Skip to main content
Downcrawl box art

Downcrawl

Game ID: GID0100907
Game Info
Collection
Ratings
Creator Score
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
Not enough video data yet
Description

Publisher's blurb:

Downcrawl is a system to help gamemasters run randomly generated, open-ended adventures in a weird and fantastical underworld called The Deep, Deep Down: a place so far from the surface that the sun and sky are only legends, and so vast that no bounds can be placed on its dimensions or contents.

Compatible with any fantasy roleplaying system, Downcrawl contains rules for taking dangerous journeys through unmapped places, tables of fungi with curious effects, procedures for GMs to generate strange new peoples, places, and encounters, and tips for running a satisfying, spontaneous campaign when your players might explore in any of six directions. Oh, and huge intelligent spiders who eat faces. Watch out for those.

Description

Publisher's blurb:

Downcrawl is a system to help gamemasters run randomly generated, open-ended adventures in a weird and fantastical underworld called The Deep, Deep Down: a place so far from the surface that the sun and sky are only legends, and so vast that no bounds can be placed on its dimensions or contents.

Compatible with any fantasy roleplaying system, Downcrawl contains rules for taking dangerous journeys through unmapped places, tables of fungi with curious effects, procedures for GMs to generate strange new peoples, places, and encounters, and tips for running a satisfying, spontaneous campaign when your players might explore in any of six directions. Oh, and huge intelligent spiders who eat faces. Watch out for those.

Featured Videos
Review
Keeping it Underground - Downcrawl 2e - overview with game play

Keeping it Underground - Downcrawl 2e - overview with game play

The Dungeon Dive Jul 13, 2026
Ask a Rules Question
All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 3
This page: 3
Sentiment: pos 3 · mix 0 · neu 0 · neg 0
Mentions per page
Showing 1–3 of 3
Video _zuQYhMwTgs The Dungeon Dive Review at 0:19 sentiment: positive
video_pk 85298 · mention_pk 310373
The Dungeon Dive - Downcrawl video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:19 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Great for solo or cooperative play.
  • Structured sandbox play allows for player-set goals within a framework.
  • Highly structured system that is easy to get into.
  • Oracle cards are fantastic, very useful, and easy to use.
  • All card information is available in the book or as a download.
  • Vast world generation possibilities, can be as big as desired.
  • Easy to generate interesting terrain, people, and ideas quickly.
  • The map and route system is detailed.
  • The way the game generates random encounters is super cool.
  • Highly recommend Down Crawl Second Edition.
  • Packs a ton of game, systems, and random elements for solo RPGs.
  • Sparks imagination and offers many ways to use its components.
Cons
  • Somewhat complex, a little more complex than some games.
  • The concept of routes not being roads took a little time to grasp.
Thematic elements
  • Endless adventures
  • Curious underworld
Comparison games
  • Sliver of Fate
  • Fate
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Abstract currency (TAC) — An abstract currency called 'TAC' represents adventuring gear, knowledge, and resources useful for journeys.
  • Danger and threat tracking — A system for tracking 'danger' that increases over time, leading to a 'threat' that must be dealt with.
  • Danger manifestation — A system where accumulated danger eventually manifests as a specific threat or encounter.
  • Determination and Fate — Instead of health points, the 'A Land in Peril' system uses 'determination' which, when depleted, leads to tracking 'fate' and negative consequences.
  • Dice Pool System — The 'A Land in Peril' system uses a dice pool with a target number for successes (e.g., fives or sixes).
  • Folk interaction — Players can encounter and interact with 'folk', sentient beings living in the subterranean world.
  • GMless play — The game is suitable for solo or cooperative play and is designed to work well as a GMless RPG.
  • Index card tracking — Use of index cards to track NPCs, volumes, discovered things, and volume details like theme, aspects, terrain, resources, and remoteness.
  • Journey and encounter system — Players undertake 'journeys' (traveling turns) between 'volumes' (exploration areas), which typically end in an encounter.
  • Journey steps and challenges — Journeys are broken into steps, with various travel encounters, dangers, and challenges that can occur.
  • Keyword System — In the 'A Land in Peril' system, keywords on tables can trigger bonuses or penalties for dice rolls.
  • Map and route system — A map tracks volumes and known routes between them, with abstract, ephemeral routes rather than literal roads.
  • Move-based system — The game works by presenting players with a series of 'moves' which are containers for rules and narrative outcomes.
  • Oracle Cards — Optional decks of cards are available for generating oracles and encounters, but all information is also in the book.
  • Random NPC generation — A system for generating NPCs with characteristics, disposition, favors, and interest in adventure.
  • Random weapon generation — A system for generating random weapons with various properties like type, speed, size, damage, and enchantments.
  • Story deck — A 'story deck' can be used in solo play to keep track of ongoing plots and bring them back into focus.
  • System agnostic (with optional rules) — The game provides a system-agnostic setting but also includes its own rules, based on a simplified version of Fate called 'Sliver of Fate'.
  • Table-based random generation — Extensive use of tables for rolling up random elements such as NPCs, inspiration, props, reputation, and appearances.
  • Travel encounter tables — Tables used during journeys to generate specific situations and challenges.
  • Venture/Quest system — Players have 'ventures' which are quests or campaign goals that can be large or small.
  • Volume actions — Actions that can be taken within a volume, such as sparking a volume, visiting the map room, engaging in supply and demand, recovering, or generating news/rumors.
  • Volume exploration — Volumes are main areas for exploration where civilizations, dungeons, or natural wonders are found.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • I think this game is very well structured because when you are involved in each one of these, there are a series of tables and a series of moves that you will use to generate those.
  • Routes are not roads.
  • The world can be as big as you ever want it to be.
  • The way that this game generates random encounters is super super cool. I love it.
  • I can highly highly recommend Down Crawl Second Edition
  • It packs a ton of game, a ton of systems, a ton of random things that you can use for all kinds of different solo RPGs into a single book.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video wSnq-Unha34 The Dungeon Dive Top List at 7:35 sentiment: positive
video_pk 84820 · mention_pk 286261
The Dungeon Dive - Downcrawl video thumbnail
Click to watch at 7:35 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Generates otherworldly, strange, and bizarre worlds and encounters
  • Very structured system with step-by-step guides
  • Contains survival elements
  • Good rules for solo and co-op play
  • Impressive generation capabilities with book and cards
Cons
  • Can be a little daunting for complete beginners
  • System might be too simple for some
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Generators — Tons of tables for generating locations, denizens, NPCs, and encounters.
  • Moves System — Uses specific moves for different stages of the game (preparing for journey, on journey, encountering NPCs, settlements, etc.).
  • Oracle Cards — Worldbuilding cards can be used as oracles for generation.
  • Sliver of Fate — Uses a simplified and modified version of Fate with a 2d6 system.
  • Survival — Includes rules for survival elements like collecting fungi.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • It's Fun to Go Alone. This is the top 10 solo RPGs.
  • As a matter of fact, I've done an episode on uh solo analog dungeon crawl.
  • And boy howdy did I fall in love with this game.
  • This is a game that that treats the kind of spirituality and folklore and mythology of the Japan in a very very respectful nature.
  • Holy crap, what a game. I love this game. It is so much fun.
  • This game is super super simple.
  • The simplicity can be a little confusing because as you're reading the rules, you're kind of like, 'Oh, wait. That's it. I don't get it.'
  • Morgborg, man, what a game. I love this game so much.
  • The solo rules that made me understand solo role playing.
  • The generosity liberal thirdparty licensing.
  • Scarlet Heroes really is the game that made solo role playing click with me.
  • This is an all inone solution with some of the best, most useful solo oracles and rules I have ever played.
  • The urban adventure rules in Scarlet Heroes handle that really well, better than just about any other game I've played.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video WYGsRorORyI The Dungeon Dive Top List at 5:01 sentiment: positive
video_pk 83356 · mention_pk 286343
The Dungeon Dive - Downcrawl video thumbnail
Click to watch at 5:01 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Fantastic oracle cards
  • Neat game about exploration
  • Nice procedural system
  • Easy to get into
Cons
none
Thematic elements
  • Exploring with strange creatures and environments
  • Otherworldly, deep, dark caverns
  • Procedural system
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Oracle Cards — The reviewer found the oracle cards to be fantastic and cool, enhancing the solo experience.
  • Procedural generation — The game uses a procedural system where 'everything has a little rule'.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • And in this video, I'll be discussing the best games that I played in 2025.
  • And the golden torch award I am giving out to games that uh are just shining examples in the hobby. They are the golden torches and I think the game that I am awarding that to this year really really does deserve it.
  • But my most disappointing was the uh the expansion for Talisman fifth edition, the co-op expansion. Man, what a disappointment.
  • Those house rules created by Dragon Phoenix Games, which are the designers and publisher for Gathering Gloom, are great. they make the game how it should have been from the beginning.
  • Wandering Galaxy was going to be my game of the year. It's a fantastic game.
  • Conversely, my game of the year and the winner of the very very first Dungeon Dive Golden Torch award is shockingly just shocked me to like I couldn't believe that I am giving my game of the year to a Stonemer Games game uh from from uh from Jamie Stagmire and that is Vantage.
  • It is so effortlessly easy to set up, to learn, to play. I mean, it literally takes about 5 minutes to set the game up and start playing.
  • What I care about is having an experience of having a fun experience of exploration of discovery of mystery of of that kind of illusion of infinite possibility.
  • And I can't think of another game that gives me that illusion better than Vantage does. It is absolutely truly the modern adventure game perfected.
  • So, all right. Well, hey, let me know some of the best games you played.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Top
Showing 1–3 of 3