Ker Nethalas | A solo fantasy survival game playthrough | Part 1

In Ker Nethalas: Into the Midnight Throne, a single player dungeon crawler set in an endless necropolis, your character must fight their way through the dark tunnels of the necropolis Ker Nethalas!
Join me as I play this solo dark fantasy survival game from Alex T at Blackoath Entertainment
Ker Nethalas on drivethrurpg - shorturl.at/ghNO5
My player aids - shorturl.at/cEKS7
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Disclaimer - I make these videos for fun. Whilst I welcome constructive and engaged discussion on the rules and tactics of a game, be aware that I might make mistakes and I might not make the most logical choices all of the time. I hope you can enjoy anyway!
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[@blackoathentertainment5617]

Thanks so much for your kind words, I'm really excited to see how your playthrough goes!

[@lone_adventurer]

My pleasure Alex, hope you enjoy the series going forward!

[@schwarzesonne6529]

I was wondering if I bought your book off Amazon and can show the order and a copy of the book can I get a copy of the PDF I actually want to run this game for a small table at crit hit 6 in Arizona (a local con) an it would be easier if I can have an extra copy so I can let the players use the physical one and quick start rules to make it flow easier I was going to run your game and another game called Dracula's America as a 2/2 hours slot to fill the 4 hours the game has interesting concepts

[@lone_adventurer]

​@@schwarzesonne6529 yeah if you email Alex with proof of purchase, he'll send the pdf over to you. Email address is on the Blackoath website.

[@schwarzesonne6529]

One question for either of y'all I'm rolling up my first character but I can not find the instructions for how to determine starting armor anywhere does this mean you start with nothing or am I missing something

[@blackoathentertainment5617]

@@schwarzesonne6529 if you start playing as I intended (doing the starting Domain), you'll find gear as you go through the rooms. If you want to jump straight into the random generation (it's more difficult), follow the instructions on page 226.

[@Chaoclypse]

Yesss!! Excited to see you dive into this, I've been playing it and I love the flavour of the generated dungeons a lot!

[@lone_adventurer]

Yeah, this game has plenty of flavour! Hope your image bashing workshop went well 🙂

[@blackoathentertainment5617]

Thanks so much!

[@DDCRExposed]

Wow! Looking over all the pages for this game, this is a legitimate character sheet similar to D&D, Pathfinder, and other like games.

[@lone_adventurer]

Yeah this game's stats are pretty serious!

[@julietmarais5972]

Looks awesome...will watch part 2 soon and quite sure it's going to be a must-have for me.Thank you very much for the overview and link and allowing me to discover some little gems!

[@lone_adventurer]

My pleasure! Yup, I really think this one is a winner and a perfect intro to Blackoath Entertainment games for the uninitiated (like you and me)!

[@TheDungeonDive]

Great video! Although I think we have different definitions of "rules-light!" ;) I'm waiting for all of my printed components before I dive into this.

[@lone_adventurer]

Did I say rules-light?! If I did, it was a moment of madness :D Ah so I guess you're getting the cards - I'm jealous! Look forward to seeing them on your channel at some point!

[@crushingit5128]

@@lone_adventurerwell... It's only in the title. But semantics

[@lone_adventurer]

​@@crushingit5128oops so it is! That was copied over from the title of a different game accidentally - changing now.

[@wwsohare]

I loved all of your videos on this game. It helped me so much. I appreciate you. I also started the forum in BGG and sent links to your aids and video, hope it helps you get more eyeballs for the work you did making these videos and aid sheet. Thank you!

[@lone_adventurer]

Thank you - its great to hear my videos were helpful, I really appreciate the feedback :) And thanks for getting the word out via BGG!

[@IthaquasBane]

Luvverly job covering this!! Looking forward to more, more, MORE!!! May your dice always roll true 😁

[@lone_adventurer]

Thanks man! More will be coming....

[@Rich_H_1972]

I picked this up at the weekend. Yet to arrive but looking through the PDF, it looks great. I recommend Sacrifice too by the same guy. It's awesome. As is Broken Shores.

[@lone_adventurer]

As long as I find the time, I intend to play both those games! I'm also intrigued by Under Ashen Skies...

[@Grognard-Solo-Gaming]

I backed this, but I have no idea when I will get around to playing it, so very happy to see you feature it on the channel! 👍🥳 Looking forward to more videos on this 😁

[@lone_adventurer]

I know the feeling of having a big backlog of games, but this one is worth jumping up the list, I reckon 🙂 (Or you can just watch my videos - that's good as well 😉)

[@jay_cadiramen]

Just got the book and looking forward to this series of your plays!

[@lone_adventurer]

Hope you enjoy, Jay!

[@Woosang72]

Ooo you had me at tables :) I think I have the PDF of this. Time to have a read through. Thanks for the video :) and inspiration

[@lone_adventurer]

Mucho mucho tables! You're welcome!

[@yagsipcc287]

Brilliant!! I wm waiting for my copy to come, should be here this week and I am getting the cards printed locally as it is way cheaper wont have a back on them though but worth it IMO since I am in Ireland the cards alone would be nearly 180 euro to be printed shipped olus taxes since the cards are only done in the US sadly. But hey. Hope you enjoy it. Its a fun game and of course tou dont need the cards they just help a bit more woth quickness

[@lone_adventurer]

Yeah I'd love those cards, but I'm gonna have to skip to unfortunately! As you say - would be handy, but I'll survive :) Thanks for watching!

[@MrClawt]

I need to check out all of the material Alex is making. They look super heavy metal.

[@yagsipcc287]

Oh its all amazing I have backed Across A Thousand Dead Worlds, sacrifice an incense & iron rpg, Ker Nethalas, and his new one that just finished so I can only speak on the first 3. They are all Brilliant Sacrifce is an OSR type game can be done solo, with two people one being a gm and one being a player or as a group if playing as a group best to go with the weak characters otherwise you will just destory everything easily, it is inspired by the Berserk manga best to play if you have some understanding on OSR games and maybe something to draw from. As A thousand dead worlds is just amazing rules are all overed in 20 pages or less has great art in it but the book is full of charts for everything to create anything to bring your ideas to life, I used it to make a sort of Dead Space story (the video game). I havent played Ker Nethalas much but you see it here :-) My book copy of it should be coming this week also I have got everything extra for Sacriface at least I will as I got the lastest zine with my Ker Nethalas book. Yes I am a big fan of Alexs work ha he has several other games as well that look great.

[@blackoathentertainment5617]

As a metalhead, everything I do is metal, haha

[@blackoathentertainment5617]

@@yagsipcc287 thank you so much for your kind words and continued support!

[@Rodinov_Claw]

Agreed that Alex is a real stand-up guy. Had trouble with the DTRPG codes, and Alex promptly refresh a new set of codes for me to proceed. Definitely supporting his next project

[@lone_adventurer]

For sure - definitely one of the good ones in our community!

[@blackoathentertainment5617]

Thanks for your kind words!

[@tbatrics]

I got this yesterday and am excited to play it.

[@robkeeley1570]

This channel is awesome and this game is amazing i got my copy today 😊

[@lone_adventurer]

Thanks and I hope you enjoy the game!!

[@crushingit5128]

Very crunchy indeed... But I think I like that?? My only concern is the nuances with the flow of combat. Lots of things to remember every round. Any word if the creator is going to release any cheat sheets? It seems you had to create your own to follow along. Which I cant blame you.

[@lone_adventurer]

Super crunchy (at least by my standards)! Actually, I have been finding combat to flow ok once you get into it (the cheat sheet I created helped, obviously). The designer has released a reference doc that details stuff like combat in a more condensed form - definitely handy, I just wanted to make my own on this occasion. Thanks for watching!

[@henriettapuskas7870]

Hallo Lone Adventurer✌🏻 thanks for this video, I’ve bought the book today😊 could you tell me please, how many dice will I have to have to play it? I’ve seen just that I’ll need D4,D6,D20… but couldn’t finde, how many of them. Thanks😊 I’m waiting for the coming videos😊

[@lone_adventurer]

Glad you enjoyed the series so far! Gonna be a couple of weeks until the new videos come out unfortunately! Dice - I'd say one of each is fine, except probably a few D6 and four D10 (the designer pointed out that time can be saved by rolling for attack and defence at once - that'd require rolling four D10 at once.

[@CMA777]

I grew up on the Fighting Fantasy series and this book comes off as FF on steroids. Very intrigued.

[@lone_adventurer]

Ha, that's one way of putting it :)

[@whangbar]

Well done. I just bought the paperback but haven't played yet. This was helpful and interesting. Thank you!

[@lone_adventurer]

Thanks - hope you enjoy it!

[@robkeeley1570]

This looks amazing I've been looking for something like this for a long time but I can't seem to find a physical copy anywhere

[@lone_adventurer]

It's print on demand at drivethrurpg (link in description) as well as on Amazon, I think!

[@user-oe6se8nk1l]

Hi I enjoy your videos a lot keep it up , I've just got a copy of Ker nethalas and was wondering where you got the survivor sheets and player aids from ,cheers

[@lone_adventurer]

Thanks - glad you're enjoying the series! The game sheets are included in the downloads of the game from drivethruprg. If you bought a physical copy, you can get in touch with Blackoath entertainment, and they'll send you the pdfs. The player aids I made - they are linked in the description of this video!

[@carlwoods4564]

Looks great, my kind of theme. Hows this compare to Four Against Darkness? Tbh it looks a LOT better. Either way ive just ordered a copy. Looks awesome.

[@lone_adventurer]

The learning curve is a bit steeper than 4AD and the base game is a lot more sophisticated than the 4AD base game (though obviously the many, many supplements add a lot of complexity to that one). Thanks for watching!

[@carlwoods4564]

@@lone_adventurer Ive ordered it. I do like FAD, but its lacking in the details part. You dont particularly care about any of the characters. And its a little easy. My boys love it as they can hack down Goblins left and right. This however looks more my thing, I just hope it has some decent expansions.

[@Galthordenumenor]

You put my name to your character?! Aaaaaw 😍(i know is just coincidence)

[@lone_adventurer]

Hope nothing....happens to you ;)

[@Tampahop]

Before I say anything else, let me say I love this game. I am currently playing co-op with another player and we are having a lot of fun. Periodically though, a cry of "Ker Nethalas!" goes up which is synonymous with "total frustration." Both of us feel that this game was not play tested at all. I'm sure the developer had a clear idea of what he wanted. He just didn't commit it all to paper or, at least, not where it should have been logically placed in the rules. For example, why is all of the stuff you get to start the first domain placed after the exit of the tutorial domain? Combat is a nightmare as well as bleeding rules. Tables seem to be placed almost randomly through the rules. The index is only semi-helpful. Also, why is my crime important? I have yet to find out why I have to roll on a table to find my crime. If it is only for story purposes, let the player imagine it as they will. Lastly, although you use a lot of common fantasy rpg terms, the rules don't have much in common with other rpgs. You might warn the players that if they have played any other fantasy rpgs, that they throw everything they knew out the window, It is meaningless. We also believe that you need another player aid, a journal page that you can track each room, what it looks like, doors, traps, encounters, etc. If you start by making an entry for every step of the flowchart, you'll have a good start on a journal page.

[@lone_adventurer]

Yeah, you're not wrong. The designer - who creates these games on his own somehow - is quite prolific, and the games he designs are quite complex. I'm also of the opinion that, whilst his designs are incredibly impressive, there are often issues in the details that maybe a longer playtesting period would clear up before putting them out into the world.

[@Tampahop]

@@lone_adventurer Our current problem is the phrase "direct damage" as it relates to bleeding. It is not defined in the rules. What is the 1 point of direct damage done each room from ongoing bleeding? We know it is not rolled. We assume that it bypasses armor although that is not explicitly stated. Then, is it removed like normal damage starting with toughness or is it taken directly from health? Sure, the developer knows, but it didn't manage to actually make it in the rules. It's another indication that nobody else playtested the game. Oh right, and it was caused by a creature that indicated a player was scratched and bleeding although it didn't say how much bleeding the scratch caused. Once again, it was probably obvious to the designer, but the rules refer to "bleeding X" where "X" is a number, not just "bleeding."

[@klauswigsmith]

Hey, great video! Question: I want to get a DM-less game for my family to play (3 of us, total) I got tired of DMing for D&D 5e. I was looking at Four Against Darkness, but it looks a bit simplistic with little to no tactical options and player agency, and this game caught my eye. Would this game work well with 3 players, like 4AD would? Cheers!

[@lone_adventurer]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Honestly, this game is really designed for solo play...no doubt you could make it work (I've a feeling there is some mention of adapting for co-op play somewhere in the rules) but I'm not sure I'm the one to ask! I would say there is potentially more to 4AD than meets the eye and probably more player autonomy the more supplements you add. That might be your best bet if you're looking for something mechanical, accessible and adaptable to co-op play...hope that helps 🙂

[@klauswigsmith]

@@lone_adventurer Thanks for that! I think I''ll stick with 4AD then, for now and see how that goes. Cheers and keep up the good work on these videos. Still gonna watch the rest of your series on Ker Nethalas despite my decision to go with 4AD.

[@user-rn9tq5ns7y]

Ok, I'm new to D&D , and I purchased Ker Nethalas book. But I cannot find the CHARACTER WORKSHEET anywhere. Could you give me a heads up where I could find them.

[@lone_adventurer]

Where'd you purchase it? If drivethrurpg, you can get it there. If amazon message the game designer at [e-mail] and he'll send it over to you!

[@DeadMarsh]

Does this have tactical combat? (Movement, Shove, parry, dodge, ect)?

[@lone_adventurer]

It does not, though the designer has explicitely said he will be adding tactical combat very soon that can be optionally added if the player wants.

[@schwarzesonne6529]

Does anyone whose played this game know what stat you use for poison resistance im assuming endurance but i cant find it in the rules. Also I'm still trying to figure out if you start with items or armor i started my run naked besides a sword when it comes to gear im not sure if this is correct

[@lone_adventurer]

No sure - hope you've found the answer! If not, I'd recommend getting on the Ker Nethalas facebook group - someone will likely be able to answer your question on there!

[@schwarzesonne6529]

@@lone_adventurer I got an answer from the game creator but I'm still a little confused he gave me the instructions for how it affects round by round and how it's overcame but I wasn't able to overcome it by the end of battle so I was doing it one point per explored room until I was able to remove it with a bandage after crafting during camping per the rules an the gear thing he cleared up easier just that you don't start with anything but a weapon

[@anteeantee8144]

how do i remove bleed? it dont finde it anywhere in the rules it says what the condition does but not how to remove it just the consequence if you dont remove it

[@lone_adventurer]

I think you can do so with a bandage - check the camping section, pretty sure there's some mention there!

[@blackoathentertainment5617]

@@lone_adventurer correct! Either some some of potion, Mastery, or just a bandage while camping.

[@jonathanfrost8767]

This is just a video game in paper form. Bosses at the end of each level

[@lone_adventurer]

Or video games are solo rpgs in digital form. You decide :)

[@blackoathentertainment5617]

Absolutely, I just decided to make a pen and paper Diablo game, basically, haha

[@workingforgear]

Thank you for sharing, I learned this is definitely not a game for me. While the story seems cool, it has way to many things to track.

[@lone_adventurer]

There is a lot! No doubt not for everyone. Thanks for commenting!

[@bobsiddoway]

Good lord. I don’t know if my brain can handle this game. 🤯🤣😑

[@lone_adventurer]

It is quite a lot 😂 definitely falls into the category of 'quite challenging' for me!!

[@kosterix123]

not a playthrough. Just an exercise in writing with a pencil.

[@lone_adventurer]

I know, right? Seriously who even let this pencil-using clown onto KZbin?!

[@trashman1358]

Title of the video... "Ker Nethalas | A solo fantasy survival game playthrough" You don't play the game once...?

[@lone_adventurer]

Not sure I understand your question.

[@trashman1358]

@@lone_adventurerNo question. Statement. You called the video a 'playthrough' and didn't play the game once. 37 minutes. No game. I would suggest 1st video of a game you call 'setup' and the first playthough refers to that. All I want to know is how does the game play... 37 mins later? I've got zero idea. Very frustrating.

[@agincourt_archer]

Seems to be one of these "?" bad boys in your "statement", my friend