The Empty Box

Why "Yes" and "No" are killing your solo game

TL;DR: In solo RPGs, a plain “Yes” or “No” from your Oracle stops the conversation. To keep the story moving without burning out your creative battery, treat binary answers as “empty boxes” to be avoided. Instead, use “And” & “But” modifiers to turn every die roll into a new plot hook.

You are three scenes deep into a gritty sci-fi solo campaign. Your character is hiding in a ventilation shaft, peering down at the corporate security office. You need to know if the coast is clear.

You pick up your dice. You ask the Oracle: “Is the room empty?”

You roll a standard success. The Oracle says: Yes.

Great. The room is empty. You drop down. Now you are standing in an empty room.

…Now what?

This is the moment where solo games go to die. It’s the Empty Box. You asked a question, you got a fact, but you didn’t get a story. Now, the burden is 100% on you to invent the next spark of tension.

Here is a radical thought for your next session: Banish the plain “Yes” and “No.”

Why the “Empty Box” fails us

In a traditional group game, if the Referee says “No, the door isn’t locked,” the table erupts. The Bard makes a bad joke, the Fighter kicks it open, and the chaos of social interaction fills the void.

But in solo play? Silence is the enemy.

When the Oracle gives you a flat answer, it creates a dead end.

• A plain “Yes” creates Stagnation. You got what you wanted. The tension flatlines.

• A plain “No” creates a Block. The path is shut. You have to invent a whole new way forward.

These answers are “empty” because they provide resolution without consequence. They answer the physics of the world, but they ignore the momentum of the narrative.

The Solution: “And” & “But”

To fix this, we need to stop treating the Oracle like a Magic 8-Ball and start treating it like a Co-Author. A good co-author never just says “No.” They say, “No, and here is why it’s worse than you thought.”

We do this by applying four specific vectors of momentum to every single roll.

1. Yes, But… (The Drama Engine)

You get what you want, but the situation complicates. This is the cure for a boring success.

• Question: “Is the guard asleep?”

• Answer: Yes, BUT he is sleeping in a chair explicitly blocking the door you need to open.

• Result: You have your success, but now you have a mechanical puzzle to solve immediately.

2. Yes, And… (The Accelerator)

You get what you want, plus a cherry on top. This is how you skip the boring grinding and look like a hero.

• Question: “Is the guard asleep?”

• Answer: Yes, AND his key ring is hanging loosely from his belt, saving you the trouble of picking the lock later.

• Result: The story fast-forwards. You feel awesome.

3. No, But… (Failing Forward)

This is the single most important tool in solo play. It turns a “Block” into a “Detour.”

• Question: “Is the guard asleep?”

• Answer: No, BUT he is distracted by a loud argument on his radio.

• Result: You can’t sneak past (No), but a social approach or distraction is now viable (But). The story didn’t stop; it just changed lanes.

4. No, And… (Raising the Stakes)

You don’t get what you want, and the world punishes you for asking.

• Question: “Is the guard asleep?”

• Answer: No, AND he just spotted you.

• Result: The genre just shifted from “Heist” to “Chase Scene.”

A Hack for your Brain (and your Referee Fatigue)

The hardest part of playing solo is the “Referee Fatigue.” Your brain hurts from having to invent the context for everything.

The Empty Box (Yes/No) puts 100% of the creative load on you. The Nuanced Box (And/But) splits the load.

It is surprisingly easier for the human brain to answer a specific prompt like “How is this a success, BUT with a complication?” than it is to stare at a blank page and ask “What happens next?”

The modifiers act as creative constraints. They force you to be surprising. You can’t be surprised by a story if you are the only one writing the consequences.

How to Build the Box

You don’t need a complex chart to do this. You can just hack a standard d6. If you want to strictly avoid empty boxes, try this table for your next session:

The “No Empty Boxes” Oracle

• 1: No, And (Catastrophe / Escalation)

• 2-3: No, But (Partial failure / New path)

• 4-5: Yes, But (Complicated success / Cost)

• 6: Yes, And (Critical success / Bonus)

Conclusion

Solo RPGs aren’t about Simulation (checking if facts are true); they are about Emulation (constructing a narrative flow).

A good storyteller rarely gives a flat answer. They weave the answer into the next hook. So, next time you sit down to play, refuse to accept a straight answer. Demand the “And” or the “But.”

Fill the box. Your story will thank you for it.