cryptkeeper
A downloadable game
"Cryptkeeper? Hello? Ah, hi, yeah we're back... sorry to bother you again. We... we don't know, er, there's, um, there's a bit of a situation with the crypt... yeah, I think we broke something. Sorry. Can you fix it?"
The Basics:
Every card serves dual purposes. If you explore a card as a tile on the map, it will trigger an Event Effect. However, if you instead draw the card as an item, you can use that card at any time to trigger an Item Effect. The map and the deck swap places every floor, so be careful about what you discard, because it'll come back as a map tile on the next floor!
A solo TTRPG / boardgame, made with inspiration from various roguelike games. Learn the game's systems and use them to your advantage!
patreon:
supporters on patreon ($3 ) can get this game for free! your support will help me make more of the sorts of games I've got here on itch. (fair warning: most are not TTRPGs, they're generally puzzle games, arcade games, and experimental games!)
Purchase
In order to download this game you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $5 USD. You will get access to the following files:
community copies
Support this game at or above a special price point to receive something exclusive.
community copies!
If you can't afford to pay but still would still like to play, feel free to claim a community copy. My only requirement (honor system) is that you go find a creator that has inspired you recently and tell them what you've enjoyed about their work!
Development log
- v1.2 RebalancingMay 18, 2021
Comments
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I just finished playing it and it was really hard! Maybe a little bit repetetive for my taste, but overall a nice game with a lovely comedic tone! Thank you <3
(disappears in a poof of lemon scent)
Any chance for new community copies soon?
It was hard, and I didn't win, but I had fun!
Wow, such simple looking game that's got some real tactical complexity. This was great fun!
Cryptkeeper is a solo TTRPG inspired by rougue-likes. There's a mishap in the crypt and chaos broke out! As the cryptkeeper, it's your responsibility to descend the crypt and makes things right again. I really dig the font and art of this one.
I absolutely love this game. It's freaking hard, I played a few rounds, and I haven't won yet, but I won't stop until I does.
I just played a few rounds and I love it!
Cryptkeeper is a game about being a literal dungeon master curating a crypt for adventurers.
Specifically, it's about descending into that crypt to fix it after the adventurers did something it wasn't coded for and bugged the whole thing out.
The PDF is 7 page with some great, charming illustrations and a legible but handwritten aesthetic.
Cryptkeeper runs on the Carta engine, so it's about building and traversing a map made of cards. Unlike other Carta games, Cryptkeeper has you reassemble the map from floor to floor. It also lets you build a hand of items---which are the same cards that you would deal with as encounters if you ran into them on the floor.
Discarded items turn into the map for the next floor, but you can't quite cheese the game into giving you a series of small maps. You need to encounter an Ace and a King on each floor in other to proceed, so you're encouraged to keep some items in your hand, but not to absolutely pack it full.
There are a lot of ways to lose Cryptkeeper, and the final win condition is pretty tight. Victory comes from savvy item use, desperation, and luck. However, losing isn't too bad. There are no major plot consequences to a loss, and it's easy to reset.
Throughout the PDF, the writing is consistently stellar, and the item mechanics are neat.
Overall, if you're looking for a single-player trpg with roguelike features, I would strongly recommend grabbing a copy of Cryptkeeper. It's easy to learn, it's engaging, and the setting is written so well that I want to read more material from the same universe. It's a great way to while away a little time, and a fantastic use of the Carta engine.