Hey,
So first off thanks so much for taking the time to read it and give some great notes. I'll do my best to answer and explain my madness point by point for you.
- I think how a good ending plays out would rely on two main things. first being what the actual plot hook is and second being the characters personal journeys. I purposely left the origin of the signal out of the game to let plays decide when they had reached an end. Sorry that's not the most definitive answer but it really would be up to you. Your good ending might be everyone succumbing to the madness if that was the vibe of the table.
- with the limited format I could only fit so many specifics in, but madness and clarity are a one to one force. you could stack madness or clarity but one point always cancels the other out. I wouldn't impose roleplay guidelines any anyone, but that's just me. I think you play your character so you define what madness is to them. it could be a murderous rampage or a more fun loving mad scientist.
- the plot hooks were written more to paint a picture of the kind of strange universe I was imagining. Your nailed it on the head, incomprehensively gigantic space whales are just cool.
- The ship system is an incredibly dumbed down version of a more complex system I have for my real space rpg. You're right its missing nuance and was mostly added as a second layer. but for clarity ship system rolls wouldn't be under a d10 but the system is under. So going full burn on your engine to escape something would be worse if you only had a d4 in them. Its just another way to add a touch of "random" while still giving plays a small semblance of control.
- proof reading was never my strong suit, so thanks for those notes and tips. I do have a printer friendly version but you're right the background could be a bit cleaner.
Thanks for the feedback, no need to apologize at all. you took the time read it and had thoughts, that's the whole point of the Jam.