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A jam submission

MAJNUNView project page

Is it too late to put the Jinni back in the bottle?
Submitted by PlibPlob — 2 days, 4 hours before the deadline
Rated by 10 people so far

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MAJNUN's itch.io page

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Comments

Submitted

Good module with fun concepts, descriptions, and interactivity. Information is well-presented and I liked the diegetic hints for players. Good job providing multiple ways to resolve the situation. 

I had some questions: Was the brass theme to evoke the lamp from the original myth, or was there something else to it?

Is there an in-game reason for Qays to decouple the PC's ship from Galland after Solomon dies?

Good job!

Developer(+1)

Thank you for your comments!

We started out with the idea of a module based on the story of Layla and Majnun, and that led us to adding stuff from other Jinni mythology.  The brass is mainly a reference to the 1001 Nights story of the City of Brass (considered to be one of the oldest known sci fi stories) as well as to the idea of a brass Jinni lamp.


As for decoupling the ship, the idea is that if Qays does not want the PCs escaping with the Bottle, so if Solomon is neutralized then Qays won't let them escape. In testing we determined that if the PCs defeat Solomon, the adventure needed something to prevent an easy getaway. 

Submitted (1 edit)

ART — The cover and drone design are evocative on their own and intrigued me to look deeper to find out exactly what they represented within the context of Mothership. In terms of graphic design all of the text boxes are nice and uniform, stand out well, and the icons are representative of the titles for a very utilitarian approach.

WRITING — I particularly enjoyed the writing here for its usefulness over a desire to write prose. It's appropriately terse where necessary and in the places where specificity or mood are needed, more descriptive. My own submission went with a similar approach and so other examples of the style are appreciated, well done here in Majnun.

GAME DESIGN — It occurs to me that lies and advice on using them is worthy of being called out as a mechanical choice and underpins a lot of the tension here. What the Crew does and does not know. Depending on the path taken the threats in the Drones might soften the crew up for what are pretty devastating end game foes. My gut feeling is that this would be a pretty high body count module but that is nicely dependent on the outcome of the social problem solving with Solomon. 

THEME — In my opinion, the use of "Ancient Myths" as a theme for the jam has a few possible interpretations. Instantly recognizable and well conceived uses of familiar ancient myths, really with or without a scifi twist, are big winners.  The Bottle and the Jinni together, plus their purposes are conceivable in both genres or time periods if you like. Full marks there.

LAYOUT — All very clear, readable, easy to navigate, and reference. I'd say its all serviceable without any surprises here which is good.

UTILITY — I think I'd identify this pamphlet as one that needs to be read through in its entirety and if any questions arise, a Warden should make a note. This is neither pro or con in the case of Majnun, it just happens that the structure of the module has a certain end and context is necessary which isn't uncommon at all with this approach.  To it's credit a Warden will get to spend most of their time on the map which is a big plus!

 FAVORABILITY — I really appreciate the interpretation of this mythical figure and really enjoyed the characterization that comes as a part of it, the poetry table is really quite flavorful. I think it has a certain flavor that would mean I personally would wait for a good time to use it rather than a good for any moment grab and go. Overall one of my favorites on theme alone.
Developer

Thank you for your comments! We're glad you liked it!