I just finished the advanced game course, and well... it was a bit anticlimactic. Most of the tasks leading up to the end were fun, new, and sometimes challenging. Then the last two... wait a while and then do any old ritual? They seemed a bit out of place among the rest. And then the reward being the same as for the other game course was a bit of a let down. 10x the time to complete with way more risk, and the exact same reward? I guess I was expecting a bit too much, but I was hoping for at least something different for a reward.

Maybe the reward for advanced could have a choice of something like a "house kit" (100 logs, 100 boards, set of axes) to get a house going, or other "kit" sets such as a combat set with your choice of several pieces of hard to get armor and a weapon, bunch of arrows and a good bow, punt paddle nets and fishing rod. Or character affecting choices like a chance to change your phobia (or even overcome it?), raise a specific stat by a good bit to compensate for a weakness, or something like that. Unique items could even be put in for it, such as a medicine item with limited uses that acts like a sage in fixing all your wounds or even healing them slightly - as a means to save a near death character. Or some sort of antidote that can cure any disease or poison.

Anything to make it more of a reward for the accomplishment.

Not that im complaining, I love the new version and the advanced course was very fun to play through, it just felt a bit hollow at the end.

It was my intention to have different rewards with the advanced game-course but the deadline of the release crushed my dreams :) So this will be changed in the future.
However, I kind of would like the rewards to be something that can be imagined for the character have learned over the time. Increased skills and attributes and rituals feel like a better choice to me than magically appearing items and building...
Feel free to come up with suggestions you all.

Then, I kind of think the game-courses as an introduction to the game features, kind of guiding the character along a path of things to try out, and I did think about order of the tasks for the long time before making up my mind. The order to come up with an peaceful ending felt good to me at the time. And the ritual actually can't be a random one. Not just any ritual.

But when it comes to task, feel free to suggest me something to add!

What about getting some valuables in addition to other prizes? Like you get a feeling that there's nice rare/exotic items hidden into a hole in some area.
Or, if being spiritual, you could wake up from your best dream ever, and see some valuable items lying next to you.

it would be hard to make the items cool ...

1) they could be random, which could be useless, or could be wonderful
2) dependant on highest skills, which could mean they are fairly similar
3) cool items - totally unique, cant get them anywhere else, something like a bag which reduces the effective weight of all your gear by 50% or something like that ... but then everyone will do the course even if they are experienced enough not to. hmm. possibly think of a few unique ultra-cool items that would be interesting to everyone, and randomise which one you receive upon completion? hmm ... dunno if thats a good idea either. bah!

Or some "beautiful handcraft" (Specificied which handcraft it actually is would not be too necessary)
Which could mean a stack of manu salt bags in value.

Well, my other suggestions in the post (getting over your phobia or changing it, adding several points to one specific stat instead of to all of them, special medicine, etc) could work without a bunch of magically appearing items.

The phobia one could actually be interesting, as sometimes you make a character with a crippling phobia, and a way to overcome it would be great.
I'm not sure if it would be possible, but overcoming the phobia could also require one additional task related to the phobia you selected after you finish the advanced adventure. Scared of cats? Hunt and kill a lynx. Scared of water? Paddle across a lake in your punt. And so on.

Fixed! :P :D

That would just be cruel. Certain death on a 1 tile lake even without the passing out from the fear of it.

nah... just gotta work out that skill on the shore.
Thankfully, at some point, the drowning for a failed skill use was removed when you're on the shoreline.

and due to the way the game works, I don't think a panic attack in the water would kill you.

Even with 100% skill and trying to swim across completely naked, you would most likely get fatigued on the way and drown. Every bit of fatigue reduces your chance of making it to the next tile.

that's why you rest silly.

A few things...

I've always seen the final two tasks (rest, then ritual) as sort of a winding-down from the tasks in the game path.

It have a feel of closure to the Course(s), and I've always found it to be a nice touch. A way to reflect on what you've learned, if you will.

As for rewards, stats or skills would be best, and the most reasonable.

If Will (willpower) helps resisting your phobias, then an increase in Will would be good, for those that want a change/elimination to their phobias.

Perhaps the reward could be a few skill points in the stat(s) of your choice?