- Vibes: We're definitely vibin'.
- Bonus point for NES Booklet Format
- Interesting premise (competing gangster brothers)
- Whole thing feels very thematic. The Glove/Powerball/Zappers are *chef's kiss*.
- Nice, thematic, bespoke art.
- Formatting/layout is pretty basic, and may hurt usability in places, but it's functional.
- Writing is concise and evocative.
- Gangster names table is great.
- Dungeon map is simple but effective. Points for creativity.
- Inspiration: Comes through clearly, and is well and concisely explained.
- Would have preferred to see this at the beginning so I know what to look for, but I understand this probably works better for people interested in running the game vs. evaluating it for the jam!
- Inspiration come through clearly and is explained well (and concisely) in the inspirations section.
- Usability: Okay, but would benefit from some quality of life improvements. Formatting and choice of NES booklet format may have hurt usability slightly.
- Solid, concise adventure introduction up front. Really helpful as GM/rater to orient myself.
- Would have preferred all creature stat blocks be present in the adventure (ideally on the relevant pages) BUT 1) I understand space is a huge issue and 2) props for putting the Shadowdark Rulebook page numbers. For the creature stats blocks that are included in the back, hyperlinks to them from the relevant monsters would have been nice (not a huge deal).
- Solid, escalating (?) encounter table with clearly called out danger level, per Shadowdark norms.
- Minor, but don't love that the rooms header is on page 5, but the rooms don't start until page 6. Hopefully an easy fix, but space may have been an issue.
- Hyperlinks when (same document) page numbers referenced would have been a nice bonus.
- Room descriptions are a little light, but I understand this is preference + space issues.
- I feel like the table of contents should be up front, instead of the back. I do appreciate the hyperlinked page numbers though!
Final Thoughts: Usability may have suffered a bit due to layout and choice to go with NES booklet format, but overall its a cool, thematic adventure. Great vibes, and has clear and well-explained inspiration. Good stuff!
Disclaimer: I consider Gabriel/WatcherDM (one of the creators) to be a friend. Regardless, I've tried to be as objective as possible. Also, if you ever get a chance to play in one of Gabriel's games, DO IT. He's a phenomenal GM. Also, go check out his YouTube channel Watcher DM.