A free DnD tool for adventurous players
A Miner Problem is a free role-playing video game utility wherein you can enjoy both choose-your-own-adventure gameplay and traditional pen-and-paper RPGs. Developed by Sayeth, this web browser game is meant to be played with a tabletop game—more specifically, the 5th edition (5e) of Dungeons & Dragons (DnD).
Similar to A Short Rest, A Miner Problem is designed as a tool for physical games. You can’t play it on its own—you’ll need a character sheet and several scratch papers to monitor your progress as the game only narrates the story for you. Fortunately, this tool actually lets you play solo.
Play on both PC and paper
When it comes to tabletop games, you’re usually required to have physical items on hand as you play on a table or other flat surfaces. Depending on the subgenre, you may have to use cards, a board, dice, tokens, or miniature pieces. A game like Dungeons & Dragons, in particular, uses items like rulebooks, a character sheet for each player, and a number of polyhedral dice to start things off.
However, the nature of the game requires having other players and a designated Game Master (GM). If you don’t have them and still want to play some 5e DnD, though, you can try out A Miner Problem to start a campaign. This browser game is an RPG interactive fiction tool that lets you play DnD without too much guidance—perfect for players who’d like to be more assertive in-game.
The game requires a 2nd level character for 5e, with its character sheet either printed out or open on another tab. Meanwhile, you’ll need to keep track of your character's hit points, spells, inventory, and position relative to the enemy as the game doesn’t calculate these for you. It’s recommended that if you’ve never played 5e before, you should first play the developer’s other game, The Saint's Tomb.
Only provides the story
All in all, A Miner Problem is a nice DnD utility if you want a solo campaign without having to get other players to join you—even the GM themselves. While it doesn’t have the same functionality as other more advanced tabletop programs, this browser game is still highly useful and presents a new challenge for the 5th edition that The Saint's Tomb doesn’t provide.
