Upon entering Level -1, the player character's objective is to reach the other end of the mineshaft safely, resulting in that level being cleared.
Each level contains a number of '''sections''' equal to '''15 8 + Mine level'''. The player character can only travel forwards (section number goes up) or backwards (section number goes down).
Every section with a number ending in 0 features a crossroads (with one exception, see below), starting with Section 10. At crossroads, the pathway splits into three: A, B, and C. You must commit to one of these three paths until:
| '''1-10''' ||style="text-align:left"| '''Nothing.''' This section is empty.
|-
| '''11-20''' ||style="text-align:left"| Depends on the mine level.<br/>If the mine level is '''-4 or shallower''': '''Soft obstruction.''' The path is blocked by dirt, sand, silt, gravel, or some other relatively soft material. It requires 1 successful strike to clear (see: Pick mining).<br/>If the mine level is '''-5 or deeper''': '''Hard obstruction.''' The path is blocked by a hard rock. It requires 2 successful strikes to clearmaterial, such as granite, basalt, or gabbro.
|-
| '''21-60''' ||style="text-align:left"| '''Chance to find a creature.''' See below.
When exploring a mining facility's mineshafts:
* The GM must keep track of the furthest level reached and sections the player has explored in each level for . That can be done by saving the sessioninformation on the player's character sheet.
* When choosing a path at a crossroads, you must commit to the path selected. Although you are allowed to travel backward, you cannot switch to a different branch - the unselected paths become barred from entry.
== Ending a visit ==
Once the player has chosen to RETREAT or SAFELY EXIT, all explored levels and sections can be discardedthe lowest visited Level is saved, and the Mining Pass used to enter becomes invalidexpires. To start a new visit, the player character will need to purchase a new Pass. It will bring them to the lowest visited Level. If a player has fully cleared a mining facility, that mine is considered ALL-CLEARED, leaving no loot, monsters, or anything of note. A player can purchase a New Sector Map at the mining supplies store to effectively reset that mine, which means starting letting them do it over from a given Level. New Sector Maps exist in three versions:* New Sector Map A: Resets the beginning (Mine completely, meaning you must start from Level -1* New Sector Map B: Resets the Mine with Levels -1 to -4 cleared, Section 01)letting you start from Level -5* New Sector Map C: Resets the Mine with Levels -1 to -14 cleared, letting you start from Level -15.
The cheapest and most commonly employed method is pick mining. It involves the use of a [[pick-axe]] or a [[mattock]] to strike stones and break them into pieces that can be picked up and later processed. It is also the most physically demanding, as every strike is done manually and demands considerable effort over long periods of time.
When pick mining, a character will strike at the ore in a patch for a chance to damage the surrounding rock and break an ore bundle out of the patch. The chances of success damage per strike depend on the Mining skill level, and every strike will burn a certain amount of [[nutrition]] and [[hydration]].
For every strike, you will need to make a '''strike check.''' The check depends on the character's current Mining skill level; refer to the [[Mining#Mining skill levels|skill levels table]].
Drill mining is similar to pick mining, but requires the use of the [[Drill Arm]], a [[crafting]]-only weapon. Taking the time and effort to put together this weapon may be worth it; it is more efficient than using picks and is less tiresome.
Drill mining has the same effect as Pick mining - you roll the same '''strike check.''' However, using a drill is significantly less expensive in effort spent: one strike burns '''5 ntri''' and '''3 wtr'''; roughly one third of the cost of one strike when pick mining.
=== Blast mining ===
* For every ore bundle mined out of an ore patch, regardless of the method employed, 1 Skill Point is gained.
* For every soft obstruction cleared, 1 2 Skill Point Points is gained.* For every hard obstruction cleared, 2 6 Skill Points are gained.
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