Id like to start by saying that I think this might be my favorite dungeon crawler. It is perfectly bite sized and easy to run.

However, I find that my characters often have an abundance of gold and tend to reach max gear fairly quickly.

As such, my first instinct is to suggest magical items, more gear or loot on general, but it seems that might upset balance. Might adding domain play give a good outlet for money and progression?

As it stands, the main progression I get is narrative rather than mechanical. Regardless, great game and congrats on 1.0

Thanks! I'm really glad you're enjoying it, and I appreciate the thoughtful feedback.

You're right that characters reach their equipment limit fairly quickly. That was an intentional design decision. Fatal Tomb has a very small inventory and equipment list because I wanted the focus to stay on exploration and adventure, rather than accumulating increasingly powerful gear.

I'm also a firm believer in rulings over rules. If the inventory limit hinders your enjoyment, you can absolutely choose not to use it in your game.

I've considered things like magical items and domain play, but I'm cautious about adding systems that move the game away from its simple, fast-paced design. If I expand the game, I'd rather do it through adventures, relics, and optional material.

That said, the separate Beyond the Black Gates playtest PDF already contains new magic items, foes, classes, and Dark Sorcery. I'm also considering adding rules for building fortresses and mass combat over the coming weeks, though I don't think it will grow into full domain play.

Thanks again for taking the time to play and leave your thoughts; it means a lot.

I believe I miscommunicated, my apologies! When I said "max gear" I did not mean "full inventory" but rather "best gear". Normally by Dungeon 4, my party has the best armor and arms, with enough money to buy all the dungeoning equipment our different sized hearts could desire and then some! My word choice was admittedly lax. 

However, the misunderstanding doesnt obfuscate your point, which I absolutely understand, wanting "the focus to stay on exploration and adventure, rather than accumulating increasingly powerful gear." The reticence to expand into full domain play is also understandable; theres a very tight line to walk in 'rules light' and I think Fatal Tomb hews it well.

To the last, fortresses and mass combat were exactly what I had in mind! At least for my Fatal Tomb games, those two provide pretty good wholesale outlets for money spending and progression. 

Thank you for all the work youve done on this project and for generously offering it to the public for free. All the best!

Thanks for clarifying; that makes perfect sense.

It's a fair point, and I can definitely see what you mean. In Fatal Tomb, characters can acquire the best mundane equipment relatively quickly, and that was intentional. My goal was never for progression to come from increasingly powerful gear. My design philosophy was that a man in the finest armour is still a mortal man. The adventure should make the hero, not the equipment.

Instead, I wanted progression to come from the adventures themselves: exploring stranger places, facing more dangerous foes, uncovering relics, and, potentially, commanding fortresses and armies. Those feel more in keeping with the kind of sword and sorcery stories that inspired the game.

I think fortresses and mass combat are probably the direction I'll explore, rather than full domain play. I'd like gold to open up bigger adventures rather than more bookkeeping.

Thanks again for the kind words and for taking the time to share your thoughts. Feedback like this genuinely helps shape the game.