Параллельные истории: Бездна (Parallel Stories: The Abyss)

In the endless ocean drifts a liner, its deck groaning under the weight of unspoken secrets, its empty cabins frozen with echoes of someone's last words. The ship's captain, once resolute and authoritative, now gives increasingly inexplicable, irrational orders, following the directives of the one and only, maddeningly mysterious passenger. This is a clear signal that something is terribly wrong here. What force compels an experienced sailor to obey? Where have those declared as madmen disappeared to? And what, ultimately, hides in the dark waters cut by the keel? Every step you take on this ghost ship brings you closer to an answer – or leads to a new mystery. Параллельные истории: Бездна ("Parallel Stories: The Abyss") is a cooperative card game in the genre of a narrative investigation adventure, where your team becomes the witness and the architect of two intertwining destinies. Choose whose story to investigate: that of the First Mate David or the Chief Engineer Lance. You will collectively make decisions at story crossroads, search for key items, and manage limited resources – air and patience. Without looking into the deck, you set up the starting scene on the deck, determine the initial supply of resources, and lay out the grid of clue cards. One player becomes the reader, but all of you discuss every step together. The numbered cards contain your main story. Read the text on the main and auxiliary cards carefully, follow the instructions at the bottom, and make choices at the crossroads. If there is no direct instruction – be attentive: the text might hide a keyword pointing to an item among the picture cards. If you decide to check a hypothesis – take a card and check the instruction at the top. If you guessed right – learn a new plot detail! If you were wrong – return the card face down and lose 1 point of air or patience. Victory in the game is shared by all participants if, upon completion of the story, the main characters remain alive and reach one of the eight possible endings. The game can end prematurely if the supply of air or patience is completely depleted – in this case, the players lose and read the corresponding final story. —description from the publisher (translated)