Skip to main content

Indie game storeFree gamesFun gamesHorror games
Game developmentAssetsComics
SalesBundles
Jobs
TagsGame Engines
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

Play game

MAJNUN's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
THEME — How well is the jam theme used?#24.2914.500
WRITING — How does this read? does it emanate with horror, humor, drama...?#223.7193.900
GAME DESIGN — How good is the game balance or concepts there in?#233.4323.600
UTILITY — Does complexity inspire game prep? Or Is it very "Pick-up-n-Play"?#243.5283.700
Overall#253.5073.679
LAYOUT — How well does the module get across information?#283.4803.650
FAVORABILITY — how much do you personally like the submission?#323.1943.350
ART — How good is the art/graphic design?#402.9083.050

Ranked from 20 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

Submitted

Having reviewed all but ten entries, I only have time to rate the final ten but not provide a written review. If you want detailed feedback like I've given others, hit me up on Discord (xopods) and I'll give you some after the ratings close.

Submitted

First of all, I’m a huge sucker for historical/literary references, and I think yours is one of the most impressive takes on the theme. The writing is phenomenal and I love the poetry.

Something about the graphic design isn’t quite clicking for me– I love the glitched out visuals, and I like that it seems you’re going for brass, but I’m not sure it quite sticks the landing. Maybe some texture and slight color tweaks would help with that, as well as adjusting the lettering. Maybe try embossing the lettering into the metal, like an inner shadow/reflection and silver or black inlay to keep it legible? I do like the drop shadow though, gives it a sense of depth and really separates it from the background. I like the icons too, but they feel a tad redundant/out-of-place here.

I think the warden’s advice section could be integrated into other sections, or into it’s own little section– I feel strongly that if you’re asking a question in a module, unless it’s for effect, you should either answer it or write it out. That being said, I understand the rhetorical purpose of this section is to get Warden’s, especially newer ones, thinking about how to answer those themselves as it comes up in play. So take this with a grain of salt.

Overall, this is an interesting and unique module, and looks like a blast to run!

Oh, and the Jinni manifestation table is so good lol. If my players don’t roll the brass vaccsuit thing, I’d be tempted to just make it happen. So, so evil.

Developer(+1)

Yup, we've had multiple comments about the background textures,  it definitely needs a fix. Thank you for your comments!

Submitted

I actually really like the background textures lol

by texture i was referring to the flat colors in the boxes and stuff. Feel like you should go all the way with the aesthetic if you’re gonna do it– make it look metal! Brass as a flat color doesn’t work because the color isn’t what makes it metallic looking, it’s just part of what distinguishes it from other metals.

Submitted

Overall good submission with an interesting theme. I think all the solid color and textured backgrounds becomes a little too much. Good use of a map, although the text blocks in the map are a little heavy.

Submitted

Great entry. Nails the theme, and the layout is great. I love the Jinni manifestation table.

Some feedback:  I think throwing some capital letters on things like 'Sanity Save' and 'Panic Check' might help this read a bit better.

Submitted

Great execution on the theme. The poem is brilliant and serves a lot of functions in terms of tone and roleplay, great add to the "Art" category.

Not huge on the background images and the visual style is where there is the most room for improvement for me. The text boxes as the map is a great touch, though, adn the icon linking areas are awesome.

This is a cool adventure with a great take on the theme, super solid.

Developer

By background images do you mean the textures behind the text boxes, or are you referring to the cover art and drone?

Submitted

The layout is so clean I could eat off it. I think you could push the fonts a little bit more; I’m not saying devolve into kitsch, but I bet there’s a more evocative h1 you could use. I appreciate the subtle drop shadows, and I truly love your map. Well done!

Developer

Thank you for your comment! Does h1 mean the header font? Just want to make sure I am understanding correctly

Submitted

Yes, that’s right! Maybe you could reuse the serif font from your Poems table for visual continuity?

Submitted

PCs vaccsuit turns to brass is downright diabolical, I love it. Incredibly well-written and adapted myth, huge fan of this one overall! I wasn't super keen on the usage of "italics = things PCs know" just since text styling is used simply for emphasis everywhere else, but in practice it makes the timeline of events really sleek - switching between rapid-fire in entry 4-5 reads really cleanly. Graphic design and art I feel could be imbued with more sauce (headers especially) but that's super easy to muck around with post-jam and it's already in a very solid state.

Info hierarchy is good on the outside panels, great on the inside. I dig not having to search around for where I'd start the adventure, it's right there and the info flows from that point on! I feel I have a decent grasp of how to run this adventure without much prep, and it feels that it would only improve with time.

For critique: I feel like the space where the drone art is on the inside-middle panel might be better served with a side-on view of the Galland instead. The layout is clearly communicated from the room connections, I'd just love to have art to compare the PCs ship to for an easy "establishing shot" as they dock.

I also feel like the Warden Advice sidebar on the inside-right could work great as a more specific sidebar on 'what leverage do the NPCs have?' Just a quick overview of what Solomon and Qays can both offer and threaten for the PCs. It's good advice to ask the Warden to consider these things, but even better to just lay them out as you intend. Same effect just less Warden prep (and I'm a sucker for useability).

Overall, very very good entry that I hope ranks very highly! Great stuff!

Developer(+1)

Ya, conveying what background info the PCs know has been an evolving problem. We didn't have room to separate the warden knowledge and the PC knowledge,  and have tried several different solutions to the in line text. Test readers like yourself have continued to give us useful feedback,  so hopefully we can still find the best solution. 

I think you have a good point about the warden advice.

Thank you very much for your comments!

Submitted
Deleted 18 days ago
Developer(+1)

I understand that there are a lot of entries to read, but given your comment history you seem to be reviewing entries rapid fire, most of them in less than 5 minutes. Some of the things you were unclear about in our pamphlet such as PC background information is pretty clearly stated in the timeline of events (in bold even).  I hope for future reviews you give other pamphlets a closer read and do not skip pretty obvious stuff.

Submitted

Fair enough. I deleted the original post and will re-write it accordingly.

Yours was actually the first I reviewed and hence one of the longer entries, and I did in fact read through everything. I probably should not have made the scores visible to you because I write in a rather blunt and critical way. That's actually why I shortened them as I went along. These are all ~2000 words scenarios and do not take more than a few minutes to read. 

Overall, I like the premise and the theme, but not the execution. It's well written, but I am not your target audience.

Submitted(+1)

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(+1)

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