On March 24th of 2024, Pandion Games launched Substratum Protocol on Backerkit. It's a game about heading to the center of the Earth to combat The Anomaly™️and stop the apocalypse. A short time after its launch I heard about it. I backed it mere seconds after. The creator could have put anything after the word "apocalyptic" and I still would have backed it. Look, I have a type alright?
Anyways, I started a play through of the game back in February. As of this writing I've finished session one and I'm partway through session two. Now we gather here today to talk about the character build and session one. Find the character build here and session one here. Let's delve into this breakdown shall we?
Spoilers for parts 1 to 2.2 of my Substratum Protocol play reports ahead.
New York Public Library by Colin Campbell Cooper, circa 1912, oil on canvas
What Is Librarian's Apprentice?
Librarian's Apprentice by Dan Bronson-Lowe and edited by Christina Bronson-Lowe (aka Almost Bedtime Theater) is a solo tabletop roleplaying game. It takes place in an infinite, ever shifting library that exists between time and space. How does that work? I dunno, this is fantasy not reality. Have you seen reality? Yeah, I'lltake the infinite library any day of the week. Anyways, Librarian's Apprentice is built on FariRPG's Firelight system. You can get Librarian's Apprentice on Almost Bedtime Theater's Itch page or purchase a physical copy from Tabletop Bookshelf or Indie Press Revolution.
Picture Frame-Carved Wood by Natalie Wood circa 1936
I open my eyelids and climb out of bed with more excitement than I'm sure most people would find necessary. Most people wouldn't understand why I'm excited. Most people wouldn't know, anyways. At least, not if I did everything right. The moment my bare feet touch the cold hardwood floors, I'm walking as quick as I can. When my closet door opens one of the many glass flasks scattered about the floor tip over. It's near empty so I don't bother to right it. I'm too happy to care. I'm smiling as big as my muscles will allow.
The smile slips from my face when I see that nothing in my closet has changed.
Original Artwork: “Morning After Storm” by Thomas Moran; edit made by Scarlet
Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay in this post. Creativity is hard when you work a full time job that sucks the creativity out of you. Anyways, here’s part two of my first session of Substratum Protocol. Part one can be found here.
Original artwork: “Swells In The Ocean” by Winslow Homer; edit made by Scarlet
In the South Pacific ocean is the middle of nowhere. It is thousands of kilometers from the nearest point of human contact. Officially, it’s called the Oceanic Pole Of Inaccessibility, but most know it as Point Nemo- a word that means "nobody".
Before getting into the titanium body of the submersible, Scarlet takes a moment to take in the scene around them. Nobody is right, they think as they see the ocean stretch into an endless horizon. Above them, a gray and cloudy sky stretches on. No fish move around in the depths below as Point Nemo is scarce in nutrients for life. In any other universe, it'd be peaceful, quiet, the ultimate escape from civilization. But in this universe, there's a sound so loud that everyone on the deck of the Explorer wears ear protection. It comes from the giant rip in Earth's crust, where water rushes in like a waterfall. Water rushes into this fracture- the Fracture- with reckless abandon.
Substratum Protocol is described as a solo+ apocalyptic mystery TTRPG. As Scientists, you’ll either go in solo or with a group, guided by Mission Control. Scientists are player characters and Mission Control is the game master. In solo play, you are both.
Back in April 2024, I pledged monetary support for this game on BackerKit. In June, I’d receive my physical copy. Since then, I’ve played a few solo games. I’m excited to start another now.
📒 Note: prices listed (in USD) are for digital copy of games; there are no affiliate links and I am not getting paid by any one to list or recommend a game.
