Dig & refine
Carve down through stone, coal, iron, copper and quartz — and rarer veins still. Fuel drills and excavators on coal, oil or ethanol, and smelt raw ore into bars, alloys, glass and cement. Keep an eye out for glowing tiles — water pockets, gold caches, fossils, and the exotic materials the deep keeps hidden.
Raise a village
Turn ore into a home. Keep food and water flowing — wells, pumps and caches against the drain — while your elders judge food, shelter and safety each morning. Keep them happy and people arrive; every 50 souls is a milestone, grow your village enough and they will sing of your greatness! The Village scout will visit to trade, deal in gold, and wager on rare finds.
Hold back the Maw
You can't kill the Maw — only slow it. It chews faster every day and learns the walls you raise, so stack and mix your defenses, from dirt and stone up to steel, glass and vault block. Strange roots are said to also have mystical effects. And should your digger die, your bloodline can dig on — generation after generation.
Weather storms, dare the Terrestrial Astrolabe to reseed the world with exotic materials at a terrible price, and pick up right where you left off.
