The first step is often the hardest. No matter how much you prepare, the first time you try to bring your ideas and desires into the real world, something is sure to go in a way you didn’t expect. The First Excursion is a solo TTRPG that wants to capture this intense but rewarding moment in life, putting you in the shoes of a young wizard who is taking their first steps in a big but confusing world. An adventure that will throw you into many unexpected situations, both painful and joyful.
The First Excursion is a solo TTRPG that casts you as a young kitty wizard who has just graduated from magic school. Alas, getting your diploma doesn’t mean that everything is smooth sailing from here on out, as you’ve got to go on your very first excursion, something that will force you to apply everything you’ve learned in school while also dealing with the culture shock of the real world.
A Wizard On A Walk
You start the game by creating your wizard and the world you’ll be adventuring in. To do this, you shuffle your deck, draw three cards, and use these cards as inspiration to create your wizard’s personality and backstory. You then keep drawing cards until you pull a Minor Arcana. This card will tell you where your wizard is heading on their excursion, with the suit defining the nature of the location and the value explaining why you’re going there specifically.
After this, and before the main gameplay starts, you regather your tarot cards, separate the major arcana, and then split the remaining cards into four single-suit decks. You then arrange these decks so the decks go (from left to right) Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles, and finally Major Arcana.
The game is divided into events, with each event representing a major event that happens to your young wizard along the road. Events are generated by drawing one card from each of the four single-suit decks you made before this phase of the game started, with each suit representing a different question you’ll have to answer to define the event.
For example, Wands defines the general nature of the event, Cups is the feeling in the air, Swords outlines the conflict, and Pentacles defines what is needed in the moment. After drawing, you check the value of each card and then check the included prompt tables, each of which will give you a statement or question that will help you flesh out the details of your event.
Once you’ve written out your event, you decide how your wizard is going to use their magic to try and help. Once you’ve done that, you draw one final card from the Major Arcana deck. This card links to a prompt that tells you if your attempt to intervene was successful and gives you a prompt that either asks you to flesh out how the resolution played out or gives you suggestions of how this event leads to the next one your character will encounter.
Building A World Of Wonder And Chaos
The First Excursion is a really memorable TTRPG that captures how scary and chaotic it can be to step out on your own. The game’s best element is how it handles events, as it walks a fine line that many solo TTRPGs struggle with.
Having each event consist of four cards, each with unique prompts, means there is plenty of event variety, even if you play the game several times and end up drawing similar cards repeatedly.
The prompts are also well-written. The game notes that, like in regular tarot, “no card holds an absolute positive or negative meaning,” and the prompts lean into this, giving players plenty of space to put their own twist on every event. However, while the prompts have a lot of room, each one gives the player firm direction or a clear detail to use as their base, meaning that players won’t have to worry about encountering a situation where they draw a blank and can’t think of anything to write.
The resolution system is also a clever addition. Having the cards decide if you pass or fail really does capture how chaotic your early days can feel, where even your best and most well-reasoned attempts at solving a problem can end up going wrong or backfiring in ways you didn’t ever expect. Plus, this resolution system also really fits the story the game is aiming to tell, as due to your character traveling from place to place, they’re getting involved in situations they are unprepared for and not fully aware of, meaning it makes sense that their plans, even the really good ones, could end up making things worse rather than better.
If I could have one small nitpick, one element I’m not a fan of is the game saying, “Do this process as many times as you wish until you decide to conclude your excursion,” rather than suggesting a default number of events. While this flexibility is nice, the beginner tips at the start and end of the book make it clear that this game is aimed at solo TTRPG newcomers. I worry that not having a clear number of events to play will make the journaling element harder for them (as they’re building a story with no fixed endpoint, making it hard to judge pace). Thus, I would prefer the game suggest a default number of events and follow this with a note telling players they can reduce or extend this number by however much they wish.
The First Excursion is a wonderful solo TTRPG that really captures the wonder and chaos that comes with stepping out on your own. While the game’s rules are simple, they are built in a way that guarantees that everyone, from total newcomers to the genre to solo TTRPG superfans, will be able to craft a memorable tale that will stick with them long after they finish the game.
