Play game
Labyrinthine's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| THEME — How well is the jam theme used? | #20 | 3.609 | 3.609 |
| UTILITY — Does complexity inspire game prep? Or Is it very "Pick-up-n-Play"? | #40 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| GAME DESIGN — How good is the game balance or concepts there in? | #41 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| WRITING — How does this read? does it emanate with horror, humor, drama...? | #41 | 3.130 | 3.130 |
| LAYOUT — How well does the module get across information? | #44 | 2.739 | 2.739 |
| Overall | #44 | 2.894 | 2.894 |
| FAVORABILITY — how much do you personally like the submission? | #44 | 2.696 | 2.696 |
| ART — How good is the art/graphic design? | #50 | 2.087 | 2.087 |
Ranked from 23 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Leave a comment
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Comments
- Layout is uninspired, but it's clear. Title font needs a better treatment (or better font). Some of the font (NPCs) is too small.
- In my opinion, d55 is an unnecessary break from convention. Just roll d20, or a d10 and alternate which table is rolled.
- How many random spaces before you get to the Argos? How many to get to the lab? etc.
- Random room generation is fun, but most of these are just forced save + additional forced save from complication. There's no a lot for the crew to do or problem solve.
- How does the Labyrinth trap passing ships? Why didn't it trap our crew's?
- Will be a fun one-shot with some post-jam polish!
Art: The logo is nice and everything is clean and not distracting. Overall impression is a bit flat and gray, though.
Writing: Decent enough and does what it needs to do. The characters are a bit one-dimensional.
Game Design: I'm generally not fond of dice-driven exploration for two reasons: that it denies the players meaningful navigation decisions, and that it isn't guaranteed to produce acceptable pacing. You've addressed the latter issue with the instruction to advance the plot on doubles or a repeated result, however the former issue persists, that the players' only choices are to advance or go back. Speaking of going back, though, the highlight of this module for me is the clever idea of using a data cable for the classic "trail of string through the maze" trope. I almost wish it had a twist, though, like the final time you follow it back, instead of getting back to the start you find it plugged into something even worse than the T9K.
Theme: It does what the jam instructed us to do. I wish there was a bit more lore around the labyrinth, but a maze with a robotic chainsaw minotaur roaming around is certainly a mythological reference.
Layout: Does what it needs to do. It's not exciting, but everything is in a logical order and the typography is readable.
Utility: Full marks. If this experience is what a group is looking for, it would be easy to just sit down and play it.
Favorability: The recurring theme of my comments in each category is that you've avoided all the common pitfalls and done exactly what you need to do to create an easy-to-run, reasonably satisfying adventure... but nothing more than that. You've taken no chances and, aside from the gimmick with the data cable, haven't really brought anything new to the table. So, if I had to run this, I wouldn't be mad about it, and everyone would probably have a good time, but if it was on a shelf with ten other competently-designed modules, there's nothing in particular that would make me want to grab this one. I would say that you've got a good enough grasp on the fundamentals that next time around you should start playing around with them and doing something a bit more out there.
You are certainly not wrong, and I respect your honesty. This is my first published scenario, and I learned a lot in the process, especially when looking at a lot of the other entries. The primary thing being that art and layout aren't make or break, but they certainly count for quite a lot when you've got 2 sides of one page to form an opinion. I'm not an artist, so I went for functional over pretty, and with more time in the oven and maybe a collaborating artist I definitely would have have liked to punch it up a notch and make some deeper thematic connections.
I had some additional ideas for the monofiber's mechanics, as well as navigating the labyrinth, but in the end they were too gimmicky and took up valuable space I needed elsewhere, so I made the decision to cut them.
I appreciate the feedback!
If this is your first shot at it, then you did great. And no wonder you chose to play it safe. No need to run before you've experimented with walking. I think there are a lot more first-timers who go wrong in the other direction, trying to do the coolest thing ever without learning to do the basics well, and end up with chaotic messes. I look forward to seeing what you come up with next time if you give yourself a bit more leash.
Good clean layout. T9K is a little too deadly for a drawn out cat and mouse game that the scenario seems to be intended as.
I also agree with other comments about the table setup as a d20 would be more straightforward.
Thanks for the feedback!
The T9K is certainly deadly, but a monster that blows over in a stiff breeze would be anticlimactic. I'm newish to Mothership overall, and haven't quite nailed monster threat levels quite yet. I figured it being able be paralyzed after 2 rounds of riding the bull would be sufficient to end it without a TPK.
As far as the tables go, a d20 is actually not right for the math in order to get the desired outcome here. It's a weighted escalation table, where the longer you play, the more likely you are to get a story result. It keeps the scenario to about 12 encounters total, and you're only likely to see less than half of the results on a given run.
There are some really cool concepts here, i really like the double mechanic moving the story along and keeping things from the chance of too many repeats.
I do agree with others that the visuals, while not bad are lacking and adding some visual identity could also help with some layout and clarity.
Also i don’t know what size font you used in the box with the crews and their quotes but my old man eyes rebelled haha. I’d seriously consider finding ways to cut that down so it can match the other body texts (which is also small but readable)
all in all a very solid entry!
Yeah...I made the classic blunder of trying to squeeze too much text into a box. Sorry about that.
no sorry needed! you got a good module on your hands, just want to help it be the best it can be!
You really nailed the theme! Also, I like the monofiber as a macguffin, very nice.
Feedback: I think a dash of colour might help punch this up a bit. Also, because you don't get the monofiber until the fourth story encounter, some of the locations (like 42, 52) might not make sense if you hit them too early. Maybe a depth-crawl structure could help you add more pacing? Something to consider, if you want to revisit this.
Ah, darn those pesky plotholes. Good spot.
The vibe of the Labyrinth is competent but connection to theme is more or less in the nouns involved otherwise, the Argos in particular.
The Warden's notes explain entering a "new location" but because they are randomly generated this is somewhat vague in terms of use. The nature of the module means a map would be difficult or impossible but this is solidly theater of the mind in any case.
With 20 entries on the locations list the slightly nonstandard 12 - 54 list could probably be made into d10's/d20 although I acknowledge I don't know how that would affect probability or if the position of any entry is weighted and MoSH likes to leave the latter for panic checks. This is appropriately the real core of the design as it will produce all of the variation in the experience while the story beats are doled out regularly.
I have concerns that as written this would be excessively punitive on players. The complications table is rolled for every single location visited and all complications are stress generators (albeit with saves), which might compound with combat encounters which are essentially inevitable. In practice a Warden can adjust to suit of course.
Would be nice to see some more visual identity.
Thanks for the feedback!
There is a boatload of mythological significance scattered throughout, but they are deep cuts that aren't immediately obvious. I was going for subtle, and didn't want a simple retelling of the Minotaur tale.
The d55 dice cause a probability cascade. The base chance of getting a story encounter is 20%, and it increases by 4% after each random encounter. A d20 would unfortunately break this and make the scenario a lot flatter.
Statistically, this is only about 12 encounters long, including the story beats, so while individual entries are punishing, it's unlikely players will see everything in a single playthrough.
While I do feel the visual treatment could be punched up in a number of ways, I think this is a very well-designed depth-crawl-type adventure with some excellent encounters and pacing! The "duplicates/doubles are a story event" is super slick, NPCs have a nice variety of motives, and the hooks+endings work well for me. Solid stuff overall!
Thank you!