Liminal Ark

Ever since reading about the Underclock on Goblin Punch I’ve been obsessed with it. A ticking time bomb always in the background of every decision made by the players that they can see and interact with in a more tangible way than any other type of random encounter. In the survival horror style game I enjoy this element of time keeping has replaced my use of one my most well worn tools in the Overloaded Encounter Die. Although still one of my favorite tools the Underclock and its ability to create tension has supplanted it for the time being in my DM toolbox. However, just like with the Overloaded Encounter Die, it does leave a lot of room to interpret, tweak, and hack to fine tune it for a specific feeling. Since my current obsession is with Amnesia The Bunker’s Stalker I thought it could be interesting to explore how we emulate being hunted down by an unstoppable beast like that using the Underclock as an ever sinking hour glass of it’s inevitable arrival. Underclock Additions And T...

Hey, long time no see. I recently had the pleasure of experiencing Amnesia The Bunker, a survival horror game set in the confines of a trench system trying to escape while a horrific creature hunts you down. With limited resources and only a single unbeatable enemy the game challenges the player to find creative solutions to manage light, sound, and even ammunition to ensure they can secure a method to escape. I had an incredible time with it and the layout and design of the experience set my brain on fire in a way I hadn’t had since playing Signalis last year. Enter The Signal. Below is a rough draft of the first level of the complex statted crudely for Mothership though I’ve used a lot of variations during my playtest leaning on the current stripped down interpretation given by Cloud Empress. Use what’s comfortable for you. The setting is during the waning years of the Great War on the Western Front in a conflict that seems without end in eastern France. With the Signal I’ve also de...