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A jam submission

Welcome to NULLView project page

Dive into the last free zone of the city
Submitted by The Bit Bet — 14 days, 14 hours before the deadline
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Welcome to NULL's itch.io page

Results

CriteriaRankScore*Raw Score
How legible and easy-to-understand is this mission?#14.6004.600
How appealing (conceptually & stylistically) is this mission?#24.6004.600
Overall#24.3334.333
How well are design principles used to setup fun gameplay?#93.8003.800

Ranked from 5 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.

Which RPG system(s) is this for?
System-agnostic

Which "hard mode" challenges, if any, did you complete?
Are you smarter than a Megacorp executive?
Urban exploration
No images or diagrams
System-agnostic

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Comments

Submitted(+1)

This is a really nice campaign frame that can be slotted into any cyberpunk ttrpg. I think you do a good job of accomplishing the optional themes and challenges as well. The central arc of NULL is great, starting off more as a side plot that will eventually consume the campaign once its true nature is revealed. 

I do think you could add a some more details on NULL for a GM and PCs to utilize though. Add a few more NPCs or factions that can act as "regulars" in NULL that the PCs to build relationships with. Additionally, adding some more notes on how these NPCs will react once the true nature of NULL is revealed will give a GM some more support for their campaign.

Otherwise, very solid campaign frame.

Developer

Thanks for the feedback, it was a long adventure to write in a short time and I didn't add all I wanted to. I could improve the text with your suggestions.

Submitted(+1)

First off, the core concept of the NULL is very cool. This does seem to be more of a campaign overview, rather than a discrete mission, not that that's a problem! The couple of small mission briefings within it are a bit bare bones, but the overall flow of the campaign structure is really solid. Act 2 is where the meat would be, doing missions, getting to know NULL's inhabitants, and getting attached to this little island of freedom and anonymity. I would've liked maybe some more details about the folks in the NULL: some NPCs, with names and motivations and such for the players to meet, beyond just NIHIL. They need a reason to care about the NULL, beyond the opportunity to buy illegal goods, to make the final reveal more impactful, and their decision on what to do about it more meaningful. Course, a good GM will manage fine filling in the gaps, but I would've liked some examples. That's just my two cents though. Anyways, I'm definitely gonna keep this one in my pocket for if I ever end up running a cyberpunk campaign.

Developer

Thank you so much for the feedback. If you end up playing it, I’d absolutely love to hear how it goes, your experience would be incredibly helpful in shaping a stronger revision.

As for Act 2, you’re right, I did consider introducing a few NPCs who might be headed toward a doomed fate in Act 3, but in the end I felt the NULL overview was already so dense. That said, I think there’s still room to add more flavor, through morally gray characters that can deepen the tone without overloading the structure.

Thanks again.

HostSubmitted

Legibility

Very effective in organizing and communicating its contents. There are a few spelling mistakes, but none hinder comprehension. The author regularly places the most important details at the beginning of any long description, and the early GM’s summary effectively contextualizes the entire mission for the GM.

The only ambiguity I could find is with the list of Challenges. It’s ambiguous if all the Challenge items need to be overcome, or if only some need to. It seems to flip-flop between sets of Challenges. A GM can parse it on subsequent readings, but it can still be clearer.

Despite those minor blemishes, this mission is still clear enough in its writing and organization to be easily-comprehended.

Design

The mission starts on a good foot by establishing its core values (anonymity and autonomy) to the players and tying that to a meaningful player motivation (desire to avoid surveillance and access useful gear and NPCs). The setting of the adventure also does a great job of seeding suspicion in the players’ minds: the 10 hour time limit of the NULL zone before it moves prevents players from getting too comfortable in the space, the totalitarianism of NIHIL (even if never exercised) contradicts the intention of the NULL zone that foreshadows the reveal, and even the “everything is a little too quiet” when the players first enter demonstrate the uneasy artificiality of the NULL zone.

In addition, the resolution portrays an interesting test of values for the player characters, whether to reaffirm their commitment to true freedom by forfeiting a useful place that grants them ore privileges or to accept the co-opted “free” situation and willingly submit (either temporarily or permanently).

However, this commitment to unease and transience also creates a feeling of detachment from the NULL zone. For me, this is caused by a lack of any notable, characterful occupants and utilities. There is supposedly a wide array of interesting characters: patrons, fences, merchants, and revolutionaries. But none are actually provided. Not only does this point to the NULL zone’s artificiality and lifelessness, but it also prevents players from caring enough about the place for the final choice to feel meaningful.

Speaking of detachment, the three missions and their Challenges feel sparse, like mere skeletons of missions. They’re reminiscent of the 1HP Dragon (which is neat), but the first two missions feel thematically disconnected from the rest of Welcome to Null and have few details to make them memorable on their own. The first mission resembles a stock cyberpunk adventure so much, that it feels like an invitation to skip or replace it with anything else the GM has.

Aesthetics

Beyond the colorful text and stylish GM info box, Welcome to Null is visually very clean and plain. For me, that reinforces the co-opted sanitiziation of the Null zone itself. My only wish was that there was a proper printer-friendly version of the PDF (with black text on a white background). The markdown version is a helpful addition though.

Thematically, the central tension between true freedom and a carve-out in the existing power structure is compelling. It’s one I can imagine certain players having a genuine struggle with, and portrays the struggles and compromises seen in some real revolutionary struggles.

Suggestions

I only have a few suggestions for a future version:

  • Add more distinct characteristics to the Challenges of each mission, tying into the themes of the rest of the piece.
  • Provide a list of specific, interesting NPCs in the NULL zone. This should increase player attachment to the Zone and make the final choice more difficult

In the end, Welcome to NULL is an interesting space and plot that I personally plan to use in my next cyberpunk game.

Developer(+1)

Thank you for such a deep and thoughtful analysis. If you end up playing the game, I’d really love to hear your feedback from the table. It would help me a lot in making a more complete edit.