A Torch in the Dark Prototype

Hello delvers,

Well, in designing Riot in the Stars, my science fiction solo RPG, I started obsessing over a different sort of experience. Something grim and claustrophobic, and very reminiscent of games like The Darkest Dungeon, Diablo, or Slay the Spire. Some part of my brain was telling me that if I wanted to get a better handle on the mechanics of Riot I should make something small.

Something dark.

Something diabolical.

So I'm making a solo dungeon crawl game called A Torch in the Dark. It's a game about exploring an infinite, shifting dungeon and trying to get as much loot as you can. And you can see the prototype right now! Not much to look at but the rules are comprehensive, all based on a shaved down version of Blades in the Dark, and Riot in the Stars will be made all the better for it. I'm already learning new and better ways to translate that rules system into something manageable for a single player. I'm really excited about it!

And you can help, if you want! The game relies pretty heavily on randomness, all the encounters in the dungeon and loot you find are based on rolling six-sided dice, and I want to make sure it feels good and isn't frustrating or ambiguous. Each encounter should have an obvious solution and your character should be able to survive at least a few delves.

So to that end if you end up taking A Torch in the Dark for spin, let me know in the comments below! What did you like, what did you hate? What felt good, what felt bad? I've been loving each delve I make and I want to know if other folks who like these sorts of things are enjoying it too.

I've mostly finished up my contract work that was keeping me busy for much of March, so I'm back at designing and writing with all the time I have. My day job is in the food service industry so... that's a bit alarming given the ongoing pandemic. To help alleviate potential future economic woes and also to share in the joy of playing tabletop games by yourself, I'm having a sale on my itch store. %50-off all my solo games! So if you're interested or think other people might be interested, please share far and wide. 

My revised release schedule right now is: A Torch in the Dark early access by the end of the month, followed by Riot in the Stars early access sometime next month, and intermittent updates to Neon Black as testing continues.

Thanks as always, you amazing adventurers!