Grounded: Rules of Survival Page

The official Grounded permadeath ruleset for Survivor Incognito. Full survival rules, gameplay settings, permadeath conditions, and challenge guidelines for The Backyard Trials series.

🎮 Game Settings

  • Game Mode: Survival
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Permadeath Active: Absolutely

⚰ Permadeath Rule

  • Death = Game Over
  • No exceptions
  • No reloading saves to undo mistakes
  • One life, one run

🕹 Respawn / Save Rules

  • Respawn points may not be used
  • Manual saves may only be created for technical backup only (e.g. crashes)
  • Saves may not be used to recover from deaths or mistakes
  • Autosaves are the primary save method

🍔 Food & Water Rules

  • All food and water must be gathered naturally during normal gameplay
  • Stockpiles may be maintained in moderation for short-term safety (expeditions, raids, brief resource gaps)
  • As a guideline:
    • Water reserves should not exceed 8–10 sips (roughly 3–4 days of travel)
    • Cooked food reserves should not exceed 2–3 of full consumption
    • Jerky can be stockpiled up to 5–10 pieces as emergency rations
    • Mushroom stockpiles should remain under 20–30 units
    • Smoothies and buff foods may be prepped for boss fights or emergencies but should not exceed 5–10 per type
  • Mass hoarding or indefinite stockpiles that fully eliminate survival pressure are not permitted
  • Dew collectors and aphid farms may be built but should not be mass-produced solely to remove survival tension
  • Any unintended glitches, bugs, or infinite generation of resources may not be exploited

🛠 Crafting & Progression Rules

  • All recipes must be unlocked through normal gameplay
  • No external guides, maps, or wikis allowed
  • BURG.L chips must be discovered organically
  • Science station upgrades permitted when unlocked

🕷 Combat Rules

  • All encounters are real threats
  • Retreat, avoidance, and stealth are allowed
  • Exploiting terrain glitches or AI weaknesses is forbidden
  • Random AI behaviour may occur naturally – combat may continue
  • Panic-flailing is always allowed

🏠 Base Building Rules

  • Bases must serve survival needs
  • Keep builds practical – no mega-fortresses or infinite ziplines
  • Large expansions must be earned through survival progression

🔧Equipment Rules

  • All gear must be crafted or earned through normal progression
  • Upgrades allowed when unlocked
  • No duplication glitches or inventory exploits

🐛 Boss Rules

  • Bosses may be attempted if reached naturally
  • Bosses may not be cheesed via terrain exploits
  • Retreat allowed – but death ends the run regardless

🧪 Optional Science Rule (Advanced Variant)

  • All BURG.L quests must be accepted when offered
  • Completion encouraged but not required
  • Optional rule for extra challenge

🚫 Glitch & Cheese Policy

  • No save-scumming
  • No terrain clipping
  • No duplication
  • No infinite resources
  • No exploit abuse

🕷 The Arachnophobia Rule

  • Arachnophobia Mode may be adjusted at anytime
  • Player comfort always comes first
  • Using Arachnophobia Mode does not invalidate the run

Want a Copy of the Rules?

Click Download below

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