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While searching for solo-focused tabletop RPGs for both fun and game design inspiration, I came across an indie solo TTRPG called Ker Nethalas.
Apparently, Ker Nethalas has built up a dedicated following on Reddit as a hardcore dungeon-crawling experience.
I decided to give it a try myself, and before long I found myself completely hooked by its brutal atmosphere and incredible sense of immersion.
So, I figured I’d share the actual play journal I wrote while playing.
I’d love to help introduce this game to more people here in Japan…!!
Character Introduction
Name: Lend
Crime: Made disrespectful remarks toward the sanctioned Church.
For this offense, he was cast into the great abyss beneath Ker Nethalas—a place from which no one has ever returned alive.
His Masteries are Weapon Master and Duskblade.
His combat style revolves around dealing massive damage through ambushes before finishing enemies head-on through sheer martial skill.
- Trained under a legendary master of arms. His preferred weapon is the saber.
- Studied the arts of assassination at the Academy of Shadows.
The Beginning of the Adventure
I awoke amid a mountain of corpses.
Pushing aside bloated bodies swollen with decay and enduring the stench assaulting my nose, I struggled toward solid ground.
It took me some time to remember how I had ended up here.
The fog clouding my memory slowly began to lift.
A high-ranking priest of the sanctioned Church—a man grown fat and comfortable—was preaching noble words before a crowd of starving commoners.
So I told him exactly what I thought.
“Why don’t you go eat pig dung?”
The crowd went pale.
Guards surrounded me.
I remember nothing after that.
Still…
Even in this refuse pit, I am alive.
If there is a way in, there must be a way out.
So I started walking.
Blessed by Loot
Looking around, I spotted a partially used torch.
Perhaps someone else had once attempted to escape.
The fate of that unfortunate predecessor was not encouraging, but useful tools are useful tools.
The room ahead appeared to be some kind of ancient guard post.
Among the scattered weapons and armor, I found several items that looked serviceable.
A dagger.
A club.
A spear.
And a pair of steel greaves.
The greaves were worn in places, but more than adequate for protecting my legs.
As I prepared to move on, I noticed something glittering.
A coin.
Might as well pick up anything worth carrying.
The door ahead was locked.
Whether it was trapped or not, I had no idea.
Standing around worrying wouldn’t help, so I gave it a pull.
Poor craftsmanship.
If I threw my weight against it hard enough, it looked breakable.
After several shoulder charges, the door finally gave way.
Good thing there wasn’t a trap.
A corridor stretched onward, ending at yet another door.
If doors were all this dungeon had to offer, I was prepared to break every last one of them.
As usual, I had no clue whether it was trapped.
And naturally, it was locked.
Cursing my luck, I slammed myself into it.
This one opened surprisingly easily.
Beyond it lay another room.
And another corpse.
This one looked relatively fresh.
Maybe more escapees wandered Ker Nethalas than I’d first assumed.
After letting out a hollow laugh for no particular reason, I searched the body.
Two hardtack biscuits.
A collection of miscellaneous junk.
And a few coins.
I helped myself to all of it.
Besides the door I entered through, two more exits remained.
I approached the nearest one.
Suddenly, a pendulum blade swung toward me from the side.
I leapt back, but not quickly enough.
The blade sliced across my hand.
Damn.
The door itself wasn’t locked.
Timing my movement, I dashed through.
Beyond the corridor, I saw glowing eyes.
A rotting corpse crouched over something, devouring it.
Whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t interested in sharing a pleasant dinner conversation.
I drew my dagger.
My hands trembled at the sight of it.
Pathetic.
What had all that training been for?
Before I could steady myself, the creature turned its head and charged.
The Sound of Collapse
I buried my blade deep into its chest.
In return, it sank its teeth into my abdomen.
Only a minor wound, but a wound nonetheless.
Seeing nothing else of value nearby, I decided to rest.
…Hm?
The creature had been clutching something.
A longsword inscribed with runes.
A magical weapon.
Why would a monster have something like this?
The question lingered, but first I needed sleep.
I secured the area with a barricade.
Boiled water.
Cooked the hardtack into something vaguely edible.
Used the junk I’d collected to fashion lockpicks and additional torches.
Then I lay down.
…
Something moved.
Someone was approaching.
A chill ran down my spine as my hand closed around my dagger.
An armored skeleton emerged from the darkness.
My heart pounded.
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I waited.
When it stepped within reach, I drove my dagger straight into its skull.
Sanity Slipping Away
The ambush worked.
Unfortunately, the fight dragged on far longer than I would’ve liked.
I wasted precious energy.
At this rate, the future looked grim.
Surrounded by monsters, I tried to sleep.
…
It didn’t go well.
I’d seen too many horrors.
Too many things that should not exist.
I felt myself inching closer to madness.
Swallowing the urge to break down, I focused on the door ahead.
No trap.
No lock.
I pushed forward.
At a fork, I chose the left path.
The room beyond contained what appeared to be an ancient idol.
Melted candle wax clung to its surface.
One usable candle remained.
I gratefully pocketed it before continuing down the left-hand corridor.
The moment I entered the next chamber, a bell rang.
The sound reverberated through the deepest corners of my mind.
Instinctively, I covered my ears.
Clenched my teeth.
Endured.
Eventually the ringing ceased.
But my nerves were frayed beyond measure.
An overwhelming drowsiness washed over me.
My focus slipped.
If another enemy appeared now…
Could I even fight properly?
The Adventure Ends Before Recovery Comes
Keeping an eye on my dwindling torchlight, I entered another room.
There, I discovered something unusual.
A twisted, warped hourglass engraved with glowing green symbols.
A powerful magical artifact.
(Turning this hourglass stops time for all enemies, leaving them Dazed for three rounds.)
Nothing else seemed noteworthy.
So I continued onward.
Ahead stood another door.
Fine.
I’d smash this one open too.
The moment I reached for it, fire erupted from hidden mechanisms.
Flames engulfed me.
There was no time to dodge.
Heat.
Pain.
Fortunately, the door itself wasn’t locked.
I rushed through.
Turning left down the corridor, I found another door.
This time I spotted the trap first.
Another fireball mechanism.
Unfortunately, I had no thieves’ tools left.
Still, knowing the trap existed made it easier to avoid.
I steeled myself and approached.
The fireball launched.
This time, I managed to dodge.
The door was locked yet again.
No choice.
I slammed myself against it.
I wasn’t about to waste valuable lockpicks here.
The drowsiness worsened.
My body felt heavy.
Still, I kept battering the door.
…
Perhaps exhaustion had dulled my senses.
Perhaps I had simply grown careless.
Whatever the reason, I failed to notice the enemy approaching from behind.
By the time I realized a skeleton was walking toward me, it was already too late.
My entire body tensed in terror.
Desperately, I tried to defend myself.
…
The journal ends here.
Reflections
My rate of attrition far exceeded my ability to recover.
Everything gradually spiraled into a losing battle.
Rather than focusing purely on damage, I probably need a build that either avoids taking damage altogether or improves recovery.
Ironically, despite intending to play a damage-focused character, battles lasted much longer than expected.
The biggest reason was starting with the “beginner” introduction.
Because of that choice, I never got access to my preferred weapon—the saber.
In the standard introduction, you begin with a weapon of your choice, so I definitely want to take advantage of that next time.
Another lesson was that weakening enemies may be more valuable than simply increasing my own damage.
Given the way the game’s systems work, debuffs seem incredibly powerful.
As for items…
I found a fantastic hourglass that could stop time.
I saved it for a hypothetical boss fight.
Then I died while still carrying it.
Lesson learned.
Powerful consumables are meant to be used.
Final Thoughts
And that’s my Ker Nethalas actual play journal.
The game places a tremendous emphasis on harsh exploration and survival.
Writing a journal while playing created an incredibly immersive experience, allowing me to sink deeply into its world.
There doesn’t seem to be a defined victory condition, but I’d like to set my own goal depth and eventually attempt an escape from the dungeon.
And if I ever manage to clear it, I’d love to write an IndieGame100 review as well.
Enjoy your gaming life!!
And thanks for reading all the way to the end!
Over on X, I post article updates and yell about whatever game I’m currently playing.
It’s about 1.3 times louder than the blog.
(According to our highly scientific internal estimates.)
