Glad to be helpful!
Tenth review: The Wise-Woman’s Dog. There is a map!
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Thank you so much for the review, and I’m so glad you enjoyed the game!
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It really was a lot of fun!
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Eleventh review: Clickbait. A map:
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Twelfth review: Phobos - A Galaxy Jones Story. A map:
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Thirteenth review: Fascism - Off Topic.
No point in posting a map of a one-room game that focuses on conversation rather than interaction.
EDIT. I have made some moderately large changes to the review based on the discussion here.
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I feel as thaugh there might be a sort of signpost in there of the sort you mention. Did you try X ME?
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I did:
> x me
Normal, unlike the clowns still left in this car. You know what I mean: white, male, patriotic.
But, again, you can read it either way: is the second sentence describing “me,” or the other “clowns still left in this car”? I think there’s a somewhat more plausible reading; I don’t think the game endorses it clearly and unequivocally, though.
I definitely read that second sentence as referring to the so-called “normal” PC, whose only concern in this game is talking about his own interpretation of what fascism is—an interpretation that seems to mistake a tool of fascism as the entire definition, thereby letting himself off the hook as a likely contributor to the rise of fascism in the US. While they don’t mention the characters’ races, I think the descriptions of these two other passengers are meant to contrast with him:
Everything this guy is wearing is dark, from his black sweatshirt to his baggy-ass pants hanging down and probably showing his actual ass.
The girl is almost squatting in her seat in the corner, legs tucked up beneath her. She’s wearing a colorful miniskirt with a cropped tank top, her belly button peeking out.
I don’t think the game is successful at delivering any sort of coherent message—as your review notes, neither member of the couple is very sympathetic; I felt no joy at successfully prompting the cheating woman to tell her partner that he’s being fascist (and doing that ends in a lose state, anyway). If anything, it’s a portrait of a self-absorbed man who wants to sound smart in front of strangers, never mind that his opinion is neither wanted nor helpful.
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I tend to think that you’re probably right about the way you parse the sentence and the implied contrast with other characters; I also think you’re right about the PC’s likely motivations (and will probably mention that, crediting you, if I revise the review, unless you object). All in all, the lack of a coherent message on a question both important and timely is what really disappoints me about this particular entry; I’m just not sure whether to take it as flip and contemptuous, or simply as not having expressed itself as intended. Neither makes for an interesting or impressive game, though.
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No objections whatsoever!
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Thanks! Would rather obtain permission than ask forgiveness later.
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Fifteenth review: A winter morning on the beach.
The map I drew is apparently too tall to be allowed in a posting (11k+ pixels tall!), but a .pdf is available here if anyone wants it.
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Sixteenth review: A Smörgåsbord of Pain. I drew a map:
This may or may not be my last review of the Comp: I’ll be travelling for the next week or so and will probably have minimal time to play and write.
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It’s really good to see a map for Smörgåsbord. Though the one provided for the buffet as part of the feelies is truly excellent, I got hopelessly lost at the warehouse and really would have needed something like this to have a solid idea how the various “rooms” fitted together. I think I possibly didn’t have enough of a grasp how much space the warehouse building took up within the fence? If I give the game another go, I’ll definitely be thinking of this map (and might even refer back on it).
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I too found it super-confusing, and one thing I forgot to say in the review was that I think not all the possible exits from some locations were communicated effectively.
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It’s reassuring to hear it (probably) wasn’t just a matter of me being dim! It seems as though a comparatively minor tweak in some descriptions could make the layout much clearer - though I still really would like to see a map along the same lines as the buffet since that one works so well. Also there’s already a feelie for it, just not one that shows the position of each room.
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Can I just say I love these maps you make. It gives a great idea on how the games are structured.
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