The Well RPG

The Well takes place in an underground city, generations and generations after anyone remembers there even being an “above ground.” They mine needed resources out of the earth around them, entomb their dead, and when they’ve run out of materials or space, they move downward. They go down along the Well, a massive shaft of empty space running straight up and down, farther than anyone knows in both directions. Down leads to new tunnels, new resources, and more distance from the tombs they’ve left behind. Only a few brave or crazy souls go back up, because some malicious force animates their dead ancestors. These people, called gravediggers, go up to put down the unquiet dead and reclaim lost treasures, usually left behind as grave goods.

The Well features an original system that uses simple dice rolls and gives players lots of control over their levels of risk and the consequences that befall their characters. Character generation can take as little as five minutes, letting you get to the gaming faster. Roll a single die, “play a gambit” to add bonus dice based on just how risky you want to be, and add them up. You can do well and suffer complications at the same time, and no roll is wasted: even a poor roll gives you some progress toward your goal.