The Substratum Protocol, I presume

Descending into the center of the earth is a long, storied trope that has taken on more and more baggage as media expands—especially as climate change creates a desire for settings that revolve around fixing a broken earth. Taking core-exploration back to the basics, where a single scientist must venture into the void and return with answers, Substratum Protocol is a gorgeous “solo+” TTRPG that invites the player to discover what’s caused the interdimensional portal at the center of the earth to open. 

Rascal sent a few emails to Pandion Games’ lead writer and designer, Andy Boyd, to talk about The Substratum Protocol, and what it means to create a game that doesn’t have a set ending, but has a set path. 

Lin Codega: Can you describe the Hints and Hijinx System and what it means as a central mystery resolution mechanic?

Andy Boyd: Hints and Hijinx is our dedicated mystery TTRPG system, designed so the players are in charge of the final answer. It is designed with the classic three act structure of the mystery genre: the inciting incident, the investigation, and the deduction. 

The game opens with the inciting incident presented, and during play, characters overcome challenges and visit locations to gather and understand clues—usually the more absurd the clues are the better (it is the Hijinx system after all). 

When the players believe they have enough clues to come up with a deduction of what happened, they work together and attempt to use each clue to write or describe a final deduction of what is happening. 

For each clue they used, their Deduction Die increases one step from a d0 to a d20+modifier. The idea being the more effort players put into gathering their clues, the more likely their deduction is correct. 

Once the final deduction is made, each player makes rolls with the deduction die in a final series of skill checks, and a montage plays out of them solving the mystery or apprehending the perpetrator.