I enjoy how the character creation also sets up the dungeon and the combat encounters. Visuals are great, though the text might be on the small side for printing.

I love the ambition of the combat system. Took me quite a few reads to make sure I understood, and I have the feeling I might still be missing something. Maybe including something like a character sheet would make it a bit easier to visualize the limbs, or maybe have cards for each limb so you could use to make it clear which limbs have been revealed or not. Either way, I feel like I really need something a bit more visual and/or physical to make it a bit more accessible, and it would probably be the first thing I’d try to solve if I am running this.

there is a lot about violence and guilt going on in this complete ruleset. Heartfelt

That’s 5 stars for writing for sure. Some ultra-complex stuff one has to wrap one’S head around— Perhaps more a 1v1 game, rather than an RPG where the GM has infinite monsters? I see a deck builder somewhere inside this.

Love the back page revealing it’s obscure syntax after reading.

YO! This slaps! Also punches, kicks, and maybe does an armbar as well lol. The art is good, and layout is so clean (even if the background graphics could’ve been a teensy bit less opaque), but the writing is phenomenal! Punchy. Strong. Poetic. This felt like reading Gubat Banwa with the way the love of martial arts shone through.

Would love to see a full-length or alternate setting versions of this! Killer job.

A complete ttrpg in a booklet is ambitious, and using the chinese civil war is such an uncommon narrative. Having the dungeon halls and spirit traits generated directly from memories is a brilliant design choice, and the 6-day countdown creates palpable tension.

That said, I have a couple of quick thoughts for future polish. Please consider releasing a text-based/accessible PDF. Reading a full game off image scans makes it difficult to search for specific terms mid-session. Also, being a whole new system, with some deep combat mechanic need in my opinion more references:  how player turn actions, targeting limbs, energy expenditure ...

Also I didn't understand if there are mechanical penalty when a spirit's specific limb drops to 0 HP.

Truly impressive and evocative work for the jam! It just needs a couple more pages to give the system room to breathe and fully develop.

Reminds me of Onimusha and Princess Mononoke. This is a really cool zine and wonderfully written. Excellent work!

Fantastic tight game, very ambitious and dripping in vibes. Loved it

What I thought worked wel

• Efficient and to the point without losing theme, major vibes and point of view
• Very interesting mechanics, but need to try it to get a real feel
• I love the mix of more contemporary events with the past
• It's a whole ttrpg system!

What I thought could be improved

• I feel the ambition has a cost, it's very dense took a few rereads to get everything
• I almost wanted at least another layer somehow, but this it because it's so cool i want more
• Not factoring into rating but i wasn't able to select search text, not sure if just me but it not it's a heads up

Uh, so, aside from what Har has said below (lol)...
Definitely one of my favorites in the jam! The mental images that this module conjured up in my mind are SO vivid. Not only the world, but also the combat mechanics and the naming of everything. Punchy writing that leaves you no room to process the coolness that just backhanded you in the face. The art is just *chef's kiss* and the layout are SO polished. One of those modules that looked like it spent way more than 1 month to develop. My only gripe is the interior texts aren't searchable. I have a goldfish's attention span (severe ADHD) so I rely on search to make connections between sections and remind me of the stuff I read 2 mins ago. But in any case, I fw this so harddddd!!!

Making an entire RPG nets you 5/5 on gameability, I don't care. But the gameplay is fire! Reminds me a lot of the dice allocation combat mechanic in Stellar Knights. And you have a knack for effective writing, too. My friend catsumu (who made When the Earth Sang Fire - check it out!) told me about this entry and we were gushing together because it's so cool!

A whole new RPG. Amazing.  Love the setting and the descriptions of the moves.  A refreshing departure from the average dungeon crawl. Great job!

very ambitious, love the set up and the maybe(?) communist-nationalist civil war looming in the background. Not to mention full body strategic martial arts... super cool!

Great additions beyond a good adventure! I like it a lot.

The battle mechanics for this rule so much. Writing is really well done. Poetic in a sense and still very clear with the roles and lore being laid out. Art is great and fits perfectly. I’m just absolutely in love with this limb battle system, trying to think if I’ve seen a better way to depict martial arts battle and got nothing. So good!

gorgeous across the board. all the wreckage and grime is delicious. reminds me of the game Labyrinth of the Demon King. this combat system feels crazy lmao i really want to try it out just to see it all happen. i dig how tightly woven the mechanics are through the whole text.

high: all the writing is killer but the hall text especially i just wanted to sink my teeth into. i also love the emphasis on silence, especially in the players, mixed with explosive violence

low: i'm not sure how the six day timer works with the minimum of two yeren - if i'm reading right, you'd only roll four Halls (one Dishonor and one Disgrace / character for two characters). i guess you could just pick something for the remaining days, but it loses the connection to chargen. the spirits also feel so unique i'd hate to re-use one, but with memories being random, repeats seem likely

one of my favs overall!

Love the theme, and very clean lyout! Good luck in the jam!