Aberrant Reflections

The key feature of this adventure is the use of mirrors in puzzles players have to solve in order to progress. Because the spatial organisation of the various rooms of the dungeon is capital to those puzzles, it was our top priority to ensure a Game Master could easily describe the rooms in the most precise way. This influenced the layout in two major aspects that were meant to reduce page-turning. First, the use of a “control panel” style, where all the information about a room would have to fit on a single page or spread. Second, a zoomed-in map had to be included on at least each spread to supplement the textual descriptions.

Fulfilling these two imperatives proved to be a compelling challenge as it quickly became a puzzle of its own where we had to fit detailed descriptions, maps and illustrations together. Because the client was very open to my feedback and suggestions, clear and frequent exchanges allowed us to easily overcome this challenge. Indeed, on multiple occasions I suggested where the text should be edited and which illustrations could be commissioned to fill in the gaps of the layout. The result is a functional and elegant zine, with a clear layout where information is precisely organised in order to simplify navigation and use at the table.

Aberrant Reflections is available in digital format and print.