Catch up on the latest survival stories from Survivor Incognito, including permadeath tips, The Long Dark’s Customloper progress, Skyrim Survival struggles, and our chaotic first steps in Grounded. Your weekly roundup of cozy chaos and portable panic is here!
Monday:
💀 How I Handle Permadeath (And Still Sleep at Night) I laid out my personal rules for permadeath, how I cope when a character dies a stupid death (usually of my own doing), and why it somehow keeps me coming back for more. Survival tip: Sleep helps. So does sarcasm.
📜 Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival – Day Three We went further out to sea, saw things we probably shouldn’t have, and learned that fish aren’t the only things lurking in the dark. Spoiler: sanity is overrated.
🏔 Customloper – Day Two Mountain Town continues to be less “cosy alpine retreat” and more “conveniently located death trap.” At least we are still in one piece. Mostly.
🗡 Skyrim Survival – Day Eight Frostbite, bandits, and the general annoyance of being overencumbered after picking up one too many cabbages. Classic Skyrim survival energy.
🏡 Grounded – Day One Honey, I Shrunk the Panic. First day in the backyard brought bugs, dehydration, and a steep learning curve. That aphid had it coming.
🧊 More Long Dark, more Dark Waters, more Skyrim, and a deeper dive into the backyard horrors of Grounded. If we’re lucky, there may even be fireflies. If not, probably just death by thirst.
I’ll also hopefully have the Day One Diary for Don’t Starve up. And will explain the the rules for Snowrunner Survival. But these are both hopefully as I’m currently under the weather at the time of this going up. Thank goodness for being able to schedule posts though.
Where Am I, What Is That Fog, and Why Is My Compass Blinking at Me?
Day 1 of my Dredge permadeath playthrough. I crash a boat, inherit another, fish like a pro, and nearly get lost forever in Lesser Marrow. Welcome to Greater Marrow—the creepiest fishing job I’ve ever had.
Welcome to Greater Marrow: Where the Fish Are Plentiful and the Fog Eats Souls
The game opens with a cutscene: I’m peacefully boating along when heavy fog rolls in like an uninvited guest. Then—crash! Rocks. Camera pans to a lighthouse, which apparently decided to take the night off.
Inside the boat before the crash, I notice a crumpled job advert: “Angler Wanted.” I see now it meant sacrificial angler.
—
I wake up on a soggy dock at 6:00am on a Monday morning, having apparently faceplanted here the night before. The Mayor of Greater Marrow is there to greet me with all the cheer of someone who just hired a corpse to do a job.
He casually asks if I “didn’t see the lighthouse.” I choose not to answer, partly because I’m still drying out, and partly because I very clearly didn’t. My boat? Completely ruined. But the Mayor had the locals haul my stuff into an old spare vessel. How quaint.
—
My First Fishing Trip and Immediate Cartographic Failure
The Mayor warns me to be back before sundown. Apparently fog does weird things after dark. Comforting.
I hop in the backup boat and head out. The controls are straightforward and intuitive. Time passes while fishing, sailing, or basically doing anything—so multitasking is not encouraged.
—
By 3:17pm, I’ve reeled in seven blue mackerel and three cod. I’m feeling confident. A little too confident. I decide I have time for just one more fish.
Spoiler: I didn’t.
—
After grabbing another mackerel, I turn back… only to realise I’ve docked at Lesser Marrow, not Greater. Oops. I am, in fact, an idiot. A kind soul points me back to the lighthouse. By the time I get home, it’s 8:43pm and there’s a disturbing eye icon blinking next to my compass.
Is that… panic? Hallucination? Ancient evil? Who knows!
—
Debt, Deals, and the Definitely-Not-Suspicious Fishmonger
Back at Greater Marrow, the Mayor is somehow still waiting for me like an overbearing boss. He says I can pay off the loan on the boat by selling fish, with “a small percentage” going toward town improvements. Sounds a bit pyramid-scheme-y, but I nod along.
Inside the Fishmonger’s shop, he greets me with surprise: “New fisherman, already?” I ask about the last one. He doesn’t answer. Just says it takes a “certain type of person” to last out here. You mean one with night vision and zero self-preservation instincts?
I sell my fish, earning enough to reduce my $50 debt to $31.58. That’s decent for a day of being lost at sea.
The Mayor intercepts me again and hands over a research part, which I can use to upgrade my ship.
Upgrades, Nightfall, and Regrets
I pop into the Shipwright’s to check out the gear. After some very internal debating, I buy the Simple Skimmer Rod for catching shallow-water fish. It takes two in-game hours to install, meaning I walk out at 10:46pm.
I use the research part to unlock the Improved Outboard Engine, because clearly I need all the speed I can get after today’s performance.
I return to the dock, mentally exhausted, financially lighter, and very aware that this is only day one.
—
End of Day Summary
Fish Caught: 8 blue mackerel, 3 cod
Debt Remaining: $31:58
Creepy Things Spotted: One blinking eye
Times I Got Lost: Let’s just call it “multiple”
Regrets: Also multiple
—
⚠️ Madness Strike #1: Fogblind and Foolish
Let’s be honest—I didn’t mean to return after dark. But between misreading the map, mistaking Lesser Marrow for home, and ignoring the increasingly twitchy compass eye, it happened. The fog rolled in, and I rolled with it.
The rules are clear: return after sundown, and the mind pays the price. So here it is—my first Madness Strike.
Sanity: Fractured
Confidence: Shaken
Navigational Skills: Still questionable
—
What’s Next?
Day Two promises more fishing, more fog, and probably more confusion. Will I finally learn to navigate using the lighthouse? Will the eye by the compass blink twice? Will I discover what happened to the last fisherman?
Survivor Incognito 