Short cosmic horror solo TTRPG about exploring the void and trying not to succumb to the toll it takes on your psyche.
At four pages plus a character sheet, this is a little more complex than a one-page game but almost as easy to pick up. The mechanics make sense and the thematic depletion of your capacity to succeed the longer you explore (via decreasingly powerful dice) is very satisfying.
The main frustration of this game is also thematically appropriate - there are only the merest hints of what you might encounter in the void, so it's up to you to try to figure out what your character is experiencing. While there is value in leaning into the fear of the unknown, this runs the risk of falling flat if the player's imagination struggles to populate the void with sufficient horrors. An optional table of slightly more specific prompts could have helped reduce the chance of this issue.
It's always good to see built-in safety guidance and content warnings. It's fantastic that the 'Succumbing' mechanic is described as a representation of the mental impact of exploring a space not native to your reality, and that the player can make a 'Grounding' check to mitigate this - and recover their ability to do so by spending time closer to their own reality. It may seem like a small thing to those without mental health conditions, but this is such a refreshing approach compared to old-fashioned 'Sanity/Madness' tracks that just creep inexorably upwards in traditional cosmic horror games.
Overall, Cthonaut offers a good starting framework for an adventure in the void, but your mileage may vary depending on how inspired you are to flesh out the details. 3/5 stars - enjoyable.
Thank you for checking it out! This is the first game I made that I was really proud of, and I think it’s pretty solid for when the right mood strikes. I really appreciate you looking through my little catalogue of games!
You're welcome - it's a really cool idea! I picked up the Ukrainian hospitals charity bundle the other day, so I'm taking a bit of time to sift through it for things that catch my attention. The hope is that reviewing some items in the giant bundles can make it a little easier for folk to navigate them!
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Short cosmic horror solo TTRPG about exploring the void and trying not to succumb to the toll it takes on your psyche.
At four pages plus a character sheet, this is a little more complex than a one-page game but almost as easy to pick up. The mechanics make sense and the thematic depletion of your capacity to succeed the longer you explore (via decreasingly powerful dice) is very satisfying.
The main frustration of this game is also thematically appropriate - there are only the merest hints of what you might encounter in the void, so it's up to you to try to figure out what your character is experiencing. While there is value in leaning into the fear of the unknown, this runs the risk of falling flat if the player's imagination struggles to populate the void with sufficient horrors. An optional table of slightly more specific prompts could have helped reduce the chance of this issue.
It's always good to see built-in safety guidance and content warnings. It's fantastic that the 'Succumbing' mechanic is described as a representation of the mental impact of exploring a space not native to your reality, and that the player can make a 'Grounding' check to mitigate this - and recover their ability to do so by spending time closer to their own reality. It may seem like a small thing to those without mental health conditions, but this is such a refreshing approach compared to old-fashioned 'Sanity/Madness' tracks that just creep inexorably upwards in traditional cosmic horror games.
Overall, Cthonaut offers a good starting framework for an adventure in the void, but your mileage may vary depending on how inspired you are to flesh out the details. 3/5 stars - enjoyable.
Thank you for checking it out! This is the first game I made that I was really proud of, and I think it’s pretty solid for when the right mood strikes. I really appreciate you looking through my little catalogue of games!
You're welcome - it's a really cool idea! I picked up the Ukrainian hospitals charity bundle the other day, so I'm taking a bit of time to sift through it for things that catch my attention. The hope is that reviewing some items in the giant bundles can make it a little easier for folk to navigate them!
This is very much my vibe, and I love reading a good solo game.
Quick Q:
Depth and Explored give different DCs for the navigation check to leave the void. Is this a conflict, or am I misreading something.
Thank you for catching that lol, I fixed it! The DC in Depth is correct!
Oh grand, and thanks!
Really fun game, love the theme and the easy to learn style of the rules. Definitely showing it to family and friends.
Thank you! I’m glad you had fun with it!!
Is this inspired by the Monument Mythos?
I love MM, but sadly not on purpose. This is inspired more by liminal spaces, the SCP Foundation, and Iron Lung.
There are a few community copies left, if you wanted to get the game but were unsure about it!
Concept is very enticing but I hope there's decent preview of this game.
Hello! Thank you for the feedback, I added a couple of pages and the character sheet as previews. Let me know what you think!
There are a few community copies left, if you wanted to get the game but were unsure about it!