Debated on whether or not to review this, as it was a Kickstarter only stretch goal, but here we go. So, firstly, from the last update (not total text, but the important parts): I want to say a few things.
First, this marks the last reward for this campaign (wildly late, entirely due to me.) Thank you for your patience, thank you for supporting us, and thank you for carrying us through. We ran this campaign in early 2020 and it was a really stressful time, but your grace has made a significant difference. *
*We’ve got some accessories for this reward that are coming in digital (room tiles/etc), but they’re optional play aids, not the actual product.
Secondly, this particular product was a significant learning experience. I am straddling the line between very proud and very unhappy with the product (entirely due to my desire to deliver something that lived up to my vision and some artistic foofery that I normally avoid). When we have goals or products like this again, I’ll be able to define the parameters a lot better and we will avoid many of the pitfalls I had here. I really hope you enjoy what we delivered. More uploads of VTT resources will be added to the file (as well as printable room tiles), so we’re not done, but I wanted to get you the PDF ASAP before GenCon.
Thirdly, I absolutely want to hear feedback about this and how it works for you. I’ve played it close to two dozen times in various stages and I think it hangs together well, but toolbox/toolkit adventures are always a challenge.
So, yeah, finally 7/23/23 I received it. Not complaining, just glad to have it. GKG is, and has been, good about communicating what has been going on. The adventure started as one idea, and Alan Bahr did some restructuring and dealt with other issues, both for the adventure as well as GKG in general.
The best way to explain it comes from the introduction. It’s a framework to be filled in and adjusted as necessary for your campaign. The general premise involves the players investigating a family who have spared no expense to get a copy of the play The Illumination of Aldebaran, which is said to be a sequel to The King in Yellow. It seems everywhere the play is performed certain creatives go missing or worse.
You are given everything you would expect: NPC’s, proper handouts, and all other needed elements. Where it gets less than standard, and I don’t think it’s a bad thing, is the lack of “Read this to the players” material. Every place the players are to go is described as necessary, with clues to be hinted at if applicable, or if questioning some of the theater-folk, general responses they would give. The adventure is mainly set up as “Here’s what you need to know as GM to set the stage (pun intended/not intended, your discretion) for the players and use your own words to describe it.” It’s, to me anyway, equal parts general setting and adventure, as I think you could use it as a backdrop for other adventures and still reference events from the actual adventure. Reading through this, I can see a lot of possibilities, and it wouldn’t be difficult to adjust to other rule settings.
All in all, it was definitely worth the worth the long wait, in my opinion. I like the overall storyline and presentation of the material, with enough map-work and tables to kill the proverbial horse. I could most likely be persuaded to send a copy of the PDF via message, or even link it here, if there is enough interest.