OUTER SELF (A F.I.S.T. MISSION)
A downloadable Mission
Official winner of FIST JAM OPS III: ZINE MONTH!
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"Remember that old photo studio at the mall? "
A Mega Maul 23 mission. Compatible with F.I.S.T.
This is one of 52 missions planned for Mega Mall 23, a collection of modern missions within a middle American mall that has found itself warped and twisted between dimensions. Interdimensional psychopaths have taken mall goers from around the Earth hostage and only F.I.S.T. can stop them. No one has ever escaped the mall once they enter. Will you ride the escalator to safety or fall victim to THE MEGA MAUL?
"Mega Maul 23" is a mission collection about slowly exploring unknowable but familiar locales. There is minimal briefing from HQ because they know as little as you do. You are on your own. Run this mission as a one off, or as a side quest in a dying mall in your unit’s jurisdiction. Look forward to more mall based madness with standalone releases and when Mega Maul 23 is completed at the end of 2023.
Download
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Development log
- FIST JAM OPS III: ZINE MONTH ResultsMar 16, 2023
Comments
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Really lovely module, do you have plans to continue the Mega Maul theme?
I do! It ended up not lasting the whole year, but I have about 10ish more adventures I prototyped. There at least 3 of them I want to polish and make into modules.
As soon as Fusion Factor gets to a place I can leave it for a while, that's my next goal.
I may release them periodically if I need a mental break from working on one game.
Outer Self is an elegant and original FIST adventure.
This zine has such a striking, clean, and intentional aeasthetic. The red pairs so well with greyscale images and fits the tone of the adventure. The text accents are punchy and the map is a cool and unique culmination of the look. I love the attention to detail with the page border containing a signpost to the section the reader is on.
The adventure itself is well thought through, with a different pathways for players to explore. Each of the pathways has varied threats and meaningful discoveries for the players to make. The author has paid attention to the different ways that the players could reach certain points (even a a particulrly murder-y party). It definitely suits more of a creepy / horror vibe, as if the players get involved in combat the numbers look pretty deadly. Successfully completing the mission leaves the players with an intereting set of potential items to use in future sessions.
I love the addition of a mission synopsis at the start to help the referee quickly get an idea of the scenario.
Outer Self is a mission for Mega Maul, which is in turn a mall-based mission pack for FIST.
The PDF is 9 pages with a subdued, classy aesthetic. It fits the mall themeing perfectly, and the text is layed out in a way that sits nicely on the page and allows for a lot of good white space---although it does require a little magnification to read.
Contents-wise, Outer Self's hook is fun and pulpy, mixing witchcraft and bland corporate americana. A witch is stealing souls through photography, and running her business out of the liminal spaces in a fading mall.
It works better the less information the PCs have going in, and may be ideal for non-FIST-agent characters. The vibe is kind of Unknown Armies or Liminal Horror.
There are a few extremely deadly scenario elements, and one puzzle is necessary for progress, but the overall flow of play is slow and atmospheric. There's lots of "nothing is happening" rooms to build tension, and there's a great eerie feeling that pervades the scenario.
The scenario has an innovative map which bashes together photographs into a collage of explorable areas---it's super creative, and fits the visual style really well.
Overall, if you want a grounded, liminal, creepy adventure for FIST, this is a great pick.
Thanks for giving such a kind and thoughtful review!
Thank you for writing the module!