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It talks - A trifold module's itch.io pageResults
Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
Theme - How well does it match the Jam's Theme? | #27 | 3.517 | 3.625 |
Polish - How is the overall look/vibes/writing & design? | #34 | 2.729 | 2.813 |
Overall | #36 | 2.804 | 2.891 |
Usability - How "pick up & play" is this for a Warden? | #37 | 2.304 | 2.375 |
Favorability - how much do you personally like the submission? | #38 | 2.668 | 2.750 |
Ranked from 16 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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Comments
I find the NPC panels to be a little underwritten, I wish there was more character and flavour there to latch on to. Considering the 'myth vs reality' surrounding the Peartree crew, it would have been nice to have a couple sentences devoted to each of them that better flesh out their legendary deeds and how that differs from the interactions with them in person.
Similarly, the ACT structure is written in a conversational style that suggests options but does not present concrete progression or pacing. There is some suggestion to have a few encounters with the dolphin creatures, but what tools to use to differentiate them are not provided. As a consequence of this, the scenario reads as one long violent sequence.
A cursory read of the pamphlet raised a few fundamental questions. What are the PCs fixing and how can those set pieces be made dramatic? What is some of the ecology of G'sliiit? How does the submersible spaceship work? What is the value of the sentient pearl in credits or rimworld trade?
This is especially frustrating where the text concerns the sentient pearl, its nature is vague to the point of lacking character.
Doris, however, is extremely distinct! I think the idea of being stalked across a submarine by a sentient dolphin and the alien life it is connected with is really cool.
The art design is very evocative. I especially love the map for the Peartree.
hiya, reading this now - here are some notes i took!
i LOVE this apple ][ (or i guess Macintosh?) aesthetic. the setting even feels like it'd be something i'd play on that old machine in my uncle's office. presentation is glorious, portraits are great, map art is great, dithering on the title screen is great, the Chicago (or Chicago-like?) font a perfect touch.
THE FREAKING DOLPHIN TALKS <3 i remember the first time i read this, i read it out of order, saw the dolphin tranq gun, and thought "why would i ever want to hurt the dolphin?" and then laughing very hard when i realized why. "YOU BIPEDS ARE SHIT."
the "never meet your heroes" aspect of the crew is great, if i were running it i think i'd try to pepper in stories of their fame during other adventures before ever meeting them :)
great work. this put a big smile on my face. briefly scanned the previous comments and saw that you mentioned english is your second language -- just wanted to stress that while there are a couple of little issues here or there, the intent was clear everywhere and the sense of humour shone through!
I really enjoy the aesthetic, setting and NPC characterization.
Could do with some further editing; Quite a lot of unused space that could be utilized, such as more detail on what Doris has access to, how the PCs might attempt to wrest back control, etc.
So, lots of creativity on display here... sentient pearl? The ship's cute dolphin turns out to be the evil mastermind? I'm here for all that. It's maybe a little lighthearted for Mothership, but I don't mind a bit of genre-bending. Similarly, the graphical treatment of the sub is really nice for what it is, but would look out of place in a lineup of other 3P Mothership products.
I think there are some weird decisions that were made in terms of how much space and attention to spend on things.
The style of writing, particularly the plot description is way too casual and stream-of-consciousness for my liking. It feels like you were just explaining the adventure to a friend out loud and got someone to transcribe your words verbatim. The written format gives you time to structure your thoughts more clearly than you would when speaking... don't waste that chance!
Anyway, it's a fun idea, but usability is low. I can see a good session coming out of this, but you're asking the Warden to do a lot of the heavy lifting because you focused on art and just kind of sketched the idea of a story around it.
I think others have hit on the major points I would make, but one thing i’ll add to the conversation is I would love this module to have more of a “Turn” i think you should write up a little beginning adventure where the crew get the pearl and make it to where its upon getting said pearl that Doris’s full sentience is awakened and her attempts to destroy the ship/save the pearl manifest.
that said this module has great vibes and I think with some effort could be super cool. Also bonus points for Akuma’s excellent Pixel art!
That's a super fair point, in my head the "it seems like we're exploring/oh no Doris talks and she bad" was clear, but it's easy to get lost on your own text and miss if things need to be less or more subtle.
Hopefully I'll have a nice redux module after the jam and I'll take this point in much consideration:)
Thanks
What I liked!
What could use improvement:
I like the direction though and would love to see Doris go on a rampage across the stars. I'm happy to chat more about my thoughts in DMs if you'd like!
We have to thank Akuma for the pixel art :)
I love Doris, such an eco-terror icon! This is a really fun take on this style of survival horror! Here is my feedback:
+ Clean, readable layout
+ Great Pixel Art
+ fun, likeable NPCs and setting.
+ concise room descriptions
+ very easy to pick up and play!!
- a few typos and spelling errors, just needs another pass of editing, I think!
- A visual representation of the water-tubes doris uses on the map would be helpful. It took a few reads to figure out how she moves about.
-Text on the 'Act' page is a bit hard to follow, some format or layout changes would help readability, the party's aims could probably be bolded or emphasised too.
- The planet itself has some interesting setting things, but it is a bit unclear as to what the inhabitants are and how the planet works.
Thank you for your points. In hindisght, I wish I had invested more time in the enviroment for the players. I was so obssesed with Doris. haha. :D
I love the aesthetic, both the character portraits and map design give atmosphere and I am a sucker for retro/analog aesthetics for horror. A TALKING DOLPHIN? such a fun idea and reminds me of Johnny Mnemonic which is always a plus. There are some grammatical errors throughout and could use a quick editing polish. I was confused by the exact size of the crew as I assumed at first it was only the four NPCs on the ship but then on the room key it talks about extra crew. Not every character needs a portrait (I do think one of the alien ambassador would be really cool though) but it might help to list out the full crew even if its just a list of names and roles. I feel as if the NPCs could be fleshed out more, outside of the dolphin most of them don't give me much. Lots of really great ideas for blending of alien cultures, animal rights, and preserving/pillaging nature and I'm a sucker for anything set in a submarine. I feel like you could take the ideas further and elaborate on some of the bigger theme ideas, what's the morals of the crew? do they all think of Doris as a pet? You could use their relationship with Doris to indict what they think of nature and maybe what they would do with the talking pearl. Overall, there are the bones and threads of something really intriguing and I am interesting in bringing A TALKING DOLPHIN?!?!?! to my table. I do think I would have to do some prep work and further some of the ideas and threads you have here but overall vibes, aesthetic, and themes are headed in the right direction. I would like some alien and sea monster art as it'll look so great in the aesthetic that you crafted. I think you can get weird with some of the ideas as the central premise is a talking dolphin so some crazy sea monsters would feel at home.
Side note I am not sure if it was just a problem with my computer and how I displayed the file after downloading it but the text was unreadable when a page would fit on the screen and I would have to zoom in to be able to read. Again I am not sure if its my end or something with the file but at least something to look into.
Thank you for such a curated comment. Glad you like the vibe :D I wasn't sure the talkin murder ecoterrorist dolphin would work.
Could you point the grammar problems to me in a DM please? English is not my first language so I probably wouldn't notice them even if I try. I should had tested the module tbh (I just wrote it) and that would have made me notice that indeed I should give more info of the whole crew/ship , the alien ambassador, etc. PDFs are weird, in my phone it zooms perfect, in my computer sometimes the lettering goes very bold and the portraits blur :/ I'm thinking of printing it after the jam _and scan it_ so it looks pixel perfect (and analogic!).
Thanks again for taking time in such a detailed comment and reading the module :)
Btw sick screen name, love it
yes I’ll comb over it and point out what spots I notice for grammar. Just give me some time and I’ll send it over. Scanning a printed version of it is so analog that’s real fun. I got the screen name from a punk song haha it’s called Operation pt. 2 by the uranium club I just always thought the line was so funny
Thanks mate :)