Why Handmade RPG Materials Make Your Solo TTRPG Games 200% Better

How terrible handwriting and worse drawings actually improve your game

Let’s be real: a lot of solo TTRPG advice boils down to “just use a VTT or digital tools and shut up.” But I’m here to tell you the hidden truth: your solo game will feel 200% more immersive if you make stuff with your actual meat-hands.

That’s right. Put down the app. Step away from the spreadsheet. Close the digital note. We’re going analog today, because:

1. Physical things feel real (even when they’re just your sad doodles)

2. Creativity breeds creativity (like a virus, but fun)

3. Your future self will weep (when they find your half-finished map from 3am)

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1. The "I Made This" Effect (AKA Delusional Pride)

There’s magic in physically creating game materials. When you sketch a map, hand-write a character sheet, or angrily cross out a dead NPC’s name, you’re not just playing—you’re leaving a crime scene of creativity.

• Example: That goblin doodle in your notebook? Suddenly, Blorbo the Disgraced has depth because you gave him a stupid hat.

• Science Fact: The more time you spend drawing a location, the more your brain insists it’s real (see also: why GMs hoard notebooks like dragons).

Created by Emiel Boven under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

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2. The Process Is the Play

Solo RPGs live or die by your ability to stay immersed. Handmade materials force you to slow down and engage—no frantic tab-switching, no algorithm-fed distractions. Just you, your terrible handwriting, and the existential dread of blank paper.

• Try This:

  • Character Sheets: Ditch the PDF. Scribble stats in a notebook. Add margin notes like “why is this guy like this?”, draw your PCs.

  • Scene Sketches: Draw the tavern. Badly. Now suddenly the “rustic charm” is canon.

  • Maps: Crude lines = “abstract artistry.” Your brain will fill in the gaps because it has to.

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3. Creativity Jump-Starts Creativity

Here’s the dirty secret: the worse your art is, the more your brain improvises.

• That lopsided tower you drew? Obviously it’s leaning because of the wizard’s failed experiment.

• The NPC you gave a unibrow? Of course he’s self-conscious about it.

• The coffee stain on your notes? Clearly a “bloodstain” from that bar fight you forgot to write down.

Why This Works:
Turns out, science agrees that physical creativity = brain go brrrr. Studies show:

1. Handwriting activates deeper memory pathways than typing (Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014)—meaning your scribbled NPC notes literally stick better in your brain.

2. Doodling boosts focus and problem-solving (Andrade, 2010). Your terrible map sketches aren’t distractions—they’re cognitive jet fuel.

3. Flow state kicks in faster with tactile tasks (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Translation: Your brain gets addicted to making stuff.

Your hands make the mess. Your brain makes it lore.

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4. The Evidence (AKA Things You Should Be Making)

A. Character Sheets That Tell a Story

• Cross out failed rolls. Circle crits. Add angry notes like “WHY DO YOU KEEP DYING??”

• Pro Tip: Write backstories in the margins. Bonus points if you spill tea on it for ~authenticity~.

B. Maps That Look Like a Toddler’s Fever Dream

• The shakier the lines, the more “organic” the world feels.

• Label important locations like “probably a trap” or “mysterious smell.”

C. NPC Portraits (Stick Figures Welcome)

• Give everyone a signature detail (hat, scar, suspiciously large teeth).

• Advanced Gaslighting: Pretend you meant to draw them that way.

D. Session Reports (With Scribbles and Lies)

• Jot down key events. Add doodles of “dramatic moments.”

• Secret Technique: Misspell NPC names consistently to create ~mystery~.

Examples of my terrible work

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5. Why This Works for Solo Play

When you’re alone, immersion is everything. Physical artifacts:

• Anchor you in the game (no alt-tabbing to cat videos)

• Spark ideas (that coffee stain IS a necromancer’s sigil now)

• Create tangible memories (flipping through old notebooks is like archaeology, but for nerds)

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Final Boss Tip: Embrace the Mess

Your handmade materials don’t need to be good. They need to be yours. The coffee stains, the crossed-out mistakes, the deranged margin notes—that’s the real magic.

So grab a pen, ruin a notebook, and let your terrible art remind you: you’re not just playing a game. You’re building a world.

Until next time, and remember, keep your blades sharp and your shields up!

-Mirokus (Codex Gigas)