I really like the introduction to the game. It does unfortunately make me want to fail spectacularly on purpose because why would I do all this work just to let some lazy wizard take the credit? (Note, I wrote this before I read the failure state on page 29. Still kinda think it might be worth it to sabotage the bastard though).
This almost feels like a GM-less system, so much so that "Game Master"/"GM" only appears twice in the doc (once in the turn order section stating GM may choose turn order and once on the final page. I see that the GM rolls the dice for patrons, but because the patrons all roll at the start of each turn, it does feel like this could easily be converted to GMless.
Using the havoc engine for a cozy kitchen manager game was not on my bingo card for this game jam. Kudos for a unique take on how to use the engine.
I think the stats make sense, but I do kinda wish they were a little more whimsical in flavor, although I really like Craft as a stat. Right now, they seem like very generic rpg stats, and for a whimsical kitchen ghost game, I would like something maybe more thematic. Adjectives feel sorta right to me for some reason, so I think I might have tried something like:
- Craft -> Crafty
- Speed -> Swift
- Muscle -> Buff
- Grit -> Hardy
- Present -> Aware
Alternatively, maybe something to drive home the ghost theme with actions, but stuff associated with ghosts
- Animate
- Haunt
- Frighten
- Linger
Lastly, maybe refocusing on stuff you do in a tavern:
- Cook
- Serve
- Tidy
- Clean
- Soothe
- Mend
Those are just some examples off the top of my head of maybe ways to reinforce your theme by flavoring language differently. The ones you have are perfectly serviceable, but I think it could be next level if you had something truly unique to the theme.
I really like the team huddle mechanic. I'm picturing a moment where all the characters come together and whisper in a little group in the middle of a chaotic tavern while the patrons just watch and wait for their food. It's full of whimsy and I think fits perfectly in the game. The mechanics behind the huddle are great as well.
I do like the way the shift runs from Afternoon -> the next morning. The doubletime rule feels really difficult, but hey that's what optional challenges are supposed to feel like. I think the round clock is a really good way to pay some homage to kitchen manager games.
It took me a second to understand the relationship between the order stat and the satisfaction stat for the patrons. Though, now that I do understand it, I really like it. One thing that I think is still a little unclear to me is how & when patrons enter the restaraunt. Here's how I see the game flow going based on what I've read:
- New Phase Starts (Afternoon)
- Some amount of patrons enter the tavern (not sure how many)
- Those patrons build a dice pool equal to all patron order stats combined
- For all results 4-6, the patrons put in orders (there's mechanics around what they're ordering, but it also doesn't appear clear to me how you adjudicate who is ordering what at this step. I would probably try to run it that players can state that an order has whatever food they want, so long as it's one of the foods that one of the patrons currently in the restaraunt is interested in eating. However, Lokka's ability The Gaslight was always here tells me that's probably not how that works and it's probably the GM's job to determine what the patrons are ordering. That likely means that the GM cannot roll a dice pool at all and instead rolls sequentially for each patron in the restaurant.)
- Each player takes turns, spending successes to clear orders and ticking up satisfaction appropriately
- Once all players have gone, tavern renown is adjusted
- At some point the phase ends (maybe when all 6 patrons have been served?)
- Start next phase
I know I wrote a novel for this one, but I do really enjoy the system and I think it sounds like a blast. Great submission!