Looks very cool! Can't wait to see the first faction/unit rules to see how it all comes together on the tabletop.
Toastmortem
Creator of
Recent community posts
I've seen both "mission critical" and "mission-critical" used, and either is correct. It is in common usage in American English, so it is perfectly reasonable to use. Searching "non-mission-critical" on Google brings up results and definitions with both that usage and "non-mission critical", so I believe either can be used. "Not mission critical" would also be correct but sounds slightly more formal. As I said, "Non-mission critical" means the same thing but sounds more informal and soldier-like.
"No mission critical" would be grammatically incorrect, as "mission critical" is functioning as an adjective in the sentence, and "No" is used to negate nouns, not adjectives. For example: "There are no cats," vs "The cats are not present."
I am by no means an expert on the subject, so please take my answers with a pinch of salt (that is to say, take my answers with some amount of skepticism, as I may be mistaken). For reference, I speak American English. Also, if I am explaining things which you already know, I apologize. I am not trying to imply you are stupid or do not know something simple; I want to make sure I am being as thorough and complete as possible.
The phrase "mission critical" is used in military jargon as shorthand to mean "critical to the mission." If I said "The safety of the general is mission critical," what I mean is "The safety of the general is critical to the mission."
"Non-" is a prefix which means "not" or the negation of the word that follows it. For example, the word "Non-negotiable" means "Not negotiable".
So, the author is applying the prefix "Non-" to the phrase "Mission Critical" to create the phrase "Non-mission critical" (which means "not mission critical") This may not be strictly correct (you will not find the phrase "Non-mission critical" in an English dictionary). But, the use of this phrase works in the story because the story is written in first person, using the character's voice to narrate the story, so some intentional grammar mistakes can be made to convey the character's voice, as most people do not speak with perfect grammar. But, the writer needs to be careful that they are not making the text confusing or difficult to read.
In this story, the main character/narrator is a soldier, so the use of jargon like "mission critical" or "non-mission critical" works in the story because it makes the narrator sound like a soldier and it is still understandable as long as the reader is familiar with the jargon being used or is able to intuit the meaning. In this case, it sounds like you were able to intuit the phrase as meaning "not critical for the mission," so it seems to have worked.
Regarding the use of "as", I am afraid I do not have much information to give. In common usage of English (and, I think, most other languages), some words are removed or "dropped" to save time and space when writing or speaking. For example, I started this paragraph with "I am afraid I do not have much information to give" instead of "I am afraid that I do not have much information to give." Including "that" in the sentence does not change the meaning, add any information, or make the sentence easier to read, so I did not bother including it.
When a word can be "dropped" depends on the sentence, so I cannot give a complete list of examples or circumstances. But, in American English, "as" often is not included after "considered". For example: "Dogs are considered man's best friend," or "This sentence is considered grammatically correct English."
I apologize for the long reply and I hope this is helpful to you!
Thanks! Yeah, I'm not particularly satisfied with the ending (or lack thereof) either. I was a bit overambitious with the scene concept and didn't have the time or motivation to completely restructure it after I realized I wouldn't have the space I needed, so it was reworked into a cliffhanger. The team didn't have enough time to complete their mission, and I didn't have enough words :P
A great read, I think my favorite so far! I actually quite liked the repetition of "she remembered" throughout. It emphasizes to the reader that each memory is significant to Ravenna, and it's significant that she remembers them. There's a couple places where the wording is a little unwieldy, but with some slight refinement, it would be perfect.
Nice work! The story was interesting, on theme, and had quite enjoyable characterization and banter between the two lead characters. My only real critique is that there are a few grammar issues and shifts between past, present, and future tense throughout the story, which effects the flow of the narrative. However, that should be fixable with a quick editing pass.
I really love the exploration of the Prime Brothers and how well you fleshed out the culture of the detachment in such a limited time, as well as the structure of the story. High marks overall from me! My only criticism is that I'm not sure 1000 words was enough to really effectively setup Sunan's eventual disillusionment. Just a limitation of the format, I think.
Howdy!
As written, ranged attack rolls are not modified by any character skill. My intention was to represent fast, desperate fighting in confined spaces where aim doesn't really matter so much as who puts the most lead/laser/plasma downrange the quickest. So I didn't think such a skill was necessary. Though, feel free to add a "Marksmanship" skill if you think it makes sense and would suit your game better.
Thanks for considering the system! If you do run it, I'd love to hear how it goes.
I can’t speak to Cult of the Reptile God specifically, but there are a handful of things that may need consideration. (Apologies for the wall of text to follow)
Mechanically, monster stats will need some slight tweaking, as AotT uses ascending AC rather than the traditional descending and AC/To-hit bonuses don’t necessarily scale the same as the class/monster attack matrices of old. AotT also has quite simplistic character advancement that doesn’t require gathering gold for XP, so treasure is far less important to the PC and you might consider using “milestone” advancement to ensure the PC levels at about the same pace as the adventure expects (or tack a Gold = XP system onto AotT for the PC and retainers).
Additionally, there is the the lack of magic-using characters in AotT, which may not matter in low level adventures where 1st level magic-users traditionally don’t have much magic to use, but may be a problem in ones which expect the party to have access to magic abilities. This could be circumvented by the addition of Tech items which perform a similar role to a particular spell/ability. Likewise, magic items present in an adventure could be re-flavored as tech or kept as-is depending on preference, with the Decipher Text skill substituted in to read magic scrolls, and Use Tech to intuit how to use a particular wand. Perhaps a character versed in Runic or Ecclesiastical can simply read and use scrolls as a magic-user or cleric?
Depending on the particular adventure, the Subtlety mechanic may or may not apply at all. In an adventure like Against the Cult of the Reptile God, it could be used to determine if the cult members realize the PC is getting a little too curious and decide to deal with them, or are too oblivious or proud to realize the threat they pose.
Finally, consider that while a 1st level Thone Agent and retainers should be mechanically similar to a party of 1st level adventurers, it’s still only a single player navigating the adventure. Puzzles and challenges that might be trivial to a group of 3 or 4 players, able to bounce ideas off each other and come up with creative solutions, may not be to a single player alone. They might be able to “brute force” some problems with skill rolls, but there may be times where they just get stuck and need a gentle nudge from one of their retainers or another NPC.
Thanks for checking out the game, and if you do end up running Agent of the Throne, please let me know how it goes!
On behalf of myself and the others that helped make the game, thank you very much! You are far too kind and I appreciate your words immensely.
Once again, thank you for hosting the jam. I have far too many ideas that never amount to more than some messy notes in a word document, but this provided the motivation to actually make something playable. It was an absolute blast and the limited time was helpful, strangely enough. There were plenty of ideas and details I wanted to include but didn't have the time to (encumbrance, exploration procedures, etc.), but I think the game may be better for it. At the very least, it's far cleaner and less confusing than it may have been.
I hope to update it in the future with additional enemies, art, and perhaps write some adventures/investigations for it, but I'm probably getting ahead of myself.