KatrinaOstrander.com - The Professional Portfolio of Katrina Ostrander
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About Me
Fiction
Tabletop Games
Interviews
Resources
    For Writers
    For Roleplayers
    For Gamemasters
Contact
KatrinaOstrander.com - The Professional Portfolio of Katrina Ostrander
  • About Me
  • Fiction
  • Tabletop Games
  • Interviews
  • Resources
    • For Writers
    • For Roleplayers
    • For Gamemasters
  • Contact

Why Solo RPGs?

January 27, 2026 by Katrina Ostrander No Comments

In 2025 I started a new blog project to record my adventures as a solo roleplaying gamer over at the Chronicles of a Solitary Heroine. I’ve only been able to update it sporadically, with my return to work and preparation for the holidays sucking up much of what little free time I enjoy. But with my recent purchase of the Mythic Game Master Emulator Second Edition (and my child finally settling into a sleep/nap schedule more conducive to my feeling awake enough to create), I’ve finally been diving back in.

I’d been wanting to try starting a solo campaign for many months now, due in part to my subscription to the Soloist and The Lone Toad newsletters, but also because the medium seemed like a natural fit for me as someone who equally loves writing, roleplaying, and gamemastering.

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Reading time: 4 min

Night Black Agents Session Zero Agent Creation Cheat Sheet

February 10, 2024 by Katrina Ostrander No Comments

In January, I kicked off a new roleplaying game campaign using Night’s Black Agents. The premise of this GUMSHOE-based RPG is basically “what if a couple of Jason Bournes were hunting vampires?” Intrigued, I ran the NBA one-shot “The Van Helsing Letter” from Free RPG Day 2016, and the group liked the system and concept well enough that we decided to dive in with our own characters and story. Who’s behind Unternehmen Braun, and what do they want? Is Operation Edom friend, or foe? And what else besides vampires might stalk the night?

To facilitate character creation at today’s session zero, I quickly worked up this Agent Creation Cheat Sheet to help guide the group through the process. Along with printed out character sheets and a copy of the core rulebook, the session ran as smoothly as I could hope for. Download the PDF for free here.

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Reading time: 2 min

The Bewitching Hour

October 22, 2021 by Katrina Ostrander No Comments

The Bewitching Hour is a solo journaling microgame of gothic romance. Inspired by such works as Crimson Peak, Dracula, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, as well as the works of Jane Austen, this game pays homage to the gothic genre without taking itself too seriously.

As you play, you’ll discover your character’s traits, the rumors and secrets surrounding the lord of the manor, and what happens during one fateful, stormy night. The core “gameplay loop” involves answering prompts, following directions, and choosing or rolling for multiple-choice answers. In summary, you’ll use your imagination (occasionally aided by a random dice roll) to come up with a pair of characters and a story between them that you enjoy. As a “journaling” game, you’re encouraged to chronicle your answers and choices in whatever manner you see fit. You could journal in first-person POV, narrate your tale in third-person POV prose, or draw the scenes out as a comic. The choice is entirely yours!

Without further ado, you can download your preferred version of The Bewitching Hour below. Please do not redistribute this game without permission, but feel free to share this link with your friends!

  • Download the Digital Edition – Play using Adobe Reader on your tablet or desktop (mobile not recommended)
  • Download the Print Edition – Play using a hardcopy pamphlet printed on legal-sized paper
  • Download the Print Edition Instructions – Learn how to print and fold the pamphlet as intended

If you would like to be notified of updates to these game files or would like to receive free resources and advice on writing, roleplaying, and gamemastering, please consider subscribing to my newsletter:

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Reading time: 1 min

A Review of The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide

October 8, 2018 by Katrina Ostrander No Comments

You don’t need to be familiar with James D’Amato’s One Shot podcast in order to have a blast with the The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide, released this month from Adams Media.

It’s About the Journey, Not the Destination

True to its word, The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide steers players through the process of creating a detailed backstory for their role-playing game characters with the lightheartedness and whimsy of most Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Readers will enjoy the comedic tone of many of the exercises, from the adventuring party formation app called “Ventur” (“Whom does your character swipe right?”) to the “Damn Merlinials” prompt that explores how older generations of adventurers might look down on those newer to the lifestyle.

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Reading time: 6 min

Ego Check with The Id DM – Episode 16 – Katrina Ostrander

June 6, 2017 by Katrina Ostrander No Comments


The Id DM recently invited me on his podcast, Ego Check, an interview podcast series hosted by a licensed psychologist, Michael Mallen, Ph.D. The podcast delves into a variety of game types (e.g., tabletop roleplaying games, board games, video games) from a psychological perspective. Dr. Mallen has been interviewing members of the gaming community for articles on his blog, The Id DM, since 2011 and is now posting these interviews for others to enjoy. Check out his blog as well as the other fantastic episodes with other guests from the gaming industry and beyond!

Katrina Ostrander of Fantasy Flight Games on Anxiety and Being a Woman in the Gaming Industry

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Reading time: 1 min
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About KatrinaOstrander.com

Welcome to the professional portfolio and personal blog of Katrina Ostrander, a writer of fiction and games who works full-time in the tabletop games industry. Here you can find resources and advice on writing, roleplaying, and gamemastering, as well as updates on her latest publications.

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