Couldn't resist checking out something described as a "Kafkaesque dungeon crawl"! I love the theme and I'm impressed by how much you're able to pack into such a tight space. I also really appreciate that it focuses more on the story of the dungeon and the party's traversal through it; of course, that's probably the better thing to focus on for a short jam.
Feels like a classic adventure that might have shown up in one of the old D&D magazines. My only complaint is that the red-and-white on black is a little hard to read...but maybe that's appropriate for the setting!
Thank you for your kind words! And sorry about the font color. I wish I could say it was an intentional choice I made to echo Kafka's disorienting prose but nope lol
It looks like an awesome one session adventure that you could slot into any campaign (especially a hell based one) near or at the start. The adventure would work very well for a party that's focused on asking questions and exploring. Though, on the other hand I would be hesitant to run this if I know my players would be a "punch first, ask questions later" type of group.
And I totally agree. The module was not written as a series of balanced combat encounters. Players who are into that style of game might bounce off of it.
This tiny pamphlet opens with a fun premise and unique hook. What follows is a short, solid, easy to read dungeon with plenty of evocative detail. If we roleplayers ever decide on a shared definition of the term 'dungeon', I hope great modules like this one will be cited as textbook examples!
(And yes, this is the third time I've typed this out. I'm fairly new to itch and I'm not entirely sure what the best place for this kind of feedback is...)
One thing I can say for sure about this supplement is that I love that it is based on Kafka's "The Trial". It is an ideal book to write "weird" adventures for games based on it, because it contains all the necessary threads, even the main one where waking up, we are accused of something, and it does not even matter what. So I'm glad to see this submission because I remembered about "The Trial" and its RPG capabilities.
Thanks. To save room on the pamphlet itself, I put the system info on the game's project page instead. It's an adventure module rather than a game system so you just slot it into your group's ongoing campaign.
You can hack it into any game system but it's geared toward OSR systems like Old School Essentials, Knave, B/X D&D, etc.
The scenario you set up sounds great from a 'running the game' perspective; you provide the right amount of pertinent info in that regard! The one thing I'd see if I could squeeze in is what game system the module is for (OSR I would guess but am not involved in that scene so I don't know), though I suspect the people who know, know. Cool module :-]!
Definitely captures a dystopian legal system as well as some bureaucratic hell and a bit of body horror as well. It's very easy to picture the setting reading this.
Not sure what system this is supposed to be, you give stats for the Law and the agents of the court, so there is some system implied, but I don't know what it is. It would probably be good to mention what happens if the payers start fighting before they get to the law, I could easily see combat erupting in the magistrates room depending on the party. Similarly you never explain what happens if the group pleads innocent and plays the whole thing out. They're brought to the cell with a chance to meet the groom... but then what? at some point are they escorted down to the law to plead their case? and if so what happens then?
There's only so much you can fit in two pages and even in more space there are some things that will inevitably left to the GM's discretion. You can't plan for everything, but I always try to have a general idea of how to handle it if the party:
1. fights everything 2. avoids combat at all costs and try's to talk their way out of it
If you can answer both of those you have a good enough understanding of the situation to improvise the rest.
Comments
Couldn't resist checking out something described as a "Kafkaesque dungeon crawl"! I love the theme and I'm impressed by how much you're able to pack into such a tight space. I also really appreciate that it focuses more on the story of the dungeon and the party's traversal through it; of course, that's probably the better thing to focus on for a short jam.
Feels like a classic adventure that might have shown up in one of the old D&D magazines. My only complaint is that the red-and-white on black is a little hard to read...but maybe that's appropriate for the setting!
Thank you for your kind words! And sorry about the font color. I wish I could say it was an intentional choice I made to echo Kafka's disorienting prose but nope lol
Haha, no worries! It was still legible, just a little hard on the eyes late at night. But now you can take the credit for it! :)
It looks like an awesome one session adventure that you could slot into any campaign (especially a hell based one) near or at the start. The adventure would work very well for a party that's focused on asking questions and exploring. Though, on the other hand I would be hesitant to run this if I know my players would be a "punch first, ask questions later" type of group.
Thank you!
And I totally agree. The module was not written as a series of balanced combat encounters. Players who are into that style of game might bounce off of it.
This tiny pamphlet opens with a fun premise and unique hook. What follows is a short, solid, easy to read dungeon with plenty of evocative detail. If we roleplayers ever decide on a shared definition of the term 'dungeon', I hope great modules like this one will be cited as textbook examples!
(And yes, this is the third time I've typed this out. I'm fairly new to itch and I'm not entirely sure what the best place for this kind of feedback is...)
Third time's a charm. Thank you!
One thing I can say for sure about this supplement is that I love that it is based on Kafka's "The Trial". It is an ideal book to write "weird" adventures for games based on it, because it contains all the necessary threads, even the main one where waking up, we are accused of something, and it does not even matter what. So I'm glad to see this submission because I remembered about "The Trial" and its RPG capabilities.
I love the idea of the module and the aesthetic but what system is it for, how do you play it?
Thanks. To save room on the pamphlet itself, I put the system info on the game's project page instead. It's an adventure module rather than a game system so you just slot it into your group's ongoing campaign.
You can hack it into any game system but it's geared toward OSR systems like Old School Essentials, Knave, B/X D&D, etc.
Makes sense. I would just mention that on the pamphlet.
The scenario you set up sounds great from a 'running the game' perspective; you provide the right amount of pertinent info in that regard! The one thing I'd see if I could squeeze in is what game system the module is for (OSR I would guess but am not involved in that scene so I don't know), though I suspect the people who know, know. Cool module :-]!
Thanks! And you're right, it was intended to be generally OSR compatible. I should've snuck that in somewhere on the pamphlet.
Definitely captures a dystopian legal system as well as some bureaucratic hell and a bit of body horror as well. It's very easy to picture the setting reading this.
Not sure what system this is supposed to be, you give stats for the Law and the agents of the court, so there is some system implied, but I don't know what it is. It would probably be good to mention what happens if the payers start fighting before they get to the law, I could easily see combat erupting in the magistrates room depending on the party. Similarly you never explain what happens if the group pleads innocent and plays the whole thing out. They're brought to the cell with a chance to meet the groom... but then what? at some point are they escorted down to the law to plead their case? and if so what happens then?
There's only so much you can fit in two pages and even in more space there are some things that will inevitably left to the GM's discretion. You can't plan for everything, but I always try to have a general idea of how to handle it if the party:
1. fights everything
2. avoids combat at all costs and try's to talk their way out of it
If you can answer both of those you have a good enough understanding of the situation to improvise the rest.