What Lies Beneath
Fervent WorkshopA solo dungeon-crawler of dice, decisions and death
You dream you’re in a chapel. Small, high-pitched voices sing an ancient song. Yet a sense of unease washes through you. The core is more macabre. Dream yields to waking confusion. Dust, bones and dried death. A flickering torch. Underground. A crypt.
You catch a wisp of a breeze, heavy with the stench of rot. You gag. Yet a breeze suggests a way out. You take the torch, determined to get out of here alive.
Structured as a branching narrative, What Lies Beneath invites you to direct the plot – but only if you master a unique combination of game mechanisms. Enjoy all the challenges of solo roleplay:
- Buffing your character: Gain items that unlock new powers
- Classic skill checks: Roll against thresholds to hit enemies
- Intellectual puzzles: Manipulate dice using limited actions
- Dexterity tests (optional): Flick dice at specified targets
And when (not if) you die, you can spend experience points to boost your next character. Perhaps, this time, you will survive.
Design by Chris Scaffidi
Art by Jason Glover
200 page, 5 x 8 inch, black & white, perfect-bound softcover
This reminds me of the Choose your own adventure books from my childhood but on steroids. The dice decisions are excellent and unique. Not just a roll of the die but balance tricks and some finesse. The dark tone and story descriptions really help you feel like you are in what lies beneath...fun since I can't always get with a group and play D and D or Hero Quest.
Straight forward dungeon crawler with high mortality very replay able