, and how they have
achieved Mastery together.

Thank you for creating, because creating always makes the world
a more beautiful place. You are beautiful, valuable, and loved.

SINCERELY,

Ronnie