Love the art, love the adventure! Seems easy to plop down anywhere, and would make for a great session. Thanks for another fun place to fill out the world :)
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Secret of the Crystal Gate's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Writing: Is the adventure original and fun to read? | #37 | 3.960 | 3.960 |
| Overall | #61 | 3.547 | 3.547 |
| Usability: Is the adventure easy to use on the fly? | #72 | 3.240 | 3.240 |
| Fun: Is the adventure fun to play in an OSR playstyle? | #75 | 3.440 | 3.440 |
Ranked from 25 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Comments
i really like how the module doesn't just pay lip service to player choice but actually has four paths. two are combat heavy, sure, but the others can lead to magic and treasure and maybe even god-patrons. i was a little confused about how to end those. i think i get that they're open ended, but i think a Indiana Jones boulder chasing you out the closing gate might have been nice to have as an option. still, it makes a pretty good filler episode. all in all, any module with a triangle golem is a module i want to play in.
Submitted
Bronze LureIt's dope when you can tell someone *gets* your work. I think Kismet and I would have built the adventures even further out if we had more page space. We ended up cutting a good bit to make it all fit. OSR modules are great for getting the creative juice flowing, but I find that a lot of them just give the GM a place and a little bit of context. I get the sense that the game devs of those modules thought a lot about the location and what the location is supposed to be, but don't really think about what players will actually try to do at the table. I want my games to feel alive and react to the players, sometimes in ways they wouldn't immediately expect. I really appreciate this review!
As thoughtful and funny as it is colorful and strong in theme! We think there is a whole array of mathmatical theories and opportunities you could present in this world let alone other games! Read this adventure!!
Submitted
The Bog's ReckoningI love the artwork and the colourful design. Unfortunately I find it hard to read. I would suggest, that you increase the spacing. You can definitely be proud of yourself!
Submitted
The Lost Throne - BoroughtonThe cover is awesome, in fact all of the art is. I loved the use of colors both in images and in the text, it really suits the adventure's theme.
You might consider making the "Boss Fight" and "The Chase" section headings match the colors you used for them in the Table of Contents and the font/style of the other adventure headings. Clickable links in the Table of Contents would be a nice touch too.
I really like that you presented 4 branching "adventures" - you managed to fit a lot of useful content in just a few pages. It is a lot to keep track of but there's a lot of depth and you provided several interesting ideas.
Reducing the page margins and increasing the margins between the columns of texts might improve legibility, there were a few places my eyes just wanted to keep reading from one side straight through to the other (like page 10).
Submitted
Honey! (for Knave/OSE/Shadowdark)Panaetion and Locri at it again! This adventure even includes what to do when players go Murder Hobo lol!
Submitted
Escape House BlazzerrazLove the depth crawl. Reminded me, mechanically, of The Stygian Library (though I've still yet to play it :(:(:( ).
Lots of really cool ideas and characters in here I'll be dropping into my games!
Submitted
Arcane Invaders Are Robbing the TombRecently, I've been made aware that I was trying to reinvent the wheel again. After I saw Cave-Girl's works I thought to myself, "ya know that is just a lot easier." Crystal Gate is a mini-vision of the bigger Depth Crawl I'm working on for Zine Quest. Appreciate your kind words, and being compared to such incredible peers!
I really dig the composition of your illustrations on pages 6 and 12. #12 especially—I love a long vertical piece holding a page together.
Cool stuff here—I recognized your name from the Troika! Bestiary Jam :)
Submitted
The Knacker's YardWell thought out layout and art direction! I like how personality was injected into the NPCs and encounters with such a short page count.
Submitted
Blades of BellspireNice Layout and a very fun premise. NPCs are characterful and have a good amount of humour that is likely to keep players invested! font size is nice and readable and I like the use of colour to distinguish the adventures. I like the mix of mini-adventures included and a depth crawl is a good way to use the space limitations. There is more direction than I'd usually prefer from adventures, but that's just a personal preference thing, overall I enjoy the vibe of this a lot and I'm sure my players will have a fun time with this one!
Submitted
Monument of WoeIt varies, I would probably be able to slot this one in fairly easily, but If I see some factions or ideas that run parallel to something I already have in the setting I'll typically either adapt it by changing the names to match, or adding things mentioned in the adventure into other background elements. :)
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