It started with a solo game.
I wanted to try an evil adventuring party—not something super grim or edgy, more like something dark but fun. A little twisted, but with some charm too. So I created the characters, and then, like always, I drew them. I'm constantly drawing characters and coming up with story ideas. That’s just how my brain works, I guess. But as I started playing through the opening scenes, I began to feel like there was more here. Something worth keeping. Something I might want to turn into a proper story.
That’s how Red Noir Quest began.
Drawing has always been my thing. It helps me relax. It’s like entering a flow state, like reaching into a dream. But it’s not always about starting with a drawing. Sometimes it begins with a scene idea or a bit of dialogue. Sometimes with a map. Writing, drawing, solo games—they all talk to each other. I bounce between them all the time, and they feed each other.
What I love about solo roleplay is the freedom. There’s no pressure to please anyone else, so I can explore whatever I want. Weird emotions, bad decisions, morally gray stuff—things I might not throw into a group game right away. I can be honest with the story because it’s just me. And sometimes it gets pretty intense, ha.
Eventually, Red Noir Quest started to feel like something I wanted to share. So I began cutting the extra dark stuff and reshaping it. I kept the tone playful but gave it weight. I created a map, wrote up the world, the kingdom, the queen, even details that didn’t end up in the final story—but they helped me understand the world better.
And I didn’t stop playing either. I kept running little solo scenes just to get to know the characters better. That’s something I always recommend: roleplaying your characters—especially in solo—helps a lot with their development. You discover new things about them as you go. You add stuff. You take things away. They evolve naturally as you play.
That’s pretty much my creative process. First, I just let everything pour out. No filter. If it feels good, I go with it. Then, if it seems like it has potential, I take time to polish it and turn it into something I can show the world. But the fun part is always the beginning—that moment when an idea just wants out.
I also take inspiration from my solo games into my group campaigns. NPCs, plots, whole encounters sometimes come from solo stuff I played around with. It’s like a testing ground. A sketchbook with dice.
What I’m trying to say is: if you enjoy creating, but feel stuck, or you think you're “not that creative”—don’t worry about that. Just make stuff. Open your notes app and write down a weird idea. Draw something silly. Play a random scene in your head or on paper and see what happens. The first version doesn’t have to be great. It just needs to exist. You can clean it up later.
And if nothing’s coming out? Take a break. Go for a walk. Doodle. Take a nap—seriously. I get vivid dreams and sometimes they hand me ideas I never would've come up with on my own. Resting helps more than forcing it.
Red Noir Quest didn’t start as a book. It started with curiosity. With play. With sketches. And that’s how most good things start, honestly—not with a big goal, but just doing the thing you enjoy.
So draw. Write. Play. Let it be messy. Let it be weird. Let it be yours.
You never know what it’ll become.
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