The Gaming Den

Some time last week I came across a web story game called Fallen London; and in playing the time-metered "storylets" that encapsulate various narrative paths a player can take; I kept wondering what seemed so familiar about this setting where In the 'Neath of London, Hell's Ambassadors court new agents, "Rubbery" Men attempt to communicate with untentacled landdwellers, and Clay Men are your arm-wrestling capstones.

In the end, I realized that this game was borrowing much of its narrative from Gurps: Goblins. The styles of occupations felt similar to what I read in the review made on Gurps Goblins. Rats are both a type of labourer (interesting); and hunted for food (wat?). Most of the "honest" labour involves being insulting in taverns or writing incendiary articles; robbing the rich or catching cats; fighting in bars or murdering giant rat queens; or being a professional stalker/investigator. As well as the heavy supernatural evil themes that the setting presents.

As a game, it's meh. Limited by the typical "action meter" on a timed refresh (albeit, 10 min per action, & 20 max isn't terrible). However it does rely upon a basic 4-stat system (Watchful, Persuasive, Dangerous, Shadowy) with other traits modifying the player character's status within the overall game world (e.g. you can't interact with horrible things; unless you have Nightmares at X+).

If you like the setting and writing you could try Sunless Sea.

Yeah, the FL page also has ads for their Zubmariner game as well.

The naval games are within the same setting, but their gameplay focus is very different from the naval games; and I've played countless games like (i.e. top down vessel navigation) them in the past.

I will fight you for not liking Fallen London. The writing is absolutely stellar and the slow-burn narrative so captures that Lovecraftian feeling of impending doom and feeling outmatched by a vast, horrifying universe.

I can't big up the writing enough. The tone is usually wry, acerbically funny, deliciously cynical and laconic. It's my longest running addiction.

The writing's awesome, but I gave up after the grind started to take its toll.
Doing the same action again and again loses its luster quickly.

Judging__Eagle wrote:Yeah, the FL page also has ads for their Zubmariner game as well.

The naval games are within the same setting, but their gameplay focus is very different from the naval games; and I've played countless games like (i.e. top down vessel navigation) them in the past.

Zubmariner is a DLC for Sunless Sea.
While they do play differently from Fallen London, the focus is absolutely not on top down vessel navigation. The core part of the gameplay are port-bound text adventures. Everything else is just a grindy slog to get to them.