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Reaping at Beltine's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Game Master Usability | #12 | 3.732 | 3.732 |
Ranked from 41 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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Comments
The art and concept are both really interesting! A little town with a dark secret.
I think these kind of loosely scripted event-based adventures can be tricky to run because they often rely on PCs taking a specific action. In this case, I'm not sure what motivation the PCs would have to check out the vineyard house basement. From what I gather, the PCs are hired as caravan guards to protect the shipment on the road and not to raid the vineyard. After the first attack, I think a GM would need to add some clues/hooks that encourage the players to investigate the vineyard. It might be easier instead if the characters arrive in town in the immediate aftermath of the first attack, and a desperate victim/witness can provide some direction to the source for the players.
I also wonder if it would be a more interesting development to have a targeted revenge curse. What if specific NPCs were called out as members of the angry mob responsible, and only they were the targets of the vengeful mannequins? Some families could be broken instead of completely wiped out. Damaged characters being more compelling than dead characters and all that.
Thanks for engaging with the adventure! I appreciate the insight.
It's true no explicit hooks direct players to the Kugo basement. It's just as likely that PCs decide to try to run for it, try to fortify the village, or try to escort villagers out of the area. No advice in the module exists for any of those scenarios, which perhaps lead to this module missing the top 8 in the jam.
I also considered their revenge being more targeted! I was originally inspired by "The Fog" where misty ghosts come back to punish the leaders of a town. My tastes veer towards over-the-top, so I opted to push it a bit farther. Restraint might have made for a more interesting story, in this case.
I'm sorry it missed out on being a finalist, it was in my personal top 8. Great writing and art!
Nice to know about your inspiration, I can definitely appreciate the more extreme consequences.
I thought I had a shot at this contest until I saw this adventure. Then I almost didn't submit. Very well done, and easily my favorite. Of course, I may be biased since I have an affinity for dark horror-adjacent adventures.
What level is this designed for?
Most of the kugo's are LV7, so a level 1-3 party would need to play smart and retreat to rest, and a level 4-6 party could take the dungeon in one run.
Very nice plot. I love the grimness (is that a word?) and set up of the adventure. It looks easily usable and fun to play. Nice!
This is a really cool adventure and plot! You've provided enough info to not need rumor tables, I could just have my players roll to gather info and then tell them a truth if they roll well and tell them a half truth if they roll poorly!
Anywho, good work man! I'll keep this one in my back pocket.
This is fantastic! I love it!
This is put together very well and should be easy for a new GM to run.
1. Well-thought-out background
2. Detailed timeline of events
3. Great map for the mansion
4. Encounters that make sense within the scenario
Great work. Going to be using this in my campaign for sure.
This is great, very well put together!
thanks for the kind words, matt :)
This is super creepy and super cool!
thanks! i'm pleased with how this one turned out. beware the wretched puppets 💀