Everything in the game description is pretty spot on: This is like nothing seen before. I'm going to have to boil it down from the Mr. Fantastic $10 words to something Ben Grimm could grok.
Characters come to a city and get involved in a deadly dangerous mystery involving the highest at court and the lowest in the abyss. A unique astrological map drives the action, while a bizarre city map beckons the party to fuss around and find out.
The minimalism is at a genius level of artistry. Filler text is virtually non-existent, yet the outline and random tables show you everything you need to know to progress. For example, in a paragraph's worth of text you learn all about the villain and how to play them without any ambiguity.
There's a reason why G1: Hill Giant Chiefs is an icon of sandbox glory in a few pages. This adventure cuts from that cloth and shows another way it can be done. And its right up there with Shadows Over Bogenhafen in terms of investigative plots, with less filling and it tastes great!
I can pick out just about anything from the adventure and use it to model something in my own game. For example, the simple rules part about how PC time and action is managed: How have I not used something like this yet?
For a scenario like this, it breaks down progress to a limited amount of moves and makes the astrological clock more meaningful. At the start, there's plenty of time, why hurry? Later, you're clenching your teeth at past dead ends and wondering if its too late.
The artwork might not be everyone's cup of tea. I find it jarring and disorienting at times, but the text is still solid and the formatting keeps it together, so I think one can make allowances. For me, the effect matches up with the plot and the feeling when the title of the adventure was uttered.
I can smell the breath of the words.
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