I'm an absolute sucker for goblins so I love it. Nice formatting too
Hansix
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The setup section is real hard to follow
(3-4 p.-1 b.c.; 5-6 p.-2 b.c.; 7-8 p -3 b.c.; Etc.) I'm assuming this means you draw 1 black card for 3 or 4 players, 2 for 5 or 6, 3 for 7 or 8. you might want to change this around a bit as I read it as -1 black cards at first, like you should draw less the more players you have.
If I'm also adding number of players +1 red cards for 4 players I'd have 5 red cards and 1 black card, when you distribute them among the players there's a 1/3 chance that no one is a traitor. If traitors are a big part of the game running a game without any traitors might be a bit boring.
do you need to tap a card for an auto success before or after you roll?
does the gm reveal if there is a black card in the pile? players would be able to figure it out with one pass and one success on the dice, but if both dice are over 4 or both are below 4 players would only know if the GM tells them.
When talking about how long a task takes you mention that failure adds a d6x10 minutes, but not how long a successful action should take, just "as long as assumed" which doesn't mean much to me.
Outside of the technical rules description I think this is pretty cool. I love hidden traitor games, but I've never seen it combined with an RPG. Very cool concept.
This is great. The rules are solid, classic dice pool stuff. My only complain is that there is no way to adjust the difficulty due to outside circumstances (ie convincing a drunk commoner should be easier than the judge), you just get bonuses based on your abilities. This is pretty common in short rules light RPGs, but has always bothered me.
The integration of these rules with the setting is really spot on. the different fairy powers, finagler/dazzler really nail both the fairy and court side of the setting. There's just enough layers here that I can start imagining how different characters would play in meaningfully different ways.
The hot-botton issue generator and scenario table aren't on the one page version, but seem to fill out exactly what the goals for the characters are a bit better.
Biggest thing is the art is SO DAMN GOOD. Props to Arthur Rackham and Finn Lloyd!
First off the tone of this game is GOLD. I don't even care if I play it, I just want to read it. Write a book.
The rules are about as light as they get, so I don't have a ton to say, but I do like the prompts for players describing things are great and the "That's a bit much" rule is desperately needed in games like these. Nice work.
Taking it in order
2 stat system makes sense for a game this short. Sports and Smarts are good names for them too. Alliterative and fit the genre. Should probably put a bit about what they're for near this though I had to skim the rest of the doc to figure it out before continuing.
Architypes are perfect, and throwing Dog in there is icing on the cake. The advantages and disadvantages are a little confusing. Some of them have clear narrative/mechanical implications like a nerd and their glasses, rich kids having money, etc., but others like a jock being good at sports overlap with the stats you already outlined. If a jock is good at sports they should have a good sports score, not an ability that says they are. You could make a literal +1 bonus to that score or something, but I think the narrative abilities you have for some of them are more interesting. Maybe the jock can call in some guys from the football team for backup, but is quietly hated by all the nerds in the area.
The list of aliens are good, they all feel unique and would lead to very different games. I think ability/weakness might be a clearer name than advantage/disadvantage. Could use it for the architypes too. Some of the language like "Toxoplasma gondii" could be simplified.
Plot options are also good.
2d6 roll under feels right for this. I'm generally not a huge fan of roll systems with no mechanical way of adjusting difficulty, but I think this game is loose and lighthearted enough that it doesn't matter.
Crits on your number means that mathematically someone with a 6 or 7 sports is more likely to crit on a sports check than someone with 9 sports. I don't think it's a huge deal, but you could try doing a
"if you roll 4 under your score" system instead. You'd be about as likely to crit with a 6 or 7 stat, but would be more likely with higher stats than lower stats.
Cowering on a double 1 and overexerting on a double 6 feels backward for a roll under system.
Adding a d6 and choosing the best 2 is a very nice way to handle helping.
Alien Influence is a weird one. I like the abilities you've given the aliens for it, but it's never in the parties interest to take that 6th point. It's both mechanically brutal and means that player either needs to play villain or sit out. I think you could solve this by making the threat a little more open ended. The party adds to the pool collectively and at 6 alien influence something "really bad" happens. This might mean the Uvuuls mind control an important NPC, the Zetan reanimate a whole graveyard, or something else the GM thinks would be good on the fly.
GM advice is solid. Failing forward and a reminder to push the story in interesting directions is always good to include.
Plot twist table is great, love everything about it.
On the whole I think the biggest selling point to all this is the atmosphere. The game fits the genre really well, and the genre is fun as hell.
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.
Gonna throw this one on the pile
https://www.photopea.com/?fbclid=IwAR3Zii2ORWiy2HCOoL2e_98lEWRsbPtUumjis9fUS_c6d...