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CHECKMATE's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Overall | #8 | 3.867 | 3.867 |
| SUBSTANCE | #9 | 3.933 | 3.933 |
| STYLE | #9 | 3.800 | 3.800 |
Ranked from 15 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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Comments
as someone who's already published a chess-themed mission for FIST, this was already winning me over. fischer-spassky has a lot of cold war texture, and the idea of a hotel full of mobsters and danger is a great mood-setter. i'd love to get a little more meat inside the exoskeleton, though; while i respect the commitment to referee choice, so much is presented as an option or a suggestion that i found myself wanting some more explicitly established scenarios, or at least named NPCs. still, this is a great concept and there's enough here that I'd have a fun time running it with the Intelligence Matrix in tow.
Really awesome and compact mission, nails the FIST vibes all around. I love the factions having their own motives and assumptions about FIST listed. Though I'd love a bit more of a connection with the championship itself and to see FIST interact with it in some way rather than it be mostly for backdrop. Super clean, short, and sweet. Great work!
Concur with the immersive sim vibes - The premise is simple, the goals tangible, and the methods opposite of a railroad. I can see this mission going all sorts of ways, up to and including the first failure in a cold war turned hot. I'm definitely gonna try and run this sometime soon!
Really evocative situation. Love the art. Would slot nicely in alongside some of the other modules in the Jam for a cool European campaign!
Absolutely! Can absolutely change the year up or down a few decades, I just picked 1972 for it's real-world historical/political significance.
Short, sweet and deliciously simple. I love the motifs here and the open-endedness encourages play from both sides of the referee screen. I'd love to see this expanded upon in the future, maybe with a chessboard element but that's just because I love a good external component in my ttrpgs. Still, the information for the referee and the multiple ways players can tackle this (along with the time constraint) makes for a great mission that is a great contender for convention play.
Thank you so much!
Was a little worried it was too open-ended but I think it encourages a lot of creativity from the players and presents heaps of chaotic opportunities for the referee!
hilariously I'm watching From Russia With Love as I review jam entries today, and just yesterday played the first few hours of the 007 First Light game. The chess championship gives a really sweet backdrop for a fun get-in, get-the-guys, get-out-alive mission. The factions and chaos that can unfurl in this mission are totally a blast.
If there is only one thing I am missing a bit, I would love to see some way that the match itself could play a role in the mission.
Very cool art and cover,
I did realise shortly before submission that the match doesn't feature much in the mission, but totally could with a bit of work. Maybe a clock/timer system that influences how many SPECTATORS are around?
Though I feel like the mission would be equally cool with FIST just slipping in right under the match and getting the job done.
Nice! I like the idea of a chess tournament as a front for covert hijinks!
you've got to love a mission that very literally just lays down the board, sets up the pieces, and lets you play the game. FIST as an immersive sim; feels like a Hitman level.
Hitman definitely influenced this, I left it a little open specifically to encourage that sort of gameplay (disguises, climbing out windows, etc)
Interrupt an arms deal at a chess championship - this mission wears it's inspiration on it's sleeve and screams cold war. Great stuff!