itch.io

A very helpful summary! It's clearly stated where each spell comes from, allowing one to easily find a story in which the spell is used. It's not a complete list, though. For example, there is no mention of Ibn-Ghazi powder (the thing dr. Armitage uses to make the Dunwich Horror visible) or anything mentioned in "The dreams in the witch-house". Overall, it's helpful, i.e. for Cthulhu Dark sessions.

Yes, the font had to be smaller so the adventure could fit the 8 page limit. And I still had to cut some things so a revised edition sounds like a great idea. Thank you for the kind words!

Thank you for your kind words! Yes, the format is heavily underused. Tunnels and Trolls used to write scenarios like this but the system was considered silly and nowadays, the only known solitaire adventures are the few Call of Cthulhu scenarios.

The setting is good. Getting to the spire itself is an interesting task and the scenario offers various ways to accomplish it, as well as offering some enemies to make it harder. Once it gets to the actual, titular spire, it's still... alright. There are some interesting magical things to play with but the dungeon part lacks the feeling of urgency. The designer foresees some tricky situations and explains how to deal with them, which is what all scenarios should do. 

This is a good one. Well, the introduction is slightly wonky (from what I gather, all citizens aside from the witch entered the dangerous dungeon. Is it a village of mad men?). But once you enter the cave, it's much better. The factions are interesting and described quickly, making it easy to figure out their actions without having to make your way through pages of text. There is a ton of treasure (a dead guy in the first room has a 50 gp idol) but at least it's cursed. Yes, the premise is pretty much "Pirates of the Carribean" but it was a great movie and it works here as well.

The traps make sense and are more than just damage dealers. There is a pirate ship on an underground lake like in the "Goonies". Good stuff. This one goes to my "Adventures" folder, waiting to be played.

I would not expect an adventure this wholesome (well... it can be wholesome, depending on the players' actions) to incorporate so many genuinely clever elements. 

Just like Shadowdark uses real time to track torches, this scenario uses real time to check if the person you are trying to search is still alive. Simple, yet effective! The encounters on your way to the goal are randomly determined, so even though the adventure itself is linear, it still has some replayability to offer. And the fact that the XP-giving treasure is your family is just cute. 

It's a shame I wasn't able to rate it based on the inspiration. The covers used as inspiration are nowhere mentioned.

This scenario has some great ideas, especially when it comes to the atmosphere. The PCs are trapped in a foggy town ran in secret by a cult, the swamp is unnaturally hostile etc. It does not win in the playability department, unfortunately. The scenario is very wordy and linear. The events the PCs encounter are mostly decided ahead of time. The characters are also supposed to be tempted with their most desired treasure and if they succumb to it, they cannot leave the town. It's a good idea but the consequences could have been telegraphed before the punishment. 

I can't rate the scenario based on the "Inspiration" criterium. The "Weird Tales" covers are not specified in the scenario.

So, great setting but the adventure itself is linear and wordy. The entry is currently winning in my personal criterium of "the best title".

Random tables! That's what I like to see! 

I will use some parts of this adventure by my table. The glitter bomb box is a silly yet devastating (psychologically) trap I've seen.  The randomly encountered creatures have their reactions pre-rolled (i.e. the crocodile is never out-right agressive, the corpse revivers are always hostile etc.). On one hand, it's a shame, since I like the uncertainty. On the other hand, this might speed things up for the GM. I'm on the fence.

The swamp-crawl is what confuses me. It has the interesting random encounters, there's a nice-looking map but there is nothing to do there. Just the witch cave. It's unfinished and would require the GM to expand heavily.

Another, smaller, thing: why? There were many "whys" I had when I was reading this scenario. Where does the hermit witch have books from? Where did she learn to read if she was abandoned in the swamp as a baby (great villain backstory, BTW)? Why does she appear as a random encounter only for a moment (does she enjoy scaring people? We know she is a serial kidnapper...)?

So, good premise, interesting (though heavily underdeveloped) swamp to explore, some good loot to snatch.  It's a scenario which suffers heavily from being confined to 8 pages.

A solid, non-linear dungeon. It has its ghost-related motive, some cultists thrown into the mix. My favorite element in the dungeon is probably a gelatinous cube which has two smaller gelatinous cubes inside of it; I'm a sucker for creative usage of commonly known monsters. 

Overall, useful if placed on a map of a sandbox map. I wouldn't use it as a one-shot, though; the PCs are motivated mostly by their curiosity and greed (which is a good thing. Just not as a one-shot, IMHO).

I somehow ended up fitting almost exactly in 8 pages (it's a shame I didn't have the space for a cover).

As for the hardest part, it was definitely formating the document. The choose-your-own-adventure style of my scenario made it really vital, too. I had to check every numbered paragraph for potential discrepancies. But at least I learned how to make internal references in OpenOffice Writer, so that's a new skill in my book!

A short, interesting concept. A non-typical dungeon which is not linear. Many random tables, including some that simply build up the mood and tension. Even the rooms are mostly randomly generated.

That said, the scenario looks really tough. The party doesn't need to engage in any combat, of course, but almost every encounter is deadly for 1st-2nd level characters. The main villains are straight-up impossible. 

One more criticism I have (it might be just me) is that while the main goal is to destroy "the well of souls", I cannot find any mention as to where the well is in the area. Is it up to the GM to decide?

I think this one is good to see for the random tables alone. The entries are funny and unique (the hallucinogenic mushrooms that cause you to see double the enemies are my favorite entry. I will use them in my sessions). A solid entry.

I'm also curious about that. I usually illustrate my adventures but I don't think I will be able to sacrifice an entire page for a cover.

I would assume not. The overview states:

"Format: Submissions must be in PDF format, 8 pages or less, on US Letter or A4 paper size."

So it must be A4 or Letter. At least if we stick to the letter of the rules. Better safe than sorry.

This thing is unironically good. I wanted to simply check it out and ended up playing it for good half an hour. And I intend to come back!

It is not just a parody (a very good one, in fact), it also remembers that it is a game that has to be fun. And it is! Challenging and fair, though getting some single, stray pellets may be slightly annoying at times. It is playable without download so I really don't see a reason as to why not give it a go.

This is exactly what I needed! Everything derives from the core mechanics - the way you calculate XP from cliches, the bank die being itself a cliche that you roll for... the random chance for loot naturally increasing with the monsters' power. It's so simple, almost to the point of being intuitive but someone had to come up with this. Great job!

We need a spin-off game extending the lore behind the gray lounging man.

Thanks for organising this game jam! I made my first real game, it was great. And while it works, I must learn how to make .exe files that actually work. Maybe I will publish the game one day but I won't make it before the deadline. I have made some screenshots however. Happy Waluigi day!