Your First Loner Session: A Step-by-Step Procedure

I get asked all the time: “How do I actually start a Loner session?” The rules make sense in theory, but sitting down with blank paper and dice can feel weirdly intimidating. So here’s a concrete procedure that walks you through your first session, step by step.

Once you’ve run through this a few times, you won’t need it anymore. The flow becomes intuitive. But for that first session? Use this as scaffolding.

Step 1: Define Your Setting (5 minutes)

Pick a genre or world. Don’t overthink it. You can always adjust as you play.

• Use a favorite movie, book, or game setting

• Roll on the Adventure Maker tables if you want surprise

• Write down 2-3 words that capture the vibe

Example: “Neo-Tokyo underworld, neon and rain.”

The key here is just enough to give your imagination something to work with. You’re not worldbuilding a campaign setting. You’re establishing a vibe for the next 30 minutes.

Step 2: Create Your Protagonist (10 minutes)

Follow the character creation steps, but keep it simple for your first go:

• Name: Zahra

• Concept: Scrappy Data Runner

• Skills: Hacking, Parkour

• Frailty: Trusts Too Easily

• Gear: Datajack, Lockpick Kit

• Luck: 6

Don’t worry about Goal/Motive/Nemesis yet—let those emerge from play. This was the hardest lesson for me to learn when designing Loner: you don’t need a complete character before you start. The character reveals themselves through play.

Step 3: Frame Your Opening Scene

Ask yourself: Where is my Protagonist right now, and what do they want?

Don’t create a whole plot. Just one moment, one location, one immediate desire.

Example: “Zahra is crouched in an alley behind a corporate tower. She wants to slip inside through the service entrance.”

Write down:

• Location: Back alley, corporate tower

• Immediate Goal: Get inside undetected

This is all you need. The rest emerges.

Step 4: Ask Your First Question

Turn your immediate goal into a closed (yes/no) question for the Oracle.

Example: “Is the service entrance unguarded?”

This is where new players often stumble. They ask compound questions or open-ended ones. Keep it simple. One uncertainty, one question.

Step 5: Consult the Oracle

Evaluate the situation: does Zahra have an Advantage (relevant Skill) or Disadvantage (environmental obstacle)?

• She has Parkour, but the entrance is high-security → neutral situation

Roll 1 Chance Die and 1 Risk Die, then compare results using the Oracle rules.

Example Roll: Chance = 5, Risk = 2 → Yes!

Step 6: Interpret and Describe

Take the Oracle’s answer and describe what happens in 1-2 sentences. Keep it simple and visual.

Interpretation: “The service entrance is unguarded, a maintenance crew left it propped open. Zahra slips inside.”

Check for doubles: Did you roll doubles? If yes, add 1 to the Twist Counter (starts at 0).

Step 7: What Happens Next?

Based on what just happened, ask yourself: What does my Protagonist do now? What’s the next uncertainty?

Example: Zahra is inside. Her next goal is to reach the server room on the 12th floor. New question: “Can she access the elevator without triggering alarms?”

Notice how each answer naturally generates the next question. This is the rhythm of solo play, question, answer, consequence, question.

Step 8: Repeat the Loop

Keep cycling through Steps 4-7:

• Ask a question about the next uncertainty

• Roll the Oracle

• Interpret the result

• Describe what happens

• Move to the next moment

Don’t plan ahead, let each answer shape the next question. This is where the magic happens.

When to Stop

Your first session should be short—20-30 minutes max. Stop when:

• You’ve answered 6-8 questions, or

• You reach a natural pause (conflict resolved, location changed, cliffhanger moment)

Write down where you stopped so you can pick up next time. I keep a simple “session log” in a notebook, just a few bullet points about what happened and where I left off.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Asking too many questions at once: Stick to one uncertainty per roll. If you’re asking “Does X happen AND does Y happen?”, split it into two questions.

Overthinking the interpretation: Go with your first instinct. If it doesn’t make sense, ask a follow-up question to clarify. The Oracle doesn’t give you a story, it gives you raw material.

Trying to control the outcome: Let the Oracle surprise you. “No” answers are gifts, they push the story somewhere unexpected. Some of my best sessions came from a “No, and...” that completely derailed my assumptions.

After Your First Session

Review what happened. Did a Goal, Motive, or Nemesis start to emerge? Write them down. They’ll guide future sessions.

This is how Loner is meant to work: characters develop through play, not before it. Zahra might have started as “scrappy data runner,” but by the end of the session, maybe she’s “scrappy data runner trying to expose the corporation that killed her mentor.” That emerged naturally from the fiction.