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.

Why I "Have A Type"

Thinking about the world ending brings about a breathless feeling; it begins as a tightness in my chest like I'm about to cry. The emotions that follow are heavy weights dropping onto a seesaw. My thoughts get sent into the atmosphere.

What do you mean the world has to end someday?

What does that mean for my home, for the things I love, for the people I love?

What do you mean it's likely?

Why does it feel like it already has?

Relief comes in fiction- in interacting with things I love, finding their lights in the darkness. Moving the broken glass aside with a bloody hand and taking a deep breath. Psychologically, there's a reason I'm intrigued by apocalypse scenarios. Substratum Protocol touches on a few themes I like about apocalypse-based stories.

I could write five thousand words about where my love of apocalypse stories comes from. The short of it? Before 2020, I found a book series called Newsflesh (by Mira Grant). When 2020 happened I became intrigued by fiction that depicted the world ending. These days that trilogy sits on my bookshelf; when I need a cathartic release from the doom and gloom of reality I reach for it.

A morbid part of me wishes for the world to end consistently.

I'll only stop wishing for the world to end when there's nothing in it I want to see ended.

Why Myself?

As stated in part one, I created my character as an alternate version of myself who became an astrophysicist. In real life, my kid self loved space. Growing up, I looked up at the stars and wondered not about aliens or what's out there but why things were there. I wanted answers and found out some pretty cool things. Did you know the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs hit Earth with a force ten thousand times more powerful than the world's current nuclear arsenal? What I'm saying is: giant asteroid 2026. Sure, it'd kill all my plans for 2026 but the memes would be hilarious. Do it for the bit, asteroid. For the bit.

But I digress.

AU Scarlet is also inspired by a dark time I found myself in during 2021. I won't go into detail but I wasn't doing well on an emotional or mental level. The Scarlet you're reading in my play reports is built from some of that emotional turmoil I felt. How well some of these emotions come off is something I am working on. See the above metaphor about moving aside broken glass.

Nemo's Point: What And Why?

From my understanding of its story, Substratum Protocol happens because the Earth's core got a little spicy and Fractured™️itself. In the game's rulebook, it doesn't state where we see the beginning of the Fracture (as it's called). I mused about where the Fracture would have first opened. First, Ohio was a candidate because- dear reader have you ever been to Ohio? The state is begging to be the start of an apocalypse. Other sites included Hell (city in Michigan), Vancouver, Canada, and Washington DC. I ended up going with Nemo's Point for symbolic reasons.

AU Scarlet is headed to the center of Earth. They are grieving, they are angry, they are curious about what's going on- they are also isolated. Nemo's Point is also known as the Oceanic Point of Inacessibility. AU Scarlet gives you all the information you need to know about Point Nemo. That is all there is known about Point Nemo. It is a place of isolation, of no return if things go wrong. Radio signals don't reach it, there's no internet cable that stretches out that far, there's no life in that part of the ocean either due to the lack of nutrients and currents that brings them in. No sharks to take out the internet- so... pro? Con? No one is around to help you. In that way, it's like being in space. I felt it an appropriate setting for playing the game solo.

The Mystery

Little information is given about what the Anomaly is. There's some hints given within the book but it's up to players to come up with the grand conclusion of what it is. I have an idea based on my first session but nothing concrete. The idea of it is not set in stone. The point of the game is to find out. "Mystery apocalypse TTRPG" you know? Finding out is the point. It's one of the many things I love about the game.

That is pretty much all I have to say about the character creation and session one. You should check out Pandion Game's latest project, Midnight Muscadines. As of writing, it's available for pre-order on Backerkit. Not sponsored, I personally asked Andy (Pandion Games founder) if he wanted me to mention anything for the article. Go check it out.

To finish off this article, have some fun fact.

Speed Round: Fun Facts About My Play Reports

• Parts 2.1 and 2.2 are named after Sleep Token songs because I'm a nerd and a metalhead; interesting combination

• When I play I tend to listen to the album Tsunami Sea by Spiritbox because of its themes of isolation and the overwhelming feelings of depression

• Jen is AU Scarlet's best friend and colleague who dies due to Fracture happenings on Earth; in real life, Jen is also my best friend. However the only thing the character and the person share is a name and friendship status. Jen IRL is alive

• Out of curiosity- and maybe inspiration for my game of Substratum- I asked the creator how he thought the world would end. He gave me a list. No hesitation to answer my weird message.

• I've been choosing the featured photos based around what part of the Fracture AU Scarlet is in.

• The glitch on the featured photos is intentional and is part of what I think the Anomaly is.

Thanks for reading! Part three will be out eventually!