Tag: Dredge survival

Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival – Day Two

I make a decent catch, brave the fog for squid, hit a rock, and find myself scolded by a lighthouse keeper. Also, the Mayor hands me a suspicious package. What could go wrong

Missed day one? Catch up here: Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival Day One

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A Fishy Favour, Fog, and a Friendly Fright

I start the morning determined to buy that sweet engine I researched yesterday—except I immediately forget what I actually researched and stare at the rod section like it’s going to jog my memory. Spoiler: it doesn’t.

Instead, I head out and fill my boat with four Gulf Flounders and three Grey Eels, making the kind of efficient haul that would make yesterday’s version of me green with envy. At 1:37pm, my inventory is maxed out, so I rush back to town—this time beating the sunset like a responsible angler. I dock at 2:55pm and breathe a sigh of relief. No second Madness Strike today. Growth!

Oh Look, A Convenient Fish Order

The Fishmonger greets me with news: a special order just came in.

Naturally, curiosity wins. Turns out the customer wants one of each fish I already caught. For once, the universe is kind. I hand them over like a champion and get a new order—two Arrow Squid and a Black Grouper. One problem: squid only show up at night. Great. But since it’s an official Pursuit, that means I can break my “no sailing after dark” rule without earning a Madness Strike. Hooray for loopholes!

I sell the rest of my fish and knock my debt down to $21.44. Progress.

Vroom Vroom into Doom

Back to the Shipwright I go, and this time I make a solid purchase: a Rusty Outboard Engine. Sure, it looks like it might explode at any second, but it installs in 2 hours and makes me marginally faster. By 4:58pm, I’m back in the water.

I fish up eight Arrow Squid while trying to stay near the light and far from danger. That’s when I realize that the eye icon is my panic meter. Good to know! I head back, cautiously navigating the thickening fog, only to hit a rock I couldn’t see. My flawless streak is over.

At 00:41am, I limp back into the dock and am greeted by a woman who clearly didn’t expect visitors.

She’s the Lighthouse Keeper, and she’s less than thrilled. I tell her the truth—just here to fish—and she tells me I should leave. That’s… encouraging.

Suspicious Mayoral Package

The Mayor is waiting with a new task. He wants me to deliver a package to Little Marrow—and quickly, because it might spoil. I don’t ask questions. I just take the box. (Mistake? Possibly. But that’s tomorrow’s problem.)

Before bed, I give the Fishmonger two squid from my terrifying night voyage and sell the extras. My debt is now a laughable $9.48.

The Shipwright patches up my poor dented hull, and I decide to put off the Little Marrow delivery until tomorrow. I’m sure whatever’s in that box won’t mind sitting around for a bit.


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Daily Summary

  • Fish Caught: 4 Gulf Flounder, 3 Grey Eel, 8 Arrow Squid
  • Debt Remaining: $9.48
  • Madness Strikes: Still just 1
  • Damage Taken: Rock collision in fog (1 hull hit)
  • Suspicious Package Count: 1

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If you’d like to know more, please check out: Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival

For information on the rules, please check out: Dark Waters: Dredge Permadeath Rules & Survival Guide

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Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival – Day One

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.

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For more information on this, please check out: Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival Hub

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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

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⚠️ 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

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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?

📖 Read Day 2 – A Special Order and a Return Before Madness
(Spoiler: I didn’t earn another Madness Strike. Barely.)

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Survivor’s Dread Has Arrived – A New Home For Survival Horror

Survivor’s Dread is now live! A new hub for survival horror playthroughs, starting with Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival.

I’m very excited (and slightly nervous) to officially launch Survivor’s Dread: the newest corner of Survivor Incognito where survival horror games get their own home.

Here you’ll find my permadeath playthroughs and survival horror experiments—where the games aren’t just about food meters and blizzards, but also sanity meters, strange noises, and questionable life choices.

We’re kicking things off with Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival, where I attempt to survive fishing in waters that absolutely do not want me there.

➡️ Visit Survivor’s Dread here: [Survivor’s Dread]
➡️ Follow Dark Waters: [Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival]

Expect things to get weird from here.

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Next Tuesday… We Go Fishing (and Probably Regret It)

The first official Survivor’s Dread series begins next week on Survivor Incognito. I’m diving blind into Dredge, armed with nothing but poor judgment and permadeath rules.

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What Is Survivor’s Dread?

A new weekly series where I explore different corners of survival games—where horror, tension, and terrible decisions collide. Which was originally going to be called Friday Fright, but I preferred the sound of Survivor’s Dread, and also means I can change the day it is released.

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So What Game Are We Starting With?

Dredge.

A fishing game, allegedly.

It’s foggy. It’s weird. I’ve only played the demo. What could possibly go wrong?

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The Twist: Permadeath

I’ve made a custom permadeath ruleset called Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival. If the boat dies, the run dies. I go into the fog, and I don’t go back.

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When Does It Begin?

Next Tuesday at 1PM GMT, the nightmare begins with Day One of Dark Waters.

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Where Can You Find It?

Here: Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival

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Why Should You Read It?

  • Chaos is guaranteed.
  • Survival is unlikely.
  • You get to feel good about your own decisions

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Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival begins Tuesday at 1PM GMT.

I’ll be heading into the fog with nothing but a fishing rod, a poorly thought-out permadeath rule set, and the vague hope that the sea won’t immediately chew me up and spit me out.

Want to play along—or just judge my decisions from a safe distance?
You can grab the full rule sheet here:

Dark Waters: Dredge Permadeath Survival Rules PDFDownload

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Bring a lantern. Don’t look down.

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