Substratum Protocol Has Been Initiated: Descend. Learn. Survive.
Suit up, scientist, the expedition to the center of the Earth has begun.
When the portal appeared at the Earth’s core, the Substratum Protocol was initiated and scientists were rushed at all costs to the hastily built Fracture Observatory. You are the best and brightest scientists we have left to stem the apocalypse.
You are the
Substratum Expedition Team
Do you have what it takes to descend the depths of the planet, while the strange and otherworldly beyond our comprehension threaten to overtake you and your exosuit as you grapple to understand the portal, why it is here, and how to close it?
Playable solo or with a group, this unique mystery tabletop roleplaying game melds together step-down dice and playing card mechanics to overcome the expedition's challenges, paired with special actions that can chain together. Gather the cards you beat from skill checks and use them to power your exosuit's abilities, like your onboard atomic 3D printer to create new items to help you on your journey.
With players taking on the role of Earth's best remaining scientists, Substratum Protocol is our entry into the Deep Delving Mystery genre like Subnautica and In Other Waters.
The Backerkit campaign, launched on March 26th and ends April 25th, will bring Substratum Protocol to print as a hardcover book, three bi-fold character folios, along with a unique custom-made solo journal for tackling the depths as the expedition leader.
Stop by the campaign to get your free preview PDF that contains the core rules and character creation!
Substratum Protocol, intertwines science fiction with the inescapable, unknowable horrors of an interdimensional portal tearing apart reality. With ten unique sectors to discover in your descent, and one hundred and twenty encounters, this no-prep game will keep you and your players on the edge of their seat.
- Dan Bronson-Lowe
Game Designer, Almost Bedtime Theater
Join the expedition as a scientist in their exosuit to uncover strange new discoveries, gather clues, and comprehend knowledge far beyond us to save the world. But be careful, as the portal's energies can affect your mind and suit the more you tire - hindering your actions while also granting you strange new powers.
Illustrated throughout by Galen Pejeau, the mini-bestiary is full of never before seen creatures to discover and build upon. Discover creatures similar to ones we know - some you may want to keep as pets - but be prepared to grapple with creatures that eat the literal meaning of objects to sate their semiotic diet.
Welcome to the Substratum Expedition Briefing
Declassified for public release by the Fracture Observatory Chief of Operations
