A method for beginning solo campaigns

I am bad at starting solo games so I have been working on prescriptive method to kick off a campaign. The basics of the system is that I create four factions with goals and agendas that are at odds with each other then for each factions create a random table of four possible ways that faction might have a direct impact or connection to my PC, which I roll on randomly. For each possible connection there are even more possibilities to roll for.

(I will provide an example below from my current Mörk Borg campaign, though this does come with a content warning of cannibalism and human sacrifice.)

With this method I am able to dig in right away with plenty of plot hooks and drama to explore.

Mörk Borg solo campaign

You play as a villager in the forest of Sarkash. Use your preferred method of character creation or select one of the pre-generated characters below. I like to create my character after rolling through the faction charts.

For each faction roll a d4 to determine how that faction is connected to your PC. 

If you would like further inspiration each of the main options has a couple of sub options you may roll for or choose. These sub options may be selected during play as the need arises.

Once you have your character created and their links to the factions determined you are ready to begin your campaign. As you play there are some questions provided for each faction that you can consider to help guide you.

Factions

Faction 1

A cult is trying to resurrect an ancient and terrible monster. The resurrection site is near your village.

Link to PC:

1.  You have been dreaming of the monster
1. Dreams of greatness
2. Dreams of terror
2. You know a member of the cult
1. Close friend
2. Sibling
3. The cult believes you are the human vessel of the monster
1. The cult needs you alive for the resurrection ritual
2. The cult needs you dead for the resurrection ritual
4. You are infected with a fungus from the resurrection site
1. The entire village is infected
2. You are the only one infected

Questions

When is the resurrection ritual going to happen? | How does the fungal infection affect the body?

Faction 2

Shadowmancer sorceress who has been protecting the region from supernatural forces for the price of an occasional sacrifice

Link to PC:

1. You have been marked for future sacrifice
1. You are marked as the next to be sacrificed
2. You are one of a handful of candidates for the next sacrifice
2. You lost someone close to you to sacrifice
1. Lover
2. Child
3. Sibling
4. Friend
3. When a sacrifice is chosen you are one of the group the presents the sacrifice to the Shadowmancer
1. This is a job you took on willingly to protect yourself and your family
2. This is a job you were selected for the the sorceress herself
4. You were once selected as the sacrifice but through divine/mystical intervention managed to survive
1. The sorceress now favors you
2. The sorceress fears you

Questions

When is the next sacrifice due to occur? | How are sacrifice victims selected? | What is the sorceress protecting them from?

Faction 3

Religious zealots hunting for heretics

Link to PC:

1. You are an outspoken heretic
1. You have been preaching a conflicting faith throughout your village and the surrounding area
2. You are willing to clash violently over your beliefs
2. You are devout in faith and deed
1. You have kept the tenants of the faith in your heart from an early age
2. You are a recent convert to the faith of the zealots
3. You are in love with one of the zealots
1. There is a conflict of faith between you and your love
2. The love is old and poorly kindled but perhaps ready to blaze once more with renewed contact
4. You want to repent for prior transgressions
1. The zealots require a complex ritual for repentance
2. To obtain absolution you must join the zealots holy crusade

Questions

What are the tenants of the zealots faith? | If different, what is your faith?

Faction 4

Regional lord/lady trying to reassert dominance in the area, oh, and they are the head of a cannibal cult

Link to PC:

1. You are a former member of the lords/ladies personal guard
1. You were discharged for showing up to duty drunk one too many times
2. You deserted your post once you became aware of the cannibalism
2. You are a former member of the cannibal cult
1. You still crave the taste of human flesh
2. Your cannibalism opened you up to extra dimensional forces that now haunt the darkness around you
3. You are a fugitive from the lord/lady
1. You stole an heirloom from the lord/lady's country estate
2. In a time of desperate need you poached from the lord/lady's forest
4. You are a former concubine of the lord/lady
1. You were turned out by by the lord/lady when they lost interest
2. You ended the relationship leaving their lust unsatiated

Questions

Is there a purpose to the consumption of human flesh? | From where does this lord/lady gain their authority.

Optional Approaches

If any of the options presented strike you as particularly interesting feel free to choose it instead rolling.

If you would like a tighter campaign or if a faction just doesn't spark you can play with just two or three active factions (three of these factions are easy to add in the middle of play).

For even more guidance you can (randomly) assign threat levels for each active faction. This can help you determine which faction is the driving force of your story.