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The Cosmos is Full of Monsters's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Overall | #7 | 4.012 | 4.333 |
| Fun Factor | #10 | 3.703 | 4.000 |
| Originality | #27 | 3.395 | 3.667 |
| Visuals | #44 | 2.315 | 2.500 |
| Audio | #45 | 1.543 | 1.667 |
Ranked from 6 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Is your game a video game or a physical game?
physical game
Was your game made solo or in a team?
solo
Did you use any third party assets, if yes what assets did you use?
yes, a NASA image for cover
Did you choose from one (or more) of the optional secondary themes?
not really
Does your game contain 18+ content (Nudity, Gore, Language)?
no
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Comments
At first I was intimidated by the size of the pdf (and it's table of contents), but after looking it over, all your sections are laid out very well and full depth.
I really liked the "generators" and optional damage-mementos. They really help give clear examples on how to use this system, and they're fun to just roll and see what happens (in a vacuum).
Also THANK you for having "Schrödinger’s Gear" baked into the system. It solves one of my least favorite interactions in TTRPG's: convincing the DM/GM that "I eat some food... oh course my kitchen has food... what do you we didn't agree on it before the session?!"
My only confusion is why a character gets more RP and CR for having lower ability scores (the debt being tied to CR makes sense, but is a weaker character more financially trustworthy?)
I used to love making long equipment lists and spending a lot of time in character generation choosing gear, but I don't have time for that now. I want to minimize the chore of chargen before we can start the game and Schrödinger's Gear is one solution I've come up with.
The CR link to abilities is a compensation mechanic. The weaker characters get better gear (a headstart on the arms race) so they'll have more equal chance of surviving despite lower saves.
I see. Great solutions then!
Totally love this - I especially love how thorough and detailed the Entity Generator is. A fantastic first version, and I can't wait to see more of it!
Overall this seems like a really solid and interesting system! It streamlines some things compared to a system like D&D which is nice. I really like the Schrödinger’s Gear mechanic - I think that’s a clever way to allow for some variability and player-led storytelling throughout. I’ve played some Scum & Villainy and they have some similar mechanics, and that type of stuff is always fun.
I think it would be awesome if you were able to work with an artist to add some images, as I love a source book with cool pictures :) Also, unless I missed something, I did not see any character classes (although I did see reference to a pilot and gunner, so a little unsure). Speaking personally, I love systems with character classes because I find figuring out your class to be one of the most exciting parts of an early campaign. So potentially could always add something like that in the future?
Hi! I really hate fiddling with equipment lists for quick games, so I'm experimenting in ways to minimize that. S&V and other Blades in the Dark Derivatives were an inspiration for that.
I wish to afford some art. I'll see if I can start with some free art or stck art and then commission more. Also I'll get it laid out by someone more skilled.
The Mark of the Odd system is classless by design, but I'm thinking of bringing some special skills to the starting packages like in Into the Odd to balance poor Ability rolls. In a quick-to-play game I want all of the player to take any role in the party/crew they wish without restrictions. The crew positions on transports are there to give something to do for other players while one is piloting.
Yeah that totally makes sense! A lot of times character creation can end up taking a full session, so I totally get for a game that is meant for players to jump into easily not having that. Having a few special skills to choose from to customize your character some would be a fun way to handle that!
A very interesting game! Feels a lot like a DnD with many different dice and with many pieces of equipment as well as companions like drones and interns. It is really nice in some way that getting too lucky on characteristics gets compensated by the credits and resistance to horror. I think that maybe the back story could be improved a little bit, meaning that it is not entirely clear why there’s even an expedition on the Titan in the first place for the ancient artifacts. Is this a common occurrence to spot an artifact? Is this only on Titan? And questions like that, they are not straightforward to explain because they require some fundamental world building.
It feels like a solid description of a sandbox that can be used very well in capable hands. Thank you for the game!
Hi! Thanks for the comments. I'm hoping to outline the wrold better in the next version and to add some in-world text for the atmosphere. In my head the first expeditions to our solar system were just a part of the general expansion of humanity into space. Once the first alien artifacts were found there was a gold rush for them as they held a promise of power and technology beyond what we had accomplished so far.
The gold rush scenario is interesting, I can totally imagine that. Once there are rumors of something very powerful and something alien, no one knows exactly what this is about, but corporations send more and more expeditions into the unknown to dig more about the hidden power of our system.