Hello! Andy from Pandion here!

24 hours into the campaign, and we are blowing past all of our previous campaigns by leaps and bounds. We are truly grateful for the outpouring of support from all of our fans!

In our first update, we posted a poll asking which sector you'd like to know more about. The results are in, and the ancient civilization sector was the overwhelming choice!  Let's discuss the lore, events, and my own inspirations in including it. Make sure to vote for the next sector we'll cover!

Substratum Protocol is a collaborative mystery game. The text gives hints and whispers of possibilities, but strays away from definite answers. What you discover and imagine at your table becomes canon to the story and the setting.

Each sector shows its location in the Fracture, includes in-universe handwritten notes from an unknown scientist, relevant art, and a table of events - each giving a glimpse into what the sector contains. Scientists can spend as much or as little time in a Sector as they want. When they're ready to venture deeper, whoever leads the way rolls for the Travel Action.

Buried 637 kilometers beneath the surface, this is the first sector the expedition encounters after the Fracture's massive opening. A sprawling ruin of a civilization that predates our species. Who used to live here? What were they like? Why did they die out? How advanced were they? Did they deal with this same situation in their far distant past?

Inspired by the short story "The Green Marauder" by Larry Niven, I was fascinated by the idea of an intelligent and advanced species that existed before photosynthesis. A civilization so old that oxygen was toxic and corrosive to them. The first algae that bloomed in the oceans that filled our atmosphere with oxygen, was the apocalypse of their world.

While exploring through the ruins, players may find ancient diseases, still whirring and blinking computer terminals, or friendly but malfunctioning artificial intelligences. Perhaps scientists will discover scriptures speaking of the same catastrophe the expedition faces today. Are there any biological remnants left of this long-forgotten species? What dangers or creatures have made their home here since the collapse?

Joyride around in a decaying transit system across the ruins, perhaps too old to still carry passengers, or wade through rivers cutting narrow passages to sectors further below.

Regardless of the splendor or decay you find here, you can't help but think if in another millennia that next intelligent species will be walking in your ruined cities if you cannot put a stop to the portal far below!

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Comment below what you would like to discover in the Ancient Civilization, or possible events that could unfold while you explore!

A new actual play podcast drop for Substratum Protocol using its solo rules at Rene Plays Games.

"This game is so wonderfully weird and stressful, playing scientists in a desperate expedition to the center of the earth to confront a cosmic portal is such a gnarly concept." - Rene Legault

Give the episode a listen here on Spotify, or your favorite place to listen to podcasts.

Thanks!
-Andy Boyd
Pandion Games