Play Tabletop RPG
Sunless Travelers's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Setting (or Location) | #46 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
| Mechanics | #49 | 2.917 | 2.917 |
| Story (or Starting Scenario) | #55 | 3.083 | 3.083 |
| Overall | #67 | 2.896 | 2.896 |
| Use of Theme | #76 | 2.583 | 2.583 |
Ranked from 12 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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Comments
Nice ASCII art. You seem to have put a lot of effort into the table, and I like it. There are so many stories I can tell just by looking at it.
Your mechanic is a bit too crunchy for 200 words. As other have mentioned, you don't need the 6 D&D stats. I prefer stat-less games, but even if you want to stick with stats, you can create your own unique ones that are more suited to the theme.
Thanks! I was trying to adapt another simple homebrew system. I like a bit of crunch in my games, just enough to provide a structure for encounters. Reading other 200 word rpgs from different competitions, many of them seemed more like parlor games than proper tabletop fare.
I'm glad you like the random generation table. I tried to think about what unique features make sci-fi planets memorable and drew from Faster Than Light and other videogames for inspiration.
IMHO, 200 words is too little to describe a full dice system on top of the setting and story. The best entries I have rated have mechanics that complement the theme. My own entry fall short too.
I love FTL too!
I like how all things procedural. :D But really, I like the use of the table for ease of determining information needed. It looks like this is based on a d20 system of specific longevity and name to be familiar to most gamers. Or not. Times change.
The simplicity of the combat system is vaguely frustrating. Sure, sure, there's a chance I'm not agile or strong enough to beat them, but surely I could outsmart them or charm them somehow? The GM for this system will have to work a little harder than most to adapt to the different creatures they'll need to create. Beyond that, I like how things are set up.
I can see how the various stats could be used in different situations, but overall, might it not have been simpler to go with just a Mind and Body statistic for all different encounters? Same numbers, just that much less hemming-hawing over what stat to use. Maybe they are flavor and variation, which I can see and would totally make sense. I will try this out and see what my group thinks.
Nice work!
Mechanics are solid but there are nothing new or exciting there. Game also seems bit long and tedious when you have to collect 6 items and everything resets between planets.
The rules never said anything about originality. I'm sorry you didn't like it.
Nice ASCII art, but not a ton other than just general space-ness I found with the theme. I feel like you shouldn't have tried to cram a point-buy ability subsystem in there; it really feels like that could have better been left to "GM, go figure out what the players can do" and spend some time really developing a setting. I'm not sure if it was the word count or something else, but some spots were difficult to parse.
Thanks for the feedback! My goal was not to create an expansive setting but rather to create a solid and easy to follow rule set that would facilitate role-play. The word count did make me have to shorten or combine sentences which made reading a bit more difficult. Conjunctions add up fast! If people wanted, I could probably make it clearer in 300 to 500 words. A mini rpg perhaps?
How many items need to be found? There are a few sentences that are hard to read, including the table. Otherwise, I like the theme :)
The way that the rules read I meant it to be that the players have to find all six items . That's why there is the line about re-rolling if necessary . For shorter play sessions the GM could determine that three might be enough , depending on which three. I'm curious, what about the table was difficult to read?