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Finding meaningful ways to slow down and reconnect with ourselves and God is essential. I’ve found a surprising tool for spiritual growth which also offers the opportunity to explore creativity, rest and reflect. For people of faith committed to both spiritual and personal growth, solo tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) provide inspiration to engage deeply with the stories that shape our lives and faith.
In the same way that prayer, journaling, or quiet reflection opens space for connection with God, solo TTRPGs invite you to enter into a creative and restorative experience. These games can offer a sanctuary of rest, a chance to explore your inner world, and even a way to discern God’s presence in the stories you tell.
The Courage to Start
For many, the idea of a solo TTRPG feels intimidating.
Role-playing is often seen as a social experience requiring collaboration and an audience. Taking that step into solo play might come with fears: “What if I’m not creative enough? What if I can’t make this interesting?” These doubts are natural but also a sign of untapped potential. In fact, this is the mark of a well-crafted game. Good solo TTRPGs don’t just demand creativity—they co-create it.
You aren't handed a script when you sit down to play a game in this genre. Instead, you’re given tools to explore and expand your imagination. These games provide prompts, mechanics, and systems that act like breadcrumbs, leading you deeper into your creative well. Genesis 1 reminds us that God is the ultimate Creator and this creativity is imprinted in humans. Exploring this creativity through play helps us express our connection to the Divine imprint within us.
And the best part? There’s no right or wrong way to play. Every choice you make is an act of creativity.
A Gateway to Self-Discovery
Games like "Ironsworn" don’t just challenge you to build a story; they invite you to reflect on what kind of stories are meaningful to you. What challenges will your hero face? What values will guide their decisions? These questions often mirror our internal dialogues, giving us a safe space to explore who we are and what we care about. This is a profoundly spiritual exercise.
In my experience with these games, I often find myself ironically restricted to the ruleset. I am a naturally creative person with a passion for storytelling. Sometimes, this can get in the way of my capacity to explore honestly. However, the framework provided by solo TTRPGs allows me to be held to some standards and expectations.
For instance, with a game like Alone Among the Stars, I am forced to think creatively about my environment instead of my character or some overarching narrative that can muddy the experience. The premise is exceedingly simple: you are an adventurer in space charting out planets as you land on them. You roll dice to determine the characteristics of that planet, and then you write out in a journal how you experienced that environment. You don’t get to keep rolling. You explore what you explore, write what you write, give it a name, and then move to the next planet.
The purpose of the exercise isn’t to write a novel or dwell on details, just to explore. This inspires a set of limitations and permission to be creative, appealing to both the naturally creative and those who don’t see themselves as creatively inclined.
One of the most potent aspects of solo TTRPGs is how they challenge the myth that creativity is a rare gift. You don’t need to be an artist, a writer, or a storyteller to play these games. The structured randomness of tools like randomly-generated events or journaling prompts provides a foundation on which anyone can build.
Take a moment to think about this: creativity isn’t something you have or don’t have. We don’t have to teach kids to be creative–they use their imagination unprompted. I don’t believe this goes away. It’s like a muscle, and solo TTRPGs are the perfect exercise. The more you play, the more you’ll notice those “sparks” of imagination—the sudden idea for a twist in your story, the image of a character coming to life, or the connection between two unrelated events that create something entirely new.
The Rest and Joy of Solo Play
Beyond creativity, solo TTRPGs offer something else: rest. In a culture that often prioritizes productivity and external validation, these games create a space where you can slow down and focus inward. There’s no audience to please, no expectations to meet, no grades or critiques—just you, the game, and the story you’re discovering.
As people of faith, we know the value of spiritual disciplines, and for some, playing these games could become a practice that refreshes the spirit and deepens self-awareness. It is a way of practicing Sabbath in a way that creates rest, moments of reflection, and even worship through creativity.
How to Get Started
If you’re ready to give solo TTRPGs a try, start small. A game like "Ironsworn" offers a range of complexity and guidance to match your comfort level, whereas "Alone Among the Stars" provides a much more simplistic journey into creativity. Don’t worry about doing it “right.” Let the process guide you, and trust that your creativity will grow with time.
Journaling can also be a great companion to these games. Write down what happens, not just as a record of the story but as a way to reflect on its meaning. Over time, you might be surprised at how much you’ve created—and how much you’ve learned about yourself in the process.
It’s worth saying again: you are creative. The fact that you’re curious about solo TTRPGs already speaks to your imagination and desire to explore. Games like these don’t just help you tell stories; they help you tell your story. For people of faith, it is another way of analyzing the story that God is telling through you.
So take that first step. Pick up a game, roll some dice, and see where your imagination takes you. You might just find that the story you’ve been looking for isn’t only in the game—it’s in you.
Nathan Webb is a major nerd in just about every way. He loves video games, anime, cartoons, comic books, tech, and his fellow nerds. Hoping to provide a spiritual community for people with similar interests, he founded Checkpoint Church--"the church for nerds, geeks and gamers." Nathan can be found lurking on his Discord server, reading the latest shōnen entry, or playing the newest indie game. Nathan is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church in the Western North Carolina Conference. He also curates a community for nerd ministry called Pixel & Pulpit. You can reach him on any of the socials on his Linktree.
