This is wonderful. I love the building paranoia between the PCs and the simple frostbite mechanics are a nice touch. Through the entire castle, there's an inherent sense that the PCs are being watched, and the eventual encounter with the Were-Moose is terrifying and will definitely make for an entertaining scene. Very nice work.
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For Whom the Were-Moose Cometh's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Darkest (How deep into the darkness of man can you go?) | #4 | 3.906 | 4.429 |
| Coldest (How far below zero can you get?) | #14 | 3.402 | 3.857 |
| Most "Northern" (We're from Minnesota, it's okay.) | #14 | 2.898 | 3.286 |
| Overall | #14 | 3.118 | 3.536 |
| Most Deathless (You know it when you see it.) | #15 | 2.268 | 2.571 |
Ranked from 7 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Comments
So a lot of good things are happening here. The title in itself is just so good, it gives me style, flavour and a unparalleled fear for a were-moose. I mean what the f***.
I also really enjoy a villain who strikes when the hero is down. Why bother? Just kill them when they are close to dead.
One thing I would challenge are all the DR14-checks. That's quite a steep curve to pass. It also passes 35 % of the time, and then after a fail (which is highly likely) then you're down to only passing 25 % of the time. So it will roll rather quickly. I guess that's what you're after, since you want this ended in 1 hour of play.
Another thing which could be nice was more than just traps and checks. Some treasure? Something you wanted to hunt? A smoke in a chimney? Why are the players where they are? And why would they enter the castle? Do they know a rumour.
Anyway this is all jazz that couldn't fit because you only had an A5. So I'm sorry! I just see so much potential which is the mark of good creative work. So all shut up and applaud your work instead. Good job!
Submitted
Unholy NightThanks Philip! The idea of a were-moose sounded humorous and a little ominous at the same time, so I had to go for it.
Yes, on the DR14 tests I went back and forth a couple times on what number to assign. Probably I should have stuck with 12 and maybe I'll revise that after the jam concludes. I would have loved to play test it out first but didn't have the opportunity. Eventually I'll run it as a "dream sequence" in the MB campaign I'm gm'ing. That way if it's too deadly and kills off the PCs in an hour's time they can just wake up.
I would certainly have loved an extra page to work with! A backstory would have been great. I would have also liked a few days of wilderness travel and perils as the players follow the track of the deadly were-moose. I considered smaller font to squeeze in more content but wasn't sure exactly where a printed A5 page would lose legibility (fairly quickly for those of us with reading glasses, LOL).
Thanks again!
Dennis
This is an awesome encounter. I love how you refer to the core rules for your "survival rules" instead of inventing a new mechanic. That makes so much sense and is simple and comprehensible. Imagining the were moose waving a dead body as a weapon makes it a really strong and dangerous encounter. That's such a great idea.
Submitted
IsbjörnMan, I love a good villians who waits til the right moment to attack. One of my favorite examples is from when I ran the caves of carnage. Two waves of orcs, half the party is down and this remaining are low on HP, the. The cultists attack. One PC truly died, and the only reason it wasn't a TPK was one player's ingenuity. Motherfucker saved everyone, it was beautiful and his reward was a SUPER cursed sword. This scenario really reminds me of that.
I think the term turn is confusing here. I assume you mean dungeon turn (10 minutes), not necessarily everytime a player does something. Since dungeon turns aren't really used in Mork Borg I think if that is the one intent, then some additional clarification is warranted.
I'm not a fan of traps that are save or bad thing, unless they have been adequately suggested. The trap in the refuse around the sword is pretty easy. It makes sense that putting some emphasis on the refuse might create reasonable suspicion. The traps related to the stairs not so much. I'm not sure off the top of my head I might suggest them. Maybe telling the characters at the beginning that the Were-Moose is known for being cunning and crafty or something.
The imagery of the Were-Moose coming up the stairs dragging an armoured corpse (clank, clank, clank) behind it, then casting its shadow across a party that is fighting over scraps of food and strips of cloth to maintain warmth is scary as heck. The Thing vibes for sure.
Thanks Wayward! I appreciate your feedback, and I think that it would be very reasonable for the GM to give the PCs some advance knowledge of the crafty nature of their quarry.
Also a good point on the turns. You are correct that my vision for the frostbite mechanics would be a check on something like a dungeon turn, as opposed to a frostbite check every round during a combat session that lasts five rounds (otherwise the PCs could freeze to death before the combat was over). I struggled a little bit with how best to convey that. I think that once the jam and voting have concluded, I will refine the language to indicate the frostbite check should be every ten minutes.
The ingenious salvation of the party from the orcs sounds very cool, I'm glad the player got such a killer sword as their reward! Sounds well-earned. :D
Best,
Dennis
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