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Love is Blind! 

(Love the cult I mean.)

Cohesive and very appendix N. 

Clear layout and a really interesting boss battle. 

Great work. 

Perfect scope for 4 pages makes this look super easy to run. Nice simple layout and clear writing. Solid. 

Wow. Thank you for the kind words! This is what I was going for so it’s great to hear. I plan on making it easier to run by highlighting the important bits and make the ending a bit more open ended after the jam. 

My favorite bit:

“Bodies float and can be walked on.”

Clever way to change the environment as characters die and reincarnate. 

“Hadal” is hard to read in that font. Body text is readable and I dig it. 

Might be fun to throw a “weird lil guy” in there somewhere to change the pace and mix up the theme a bit if that makes sense. 

Lots of systems to fit in 4 pages but you’ve explained it very well. Impressive. So many tables too!

Thanks! I’ll head over to discord. 

Unique concept. Layout is very clear. Room descriptions are easy to understand. Some interesting encounters. 

I’m confused by the procedure to choose the traitor. After the traitor is tapped I’m missing something. I also had to read the part about the “knower” a few times so that could be explained better. These are “procedure” things. 

Take this next bit with a grain of salt because I got excited after reading and started thinking about how I’d  run this. 

IMO Endgame could be more interesting if it was a gladiator battle or something simpler. 11. And green flame Just felt anti climactic after an exciting build up. I’d use the green flame as something to interact with but not the ultimate conclusion. You have already set up opportunities to eliminate the rivals within the party and I’d like to see even more of those plus more ways to gain advantage. This is the most interesting part of the adventure for me and I’d love to see you double down on it and keep the conclusion simple. Providing a way for the party to collude or escape would be good too so there is still player agency. 

So to sum up: I think you need more space to explain the procedures and maybe a longer end game too - appropriate to your vision. 

Very cohesive and looks super easy to run.  Spider theme is fully utilized in all aspects which I love, and it’s not forced. Layout is great. Rooms have interest and build to the conclusion. Simple premise executed well. Room descriptions are evocative but efficient.  Very Appendix N! I want to run this. Some fun NPCs and clues along the way. 

Thank you so much for the detailed , actionable feedback. 

It’s interesting that you found the white easy to read, when most did not. Maybe I need to choose a better font and not use the black type unless I use a background behind it to make it pop. Great to hear because I like it too. The idea was to use the blue from old school maps. 

100%. Yeah the cover is unfinished. I assume it’s a cigarette. LOL.  It’s a public domain photo from a museum. I need to add my sources to those. I will be collaging in more Dnd details to him. Tall boots. Leather armour details. Perhaps a helmet. Also his legs need work. 

Glad you like the map. I have revised it to pop more. 

OMG. The typos are not my usual, but I was making changes at the last minute. I’ve edited but didn’t want to upload in case it’s not allowed. 

Very flattered it’d be fun to run. Hard to know how twist and turns will be perceived by a reader/ player. 

Great points and very much appreciated!

I am a big fan of your entry as well. 

Great use of public domain illustrations. Very easy to understand and run.  I could see him being an ongoing NPC. It’s an Adventure but also a resource. Dig the limb graft reward. I would 100% choose that. 

Very “N” and beautifully illustrated and designed. You managed to pack multiple mechanisms into a small amount of space but it’s all gameable. Love the zaniness too. 

Puzzle may be too hard for some parties is my only concern. I love the image of the party moving the desks all over while Evelyne stresses if they shift anything on the desk. 

Well done. 

Could there be a clue that suggests the purpose of the orbs or is it not necessary because the party will infer that a key must be available somewhere in the dungeon? Perhaps touching the orbs initiates a scraping sound in the distance or a glow on a door visible from the room. These may be too simple but you get the idea.

 I used to play with a group that played all sorts of OSR stuff and they would have loved it. The way you combine story telling with dungeon in 2 parts feels really unique to me and is not a gimmick, it’s cohesive and complementary. In four pages! Sersa Victory has an adventure that has a wild twist ending. Shrine of the Jaguar Princess . This is reminiscent, but yours also is a storytelling device. If you’re not familiar- his stuff is fantastic. 

Maybe create challenges that bring out the character types you introduce? Can be very subtle and open ended. 

My biggest suggestion would be to expand the dungeon quite a bit and continue to explore the themes of the journey before the black pool. I want more! Very evocative writing. Easy to run. Really dig it. 

Hey Thanks! I’ve received other feedback regarding the princely deaths. They are meant to be black comedy ala Coen Brothers movie / Fargo show. I maybe should elaborate and try to reveal the sequence of events that led to their demise in an interesting way. (Clues / environmental story telling) The ring of intelligence was meant to suggest that the prince was dim. It also reveals that there is trap to be dealt with. The self help pamphlet Prince was insecure, the stairs Prince was clumsy. It could be a chance to reveal their character was my thinking. Pushing it further would be fun. I think Monty Python is accurate. Could this be played straight? I am probably violating the “Between Two Cairns” podcast preference for letting the players make the jokes. I aim to create adventures that are surreal, satirical, and are easy to run. I want to polish them to the point where they have an environmental story, so your idea will definitely be implemented post jam. I appreciate the thoughtful feedback!

Thanks for the kind words and suggestions. I will definitely do both when the Jam is over. 

Unique scenario and properly “N”. Seems easy to run. It would be fun to see how different parties determine who they think is worthy. Do you envision it as all role play or specific magic or both, etc.? (Just curious about Borg specifically as I’ve only played a few times.) Does the party earn the fountains wrath for one mistake? Two? Up to the DM? Seems great for slotting in basically anywhere in an adventure or campaign. Well done. 

Love the weirdness. Design is engaging and serves the theme with no loss in usability. Love the point crawl map. 

Great variety of challenges. Irritating vines for one example. Of course the chameleon flowers are awesome. I found the story and writing engaging and it’s the perfect scope for 3 pages. Love that you used von Zzyzx illustration! Will run this for sure. Well done. 

Great factions, moral ambiguity and twist. Dig the design. Would love to play this. 

Nailed the folk horror vibe. Amazing you could fit this much hex crawl into 3 pages. Layout and illustrations are fantastic. 

Nice clean layout. Fun premise played straight.  My only suggestion would be to add more Kaiju.  I need to play this. 

Thanks for asking. I was thinking that Hugh might give the  adventurers a heads up if they engage with him and put up with his unending favor requests. I do need to think about whether that adds anything though. probably not. The idea is that you see the prince and present the scroll so you are invited to engage with his entourage before things get hostile (or don't) Most people enjoyed the twist that have commented here.  I also realized that I did not define that once the Prince's life force is drained, he ______. I went back and forth about whether the prince becomes the demon lord or whether Caractacus just drains his life force. Could be that he becomes a zombie or abomination. But in this  version I kept the weird monsters separate. I was hoping Polyphemos may steal the scroll from some parties. Also I meant to convey that the other princes died due to being incredible dim.

Amazing. It turned out great. Looks super polished to me! I had big plans for bringing my paths from Adobe Fresco into Rhino (3d cad) and adding some 3d features to use as a reference, but I also ran out of time lol. Fresco is great and free btw. You can sketch in vectors and it is possibly the best at that aspect. 

Agreed. Map is insane. Matches the vibes and adds so much to the playability as well. 

Whoah. I’m a big fan of folk tale inspired adventures. You nailed it. How did you produce that Map? Amazing. Writing is fantastic, evocative, and succinct. I’m going to run this one. 

Your feedback is on point. I actually really enjoy nerding out about usability, but 100% did not implement! I’m so happy you dig Polyphemus. I was tempted to give some examples but would need to take some time to make sure they were worth including. 

super flattered. Yours is beautiful and very evocative so it’s great to hear. I’m going to polish things up visually and add some weirdness after the jam. Didn’t have space for a wandering monster table but after tightening the prose a bit and maybe adding a few pages I’ll have space for more weird. Thanks!

Great feedback. I was thinking Hugh would be a good source but I can see upon reading it that it could be more explicit. Maybe some glyphs and other environmental clues.  I also think a wandering monster table with more obviously hostile monsters (new faction?) would add some stakes / fun. I need to think about this issue some more.  I meant the throne’s true nature to be a twist, as in those who inhabit it live on through Caractacus. I need to polish the coherence for sure. Luckily I have some pals that offered some editing. 

Thanks for the feedback. I will fix this for sure.  Maybe fade out the blue of the map so it’s not under the text and use all black text. I am going to get some editing too! 

Super easy to read. Love the custom weird creatures. Beautiful cover. Definitely captures the appendix N vibe.  Very well written. I’d love to see some creature illustrations in the expanded edition! Start with the wolf spider. 

awesome thanks. y. I plan to keep the vibe of the map, just fine tune it a bit. 

Thank you! I am 100% going to revise for readability after the Jam based on everyone’s feedback. I appreciate the feedback. I also plan on polishing the map and adding some more collage photos like the cover for the “weird” monsters. My map last year was more polished aesthetically, and I want to build on that. Did you mean the game design aspect of the map or the look? Also always like to ask if there’s a weird or (meant to be humorous) element that does not fit the tone?

Looks like a blast to play. Extremely well written. Each aspect considered, interesting, playable. Holy crap the maps!!!! How were these done? Two small suggestions: loose the light background image on the inside pages. You don’t need it and it’ll be easier to read. (Ironic coming from me…my entry’s comments pointed to more serious readability issues in my entry. ) Last one is add some “hooks” that have slightly different motivations for exploration/ angles perhaps or hints at what they may find. Superb. 

They would like it because it’s well written! I wanted to say also that the magic items were intriguing and appropriate to the theme. You clearly pushed all aspects  to enhance the experience  

Art and Layout are wonderful and easy to use. Writing is also top notch and efficient. Very polished. Look forward to seeing more from you! Only feedback I could give is it’s not as pulpy as most Appendix N stuff I’ve read but the quality is top shelf. 

killer cover. Super good. Good use of countdown timer. 

Wow. What process did you use for your art? Beautiful Layout too. 

Beautiful layout, Cover illustration, and vibes. 

A few Shadowdark adventures were featured in the Arcane Library Newsletter. 

Congrats on making the Shadowdark newsletter!

Congratulations! Well deserved.

How do you like to run cursed magic items like the dagger?

Do you telegraph the curse?

Do you not?

I tend to say that it's cursed when I identify the item, but they don't find out the exact nature of the curse until they use it.

beautiful! Looks like a lot of fun.