How to Use RPG Spark

Whether you're a Game Master prepping your next session or a solo adventurer exploring alone, here's how RPG Spark fits into your game.

GM Session Prep

Prep a one-shot or improvise at the table in minutes. Here's a real workflow using RPG Spark's generators, campaign system, and inline tools.

1

Pick Your Genre

Choose between Fantasy (free) or Cyberpunk, Post-Apo & Horror (Pro). All generators adapt their output to match your setting.

For this example, we'll use Fantasy mode to prep a classic OSR dungeon crawl.

2

Generate a Quest Hook

Start with a Quest Hook generator to set the premise. One tap gives you the seed for tonight's adventure.

Quest Hook Generator
Hook: A merchant's daughter has gone missing near the old silver mine.
Objective: Investigate the abandoned mine and bring her back alive.
3

Create Key NPCs

Use the Quick NPC generator to roll up the people your players will meet. Generate 2-3 and you have a cast.

Quick NPC Generator
Name: Harlan Voss
Occupation: Merchant
Personality: Anxious, protective
Quirk: Constantly wringing his hands
Hook: Will pay double if you don't ask questions about why the mine was closed
Quick NPC Generator
Name: Dalla Ironjaw
Occupation: Retired miner
Personality: Blunt, superstitious
Quirk: Spits on the ground when mentioning the mine
Hook: Knows a back entrance but won't go near the place herself
4

Build the Location

Use the Tavern generator for the starting location, and Dungeon Room + Trap generators to fill the mine.

Tavern Generator
Name: The Rusty Pickaxe
Feature: Mining tools hang from the ceiling as decoration. The ale tastes like copper.
Dungeon Room Generator
Room: Collapsed storage hall. Broken crates spill rusted tools across the floor. A cold draft blows from a crack in the north wall.
Trap Generator
Trap: Pressure plate triggers a cave-in. Loose timbers above the doorway, held by a single rotting rope.
5

Roll Random Encounters

Use Creature Encounter and Creature Motivation to stock the dungeon. Each creature has a reason to be there.

Creature Encounter + Motivation
Creature: Pack of cave goblins (4)
Motivation: Scavenging for ore to trade with a larger clan deeper in the mine
6

Add a Plot Twist

Use the Plot Twist generator to add a surprise your players won't see coming.

Plot Twist Generator
Twist: The merchant's daughter wasn't kidnapped - she went willingly. She's been secretly meeting someone (or something) in the mine for weeks.
7

Bring It All Together

Open your campaign's Prep Board - an open-ended editor built for session planning. Write your notes in markdown, add checklists, and roll any tool inline: generators, dice, oracle - results appear right inside your prep notes. Pin the quest hook, link Harlan and Dalla as NPCs with thread connections, and build out your session outline without leaving the editor.

At the table, switch to the Journal to log what actually happens. It works the same way - narrate, roll dice or generators inline, and @mention your NPCs and threads. Every result is tied to your campaign.

That's a complete one-shot prepped in under 10 minutes. Every generator above is available in the free tier.


Solo Play with SPARK DICE

RPG Spark is the perfect digital companion for solo RPG play. Here's a complete example session using our own SPARK DICE system.

What is SPARK DICE?

SPARK DICE is a fast, setting-agnostic solo RPG system. Your character has 4 Sparks (skills/traits), each with a die rating. When you attempt something risky, you roll your Spark die against a Fate die. Higher wins, ties create twists.

Character creation takes 2 minutes. The system works with any genre - fantasy, sci-fi, horror, westerns, anything.

SPARK DICE is released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0). Free to use and share. Read the full rules →

RPG Spark Tools Used in Solo Play

Dice Roller (Free) Yes/No Oracle (Free) Meaning Tables (Free) Reaction Roll (Free) NPC Generator (Free) Campaign Tracker (Free) Journal (Free) Character Sheets (Free) Scene Check (Pro) NPC Action (Pro) Random Event (Pro) Discovery (Pro)

All of these tools are accessible inline from the campaign Journal - roll dice, ask the oracle, generate NPCs, and narrate without ever leaving the editor. Your entire solo session lives in one place.

Step 1: Create Your Character

Pick a concept, choose 4 Sparks, assign dice (d8, d6, d6, d4), and start with 3 Grit. Done in 2 minutes.

Kael, Wandering Herbalist

"I left the monastery when they started burning books instead of reading them."

Healer's Hand d8
Lore Keeper d6
Keen Eye d6
Fleet Foot d4
Grit: 3 / 3

Step 2: Play a Session - All Inside the Journal

Open a journal session and play start to finish without switching screens. Write your narration, then tap to roll dice, ask the oracle, or generate an NPC - results appear inline as part of your story.

Scene 1 - The Village of Ashenford

Kael arrives at a small village at the edge of a dark forest. Smoke rises from only half the chimneys. Something feels wrong.
Yes/No Oracle (Free)
"Are there people in the village square?"
Yes, but... - they're gathered, but tense and whispering.
NPC Generator (Free)
Who approaches Kael?
Name: Brina Ashwood • Personality: Worried, direct • Quirk: Keeps glancing at the tree line
Brina tells Kael that three children wandered into the forest two days ago and haven't returned. The village healer is sick. They need help.
Meaning Tables (Free)
What's the nature of the threat in the forest?
Action: Conceal • Subject: Path - something is hiding the way through the forest.
Kael decides to investigate. He gathers his satchel and heads for the tree line. Time for SPARK DICE.

Scene 2 - Into the Forest

Scene Check PRO
Does the scene go as expected?
Altered scene - the forest path isn't just hidden, it's been deliberately obscured. Someone dragged branches across the trail.
Kael uses Keen Eye to search for the real path.
Dice Roller (Free)
Keen Eye (d6) vs Challenging difficulty (d6)
Spark: 5 vs Fate: 3 - SUCCESS! Kael spots broken twigs and small footprints leading off the main trail.
Yes/No Oracle (Free)
"Are the footprints from the children?"
Yes, and... - there's a fourth set of prints. Something was walking with them.
Discovery PRO
What does Kael find along the trail?
Clue: A child's wooden toy, carefully placed on a rock like a marker. They were leaving a trail on purpose.
The children weren't lost - they were being led. But they were smart enough to leave markers. Kael follows the toys deeper into the woods.

Scene 3 - The Clearing

Random Event PRO
Does something unexpected happen?
Event: NPC Action • Focus: The children • Detail: One of the children appears at the edge of a clearing, waving Kael forward.
NPC Action PRO
What's the child's demeanor?
Mood: Calm, oddly unafraid • Bearing: Secretive • Action: Wants to show Kael something
Kael follows cautiously. In the clearing stands an ancient stone archway covered in moss. The other two children sit beside it, feeding berries to... a small forest spirit. It's wounded.
Dice Roller (Free)
Healer's Hand (d8) vs Hard difficulty (d8) - can Kael heal the spirit?
Spark: 7 vs Fate: 2 - CRITICAL SUCCESS! (Win by 5) Kael's herbal knowledge includes old monastery texts about fey creatures. He knows exactly what to do.
The spirit heals under Kael's care. The forest paths untangle themselves. The children can go home - and Kael has made an ally in the woods.
Campaign Journal (Free)
Save to campaign
Thread: The stone archway - where does it lead?
NPC: Brina Ashwood (Ashenford village)
NPC: Forest Spirit (the clearing)

That entire session was played inside the campaign Journal - narration, dice rolls, oracle questions, NPC generation, all without leaving the editor. The free tools (dice, Yes/No oracle, meaning tables, NPC generator) are enough to play a full session. Pro tools (scene checks, NPC actions, random events, discoveries) add twists and surprises you couldn't have planned yourself. Use the Prep Board between sessions to plan what's next.

SPARK DICE works beautifully with RPG Spark, but the tools are system-agnostic. Use them with Ironsworn, Scarlet Heroes, or any solo-friendly RPG. Prefer pen and paper or your own note-taking app? The dice, oracle, and generators work just as well on their own - the Journal is there if you want it, not required.

Ready to Roll?

RPG Spark is free to download. No account needed, works offline.