Matthew Karabache

Speaking of roleplaying projects, one thing I’ve been working on on and off for the past month or so is a roleplaying game inspired by the Dark Souls series and a few other things like Darkest Dungeon. Ihrem is the vast, underground ruin of an ancient city-state, and characters are a small group of humans that find themselves trapped within it. The setting is dark and claustrophobic, and the game focuses on exploration and tactical combat. Characters scout and explore the ruins, fight off dangerous monsters, build up a home base, craft weapons and armour from the bodies of fallen enemies, and rediscover and exploit ancient magics.

We are not alone. Some are almost like us; were they men once, too? We cannot tell. Others are not like us at all—fearsome beasts wrought of fang and sinew and bone and blood. They seek to kill, to maim and consume and despoil. We have little to fight them with, but we are learning. Some weapons we find, artefacts of long-dead Ihrem. Other weapons we create, forged from the claws and teeth of fallen beasts. Slowly, we gain strength. Slowly, we push deeper into the caverns. If there are other people here, we will find them. We will endure Ihrem.

One of the big things about Ihrem is that the dungeons and chambers that make up the ruins and the monsters that inhabit them are randomly/procedurally generated, so that the Ihrem of one game will be very different to the Ihrem of another.

Tactical combat will play a large role, with a lot of focus on scouting out enemies before engaging them, skirmishes to gather information with tactical retreats, and picking the right equipment to tackle challenges. Killed characters can be relatively easily resurrected if at least one character escapes, but unspent XP is lost if you’re killed. Characters spend XP to gain ranks in roles, which function similarly to skills from other games: Scout, Predator, Guardian, Architect, Crucible, Scrivener, Gleaner, Butcher, and Scavenger. Your main combat attribute, Expertise, is equal to to rank of your highest role, so every character is, at a base, equally competent at fighting — Expertise is also basically your ‘level’.

Teeth and claws and sinew and bone—these are the butcher’s grisly trade. In Ihrem, resources are scarce, so even the bodies of slain beasts become a commodity to be exploited. Through this, the butcher learns the secrets of flesh and blood. She learns how to stitch flesh back together and set bones so they heal faster.

If a scavenger is canny, she may learn the secret patterns of ancient Ihrem, gaining a sense for its byzantine tunnels and chambers. In doing so, the scavenger can avoid its traps and pitfalls and uncover that which is hidden. She learns how to split the stone walls just so, and extract the precious ores within.

Knowledge is survival in Ihrem. Without knowing what one will confront, it is impossible to properly prepare for what may lay in wait. The scout learns to observe and gather information on the challenges and beasts of Ihrem. To pick up on weaknesses and possible advantages to be exploited.

I’ve actually very recently shared my notes about Ihrem with Nathan, my editor, and he seems pretty keen on collaborating on it. I’ll keep you updated as we make progress.

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500 words done on Porton today. Staying on target. Okay, yes, I’m working on too many projects at once. And I’ve started playing Guild Wars 2 again. On the other hand… look over there! *runs away*