​Crapshoot Monday: This Free Thing I Found on Itch.io…Mushroom Hunt

A hexcrawl by Sea Bartel, for levels undefined
Written for Green Country (OSR)
   Well this was twee.
   “Wilderness adventure” is its own little subgenre of product, one I’m far fonder of in concept than in execution. This one is pretty typical in scope, with two pages detailing a little ~5x8 hexmap region with nine of the hexes keyed; the rest of the region relies on the map illustration/encounter table to generate content. The writer has an art page so this exists as much to sell commissions as for its own merits, but there’s an adventure here, barely, so we will tackle reviewing it.
   Our story is that a teeny little mushroom person pops up while the PCs are camping one night, delivering a sob story about its master being kidnapped by some spriggans with alternate spelling. The players accept this quest because otherwise we’re not playing D&D tonight and they proceed to meander about the woods and plains of unspecified distance (hexes are 1-or-2-day travel affairs, distance abstracted), gaining  abstract “clues” from various encounters and locations. When three clues are gathered then 4-6 sproggans appear (more for large parties) at the nearest of four locations and then after a crushingly whimsical fight the mushroom king is rescued and he hands out a magic mushroom per character. Mushroom effects, surprise surprise, are abstract.
   Uh, what I liked was the map’s look. Well-illustrated, good visual design on the road/hills/river/forest/plains. Little questgiver mushroom guy appoints himself GMPC and can’t fight but will help with soporific spore-puffs and a little magic glow, that’s a handy friend to have along. I like the name “moonstag” and it’s pretty neat how hunting a moonstag nets you some healing venison. Decent wilderness encounter, that, pity numbers (both encountered and hit points) are abstracted.
   So I won’t shock anyone when I say what can be improved is “gimmie some numbers” first and foremost. We’re not buying this to do homework, oh writer, we’re looking for you to tell us how many dadgum boars are trampling through camp. All the encounter work is high on words but low on concrete mechanics or numbers. The locations are that way too. Clues shouldn’t be abstracted, either, but instead they should point to a set location/situation. Let the players figure this out. Same with distances. Same with monster stats. I know page space is at a premium, but this could be put in without hurting your margins all that much.
   Your best use case here is enjoying this twee little twaddle in the middle of a muddle while you battle with your buddies in a puddle with a paddle. Not much else beyond that, if it’s to your taste you’ll use the whole thing if it ain’t you won’t find much of value to extract.
   Final Rating? */***** with even the most charmed whimsy-fiend being hard pressed to add more than an extra star. I like the idea of a wilderness hexcrawl adventure but this ain’t it, chief.

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