Hip-hip hurray for orbital decay. Science-fantasy-horror delights. I like a good astro-zombie. Gene Wolfe in space ships clothing?
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The Sea of Fear's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Art: how well does the art support the other content? | #104 | 3.867 | 3.867 |
| Playability: how easy would it be to run this module? | #111 | 3.467 | 3.467 |
| Theme: how well would the module have fit into the Appendix N? | #129 | 3.867 | 3.867 |
| Overall | #133 | 3.547 | 3.547 |
| Writing: how clear and/or interesting is the writing? | #138 | 3.533 | 3.533 |
| Layout: how easy is it to find all the presented information? | #178 | 3.000 | 3.000 |
Ranked from 15 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Comments
First off, that cover is just fantastic.
I like decaying orbit as a ticking clock. Nice and scary for the players and it's a doom that can't be bargained with.
The actual adventure having a page width two pages wide makes for some very wide paragraphs and it makes it harder to parse, especially at the table. I like the experiment, but I would probably reformat into two columns.
The map reminds me of the graphics on the old Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy show on BBC, which is fantastic.
This is a good adventure and I think reformatting it a bit would really elevate it.
Glad you like the cover! I am pleased with how it came out and it inspired me to start messing around with more in the photobashed style.
I agree with you on the format. I had a different style more like you said at first but just could not fit everything. I really really want to re-do this as a zine with a few extra pages so that I can make it easier to read at the table. If I ever do that I will let you know.
Thanks for the feedback!
This is a fantastic science-fantasy vault that perfectly captures the Vaults of Vaarn tone. The premise of exploring a decaying space station, complete with space walks and depressurisation hazards, is a great contrast to the typical desert setting.
The time-limit mechanic, driven by the station's decaying orbit, is an excellent way to create tension and drive the adventure forward.
The entire document is well-presented, with a clear layout and a map that has a great, retro-computer aesthetic. Well done on a very creative submission!
Submitted
He Who Walks with ShadowsReally interesting cover and I like the very diagetic map design thats been done here. Awesome to see a Vaults of Vaarn adventure, I havent played myself but with every new thing I read of it the more excited I am to play! Great work on the adventure!
Submitted
Travellers of the Last EonLove the everything written on the back cover, it sets everything up very nicely! The adventure is like Mothership x Vaults of Vaarn, accessed in a MCC-style whisk-away. I also quite like the symbology for the map. Nice one!
Submitted
Beneath the Summer SnowThanks very much! I wasn't thinking Mothership but since several people mentioned it I should try running it with that system! I think I am going to expand this idea into a bigger project for Vaarn; explore the space junk/abandoned ships and stations, etc floating in the atmosphere around Urth. Maybe I will look into making it compatible for both.
Hurrah, Vaults of Vaarn by way of Mothership! Love the design, the wrecked paperback came out really well, the spacestation graphic and area codings look cool. Plus the opportunity to do some space waste fishing!
Submitted
Death, Imprisoned!Great entry! I really like the way the map is keyed and how the ship integrity tracker is visually presented in more than one place. The Entropy Shadows make for some atmospheric, ominous enemies. For a moment I thought the shuttle might be kind of easy to miss, but with a second look, I think it's actually kind of perfect: get the players busy with the encounter on the shuttle, have it take off before they get a chance to think about leaving. This seems like a really great adventure for Vaults of Vaarn campaigns. I think it would also feel really pulpy in a more medieval/classic fantasy setting if the campaign was friendly for some out-there sci-fi elements mixed in with the fantasy.
Submitted
Spirit Shrouds of SaturnThank you so much for reading and rating!
My original idea was a little different but I am glad how this turned out. Honestly I am just writing things to use in my Vaults of Vaarn game haha. One thing I wanted to capture is that maybe the player characters don't know where they are (or don't realize that they are in space). Not quite sure I got that across but when I play test it I will emphasize that part.
I know several of us who entered this jam have said they want to do an expanded version of their entry; I could see this one benefiting from that and being a pretty slick adventure.
If you ever use it (no matter the game or system) please let me know!
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