I love the incorporation of the Sisyphus myth! In general, I love morally gray problems so the alien lifecycle being interrupted was a wonderful turn of the screw. I think the title, layout, design and utility are all fantastic. For me this didn’t “emanate horror”, their description was a bit scientific/clinical, which I liked, but I think that undercut the tension in some ways? I think some art of the aliens would go a long way. The tables were awesome and I intend to use them immediately, especially the decompression table which I loved.
Viewing post in Project Sisyphus (Mothership Module) jam comments
Thanks. I did maybe err on the side of clarity over vibes for the text, because there's a lot going on and I was focused on utility. I could probably rework the "Secret of the Asopids" section to include less clinical language. I do like it when modules evoke creepy vibes, as it helps to get the Warden in the spirit, although at the end of the day, what's most important is that the Warden evokes those vibes for the players. I think and hope there is enough to work with here in that regard... the players are trapped in a tin can where everything is going wrong, worms are burrowing through the hull, and oxygen levels are plummeting. Maybe I should put it in exactly those terms somewhere.
hey, I saw your comment on Discord- not sure if you’re looking for additional feedback, but I think including “the players are trapped in a tin can where everything is going wrong, worms are burrowing through the hull, and oxygen levels are plummeting.” as a tag line on the cover would contextualize the module a lot. A few sensory details for the malfunctions, the smell of ozone, the shrill alarm, etc. would go a long way to make it feel more immediate and immersive.
My only hesitation about that is I worry about players seeing the module lying around, or while browsing TKG's table at a con or whatever. I've been trying to keep spoilers off the front (though keeping them off the back seems too hard, as that's always my place for NPC/monster stats and such).
I think there's a lot of things you could do that would make a module more fun to read in the context of the jam that might make it less useful at the actual table.
That's said, I might replace the initial paragraphs about how to run Project Sisyphus at the top of the timeline with something along those lines... less tips for running it, more "here's the vibes you should be aiming for."