Re: Age of Cthulhu vol:VII - The Timeless Sands of India
Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 1:58 pm
So you asked for brutally honest feedback...so here it is. As a note, I'll say I have not played it yet just read through it.
The good:
I really liked the plot behind this and the way it is laid out. It takes the PCs on a journey that leads to an inevitable confrontation between the two groups. It is definitely more pulpy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing IMO.
I like the sleep deprivation rule. Its not just something the players can role-play. Its something they are forced into being penalised for and I imagine it helps to the overall play.
The not so good:
My biggest problem with the book isn't the scenario - its the mistakes in the layout. These are the ones I found:
- Page 7 states "see the section on Indian Weapons, page 28". The section on Indian Weapons is actually on page 20.
- The room numbers for some areas in the maps are mis-labeled. For example, the rooms in Uncle's hideout should be 5-X, and are instead 4-X.
These are small mistakes, but contribute to the overall quality of the book.
Beyond that, it does feel a bit rail-roadish at times, even in some of the open-sandbox areas (like Calcutta). However, I suspect that is due more to a limit on how many pages/space you had. Nothing a good keeper can't ad-lib and get around.
There is also a lack of investigation that I could see, but more combat. Again, I think the scenario is meant to be more pulp (if I am wrong let me know), but even having a side-investigation to research the location of a final component for the cannon would have been cool.
Overall
Overall, I really liked it. My favorite thing is you've created a campaign-long hook for the players. Surely the Black Scimitar aren't all gone. At some point they'll pop their heads up again or the PCs will be contacted by Uncle once more. I can even see, with minor modifications, this fitting into something like Masks.
Great job! I can't wait to see more things come from you or Goodman Games!
The good:
I really liked the plot behind this and the way it is laid out. It takes the PCs on a journey that leads to an inevitable confrontation between the two groups. It is definitely more pulpy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing IMO.
I like the sleep deprivation rule. Its not just something the players can role-play. Its something they are forced into being penalised for and I imagine it helps to the overall play.
The not so good:
My biggest problem with the book isn't the scenario - its the mistakes in the layout. These are the ones I found:
- Page 7 states "see the section on Indian Weapons, page 28". The section on Indian Weapons is actually on page 20.
- The room numbers for some areas in the maps are mis-labeled. For example, the rooms in Uncle's hideout should be 5-X, and are instead 4-X.
These are small mistakes, but contribute to the overall quality of the book.
Beyond that, it does feel a bit rail-roadish at times, even in some of the open-sandbox areas (like Calcutta). However, I suspect that is due more to a limit on how many pages/space you had. Nothing a good keeper can't ad-lib and get around.
There is also a lack of investigation that I could see, but more combat. Again, I think the scenario is meant to be more pulp (if I am wrong let me know), but even having a side-investigation to research the location of a final component for the cannon would have been cool.
Overall
Overall, I really liked it. My favorite thing is you've created a campaign-long hook for the players. Surely the Black Scimitar aren't all gone. At some point they'll pop their heads up again or the PCs will be contacted by Uncle once more. I can even see, with minor modifications, this fitting into something like Masks.
Great job! I can't wait to see more things come from you or Goodman Games!