A superb solo RPG of paranormal investigation - The Unseen World (review and gameplay)

[@Montag451]

Arigatougozaimasu! Thank you so much for reviewing my game (I'm also Montag451 on BGG), and I'm glad you enjoyed it! I'm so used to watching your videos and thinking, "That seems like a cool game I might need," but for once, I don't need to buy it; I made the game! 😄I really enjoyed how much flavor you added to the story. And what luck that your hunch on the industrial accident was right with the "Fire" and "Accident" rolls. On top of that, you rolled the rare encounter! Corrections: While you did catch that the Museum had Info, which is a huge +3 when doing Research (Search for Information), it's worth pointing out that Probe is also for Research, you can't use it during the Investigation (but your ability can help a lot when collecting information). You also earn 1 bonus xp if you survived all the encounters (weren't forced to flee), so you would have ended with 4xp. I know filming these run-throughs makes it tough keeping the rules straight, you actually did a fantastic job! I'm glad you were able to find the info you needed when you had to look something up 😅 As always, your overviews and playthroughs are super engaging. Loved your series on Runebound, too (my favorite game!). I thought I had subscribed but I had not (now corrected). Your videos are in my recommended feed so often! Anyone interested in The Unseen World, the PDF is on sale (50% off) for the month of May, and there is a free demo PDF if you want to try it out yourself first!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Nice! Thanks for the info / corrections. :) Appreciate it. Hope you see a little bump in sales from The Dungeon Dive. :)

[@Montag451]

@@TheDungeonDive Already been a ton of new sales and downloads, can't thank you enough ❤

[@JJ-ze6vb]

Why appropriate a foreign culture though? Seems obvious that the setting is just used in stereotypical pastiches.

[@TheDungeonDive]

It's actually quite respectful to the Japanese paranormal genre. There are definitions of words and bits of folklore throughout. It's a celebration of the setting.

[@jarldjevel6111]

​@JJ-ze6vb Appropriate? With all due respect, this is a game of fiction using cultural elements from different cultural media largely exported outside Japan. And obviously all works of art take inspiration from existing elements. Should there be a "rpg design police" policing what can be used and by whom? This comment makes me sad.

[@davidk6269]

Thanks, Daniel for another interesting game review! Your channel is on the cusp of reaching the 25k subscriber milestone. I can't wait to celebrate this well-deserved achievement with you!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thank you! :)

[@roach2107]

hit it! Congratulations TDD

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thanks!

[@sirguy6678]

Great video! Always enjoy your game play and instructions- always laid out well! Easy to follow!

[@AgressivePigeon]

Really love the fact the creator took the time to make a free demo, respect. Thank you for the review, this looks like the type of game with the vibes I love

[@Montag451]

Demos are making a comeback 😉

[@tonosama516]

Thank you for reviewing this game and showing similar games. It’s refreshing to buy great games at affordable prices. I’ll be buying this and others you mentioned. Fantastic idea using name lists to enhance the immersive experience. Cheers!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it.

[@jamesortiz1]

thank you so much for reviewing this game and giving us a playthrough Ive been searching for a good solo paranormal game for awhile now and this is perfect thanks amillion

[@pearlwinter4930]

For a good names list check out Stars Without Number Free Edition. It features names from ten cultures (male, female, surname, and place)

[@stephenoshea3471]

Great video, love the vibe of this and lots of stuff to do - feels more meaty that lots of solo stuff but not overcomplicated either. Ordered myself a copy. Congrats on the 25k too :)

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thanks!

[@ソルグル]

Thanks, Dan! I knew it was worth bringing this to your attention. Here are 4 other recommendations: ElderSworn, Sworn by Ghostlight, Eleventh Beast, Ikezu-Ishi. Hope to see them here soon!

[@sanmasensei]

Aaaaaand another purchase made

[@tricellceo6614]

Bought this game about 25 min into the review!!! Loving it!!! I never would have known it even existed without this vid. Just ignore the haters, its 2024, some people are going to find SOMETHING to be offended about. I love the concept, the rule system and art, also a top notch quality printing on the rulebook!!! Well done

[@TheDungeonDive]

It's really great! Glad the episode enticed you to try it. :)

[@TheHawkeyede]

oh that looks indeed very interesting!. Thanks for the video!

[@TheDungeonDive]

You bet!

[@andrewsenseigames]

Been living in various Japanese towns and cities close to two decades - currently living near an old Kamikaze pilot airfield. Plenty of stories I would love to weave into my own playthrough. Thank you for bringing my attention to this game!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Oh nice! Should make for some really interesting plays!

[@Montag451]

If you check out the game, I'd love to know if you have any corrections! 😄 I don't think I have very good odds of ever visiting Japan (I'm on the wrong side of the planet).

[@andrewsenseigames]

@@Montag451 I will order the PDF this week and read through it. 😎 I love the look already.

[@Montag451]

@@andrewsenseigames Thank you ❤

[@Galthordenumenor]

I bought it before the video ended :)

[@tricellceo6614]

Same

[@solitaryrpg]

I like seeing g your hand made zines. Keep up all the great work.

[@azazelph39]

The more famous Azabu is a actually part of Tokyo that’s likely the most expensive residential area there, for rich folk and celebrities. Quite the opposite of your town. :-)

[@TheDungeonDive]

Nice! Thanks.

[@mopperl]

oh by the way - the word you're looking for is Miko - a shrine maiden

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thanks! Appreciate it.

[@bloodrunsclear]

This really reminds me of the video game World of Horror (which I love)

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yep! That's another good comparison.

[@SuperPreacherX]

Great video, thanks!👍

[@TheDungeonDive]

No problem 👍

[@nathancantwell602]

Right, it is becoming quite apparent to me that this channel is quickly becoming a moderate threat to my bank balance. I will be making another withdrawal to pay for this one. Oh well.

[@TheDungeonDive]

At lease this one is cheap! :)

[@faranglao8006]

Moderate! More like aggressive threat.

[@hariszark7396]

It would be interesting to see videos uploaded by players in a form of a "real investigation documentary" using this game as source material. Also it would be better if they don't restrict themselves only to Japan area. And they could have a variant of ending encounters in every investigation with different "bosses" like in Cthulhu Mythos games.

[@kkantele]

Stylish playing cards! 👌🏽

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thanks! It's a really nice cardistry deck. Super high quality cards. They feel so good.

[@artistpoet5253]

Fun. Reminds me in some ways like the old X Files TCG.

[@TheDungeonDive]

Oh wow! Never ever knew this existed.

[@mopperl]

reminds me a lot of world of horror or ghostwire tokyo, very interesting thanks for showing!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yep! Two other similar things, for sure.

[@richardextall2002]

This looks like a great solo game.

[@TheDungeonDive]

It’s is! It’s fantastic.

[@pickpocketpressrpgvideos6655]

Interesting game. So would the final encounter (from the random table looks like) on top of the fourth floor kind of wrap up the source of the haunted fire?

[@TheDungeonDive]

Yes.

[@d.aardent9382]

Very cool. from the title of game,it is not what i thought it was. I think i had that online video game in my memory that had nearly the same title. My friend played it for awhile but i think they shut down the servers. (The online game was about supernatural and occult ,secret societies stuff) This rpg is nicely different from a lot of the general ones of repetitive and reiterated "medieval fantasy adventure within a catacombs or cavern" There are bazillion of those now and i just get numbed to them as they all seem like exactly same thing too much. The game im trying to develop is more like a 1800s ,early 1900s adventure,mystery, horror something-r-other. Lol Idk ive just had this game in my mind since early 1990 but i never had time to work on it to actually build it and develop the different parts.

[@TheDungeonDive]

I think that was called Secret World. It was pretty cool. Unique in a lot of ways.

[@Montag451]

If you were indeed talking about Secret World, it's actually still going, but now called Secret World Legends (under new ownership). I loved that game, too. It actually is a decent comparison, though there isn't fighting in The Unseen World.

[@FredBednarski]

Thanks for bringing it to our attention Daniel! While I'm not that well versed in Japanese horror, does seem quite fun. Apart from the common names tables you made (which I would love as an appendix in the pdf), do you think there's enough info in the book for someone who doesn't know much about the genre to play it? Because I think @Montag451 really nailed the core loop, making the game quite fun to play. Making action deck also be the timer is a brilliant simple solution for investigation, and the travelling to different locations and having to get cash makes for a neat experience. The only thing stopping me from picking it up is the theme, as I'm worried I wouldn't be able to do its justice. However, I can see the same core mechanic working in other stuff too - from mundane detective work to pure survival! So maybe I can pick it up and make myself some kind of retheme? Oh, one more question - do you get to update your player/action deck beyond changing what aces stand for?

[@TheDungeonDive]

As far as the info goes, yes. I don't think you need to be into J-horror to get a lot out of the game. And yes, you can upgrade your deck. If you're looking for something similar with a different theme, I'd recommend Alone Against Fear and Little Town.

[@Montag451]

I actually have notes for a 'sequel' game that has a monster-hunting theme 🙂 You travel around and track monsters, learning their habitats and local folklore. I know the Japan + paranormal theme of this one won't appeal as broadly, but sometimes you gotta make the game you want to play if it doesn't exist!

[@FredBednarski]

@@TheDungeonDive Thanks - will pick up the game and check your videos about the other ones (I know you have one about Little Town at least).

[@FredBednarski]

@@Montag451 Totally! I would much rather play a game with niche theme, but one that author is passionate about than one where they just try to please everybody. 9/10 the former will be a much more fun experience! Saying that, I would love the monster hunting game ;) Edit: Anyway, just bought a pdf of the Unseen World - happy to support an indie dev and looking forward to giving it a try tonight :)

[@Montag451]

@@FredBednarski Thank you! I hope you enjoy 🙂

[@Kaylakaze]

So many of these I wish were Fantasy Grounds or Tabletop Simulator modules.

[@TheDungeonDive]

You can just use the PDF on your computer! I just happen to like physical things.

[@Kaylakaze]

@@TheDungeonDive Do you have any idea how many years it's been since I've written? Like on paper?! 😛

[@TheDungeonDive]

Haha. I still love writing on paper.

[@SaintSolo]

so i have a question, is there a chance that you will be playing ironsworn sundered isles? i ask because i enjoy the depth that you go into when explaining how to play. i can read and i have the pdf lol but could use the reassurance. hope this makes sense

[@TheDungeonDive]

No. I do not like the Ironsworn system. Well made, but just not for me. I have a review on the channel detailing why.

[@SaintSolo]

@@TheDungeonDive oh ok thanks man

[@TheDungeonDive]

@@SaintSolomy pleasure.

[@lufasumafalu5069]

i always prefer smaller reiviewers of boardgams and wargames like you compared to big names like Dice Tower the passion for gaming can be flet from your videos

[@TheDungeonDive]

Thanks! Appreciate that. :)