I just finished running this for an impromptu session in a community server, and we had so much fun! One player is also new to OSR. They took too long to decide on what to do with the lighthouse, and the bad ending happened! They all gasped as they realized they should've been more decisive on what they were doing, but it was an amazing experience. One of the best OSR one-shot adventures I've ever run!
Amazing, I'm so glad you liked it! We're working on a second edition at the moment (and a hardcover print run on Gamefound), let me know if you have feedback about anything you'd change!
I ran this adventure last night with a couple friends from my regular OSE campaign group, so we could try Knave. It was so much fun! They loved the suspense, creepiness, and the descriptions. As a GM, I loved the timing mechanics that both moved the game toward a big event (ship crashing) but also had some randomness to it. Brilliant! I hope to run this for more groups. Please create more Knave adventures! Thank you.
Amazing! I'm so glad you liked it, thanks for playing. I'm actually in the process of creating a revised version (likely system agnostic to reach more potential players), was there anything you would add or change, based on your playthrough?
Sure, I'm happy to offer some thoughts. I want to caveat that I didn't spend as much time preparing for the adventure as I would have liked, so I might have thoughts about the game that are actually covered in the booklet. Here are some questions and some comments on how I ran the adventure.
1. The hatch leading from the staircase to the Lantern Room. Which way does the hatch door open? Does it open into the Lantern Room or into the Stairwell? I ran the adventure with the hatch swinging down into the staircase.
2. Does the key (from the loft bed-side desk ) open the padlock that leads to the Lantern Room? I allowed the key to open the padlock. A player asked if the the padlock on the hatch meant that the person in the Lantern Room was trapped. I told the player "yes" and later in the adventure argued that Macneil ordered O'Connell to lock Macneil in the Lantern Room. Maybe add another sentence to explain the padlock on the hatch to the Lantern Room.
3. How big are the windows to the cottage and store room? Can a person climb through one? I did not allow the windows to be big enough to crawl through but could be seen through.
4. Is there an intent around the fog horn inoperable? Can it be repaired or can grease from the storeroom be used to "un-seize" it. A player thought to use the grease from the storage room to "un seize" the fog horn. I liked the idea and let them do it. But that player had to keep cranking the fog horn to keep the fog horn working. I allowed it to "warn" the approaching ship.
5. The signal flare (wrapped in oil cloth) could use some more mechanics and intent. Is it a torch or is it bright enough for the approaching ship to see? What level of technology is the signal flare so that it is consistent with the rest of the adventure? Is this a place for a magic item? My players did not explore the fishing vessel and I don't know what I would have done for signal flare mechanics.
6. Is the ochre paint flammable? If so, what might that do for game mechanics?
7. Alistair Macneil. What weapon(s) does he have? I recommend reconsidering Macneil's number of attacks (listed as 2). I think players familiar with Knave could cry "foul" at an NPC human getting two attacks. An updates to the "Knave style" for this adventure might benefit from including Armor Pieces to justify the Macneil's AC 14. That is three (3) Armor Points or pieces of armor. For example, maybe Macneil is wearing a gambeson, chain shirt, and helmet. But how did a lighthouse keeper get armor pieces? With my players, I dropped Macneil's attacks to one per round. I kept the AC but in retrospect, I wish I had lowered it to AC 11.
8. If I ran (hopefully WHEN I run) this adventure again, I would emphasize upfront to the players that after a general exploration of a new area or room, that they need to declare they are "searching" an area or room and that such a detailed search will take 10 minutes (1 turn). Given the brilliant mechanic of the ticking clock and tables for events each turn, this will create "important choices" for the players on how they want to spend their time. I would emphasize this search mechanic, because I didn't know how to give my players a better chance of finding the several secret doors that available in the adventure (all of which are excellent).
9. Adding some mechanics (like a DEX or STR check; or fall damage) about what happens with four-story staircase room. My players figured out the danger of the stairs (2 PCs climb the stairs at once, they break). The signposting of danger was good. But, another sentence around what happens to the players and what they might do to mitigate damage or impact from the stairs break - would be nice.
10. Another "when I run this again", I will explain to the players (during the adventure intro) how the lighthouse works and what it does. That is, there are three main components (wick, oil, lens) and that the light from the house provides a reference point for ships to steer clear of danger. This may seem obvious, but I think it might ensure clarity for the players who may not be nautically savvy.
11. Malcolm Fraiser. I recommend adding some more information about the iron shackles holding him in place. Is there a key for the shackles? If so, where is the key (likely with Dylan O'Connell, if I had to guess) ? I recommend
Wow, thank you for taking the time to put together such detailed feedback! I really appreciate it. There's tons here for me to dig into. I'll try to answer your questions as best as I can, and I have a few additional questions of my own.
I actually hadn't considered this! I'd be inclined to have the hatch swing downward, as well. How big of an impact did this lack of information have on your experience?
I'd have ruled the same. I might change the description to "A set of keys inside the desk drawer opens all the locks in the Lighthouse".
I'd lean toward them being person sized to give players an alternate means of entry. Thoughts on this?
It's just so that players need to invest some time/thought into the horn in order to use it. Using the grease and then having the horn alert the ship is a clever solution, and makes perfect sense to me.
The intention would be to have an alternate way of warning the vessel! I ran out of word count for the Lighthouse Exterior (you can see I'd have to cut out something else in order to give is expanded mechanics). How big of an impact do you think this lack of information would have had on your experience if they had found the flare?
Since it's made with lantern oil as a base, I think that's a fair assumption! Personally, I'd just have it react the same as lantern oil if players decided to light it on fire. Given the storm, though, I don't see a fire spreading very far.
Super useful feedback! How did the fight play out with fewer attacks? How do you think it would have played out with lower AC?
As far as his weapon, I think any kind of tool around the lighthouse (e.g. an axe, a hammer, a knife, etc.) would be justified.
As for the AC, I pictured it more as a result of his mania/psychosis, i.e. he can take a hit and just shrug it off. The intent was really just to make him a greater threat. Any overall thoughts on this? It seems like you're leaning towards a reduced difficulty for Alistair.
Do you think this needs more emphasis on page 11, or is this more of a new system (Knave) issue?
Noted!
Do you think this needs emphasis somewhere in the adventure?
Another good question I hadn't considered! Do you think the set of keys is enough to cover this, or would you suggest explicitly mentioning Dylan also having a key?
I'm glad you think my comments are helpful. I certainly don't want to criticize or come across harsh. It is a wonderful adventure and my recommendations are all "nice-to-haves" to consider in any revision. Here are my thoughts to your follow up questions:
I actually hadn't considered this! I'd be inclined to have the hatch swing downward, as well. How big of an impact did this lack of information have on your experience? The player who was opening the hatch was very interested in whether it swung into or out of the lantern room. I don't think it would make a big difference whether it swung into or out of the room. I think both directions could give different players different challenges. As a GM, I can get tied up in the adventure creator's intent and wonder about details like this.
I'd have ruled the same. I might change the description to "A set of keys inside the desk drawer opens all the locks in the Lighthouse". That sounds like a good change.
I'd lean toward them being person sized to give players an alternate means of entry. Thoughts on this? I think person size is a good idea so that characters can climb through. A good example of "Jaquaysing" with windows.
It's just so that players need to invest some time/thought into the horn in order to use it. Using the grease and then having the horn alert the ship is a clever solution, and makes perfect sense to me.
The intention would be to have an alternate way of warning the vessel! I ran out of word count for the Lighthouse Exterior (you can see I'd have to cut out something else in order to give is expanded mechanics). How big of an impact do you think this lack of information would have had on your experience if they had found the flare? The signal flare could be an impact without some explanations or mechanics around what it does and how it fits. Adding some explanation on how the the signal flare works would help communicate the intention of being another way to warning the vessel. I think the technology issue (is it a flare gun or torch or some chemically enhanced signal flare like a modern-day road flare?) could cause a "meta hiccup" in the game play. In a KNAVE setting the signal flare could be a nice place to add a magic item. Maybe a magical flare gun (with one use) that could warn the approaching vessel, but also be used as a range weapon against Macneil and O'Connell with the added danger that it could light the ochre pain or lamp oil on fire (yikes!) or blind people too close to the exploding flare.
Since it's made with lantern oil as a base, I think that's a fair assumption! Personally, I'd just have it react the same as lantern oil if players decided to light it on fire. Given the storm, though, I don't see a fire spreading very far.
Super useful feedback! How did the fight play out with fewer attacks? How do you think it would have played out with lower AC? The fight was a dangerously close one because the PC was the only one in the Lantern Room when combat started. The other PCs were at the bottom of the stairwell (to keep it from collapsing - they figured that out). Macneil got some lucky rolls and the first PC had some unlucky rolls. Once the second PC arrived, the fight turned quickly in the PC's favor. The first PC had missed hitting Macneil with a KNAVE web spell. But, later shoved Macneil into the sticky web that (I ruled) was on the wall behind Macneil. Once stuck in the web, Macneil was struck down by the PCs. The first PC only had one Knave "slot" remaining for health.
As far as his weapon, I think any kind of tool around the lighthouse (e.g. an axe, a hammer, a knife, etc.) would be justified. Just a sentence or note on whether Macneil is armed or not would be good for setting the tone and intent of Macneil. Just like if Macneil is wearing any armor. These are good "signposts" for the players to recognize what they are dealing with, as well as any role-playing dialogue the GM provides. Is Macneil standing around in some armor pieces from the city guard who were sent out to investigate the lighthouse? Macneil is on "divine mission" and "watchful" - wearing armor or having some form of weapon in his hand could be good signposting. On a side note, the first PC into the lantern room used the sledge hammer as a weapon to attack MacNeil - trying to surprise MacNeil. I gave the PC first attack for the creative way to use the hammer lying about.
As for the AC, I pictured it more as a result of his mania/psychosis, i.e. he can take a hit and just shrug it off. The intent was really just to make him a greater threat. Any overall thoughts on this? It seems like you're leaning towards a reduced difficulty for Alistair. If a PC (at first level) faces Alistair alone, the PC is in for a tough fight. I nerfed Alistair's threat because I wanted the time crunch and challenge to signal the ship as the main threat. I didn't want Alistair and O'Connell to be too big of an obstacle. I think the first PC in my play through was unwise to attack Alistair by themselves to begin with. When I run this adventure again, if I keep Alistair a big threat, I will add more physical and behavioral traits in order to signpost the danger/threat from Alistair. Maybe, I will make Alistair bigger, stronger, fierce, or doing something like "holding the sledgehammer with ease in his powerful grip."
Do you think this needs more emphasis on page 11, or is this more of a new system (Knave) issue? I don't think this needs more emphasis.The only other system I play with is Advanced Old School Essentials. I think a GM with some experience will be ok with using a search mechanic that fits with their chosen rules system. This is an example of where I didn't prepare well enough for running this adventure, but will be much better on the next run through.
Noted!
Do you think this needs emphasis somewhere in the adventure? Ben Milton, who created Knave, often says it is important to give the players a lot of information. The imagery and idea of a lighthouse is iconic, but I can imagine some players (especially younger ones) not having a clear sense of how a lighthouse keeps ships safe or how an older light house works. A few sentences on what the lighthouse does and how it works will clearly communicate the importance of finding the wick, oil, and lens.
Another good question I hadn't considered! Do you think the set of keys is enough to cover this, or would you suggest explicitly mentioning Dylan also having a key? It makes sense to me that Dylan would have the keys to the manacles because it is my assumption that Dylan was watching over Malcolm. I would have liked the adventure to explicitly mention Dylan having keys to the manacles - maybe even explicitly describing them as manacle keys in the even the PCs have not encounter Malcom Fraiser or the dugout yet.
Happy to offer these thoughts. Hope it isn't too much.
Thank you very much! I can't take all the credit - my editor is fantastic and I got some great feedback from the Knave 2e game jam Discord server. It was a team effort!
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I just finished running this for an impromptu session in a community server, and we had so much fun! One player is also new to OSR. They took too long to decide on what to do with the lighthouse, and the bad ending happened! They all gasped as they realized they should've been more decisive on what they were doing, but it was an amazing experience. One of the best OSR one-shot adventures I've ever run!
Amazing, I'm so glad you liked it! We're working on a second edition at the moment (and a hardcover print run on Gamefound), let me know if you have feedback about anything you'd change!
I ran this adventure last night with a couple friends from my regular OSE campaign group, so we could try Knave. It was so much fun! They loved the suspense, creepiness, and the descriptions. As a GM, I loved the timing mechanics that both moved the game toward a big event (ship crashing) but also had some randomness to it. Brilliant! I hope to run this for more groups. Please create more Knave adventures! Thank you.
Amazing! I'm so glad you liked it, thanks for playing. I'm actually in the process of creating a revised version (likely system agnostic to reach more potential players), was there anything you would add or change, based on your playthrough?
Sure, I'm happy to offer some thoughts. I want to caveat that I didn't spend as much time preparing for the adventure as I would have liked, so I might have thoughts about the game that are actually covered in the booklet. Here are some questions and some comments on how I ran the adventure.
1. The hatch leading from the staircase to the Lantern Room. Which way does the hatch door open? Does it open into the Lantern Room or into the Stairwell? I ran the adventure with the hatch swinging down into the staircase.
2. Does the key (from the loft bed-side desk ) open the padlock that leads to the Lantern Room? I allowed the key to open the padlock. A player asked if the the padlock on the hatch meant that the person in the Lantern Room was trapped. I told the player "yes" and later in the adventure argued that Macneil ordered O'Connell to lock Macneil in the Lantern Room. Maybe add another sentence to explain the padlock on the hatch to the Lantern Room.
3. How big are the windows to the cottage and store room? Can a person climb through one? I did not allow the windows to be big enough to crawl through but could be seen through.
4. Is there an intent around the fog horn inoperable? Can it be repaired or can grease from the storeroom be used to "un-seize" it. A player thought to use the grease from the storage room to "un seize" the fog horn. I liked the idea and let them do it. But that player had to keep cranking the fog horn to keep the fog horn working. I allowed it to "warn" the approaching ship.
5. The signal flare (wrapped in oil cloth) could use some more mechanics and intent. Is it a torch or is it bright enough for the approaching ship to see? What level of technology is the signal flare so that it is consistent with the rest of the adventure? Is this a place for a magic item? My players did not explore the fishing vessel and I don't know what I would have done for signal flare mechanics.
6. Is the ochre paint flammable? If so, what might that do for game mechanics?
7. Alistair Macneil. What weapon(s) does he have? I recommend reconsidering Macneil's number of attacks (listed as 2). I think players familiar with Knave could cry "foul" at an NPC human getting two attacks. An updates to the "Knave style" for this adventure might benefit from including Armor Pieces to justify the Macneil's AC 14. That is three (3) Armor Points or pieces of armor. For example, maybe Macneil is wearing a gambeson, chain shirt, and helmet. But how did a lighthouse keeper get armor pieces? With my players, I dropped Macneil's attacks to one per round. I kept the AC but in retrospect, I wish I had lowered it to AC 11.
8. If I ran (hopefully WHEN I run) this adventure again, I would emphasize upfront to the players that after a general exploration of a new area or room, that they need to declare they are "searching" an area or room and that such a detailed search will take 10 minutes (1 turn). Given the brilliant mechanic of the ticking clock and tables for events each turn, this will create "important choices" for the players on how they want to spend their time. I would emphasize this search mechanic, because I didn't know how to give my players a better chance of finding the several secret doors that available in the adventure (all of which are excellent).
9. Adding some mechanics (like a DEX or STR check; or fall damage) about what happens with four-story staircase room. My players figured out the danger of the stairs (2 PCs climb the stairs at once, they break). The signposting of danger was good. But, another sentence around what happens to the players and what they might do to mitigate damage or impact from the stairs break - would be nice.
10. Another "when I run this again", I will explain to the players (during the adventure intro) how the lighthouse works and what it does. That is, there are three main components (wick, oil, lens) and that the light from the house provides a reference point for ships to steer clear of danger. This may seem obvious, but I think it might ensure clarity for the players who may not be nautically savvy.
11. Malcolm Fraiser. I recommend adding some more information about the iron shackles holding him in place. Is there a key for the shackles? If so, where is the key (likely with Dylan O'Connell, if I had to guess) ? I recommend
Hopefully some of that is useful.
I loved this adventure. Well done!
Wow, thank you for taking the time to put together such detailed feedback! I really appreciate it. There's tons here for me to dig into. I'll try to answer your questions as best as I can, and I have a few additional questions of my own.
I'm glad you think my comments are helpful. I certainly don't want to criticize or come across harsh. It is a wonderful adventure and my recommendations are all "nice-to-haves" to consider in any revision. Here are my thoughts to your follow up questions:
Happy to offer these thoughts. Hope it isn't too much.
It's not too much at all, and definitely not harsh! This kind of feedback is gold. I really appreciate you taking the time. :)
One torch remains lit,
one hope against the storm.
The vibes are exquisite, they lay out it is very clean and professional. The deep calls out... for me to run this for my players.
A+ comment 👌
This is little Adventure is Awesome. Its creepy, the writing is good, the Layout looks cool! 5/5
Thank you so much!
Really enjoyed the adventure, great and transparent format that's easy to use with minimal prep.
Thank you very much! I can't take all the credit - my editor is fantastic and I got some great feedback from the Knave 2e game jam Discord server. It was a team effort!
Great idea and execution!!!
Thank you!
Whoa! This is awesome! The design and story. Well done!
Thank you so much!