Announcing Downcrawl 2E!
Yes, a new edition of this tabletop roleplaying game is coming! But first: what’s Downcrawl and why a new edition?
The original edition of Downcrawl started out as basically a write-up of my homebrew rules for running a hexcrawl-style D&D Underdark campaign: a set of tables, moves, and procedures for helping gamemasters invent weird places and peoples for players to encounter in an endless, whimsical underworld. The two big parts of the game were a system for generating interesting peoples and places and rules for dangerous journeys between them.
I fleshed it out a bit and put it up on DriveThruRPG, in case anyone else might find it interesting. To my surprise, the book has proved both popular and enduring: it’s become a Platinum bestseller, putting it in the top couple percentage points of RPGs on the store. Years later people are still emailing me about the weird and wonderful adventures they’re having in the Deep, Deep Down.
“One of the most original, inspiring and easily-playable RPG systems I have ever encountered.”
“Practically every page is dripping with good advice or entrancing flavor. This book feels like a must for anyone wanting to run an Underdark adventure.”
(comments left on Downcrawl 1E’s DriveThruRPG page)
But the rules were always a bit janky. I added some improvements to the core system in Skycrawl, the follow-up set in an infinite sky, but years more playing and playtesting uncovered many places where something wasn't clear, didn't provide fun play options, or just didn't work as well as it should have.
Downcrawl 2E is a ground-up rewrite based on years more feedback and tinkering. If you're a fan of the original, you'll recognize many of the pieces, but everything has been taken apart, polished, and put back together again to create a vastly improved play experience. The new Downcrawl makes it more clear, more easy, and more fun to bring a weird, wondrous underworld alive at your table, and in more ways than ever before.
A few features of the new, revised edition:
Generation of weird people and places now happens live at the table, rather than between sessions, and optionally with the help of the players. Streamlined systems let you spark a new Volume or Folk in moments, and continue developing them further as you need more detail. This is not only super fun but lowers prep time for GMs drastically! (You can still make stuff between sessions too if you prefer.)
Every move has been redesigned and improved based on extensive playtesting, with a focus on making sure each one consistently offers fun and interesting choices.
New moves for things like recovering from journeys, managing the dangers you meet along the way, meeting strangers, and learning rumors.
New play modes for solo and improv play allow for tables without gamemasters, in addition to traditional GM-based roleplaying.
The Downcrawl Deck is a new optional add-on that makes it super easy to get a result from a Downcrawl table in just a few seconds. Grab the top card, flip it over, and align it with the color coded card beneath to get an instant idea!
A sneak peek at the Downcrawl Deck. An optional built-in core system lets you play Downcrawl without needing a base roleplaying engine (though it still also plays well as an add-on to your favorite existing roleplaying system).
A more readable, cross-referenced layout makes it much easier to jump around and find what you need in the PDF or print edition.
Expanded from 60 to 120 pages, with more examples, cleaner layout, new art, and much much more.
Downcrawl 2E will be launching later this year via crowdfunding. If you don’t want to miss the launch, click the link below to sign up to be notified:
Get notified when Downcrawl 2E launches!
The game is currently in a closed beta stage where I’m getting feedback from players already exploring with the current version. If you’re interested in being a playtester, sign up here for no-commitment details.
Finally, this newsletter, the Downcrawl Digest, is the place to be for deep dives into the new systems and mechanics, sneak previews at new art and layout, and up to date project news. I’m planning to post about once every two weeks. You can read the posts on the web, subscribe via RSS, or get updates as an email newsletter.
(You can also follow me on social media at Mastodon, X, or Instagram for fun Downcrawl and book-related posts.)
I’m so excited about Downcrawl 2E and hope you’ll come with me on this new journey!
More soon,
—Aaron A. Reed
(Who am I? I’ve been writing designing digital and tabletop games my whole life. You might know me from projects like 50 Years of Text Games, a book about the history of interactive fiction; my ENnie-winning roleplaying game Archives of the Sky; my procedural horror novel Subcutanean; or my epic text adventure Blue Lacuna.)