Caves of Qud (2024)

A strange artifact's appearance and weight can hint at its identity before you risk examining it. Paying an expert for identification creates a useful alternative to gambling with valuable technology yourself. Faction relationships and creature descriptions also reward looking before assuming everything is hostile. Begin in Roleplay mode if you want settlement checkpoints while learning; Classic has permanent death. Your understanding of the world's systems carries over, while a newly generated history or site still asks to be investigated.