LD48: Yawning Fathoms

You’re a former employee of a massive Bioinformatics corporation, stuck inside their headquarters after a global disaster. And now you want to leave, but the only way out is through a series of underground tunnels.

Basically an Oregon Trail clone, but traveling deeper and deeper underground.

Instead of a wagon and oxen, however, you need to maintain your light source.

Instead of hunting, you scavenge (which is more fruitful the more people are still alive in your party).

There is no weather, so you don’t need to worry about keeping extra sets of clothing, but… instead of river crossing, you sometimes have to make your way past crowds. Extra sneakers (or ammunition) can help you get by these easier.

General tips:

• Talk to people every chance you get. Multiple times. Especially at the start, as that’s where you’ll learn about various game mechanics.
• If you’ve played Oregon Trail before: Bulbs = Oxen, Fuses/Light Arrays/Batteries = Spare Wagon Parts. Bare minimum, you need at least 1 bulb to be able to travel.
• Sneakers help you sneak past fights. Having fewer sneakers than you have party members imposes a penalty, however.
• Ammunition helps you fight your way through crowds. You don’t necessarily need ammo to get through, but it does reduce the amount of damage you’ll take.
• Failing to sneak forces you to fight, and the fight will be twice as hard.
• Trying to sneak past crowds larger than 100 people is basically suicide. If you have food to spare, try waiting a few times to see if the crowd size reduces. Or just fight them if you have a lot of ammo.

Starting Jobs:

• Senior Vice-President: Easy mode, but calls a lot of meetings.
• R&D Lab Technician: A more traditional Oregon Trail experience. Can grow food.
• QA Tester: Useful, but often undervalued. Great at breaking things. Reality in particular.

KNOWN ISSUES:

• “Fathoms” in title, but we’re not traveling under water. (By Design - Will Not Fix)