Devlog #2: Journey to the Underworld
Developing a solo ttrpg about descending to the underworld
So, progress on the game writing is going slow but it is still going!
In my last devlog, I mentioned some of the mythological touchstones that were inspiration for this project. Drawing from hero’s and deities like Inanna, Odysseus and Orpheus, it became clear that my interest lay in the concept of katabasis. In Greek and classical mythology, a katabasis is a journey to the realm of the dead undertaken by the protagonist. Sometimes the hero’s goal is to gain secret knowledge or an object. Sometimes it is to rescue a deceased loved one. The journey down is also often followed by an anabasis, which is an ascent from the land of the dead to the world of the living.
The idea of a katabasis made me focus heavily on the ‘descent’ component of my game. Surely the main journey would be getting down there and successfully bargaining with the ruler of the underworld to return the lost loved one. I mapped out the descent so that the player’s character would encounter three gates—with accompanying guardians. Each gate would offer a challenge to the hero before allowing them to pass, perhaps determined by a dice roll, where successes would be rewarded with a point. The climax of the game would be the dramatic confrontation with the ruler of the underworld, where the acquired points would help determine the success or failure of journey. I gave little thought to the ascent.
Then I played Creation Myths by gothHoblin (which I reviewed here). Creation Myths is a solo journaling game based on the hero’s journey, guiding the player’s character on a quest and home again from which they irrevocably changed.
It seems rather obvious now. The climax of the Orpheus and Eurydice story is the hero struggling to return his wife to the living without looking over his shoulder, only to fail at the last moment. Inanna is trapped in death until her loyal retainer fulfills the requirements needed to revive her. The katabasis is only the first part of the journey.
With this revelation, I reworked a number of aspects to develop mechanics that would help tell a better story. Instead of a dice roll challenge, each descending gate would demand the hero to relinquish an aspect of their worldly power to reflect their resolve to rescue their loved one.
I also began work on the ‘ascent’, the second half of the game that would be the true climax. For a narrative mirroring of the descent; the hero must traverse back through the three gates. I also want to reincorporate some aspect of a challenge that the hero must prevail at at each gate. Figuring out the mechanics of this ascent—if the hero’s success should be determined by the player or by the roll of a dice—is still a a major consideration. Is it more fun for the success of the journey to be determined by what the player feels is narratively interesting or by pure chance.
So, the game writing will continue slowly! Until my next update, thank you for reading!
Creation Myths by gothHoblin - available here
Download for free on itch.io!