When I started writing Beneath Ahknoor I had a bunch of goals in mind. I wanted to recreate the feel of delving through a massive megadungeon, trying to make sense of it. I also wanted to explore human-centric, Swords and Sorcery themes. The more I wrote, the clearer one thing became. I wanted to show how adventuring was a path of corruption and erosion.

Each time I was faced with a design choice, I felt pulled toward ideas of loss and change. It changed the game, made it clearer and more compelling. Now, it stands firmly as a megadungeon that changes adventurers, forcing them to confront not just the dungeon, but what they’re willing to become in pursuit of fame and treasure.

I’ve been hard at work on my rewrite, and 0.6, covering the core systems, is almost ready to share. After that, I’ll turn to 0.7, which really leans into corruption, and 0.8, providing Player and Keeper support. Over the next couple of months, I’ll be sharing more about 0.6 and what it means for adventurers.

Here are some of the ways the game has already changed:

• Above Ground Phase: No longer a reset button. It now follows the arc of Returning, Reflecting, and Preparing. Moves now strain relationships with the nearby town, reveal the cost of delving, and load the next delve.
• Retainer system: A Delving Move that provides tactical advantage that brings pressure to the Adventurers, and an Above Ground Move that mirrors the erosion of the PCs. (I've written about this on Patreon.)
• Saga system: Introduces dungeon levels through the unreliable narrator of legends heard by the Adventurers. (I've posted about this on Patreon too.)

I’ll be writing monthly posts here, highlighting the kinds of changes that I’m making. Follow along, share your thoughts, let me know what resonates, and what surprises you. For even deeper dives, sneak peaks, and more frequent posts, check out my
Patreon.