A Love Letter to A Township Tale’s Mines
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It all started innocently enough, a little foray into the dark for some sandstone. I only needed a little more to finish building the bridge to the woods. So I grabbed my torch and the complementary pick near the entrance. Then I descended for the first time.
Oh it was dark, scary, terrifying even. I heard the scraping of who knows what down in the tunnels. There I was, brand new to A Township Tale, expecting a light fantasy world of adventure and a fun crafting system. Instead I was cowering in a corner, glancing over my shoulder at the sound of every echoing scrape and hoping the wain light of my torch did not go out. I grabbed what I could and got the hell out of there. Off to greener pastures, but it wouldn’t be the forests that would hold my attention. It would be that dark, mean place.
As so often in RPGs, the reason was loot. The mines are full of loot, bursting with it. Crates, chests, all containing vital Blacksmithing molds and crafting recipes. The second time I went into the mines I only went down a single additional level, but I was hooked. The possibilities those recipes brought, the things I could make. I had to have more, MORE.
So I made a sword, hoisted my pick, readied my teleport potion, and so my addiction to delving in the dark began. Now I’m starting to understand dwarves a little better. Around every craggy corner is more potential for the shiny motherload, the next big find. Otherwise, the next big danger, and both of those possibilities are just as compelling.
If you want danger and loot in A Township Tale, then the Mines is your place. You can access it right from the beginning, though I wouldn’t recommend it without a weapon. A teleport potion is vital too, once I wandered up six levels in the dark, praying my food would hold up and the coal in my lantern wouldn’t burn out. All because I figured I would find one down in the depths, but never did before my sword was on the verge of shattering into pieces and I had to flee for my life.
There’s random loot and there’s ores, coal and crystals down in the mines. Mushrooms too. Probably other things I haven’t even found yet. Most of all there’s enemies. A lot of Turabadas, but I like to call them Rock Monsters. Wyrms too, which are pretty aptly named. Turabadas are great, they’ll drop stones and ores, both of which you’ll need in spades. Also these little grenades that are just GREAT for taking out their cousins. That’s cannibalized firepower, quite literally. Wyrms spit acid and pop up randomly out of the floor with a foreboding rumble. They’ll surprise you, but they’ll also surprise the Rock Monsters. Playing off their natural hatred of each other can make a tough fight a lot easier. Wyrms and Turabadas will fight each other to the death.
It seems dangerous at first, but really it’s all sunshine and unicorns up on the first few levels. Well, there’s no sunshine, but you know what I mean. The mushrooms aren’t even poisonous. The Turabadas are generally the little, adorable kind easily taken down with a few hits. Further down though, they get big and beefy. Unless you’ve got a few of those little grenades on you or some dynamite you better hope you block their giant craggy fists or you might find yourself back in town with all of your best gear sitting down in the pitch black somewhere. Sometimes you just have to call it quits and throw a teleport potion at your feet.
Get a little further down and you hit the crystal caverns. Wow are they are beautiful. There’s light in the darkness here, and I felt like I could see for miles. Still, it gets more dangerous the deeper you go. Crystal Wyrms, more big Rock Monsters. My heart was racing the first time I made it that far. All in the search of that sweet, sweet iron and gold.
I was sweating. A Township Tale isn’t a particularly intense VR experience most of the time, but after an hour in the mines my headset was drenched. Partly from swinging swords and picks and partly from the excitement of it all. I got my iron. I got my gold. More awaits down in the depths. A seemingly infinite amount to be had in the darkness, and the thrill of acquiring it.
A Township Tale opens up to danger and adventure in the Mines, and making that sword you’ll need to keep the Wyrms off your back has special significance when it saves your life later on. It’s the beauty of any crafting system. Create the things you need to make your way to the hallmarks of victory. The Mines contain those hallmarks. Iron, gold, loot. All the things you want to make the things that will get you more of what you want.
More than anything I wanted some excitement, and I found that in the Mines. I will continue to find it as I delve deeper and deeper, always searching for the next big find. The next treasure always elusively a few floors down, guarded by whatever terrors lie in the depths.