Ratventures

Ratventures with friends, in the terminal!

Play now at ratventure.online

Go on quests with up to 2 friends, defeat monsters, solve riddles, and explore the depths of the sewer underworld. Built with Rust — a ratatui TUI client talking to an axum/SQLite backend.

Structure

open-ratventures/
├── backend/        # axum HTTP server + SQLite database (ratback crate)
├── rat-client/     # ratatui terminal UI client
└── docker/         # Dockerfile for backend

Prerequisites

• Rust (stable)
• sqlx-cli (optional, only needed for database resets)

cargo install sqlx-cli --no-default-features --features sqlite

Running locally

1. Start the backend

cd backend
cargo run

The server starts on http://localhost:3000 by default. Set HOST or PORT env vars to override.

2. Start the client (in a separate terminal)

cd rat-client
cargo run

VSCode

A compound task is included. Press the configured hotkey (or Terminal → Run Task → Run rats) to launch both in separate terminals at once.

Database

The backend uses SQLite (backend/data.db). Migrations run automatically on startup via sqlx.

If you need a clean slate:

cd backend
sqlx database reset

After resetting or adding new migrations, touch src/db.rs before running to force the migration macro to recompile:

touch src/db.rs && cargo run

Running with Docker

The backend can be run via Docker Compose. The database is persisted in a named volume.

docker compose up

Then run the client locally as above, pointing at the Docker backend (default port 3000).

Gameplay

• Register a username and create a character
• Form or join a party (up to 3 players)
• Go on a quest through procedurally assigned encounters across four areas:
  • Sewers — the upper tunnels, relatively tame
  • Sewer Depths — darker, more dangerous
  • Fungal Warrens — bioluminescent caverns, spore-touched inhabitants
  • Abyss — the void-touched deep, where things get strange
• Encounters include combat, NPC dialogues, merchants, and environmental events
• Manage your inventory, buy items from the tavern shop, and revive fallen party members