itch.io

I liked this module.I think it works best as a hub, either for adventures set on the local station, or just to avoid vagrancy charges on one and sleep in a soft bed, with a meal that didn't come from a reheated box (this should probably relive a point of stress, or something.) One should probably roll up some 'generic' guests to stay at the hotel too, ones that don't have an interesting backstory,so that it doesn't feel empty (it wouldn't really make sense for anyone, except Kelm and Joseph to be there, if the PCs come back next week. And at any rate it's odd the hotel is only 1/3 occupied.)

The specific mystery described in the module needs additional work (this is likely intentional, so it is easier to integrate into a campaign.) It would be nice in anyone except Maple had a connection to anyone else, but of course, that isn't hard to invent during session prep, and the hooks are solid.

A personal nitpick: the module uses all the 'DnD dice' (except d12 and d20,) while, as a Mothership1E purist, I was hoping for d10s and d5s. This is unlikely to be a material problem for anyone, though, as anyone who gets into GMing is nearly guaranteed to own a set (likely multiple) of these dice. 

P.S.one of the tags is #No AI, but of course a prominent character in the story is ,in fact, an AI. Ironic (but not incorrect.)

If you sell a game for $0.14 you are unlikely to get even half of it for your own (I think PP, being the assholes that they usually are, will actually charge you more as a fixed fee per transaction than you are making.)

If you want to be nice and sell your stuff for 95% off, you should consider putting it in a bundle.

Text based games are not obsolete - the combination of low costs¹ and broad possibilities² make it a perennial tool in the indie developers' toolbox.

AI has really taken a bite out of Interactive Fiction³, but I recommend you look at past winners of XYZZY awards for inspiration into what is possible with text alone (my favorite is Counterfeit Monkey- a game about fighting tyranny with wordplay.) If you want to see something more mainstream (and profitable) Choice of Games makes a brisk trade in what are basically Visual Novels without the visual part. 

And then you have things like Warsim (another commercial title,) which make use of textual menus (and ASCII illustrations⁴,) to run a strategy game (or RPG) without all that much actual literary text. 

Dwarf Fortress, and Berlin-compliant⁵ rogue-likes are not so much text-based as ASCII-based, but the same benefits apply - the only thing you need to add a new monster to the game are the stats, and the mechanics it will use. Graphics wise, just pick a unique letter/color combination and it's in the game, no sprites/rag-dolls necessary.

P.S. finally, like redonihunter said above, you can browse this very site's thousands of text-based games for inspiration.

________________
(1) Text games don't need complicated art assets - illustrations and background music is as high as you ever need to go, and most of them don't even have that. The engines for text-based games are also orders of magnitude easier to both program and use.
(2) The player can use their imagination to visualize, well, anything you can imagine.
(3) A big draw of IF was that you could command the game in what looked a lot like natural language.
(4) Many of them procedurally generated for a minuscule fraction of the dev-time it would take to get 3d procedural pictures to look even passable.
(5) A copy of the 2008 Berlin Interpretation, hosted on roguebasin

I think you'll find that they can. Ideas become obsolete all the time (except in the very basic sense of still being valuable to historians, both professional and amateur.) You don't hear much about phlogiston theory these days, nor ptolemaic astonomy. You also don't hear much about the finer points of shoeing a horse, or (for a more professional example) positioning data on your hard disk to be read in the lowest average amount of spins. Divine right of kings is all but forgotten in western countries, even ones that have kings. (Fascism, admittedly, seems to be making a comeback, but that is the exception that proves the rule - these ideas are not supposed to become relevant again.)

There is already a shitty way to get all reviews/ratings from Itch. I will not explain how (so I don't get banned by angry devs,) but I will hint that https://itch.freezing.top/feed?filter=ratings is a feed of all ratings, and doesn't require you to be logged it. Have fun.

P.S. Anyone who can scrape reviews with the hint was going to figure this out anyway.

P.P.S. Guys, either restrict reviews to be "friends only" (or even "author only") or make a normal API - this is silly.

Same. Not everything in SBNA4 was solid gold, but generally it was pretty good. I was excited, when I thought they we coming out with a new one this year. I guess they aren't, and this time it's just a list of things to check out?

Hi. My tablet complains that this game was built for an old version of Android. Any chance of a recompile?

Hi,

Which language is primary (original and/or native to the author?) I can do both and want to try the best version of the game.

Looking forward to it!

Much obliged.
The TLS certificate for the inklestudios site expired (unlike the one for their primary site,) but the parser seems to function (I only clicked a couple of times, so this isn't 100% for sure.) I will play this when I get home.
Thanks again.

I think we all knew those links wouldn't lead anywhere before we clicked, but we did. They didn't.

Any chance you would upload the decade old project here?

Hi, hechlok, solskaia and especially Fajerbol.

I recently came across some of your stuff and most of it is free, but I feel like you at least deserve a fiver (I've given money for worse stuff, honestly.) If you are ever in Riga, hit me up, I'd love to buy you some coffee and show any of you guys around. (please pass the offer along to the other 2.)

Very funny. Putting a game (not) worth $420 in a bundle, and pretending to give a massive discount.

I mean, that kind of fits with this specific joke, I'll admit...

It looks like the ZIP archive just contains all the files in one handy package. Is this correct?

Hi!

I'm having a dumb moment: Has this Jam and/or bundle happened yet? I can't find the link (on this page or the pages of the listed games.)

I know I'm "optimizing the fun out of the game", but with there being no benefit to visiting rooms (and constant risk, unless you do every room perfectly,) why would anyone visit rooms 7, 10 and 13?

Also, in the English version, the Administrator says over the intercom "This is The Administrator speaking. There is no need for alarm. Timeline convergence has started. In order to apply for an existence permit in the new order, please wait for your queue number to be called. Heh."

In the German he continues to say, roughly this " If you have any complaints, feel free to contact me - Just kidding, complaints will, of course, go to the complaints booth. "

What is the deal with the Butler? Did I miss a page?

• The butler and the elevator seem to be Late Victorian/Edwardian, but the rest of the adventure takes place in a 20th century government office (complete with loudspeakers, paperwork and a power-drunk administrator.) The two being seemingly out of place, I presume they aren't part of the Interdimensional Services Bureau. Is this correct? What happened to their original (presumably Otis-style) elevator?
• Speaking of elevators, the adventure mentions a staircase (well a door that looks like it leads to a staircase,) but then never expands on it. I can tell the players it is locked, but you know how persistent they can be. Any advice on preventing them from just going to the top floor?
• The butler seem to be in charge of the elevator, but a controlling a Paternoster is not a thing (there is nothing a trained elevator operatorcan do with it- starting and stopping them isn't a thing and using precious second closing and opening doors is a safety hazard.) So what is going on?
• The butler observes the players keeping track of their progress and even landing a hand, if asked. The GM is told to keep track of how much help players get, but that never plugs into anything later. So why am I doing it? Is this a red herring, and I should ask players to mark it on their sheets to distract them?
• Butler is perhaps the most important NPC of the module, but he doesn't have a stat-block (not a problem) or any discernible motivation. Is he testing the PCs to see if they can defeat the Administrator? For what purpose? Does he want his timeline saved? Or is he doing sabotage for a rival organization? Or wants the Aministartor personally taken out, but without it being traced back to him? 
• Butler comes back from the dead, none worse for wear (this isn't normal, right?) Does that hurt the butler (getting physically unalived has got to be painful?) Or is it merely annoying to him (like having to retrace your steps after a respawn?) Or does the butler not mention it (and in fact refuses to discuss such "dreadful misunderstandings" with the PCs?)

This is such a tiny nitpick, but if you are already doing versions, can you name this one v 3.1 (or 4, I guess) so people can tell it's new at a glance?

Anomalies 8 and 9 refer to gaining spirit, is that a typo of "stamina"? Or another resource entirely?

Hi,

This might seem stupid (with hundreds of community copies being available,) but I wanted to hear what other people think of this book, before picking it up for $15. I noticed your site actually has a number of interviews about it (I'm going to watch on now.) You might want to link to a couple on this page.

Custom deck is super cute - you should provide it as a bonus for people who donate more than $2 (or $5, I don't know how much decks cost🤷) as a digital download. Or was the question about a company who will design it? 

Oh, that was a demo? I thought it was disappointingly short. 🤦‍♀️
Guess I'll have to buy this as some point.

Hi!
You are one of my top 10 favorite video game authors (Resonance is a masterpiece, obviously, but I remember being impressed by Anna as a teen.) When I saw you made a comic, I had to get a copy.
I was, however, wondering if you made any more games.

I looked at your other stuff and found `Just One Step Closer`. Maybe I just picked up the wrong game (it was in a bundle ;) ) I don't know if JOSC works (even though I've been through dozens of depressive episodes, it's oddly hard to imagine myself in one. I don't know if this is a me thing or a universal experience...) but it's a lot closer to what I expected from this one.

This seems to very much be a work in progress (despite the "released" status.) 

The game refers to zones, but nowhere is it explained what those are, how they are connected and why it only takes a d6 to find out which ones become "unsafe".

The defend action is supposed to increase your DEF stat, but the blurb on combat mechanics doesn't include anything about this having any effect whatsoever.

Arena Hazards aren't explained at all. (presumably you roll SUR? but what is the DC?)

Scavenging is also poorly thought out (unless you roll SUR to get access to loot, and only then do you roll for loot, without bonus?)

Traits have no game-play value.

P.S. also, the PDF (like most of PFD23's pdfs) is named Untitled Document. This is, obvi, irrelevant to the game, but since it would have taken 5 seconds to fix, demonstrates the author's attitude.

Hi!

It's great to encourage yourself to do stuff, so I like (the idea of) this game. That being said, you should not make players lose levels. As someone who has been through depression I can attest that feeling you've failed (even if it's just a silly game) can be a vicious cycle. It's a better message to tell players they can try for that level again tomorrow, or the day after- it doesn't have to be a race, unless they want it to be (this needs to be something you opt into, not out of, if that makes sense.) 
Anyway, this is just my 2 cents, and I'd like to wish everyone playing to become grand-masters!

P.S. Taking your medicine is an everyday thing, best not reserve it for the will of the dice.

@OneHundredThousand, the Special Edition is currently part of the (2025, queer) bundle. Is that a mistake? I'm willing to delete it if it is, but if not, I appreciate you donating it to a good cause!

Thanks, I completely forgot. (I did reread the module, but I guess I forgot why I wanted to do it 🤦)

P.S. I'm having another blond moment though- how do I read other people's reviews?

Out of curiosity (me getting the bundle is not hanging on this) will the full version of this game be included with QGB2025, or just the demo?

I also have the following variant rule suggestions:

MINORITY OPINION

Items are generally worth what they are worth (they might be mass produced, belong to a famous person, are made of precious metals, etc.) but for some their value could be different (maybe they hate the famous person and don't want their stuff or this is a long lost family heirloom.) This means adventurers might want other classes' stuff, adding more dynamics to item exchange.
When making loot in step 3, add the following 2 rolls for both items:

Determine who among the party has a different opinion about this item (this can be you). This is easiest to do with a d12 or a d10 (for 5 players.) Alternatively you can roll d6/2 for 3 players, d20/5 for 4 players, d20/4 for 5 players or d6 for 6 players.
Determine what they think of the item, by rolling a d10 (0 means 0) or a d20/2 rounded down (1 and 20 are both 0.)
When introducing the item, ask the Player whose adventurer has the special opinion to explain why the item is special for them. If the item is carried by this adventurer, it counts as having this much Emotion, for everyone else- the normal amount.

EVIL PARTIES

Some players might be tired of Epic Fantasy with it's Noble Hero Adventurers and Black and White Morality (like Lord of the Rings), and instead like to play out a Dark Fantasy, where adventurers are Self-Serving Anti-heroes and morality is a grey mess (like Game of Thrones.) This variant is for them. (make sure all players are on board with this, because it will make the light-hearted comedic tone of GonParis much darker!) This should affect the description of the dungeon and party dynamics.
Add the following 4 phases:

Ostracism (aka Pride): at the end of Step 4, the party votes (by raising their hands of the count of 3, or by other means) on if they want to leave the least useful adventurer behind. If more than half raised their hands, the adventurer is Left Behind and the voting continues with the new least useful adventurer. Otherwise the phase is over.

Revenge (aka Envy): After all Failures in Step 5 are countered, the Left Behind adventurers roll a d20 against their peronsal total usefulness. Any who fail must describe how lacking an item (that was taken by another player or not take at all) has led to their demise (or getting lost in the dungeon forever.) Those who succeed move to the next phase...

Showdown (aka Wrath): for each Left Behind player that survived Revenge add another failure for the party. Determine if the party succeeds or fails. Go around the table describing how players use their items to fight the other group, players who haven't spoken yet is Step 5 (and the Left Behind) must contribute, the others may skip or join in at their own discretion. The result of the fight must match what was determined. If the party is defeated, the Left Behind (only the ones who survived Revenge and participated in Showdown) repeat steps 4 and 5 adding the defeated party's loot to their own. (Skip Ostracism this time.)

Betrayal (aka Greed): At the beginning of Step 6, just as the adventurers are about to go their separate ways, players have until the count of 3 to declare they are betraying someone. If they do, both they and their target roll d20 if they succeed (roll at or below their own Total Usefulness,) they have survived, but are winded, lightly wounded or just used up a resource- lower their usefulness by 1 until the end of Betrayal phase. If they fail (roll above Total Usefulness) they are killed, gravely wounded, knocked out or otherwise won't make it. Describe the fight. (If both players fail, they both don't make it, if both succeed - they can decide if they want to continue the fight or not.) After the fight, the rest of adventurers get to take any of the defeated player's stuff, with the winner (if there was one) getting first pick and the rest dividing what's left. Adventurers must discard items down to their maximum encumbrance, but once they do, can not continue discarding. Players may now betray again (note that Total Usefulness is not restored.)

(There are sadly no Lust, Gluttony or Sloth phases)

Hi. I have a suggetsion (I can't be the only one, so maybe you already fixed this in the KS edition.)
As you know, the Encounters and Epilogue rolls are roll-under, but the Horde roll is roll-above. This could be confusing, however, if you simply add the AEF to the target number, rather than the roll, it can also be roll-under.

Oh, right, sorry. I should have noticed this is half a decade old. Still, if you remember anything from the time, do you think drawing a joker from the deck (as a DC) means it's always a success (so, a 2) usually a failure (so an Ace) or up to the Champion to decide, not the Patron?

I do have a question however: When describing how opposing wonders work, you say "The non-wonder card the opposing Patron laid down acts as the new DC for the skill check. This can happen multiple times per skill check." Why would it happen multiple times? The new DC either fails the skill (so no new wonder is needed) or it does not (so why even do it?)

First of all- this is obviously "inspired" by Everyone is John. You might want to include an acknowledgement somewhere.

That sounds absolutely awful, I love it already! (Too bad you don't have anything published. Unless I missed it?)

Thank you, Solovinoiu.

I have received the bundle and all is well. The delay seems to have had a good reason, and is unlikely to happen to others.

Thanks again for helping me avoid dealing with PayPal,
a1s.

"Playing 2, 2 for 5 ATK" is in fact impossible- a 2 Gives 2 DEF, not 2 ATK (this is true for any deck, as ATK always costs 2 stamina and DEF costs 1.)

Do I understand correctly that playing 5 + 5 (or a 3 + 3 in a mrpinky deck) with the force rule will give 5 ATK and 3 DEF (i.e. each stat increases by 1.) If not, how is the increased stat decided?

Finally, I'm assuming this bonus is applied at the end, and if a player lays down 4♠ K♠ 4♢ they only get 7 ATK, not 8?

4 years in, but still no published prototype.

I just learned Itch has reviews (yes, I'm dumb.) So I'm taking some time to leave reviews on all the gems I've played through the years. Unfortunately, it's been 3 years and (at least one) major update since I played this, so I will need to re-read the module. Ping me if I forget to leave you a review after a day or two.

(I will delete this comment when I'm done, so if I don't, also ping me)