Devlog #1: Journey to the Underworld
Developing a solo ttrpg about defying death
Welcome to my first ever live devlog!
My next venture is developing a solo ttrpg that draws on mythic journeys to the underworld.
After sketching out a few different ideas for my next project whilst on the train, I found myself drawn to the idea of writing a solo ttrpg that allows the player to explore both the heroic aspect of a descent into a dangerous unknown and the human motivation for embarking on such a journey. Love, loss and defiance are powerful themes we see played out both in the grand stage of myth and legends, as well as powerful experiences that touch us personally.
Some mythic touchstones came immediately to mind as I scribbled down my first ideas. Whilst I will be drawing on other mythic traditions—such as Orpheus and Eurydice, the Ballad of Tam Lim and Izanagi and Izanami—the Sumerian myth ‘Inanna’s Descent’—which follows the goddess Inanna’s journey and imprisonment in the Underworld, and subsequent rescue by her loyal retainer—was deeply influential. As powerful as Inanna is, she cannot simply waltz into the realm of the dead and expect to leave. At each of the seven gates, she must cast off her royal raiment’s to proceed. This structure—the descent hindered by gates and guardians and trials—would make up the bulk of the game.
In terms of gameplay, I am very inspired by two solo ttrpg’s that I have recently played: Tadhg Lyons Whom Mortals Seldom See and shrug’s Dweller Among the Dead. Specifically, the three act structure of Whom Mortals Seldom See allows for the natural development of the player’s story, and the two D6's that representing the warring impulses of the player character in Dweller Among the Dead. Both of these games are very atmospheric, and I love how the simple game mechanics work to build the story as the player proceeds.
So, what are my next steps? I have an idea and a theme, and some fun mechanics to play around with. I have also started on some of the tables that might be used to create the characters and shape the trials. However, next on my to-do list is research. I have a lot of accumulative knowledge about myths and legends, but not so much an in-depth understanding about them and how they connect to my themes of love and loss. In writing my first game Nothing Beside Remains, so much of the end product was shaped by delving deep into the themes I was exploring. I wish to put the same amount of thoughtfulness and consideration into any game I try to write.
It is my hope that in the next devlog I will be able to reflect on some of the further research and progress on building the game. Until then, thank you for reading!
Whom Mortals Seldom See by Tadhg Lyons - available here
Dweller Among the Dead by shrug - available here
Download for free on itch.io!