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A jam submission

The Iron AscensionView project page

A Shadowdark One-Shot for Levels 1 to 3
Submitted by tabletopconspiracy — 14 days, 3 hours before the deadline
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The Iron Ascension's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
Usability#143.5383.538
Inspiration#153.8463.846
Overall#253.4363.436
Vibes#462.9232.923

Ranked from 13 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

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Comments

Submitted(+1)

The art reminds me a bit of the Devil's Tower in Wyoming! I love the adventure summary, the idea is awesome and definitely something I would want to run.  The Doomsday Clock is creative and I like how it keeps the time pressure on the players! "The blue ghosts just want a hug." Lol, nice rumors. Are the pipe ghosts in the  Sewer Grid?  

Submitted(+1)

Just dropping by to say this was my one biggest inspiration for my own entry, lol... The vibes are really consistent throughout and tell a story with a definite mood (which is the main thing I'm looking for in vibes), although they're not specifically "NES/8-bit" vibes (or something combining that with the general vibes of Shadowdark) so it's just shy of perfect. The inspiration came through really well though, I feel like you did a great job of incorporating the main "thing" about each game (from a gameplay perspective) into the module in a practical, consequential way. Not so much in terms of "lore"/story/characters, but actual gameplay instead, which is a completely valid approach IMO. And the actual gameplay material feels as complete as it could possibly be to me. All in all, amazing work!

Submitted (1 edit) (+1)
  • Vibes: Great
    • Cool premise (escape the gas). Love a good timer + clear hook/motivation.
    • Cool, thematic monsters with some simple but interesting abilities.
    • Interesting, thematic rumor/encounter/why are you here tables. Cool special items.
    • I didn't see a ton of "8-bit" in here, but I get what you were going for (I took a similar approach). It feels very Shadowdark, which I really appreciate.
    • Art was fine. I understand time limitations probably made it difficult.
    • Maps look good, especially given AI generated (I assume). Curious how much time that took to get right!
  •  Inspiration: Clear and concise (too concise?)
    • Like the concise callouts right at the beginning.
    • Wouldn't have minded seeing these be a bit more fleshed out, but understand space was an issue.
  • Usability: Solid, but could use some quality of life improvements.
    • Love that recommended PC level and the fact this is a one-shot is clearly called out right away.
    • Love the inclusion of an adventure summary at the beginning. This helps me as a reader/rater immensely.
    • Good explanation of gas/visibility mechanics. Seems very usable + adds tension.
    • Love the telegraphic danger callout on page 2. Great for GM accessibility.
    • Very cool escalating Random Encounter table. I may have missed how often to roll on it though (aka danger level).
    • Would prefer to have seen creature stat blocks on the relevant pages for usability (or at least links to relevant stat blocks).
    • It did feel like you were trying to fit A LOT of stuff into 16 pages. I applaud the ambition, but I wonder if readability suffered slightly (very likely just personal preference). I can't give specific examples (which is why I'm hedging), but I did find myself skipping large sections as I was skimming.

Really solid entry - very thematic. Solid layout -  professional looking (especially given time allotted). Looks fun. Great job!

Submitted(+1)

I like the cover art, but maybe because it reminds me of the 80's board game Dark Tower (always wanted, never had it.) The Doomsday Clock is an interesting way to keep the players moving up, and adding to the issue of a light source possibly being snuffed out.

Submitted(+1)

Great editing, this feels like an authentic Shadowdark adventure.  Love the artwork and map.

Submitted(+1)

I really like the doomsday clock mechanic and the vertical progression with the Grapple-Claw. Overall really good