...But I know what advice I can give myself for every time I'm recording the show. Stop focusing and lingering on every story decision too much, just make a choice and move on, your recording sessions are too long.
An interview with Shaghik of Roll by Myself, a solo rpg podcast exploring different games of the genre. Latest in series of solo gaming interviews.
Disclosure - I'm a DriveThru RPG affiliate.
Chat with Shaghik of Roll by Myself
Shaghik is the creator of Roll by Myself (carrd link), an solo actual play podcast exploring different solo games. a few items on DriveThruRPG. Also the sound designer and editor of the One Shot podcast.
We have how the podcast came to be, favourite solo moment, podcast challenges, unplayed games still to play and solo Jenga advice which applies to many situations. Among other questions.
What was your gaming story before finding Solo RPGs?
I've been actively playing TTRPGs for about 6-7 years now, though my first ever DnD session was about a year before that. Around 5 years ago I made my first actual play podcast with 3 other friends using the game Heart the City Beneath.
Since then, I've played a good number of different games, with DnD and Heart having stayed as my most played games to this day.
In fact, I hadn't played a solo game until the first episode of my Roll by Myself.
How did Roll by Myself come into being?
A few weeks before the launch of the show, I was in bed, thinking for the millionth time about how much I missed producing but how difficult it is to find a new group to make a new show with.
About a week before that Dillin Apelyan had played a solo game on the One Shot podcast (which I edit) and while this wasn't a conscious inspiration for my show, it would be silly not to logically make the connection. I'm sure the One Shot must have influenced me without me realizing.
So that night in bed when I couldn't fall asleep, randomly I had the idea that I could just make a show by myself and be responsible for the entire production process. Making a show with friends is great and I still miss it but there's definitely something nice about not having to schedule recording sessions as a group.
Now even more unable to sleep I messaged Tracy Barnett from the One Shot network, pitching the show. Within a week, I had the first episode recorded, edited, and the show was greenlit.
What's the appeal of solo games for you?
As I mentioned earlier, I hadn't played solo games before the show. So the reason the show came to be wasn't necessarily because I love solo games but because I love producing and wanted to make a new show.
However, I've most certainly grown to love solo games, and the audience kind of gets to listen to me do that in real time on the show.
Not only are they such a great exercise in worldbuilding, crafting stories and characters, but it also sort of feels a little like you're reading an interactive book. At least that's what it feels like with journaling games, which a lot of solo games are.
What has been your favourite moment playing solo?
There's been a lot to be honest. Something that I talk about a good amount is the number of coincidences that I experience on the show (and just in my life in general) that make me feel like I've maybe got a sixth sense secretly.
So there's been truly a countless number of times where I would say something out loud and it would happen very soon after, among other things. But putting the coincidences aside, my favorite moment might just be from the most recent episode of the show as of now; and not because of recency bias....I'm pretty sure.
In Death of the Author Part 2 (a sort of big spoiler for the very end of the story ahead), I won't provide all the context as to make this short but the "Character" (me) gets to change something significant in the story that the "Author" (also me) cared a lot about.
The reason why I love this moment is because I didn't see it coming, I didn't plan it, and it truly did the premises of both the two-parter and the game itself justice. I got to be surprised by my own actions in a way that really worked in the story and created a perfect ending (in my opinion).
What advice would you give to other people about playing solo RPGs?
No idea.
But I know what advice I can give myself for every time I'm recording the show. Stop focusing and lingering on every story decision too much, just make a choice and move on, your recording sessions are too long.
What have been the challenges and highlights of creating the podcast?
I already talked briefly about the highlights which is that I get to be in control of every single aspect of the show. I don't have to coordinate with anyone, or check with anyone on anything. It's my producer playground, so to say.
The challenges are the inverse of that — if I don't do something, it doesn't get done.
Something else I already mentioned is that my recording sessions are far too long. They are always at least 4 hours long (not counting breaks) and some have even been 7 hours long.
I remember recording Blood On My Name which is a game that uses a Jenga Tower and I wanted to get the recording done in one sitting so as to not risk the tower tumbling while I'm not even recording. But because of how ridiculously long the game took (because of my newly discovered godly Jenga skills), it meant that I ended up not having had a meal or left the room until it was evening.
Usually I get everything edited down to two episodes, about 1-1.5h each but I age about ten years in the process. Considering that, the extra work I do for the Patreon, and my need to make every single story special and unique and different, then you can understand why I take two weeks off after a story concludes.
What unplayed solo games are you most excited to get to?
TOO. MANY.
I'm planning on playing Star Crossed: Love Letters soon, for one. That's another tumbling block tower game though so you can understand my hesitation.
There is also GAST, the horror zine collection that I backed during Pocketopia 2025 that has some games I'm very excited to play. Really, this list is quite endless.
What are your next big projects that you can talk about
I'm writing an audio drama with a writing partner and while we're still in pre-production right now, we do now have a brand new Bluesky for our brand new studio with a brand new awesome logo and you could follow us there as you await more news.
We are still writing the scripts but I imagine we'll start casting in 2026. If you've seen Poker Face (2023) or just like a good fun murder mystery, then you'll like our show.
Other than that, this isn't very big at all but since the beginning of Roll by Myself, I knew that I wanted to make duet episodes from time to time with friends and that day is approaching soon so I'm very much excited about that. I've already got a recording session scheduled for later this month so I imagine in August you'll be able to hear more of that.
Where can people find you online?
You can find me on Bluesky at @shaghik.bsky.social or here.
I'm also, as mentioned before, the sound designer and editor of the One Shot podcast which is where you can hear even more of my sound design but with other people's voices.
Do you have any advice for anyone using a Jenga tower in a solo game?
The number one lesson I've learnt from my time playing Tetris 99 on the Switch (not sponsored) is if you just truly don't give up and you stayed focused and patient, you'll last way longer than you thought you would, including about 13 different times of you thinking for a fact the tower is about to tumble.
That I'd say is my main advice for Jenga but also just anything really — and truly I learnt it from Tetris. Second advice: look up the rules before you start playing.
Finishing Up
If you are into solo rpgs, give Roll by Myself a listen.
There are many more articles on Rand Roll. Plus a Rand Roll Discord and instagram of Random Tables. I also create Generators at Chaos Gen and have a monthly random tools Newsletter.
