Underwater RPGs to Check Out
While we wait on the next update of Bones Deep (soon!), here are a bunch of other really cool RPGs set under the waves. I interviewed their creators in a halphazard and entirely unprofessional manner. Luckily they were able to…go with the flow as it were.
You HOPE that’s the last pun. We’ll sea.
I’ll be adding in more interview responses as folks get back to me and as I find more RPGs. Be sure to tuna in later for some updates.
The Games & Creators
Click the Games & Creators below to learn more about them. "Aquatic Horror on the High Seas using Mothership's Panic Engine." Twitter: @GordinaakGames "A game of survival horror on a haunted submarine." Twitter: @annabelle_lee "A sinking system-neutral sandbox setting sourcebook." Twitter: @lf_osr "A solo Mothership RPG psychedelic-xerox adventure." Twitter: @ValleyOfAlfred "Spells, items, classes, monsters, and adventures for Old School Essentials." Twitter: @ahimsakerp "An aquatic setting that burrows inspiration from Waterworld, The Drowned World, A Canticle for Leibowitz and New Weird fiction." Twitter: @GamesOmnivorous "Explore and study the oceanic world of Gliese 667Cc in a new module for the Mothership Sci-Fi Horror RPG." Twitter: @LoneArchivist "It is launching in PDF and in print on February 1st at my patreon!" Twitter: @BrookletGames Jeremy Childrey (he/him) is creating DIVE
Amanda Lee Franck (she/her) is creating Crush Depth Apparition
L.F. OSR (he/him) is creating HORIZON RISING
Alfred Valley (he/them) is creating Thousand Empty Light
Ahimsa Kerp (he/him) is creating Aquatic Adventures
Andre Novoa is creating The Bottled Sea
Lone Archivist (he/him) is creating In Other Waters: Tidebreak
Jim Hall (he/him) is creating Vortex Isles
When was the last time you were completely submerged in water?
Jeremy Childrey is creating DIVE
'August 2021
Amanda Lee Franck is creating Crush Depth Apparition
Last month in the Ida Crown Natatorium
L.F. OSR is creating HORIZON RISING
I have a reoccurring nightmare of being miles underwater with no sea floor to be seen - so if that counts, a few nights ago!
Alfred Valley is creating Thousand Empty Light
I went to an indoor water park last summer. I got stuck going around the lazy river on a rubber ring with a baby (mine) sitting on my lap. Eventually after going round and round a fair times my partner found us and rescued me.
Matthew Morris is creating Lilliputian
Ha, this past summer. My parents got a pool and I took my one year old swimming every week. She loved it when I'd go underwater and pop up making a funny face.
Ahimsa Kerp is creating Aquatic Adventures
The last time I went swimming; probably August 2021.
Andre Novoa is creating The Bottled Sea
Err... in the summer! Beach in the south of Portugal, where i'm from.
Sean Richer is creating Churn, Stroke, Burn
November 2019, southern short of Kauai
Lone Archivist is creating In Other Waters: Tidebreak
Ages. Probably pre-pandemic.
Jim Hall is creating Vortex Isles
Probably on vacation with my family this past fall. It was my child's first time in a lake and he did not like it.
What’s the focus of your game? Why set it underwater? Could it work on dry land?
Jeremy Childrey is creating DIVE
First, I think underwater stuff is hard because of the lack of content out there, I aim to fix that. Additionally, DIVE is meant to emulate any aquatic horror movie and the first Adventure From The Deepest Trenches includes an Island generator.
Amanda Lee Franck is creating Crush Depth Apparition
I keep being interested in boat based micro settings & a submarine is the most dangerous boat possible (kinda pre-sunk). The focus of the game is trying keep the submarine together while dealing with both real world and paranormal dangers.
It couldn't work on dry land (you could maybe run it in a spaceship? It's going to be pretty early 1900s submarine specific though).
L.F. OSR is creating HORIZON RISING
It starts out pretty dry! The setting is surrounded by a mysterious growing wall of water that threatens to crash down upon the entire realm, this is more or less a metaphor for the overwhelming feeling of dread that has developed within me when observing the real world around me. Things aren't all doom and gloom, though!
Alfred Valley is creating Thousand Empty Light
Setting Thousand Empty Light underwater was prompted by two separate things: daydreaming about Doggerland, and poring over reports of cave diving mishaps.
The adventure takes place in an industrial setting - an abandoned, pressurised subsea tunnel whose real purpose is never stated. It is designed as a solo experience for Mothership and casts the player as a lamplighter, a lone operator tasked with entering the tunnel and restoring power and light section by section.
Being underwater is important because a) the deep is dark and terrifying, and b) it means I can play with real-world complications that arise from working in a pressurised environment.
Matthew Morris is creating Lilliputian
So, Lilliputian is a game all about open sea travel and exploration. Built on the chassis of Mausritter, this game focuses on the naval adventures on the little folk of Lilliput. Their island home is secluded and they, as a culture, want to expand into the world as a whole. The game will feature rules for seafaring, random sea generators, random island tables for on-land exploration, and a host of scary sea monsters.
Ahimsa Kerp is creating Aquatic Adventures
One of the things I love about RPGs is exploration of the unknown and what is more unknown than the deep sea? The focus is to be a complete sourcebook for any underwater adventure--the real centerpiece is an adventure exploring a flooded underworld. I don't think it could work on dry land, since the entire focus is on being underwater.
Andre Novoa is creating The Bottled Sea
Think of it as a weird psychedelic waterworld of sorts. The main concept behind it is that the characters are sucked into it through a wormhole (like a Bermuda Triangle sort of thing) and then, once there, they have to find a way out. It wouldn't work on dry land. Actually, the whole point of the setting is to FIND dry land (rebranded to Solid Ground)!
Sean Richer is creating Churn, Stroke, Burn
It's underwater, technically in tunnels. It's also over water, in a journey across time to find the source of a living storm; sailors believe a demon whale sleeps beneath the waves. It's also in-between because there's a maze at the eye of the storm that's permanently reconfiguring. It's wild. The whole thing is linked to a "Drain Die" that uses the DCC Dice Chain and steps up day over day... so the storm is getting more and more absurd, 2 weeks in... it is utter chaos
Lone Archivist is creating In Other Waters: Tidebreak
I have a deep love of the ocean that stems from 90's/00's Nat Geo documentaries. So when In Other Waters came out on Switch I jumped on playing that. And afterward, all I could think about was how to port it to the table. There are a lot of parallels between space and underwater (suits, oxygen, ships, etc.) so it seemed like a natural fit.
Because the game is primarily about exploring the depths of the ocean, it wouldn't work quite as well on dry land. Much of the focus is on how the creatures and ecology of Gliese 667Cc interacts with one another. So concepts such as crush depth and currents to a dry land setting wouldn't translate well.
Jim Hall is creating Vortex Isles
My Patreon patrons vote on a theme for each month's adventure. This month winning prompt was "Whirlpool Island Hopping". Initially I wanted to create a series of islands with whirlpools in between but the idea of a giant vortex with islands floating in it just felt more dramatic. Its a world that couldn't exist on land. The players form a crew and steal a ship before heading into the depths of the Vortex in search of treasure.
How did you make being underwater feel different to players?
Jeremy Childrey is creating DIVE
Its very dangerous! It comes with a lot of consequences for mistakes, you have to be careful how fast you ascend, for instance.
Amanda Lee Franck is creating Crush Depth Apparition
I'm doing research about the environment on board submarines (sounds, smells, temperatures) and I'm planning a submarine map/character sheet that will have information about how the submarine works and how to fix it when it breaks. Also you can't see out of a submarine, you can only hear what's out there and make guesses. So a hexmap of the ocean is only revealed to players via the things they can pick up on passive sonar & such.
L.F. OSR is creating HORIZON RISING
The sense of pressure being created by the unrelenting force of the seas, creating a bit of a ticking clock mechanic introduced by the setting itself.
Alfred Valley is creating Thousand Empty Light
Mothership’s Panic table, which is usually rolled on when things go bad, has been replaced with PANIC - Pneumatic And Narcotic Incident Chart - and its complications reflect possible symptoms of decompression sickness (aka the bends) and nitrogen narcosis.
The procedure for moving through the tunnel makes the player check the PANIC reference at the end of each section so the effect of being at depth complicates things more and more as they go along.
The other hazards in the adventure reflect being underwater and the sea constantly trying to get in - corrosive water, alien crabs, unspecified cephalopods, etc.
Matthew Morris is creating Lilliputian
With systems like B/X D&D, AD&D and their clones like Old School Essentials; there are rules for nautical adventures but I've never seen them used. Into the Odd also has some rules for this sort of thing but again, I have rarely seen it employed. What I am seeking to accomplish with Lilliputian is a game were the basic and main "overland travel" or "sandbox world" is the open seas.
Functionally it will feel like a wilderness exploration game but with all the tension and craziness that comes with being on a boat in a vast and deadly unknown. Mechanics for weather, speed of sailing, cabin fever, stress, and others like this will make it feel real for PCs.
Ahimsa Kerp is creating Aquatic Adventures
Mechanics do help. Neither of our primate instincts of stabbing things and burning things work anymore. So we have pages of underwater rules accounting for everything from pressure to swimming to what spells still work underwater. But it is the motifs, things like kelp forests and sunken ships and schools of beautiful creatures flitting by. that really make it feel real and different.
Andre Novoa is creating The Bottled Sea
Players are not exactly underwater, but always afloat and kinda... terrified of the water and the weird things that come out of it - such as bizarre fish, monstrous creatures and all sorts of odd salvage. The setting is presented as a bunch of physical hex tiles and a GM screen detailing descriptions for them. As the players explore, the GM pulls a random hex from a bag and the map of the setting is actually formed during play. And then.. there's weather events that can change the tiles around or sink them entirely! This tries to simulate a sensation of "ocean vastness" and being lost therein.
Sean Richer is creating Churn, Stroke, Burn
Underwater? OH YEAH THE TUNNELS AND THE MAZE. There's air pressure differences, it becomes harder to focus, water is rushing in all directions. I blend thematic and mechanical for a lot of it. It's one thing to know the ship is going down, it's a whole other thing to know there's a leak and there's nothing you can do to find it.
the maze though.. THE MAZE is waterspout of destruction, wind, water, waves, moving through it means that water levels are constantly shifting and chaos is ensuing. we've split apart the maze into happenings, location elements, and chaos; so no two parties are going to experience the sunken madness the same way.
We mostly lean on descriptions
Lone Archivist is creating In Other Waters: Tidebreak
Trying to do a bit of both. We're using a lot of narrative descriptors for the environment and creatures, using evocative art, and even the color scheme. We're also deploying new mechanics to focus on what a dive feels like. Using supply levels for things like oxygen, power, depth pressure, to focus in on how alien the environment around you is.
Jim Hall is creating Vortex Isles
The crew you pick has an impact on the ship's performance on sea and during naval combat. The deeper into the Vortex, the more extreme the conditions are. This is accomplished with a shifting encounter table (d4 + location number). The upper Vortex is also filled with pirates! Some will join your crew. Others just want your gold. Don't sink!
If you could have any marine creature as a pet, what would it be? (real or imagined)
Jeremy Childrey is creating DIVE
An Octopus for sure!
Amanda Lee Franck is creating Crush Depth Apparition
I made friends with a carp in a lake once (gave him a piece of my toast every morning). I hope he's still out there being big & calm. I'd like to have a lake friend again.
L.F. OSR is creating HORIZON RISING
I wouldn't mind teaming up with a whale to take revenge on poachers.
Alfred Valley is creating Thousand Empty Light
Terrible Claw Lobster. This critter has two claws that are different lengths and resemble chainsaws. Extra points for having ‘terrible’ in the name.
Matthew Morris is creating Lilliputian
Without a doubt it would be a Sea Otter! Freaking cute and super smart...
Ahimsa Kerp is creating Aquatic Adventures
I am fascinated by the deep sea creatures, so sign me up for a pet angler fish or glass octopus.
Andre Novoa is creating The Bottled Sea
Gonna go with Bioluminescent Hydrozoa, one of the many wonderful creatures of the Bottled Sea.
Sean Richer is creating Churn, Stroke, Burn
Real: Narhwal.
Imagined: Narwhal.
Lone Archivist is creating In Other Waters: Tidebreak
Great question. Probably either the little guy on the cover of Tidebreak or a sea turtle.
Jim Hall is creating Vortex Isles
Axolotl
What other projects are you excited about?
Amanda Lee Franck is creating Crush Depth Apparition
Alfred valley's Thousand Empty Light. Just the title is so good.
L.F. OSR is creating HORIZON RISING
All of them! Barkeep on the Borderlands looks outstanding, FLIP looks so creative, Demonsbane, Fairyland - there's too many to choose!
Alfred Valley is creating Thousand Empty Light
Crush Depth Apparition (Amanda Lee Franck), The Royal Cartographer (Albi13), 9 Lives to Valhalla (Gem Room Games), Demonsbane (Perplexing Ruins), The Bloodfields at Blackstar Station (Christian Sorrell)
Matthew Morris is creating Lilliputian
Thalassa by Roberto Bisceglie, Sky Worthy by A Couple of Drakes, Barkeep on the Borderlands by W.F. Smith, Demonsbane by Perplexing Ruins, Vortex Isles by Brooklet Games, Axian Library by Giuseppe Rotondo, Igor Piccirillo, and am super stoked for Oak Pasture #1 by Rene of Pen, Paper, Dice (its for Mausritter)... but gosh, there is so much good stuff and I'll be for sure checking out all the Mothership stuff too!
Ahimsa Kerp is creating Aquatic Adventures
The new Planar Compass zine looks dope. And everything L.F. OSR does is worth checking out.
Andre Novoa is creating The Bottled Sea
Too many to list. Sorry! Don't want to leave anyone out.
Sean Richer is creating Churn, Stroke, Burn
Noora's project "CHALICE" is going to be awesome! LET'S FIND THAT GRAIL!. Amanda Lee Franck's CRUSH DEPTH IS ALSO UNDER WATER AND LOOKING TO BE COOL (Also Amanda is doing 3 pieces for CHURN STROKE BURN)
Lone Archivist is creating In Other Waters: Tidebreak
I am very excited for [Knights of Lazarus](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/marcoserrano/knights-of-lazarus) by Spicy Tuna RPG. Swords in space. What more could you want.
Jim Hall is creating Vortex Isles
Barkeep on the Borderlands, Lilliputian, Aberrant Reflections, and Axian Library. There are so many cool projects.
Anything else you want to add to this wet and weird interview?
Amanda Lee Franck is creating Crush Depth Apparition
I just want to say I'm really glad that we're doing a non-kickstarter zine month and maybe eventually we'll all be in like 5 collectives and living in some kinda zine based utopia. Everything has been so hard and dour and I am trying to cling to any hopeful stuff at all and all the community work around this project has been a real hopeful thing.
L.F. OSR is creating HORIZON RISING
I'm really grateful for anyone taking an interest in any of the projects mentioned here. As someone that played a lot of video games as a child, I can certainly say water-based levels are a love-hate type of deal, but there are some genuinely creative ideas being introduced here and I know there's a lot of fun to be had! Now, where did I put my wet-suit...
Alfred Valley is creating Thousand Empty Light
I’ve commissioned Gus BC to make a soundtrack for the adventure with this brief: ‘weird motorik sci-fi dungeon music’. It’s still being made but it sounds awesome so far. There’ll be a limited run of tape cassettes that’ll also feature an extra area of the tunnel to be explored as part of the packaging.
Matthew Morris is creating Lilliputian
Lilliputian is a stand alone system and thus can use any system neutral nautical settings and is pretty easily convertible to other systems. The beauty is that this game is compatible with Mausriter and requires no conversion at all to run in that mousey world. It is also compatible with Cairn and Into the Odd with only minor changes (i.e. the Lilliputians are not mouse sized but rather human sized).
Ahimsa Kerp is creating Aquatic Adventures
The Knight Owl Zimo zine is actually more late game focused, bringing great power to the late game. In March, we'll start Aquatic Adventures. It will have a zine written by a bunch of luminaries in the field. Also, we will be releasing another book written by an amazing writer set in the seas later this year.
Andre Novoa is creating The Bottled Sea
Well, the Bottled Sea kickstarter campaign is live right now, as we speak. So, maybe check it out and see it for yourself?
Sean Richer is creating Churn, Stroke, Burn
Honestly! This is a follow up to 2 worm 2 furious so you should REALLY play that.
Lone Archivist is creating In Other Waters: Tidebreak
Yeah! My collaborator on Tidebreak, Gareth (@JumpOvertheAge), has a new project coming out soon called [Citizen Sleeper](https://twitter.com/CitizenSleeper). It's a love letter to sci-fi TTRPGs and has some cool mechanics in it. Check it out!
Jim Hall is creating Vortex Isles
Join the Patreon for monthly adventures, monthly maps, and commercial art! Get the February 1st at patreon.com/brookletgames!
Conclusion
Thanks again for everyone who responded to my weird questions. Be sure to check out these exciting games, and if they don’t satisfy your underwater needs, maybe give Bones Deep a look as well.
