Stormsunder: Heirs of Ruin

A Game Within the Game
22 days ago – Sun, Mar 31, 2024 at 09:39:33 PM

Hello, folks!

By the time this update is posted it will already April Fool’s for most of you and while we don’t have any fun tricks, we thought now would be a good time to talk about a fun game mode included in the Stretch Goal Campaign Book. But first, let’s check in on testing….

State of the Testing
Testing of the Stretch Goal Campaign Book continues, which included a hard look (and a bit of a revamp) of the rules for Treasure Dash, which is detailed below. We’ve fleshed out team abilities and added the ability to cheat (at least for the adversary teams). The Stretch Goal Campaign Book is more disjointed than the regular campaign book, making testing feel like a bit of a hopscotch at times as we bounce from one story to the next, but the final product is definitely something you’re going to be happy that you have as it expands Stormsunder well beyond the confines of Heirs of Ruin’s main story campaign.

Treasure Dash
As we’ve shown in updates in the past, we’ve tried to include a variety of encounter types in Stormsunder and nothing encapsulates that more than Treasure Dash. It’s matured from a silly idea to something kind of special and we’re excited to share a glimpse of what the "game within a game" entails.

Treasure Dash is loosely based on American Football, played on a rectangular map with banners and holes on opposite ends. The squares in between the banners are each team’s starting positions. If a player can carry the crystal to the opposing team’s starting position by the end of the round, they score 1 point. If they throw the crystal in one of the opposing team’s holes from 4 fields away, they score 2 points. 

Treasure Dash isn’t a normal Encounter (you could easily claim its not an encounter at all), so actions are drastically different. Each player may move and perform two unique actions (no repeats), mostly based off the Standard ability cards:

Tackle – Must be adjacent to an opponent with the crystal. Roll 2 Physical dice. If the opponent is flanked, add 1 automatic Sword to the roll. Opponent must make a successful Strength test for every 2 Swords rolled. If the opponent fails any test, take the crystal.

Dash – Move 2 fields.

Throw Crystal – Must have the crystal. Pass 0-2 Agility tests depending on the distance between this player and the target. Adjacent: No test needed. 1-2 fields: Pass 1 Agility test. 3-4 fields: Pass 2 Agility tests.

Teamwork – Give an ally within 1 zone an action you haven’t performed this activation.

Guard – Gain 1 Prepare token. If an opponent with the crystal enters or activates from an adjacent field, this player may perform a Tackle (rolling only 1 Physical Dice).

Here’s an example round so you can get a better idea of how Treasure Dash plays:

The Myrmidites have the crystal. Myrmidite 4 activates, performing a Dash action to move 2 fields. He then uses Teamwork to give Myrmidite 3, the current bearer of the crystal, a Throw Crystal action. Myrmidite 3 makes an Agility test, and since it's a long pass (4 fields), he needs 2 successes. He rolls 5 & 5, successfully passing the crystal. 

Myrmidite 4 will use his free move next, but he doesn't have enough Speed to go around Capac, who is prepared (guarding). The bold little bug decides he will go past Capac's field. While guarding Capac rolls only 1 dice, rolling 1 Sword (Capac also gets a bonus Sword here; more on that some other time). Myrmidite 4 now has to pass a Strength test to keep the crystal. He needs only one success, but he rolls a 2 & 1. His special ability allows him to reroll one dice, so he rerolls the 1 and rolls a 4, still failing the test, meaning Capac now has the crystal.

Capac activates, moving his full speed towards Drustan, and passes him the ball. He is using Throw Crystal to an adjacent field, so no Agility test is required. Capac then performs a Teamwork action to give Drustan Dash, so the Ranger can move 2 fields, out of range of Myrmidite 3.

Myrmidite 3 cannot reach Drustan, so he moves and Dashes for a total of 5 fields. He then performs a Guard action to gain Prepared. He and Myrmidite 1, who is also guarding, are blocking Drustan's path to the goal. Drustan moves 2 fields, just out of range of the guarding Myrmidites, then performs a Throw Crystal action. Alexander is 3 fields away, meaning Drustan will need 2 successes. Drustan rolls a 4 and a 6: the pass is successful! Drustan then performs a Teamwork action to give Alexander Dash, which puts him in one of the enemy's starting positions. The round ends with the heroes scoring 1 point.

That’s all for now! We’ll be back next month with more news about testing and whatever else is going on in the world of Stormsunder. Until then, we’ll see you in the Storm (where passing the crystal is a good way to lose the crystal).

- LSG

Gauntlets: Greater Challenge, Greater Reward
about 2 months ago – Thu, Feb 29, 2024 at 07:35:20 PM

Hello, folks!

In this update we’re going to check in on how testing is going as well as look at a special type of linked encounters we call Gauntlets.

State of the Testing
Last update we said that Heirs of Ruin needed at least 3 more months of testing (with 4 months being a safer bet). We’re still on track for that, with the testers taking a break on the encounter-heavy Act V and instead focusing on the Stretch Goal Campaign book, specifically the wayward heroes’ encounters. Wayward heroes are introduced at specific moments throughout Heirs of Ruin, so the length of their unique adventures varies from hero to hero, but it’s important to the balance of the campaign that they fit where they are encountered and are both fun and challenging (and also don’t throw off the balance of the campaign after). 

Running a Gauntlet
Gauntlets are a specific series of encounters that players can challenge. More than just a bunch of encounters without a chance to rest (we have those too), Gauntlets are difficult and rewarding missions that will push your heroes to their limits. Gauntlets are arduous, and to represent the strain the heroes feel battle after battle, they remove 1 card from their deck at the beginning of each encounter. Thinning a hero’s deck can result in that hero getting good cards more often, but Traits cannot be removed so your hero’s state of mind will come up more often as well (whether that is a good thing or a bad thing depends entirely on how that hero has progressed through the story).

Each encounter in a Gauntlet has its own set of rules and challenges the heroes must overcome. Players may choose to retreat at predetermined places in the Gauntlet, fleeing with the rewards earned up until that point. Failing an encounter may incur dire consequences, but the spoils are more than worth the risk (especially if they can preserve past the final encounter). 

The Armory Gauntlet Mission
Those who have perused the demo campaign book may remember an unavailable location in the House Potra Haven: The Armory. The text is pretty explicit about both the difficulty and the consequences of raiding the armory, but RPG veterans know that just means the best loot will be found inside. We don’t want to spoil too much, but the Armory is a Gauntlet with 6 encounters, meaning the heroes will only have 9 cards in their ability decks by the time they reach the final encounter. Here’s an example of what that could mean for Aleksandra (an all- too-eager participant of any kind of mayhem and destruction) as she enters the 6th encounter at the armory:

The top cards are the ones Aleksandra’s player has removed from her deck. The aggressive vampire twin has lost a lot of healing and utility, including Vampire’s Bite, Life Leech, First Aid and Self-Preservation. What’s worse, she now will draw Unpredictable more often, making her a much more consistent liability when she’s near allies. For the final encounter, Aleksandra will need to be played much differently than before, prioritizing careful positioning away from allies and generally being more careful overall. Sacrifice will be a much more dangerous card to use and Fury? Fury is likely to do some work this fight.

As we talked about above, each encounter in a Gauntlet has its own set of rules. One of the fights in the Armory has adversaries on high alert, represented by rolling 1 magical (blue) dice at the end of each of their activations. On Special, they gain a Prepare token. Heroes such as Drustan and Fil’lik excel in this type of encounter as they either gain bonuses from attacking prepared enemies or they are able to sneak past them without triggering prepare. Here’s an example of Drustan shining in such an encounter:

Two of Tarpitt’s finest have Prepared tokens. If Adina or Capac activate, they will get attacked by both the guardsman and the inquisitor. Drustan’s Watcher in the Woods basic skill makes it so he does not trigger Prepared enemies, allowing him to move freely where others would get stomped. He moves one field over and spends 3 AP to attack the Tarpitt Guardsman at maximum range, giving himself 1 Power (from his Target Practice basic skill). His attack removes the guardsman’s Prepared token. He then uses Preparation, removing the inquisitor’s Prepared token as well. Capac, Adina (and even Aleksander) are now free to activate without worry of immediately being attacked.

That’s all for now! We’ll be back next month with more news about testing and whatever else is going on in the world of Stormsunder. Until then, we’ll see you in the Storm (where sometimes it doesn’t matter how prepared you think are).

- LSG

Testing Update and Waging War in Stormsunder
3 months ago – Wed, Jan 31, 2024 at 07:49:06 PM

Hello, folks!

In this update we’ll be talking about progress and challenges with Act V testing as well as looking at probably the most exciting type of encounters in Stormsunder. First, let’s talk about testing…

State of the Testing
Christmas/New Years’s split testing of Act V in half from December to January, but a lot of work has been done on this most important and exciting slice of Heirs of Ruin. We actually back-tracked significantly during that period as well, all the way back to the beginning of the game, to make sure a new hero base damage nerf didn’t upset the balance of the encounters prior to Act V, as well as use the newer, more fleshed out (and fun) ally mechanics, where applicable, described in the next section. 

That may seem like a lot of work, and at it is, but it was completed significantly faster than when we’ve looked back before, a testament to the solid shape the core mechanics of Stormsunder are in. I believe we covered this before, but hero base damage has been a regular concern from a design perspective as we know that the numbers will only get higher as we move into Bones of the Conquered and A Pharaoh’s Wrath. For those of you keeping track, here’s where base damage currently stands (the top number is the stat and the bottom the base damage):

Everyone’s next question will certainly be: “When will testing be finished?” Based on the time we’ve spent so far on Act V and the other parts of testing that remain (Random Stretch Goal campaign book things, issues that crop up, etc), we foresee testing taking at least 2 more months, with 3 months being the safer bet. That would mean the end of April. After that, I foresee a slew of reassembly/assembly work for the campaign book(s) and cards. Some of that can be done prior to the testing being complete (some already has), but it’s still a question mark of exactly how much will need to be fixed and/or added, specifically for Act V and the Stretch Goal campaign book.

Waging War in Stormsunder
Sometimes the heroes in Stormsunder will find themselves in battles that are bigger than themselves. Some of those battles will include more than just the heroes versus another party/faction. In fact, the core reason behind using the word “Adversary” to describe non-player characters in Stormsunder instead of enemy was in recognition that not every non-hero in an encounter will be someone the hero’s must dispatch. Sometimes, just sometimes, combat in Stormsunder is going to get big and a little bit messy and the players may be tasked with deciding which side they wish to throw their lot in with (or maybe even no side at all).

We touched on the idea of having miniatures (or tokens) that weren’t enemies in a spoiler-ish reveal a while ago. What we’re talking about here is something that builds on that idea and not only gives those potential NPC allies a life of their own, but also allows the heroes to command forces on the battlefield. It’s imperative that we get the feel of these battles right, as some of the most important encounters in Stormsunder, now and in the future, will use these mechanics. The examples below are made up (at least in part), so don’t worry about being spoiled as we won’t be covering story here. Let’s take this map setup as an example:

As you can see, the heroes start all the way at the bottom of the encounter with quite a few adversaries across the map. In this particular fight, however, two of those adversaries are allies: the Myrmidite Skirmishers. The myrmidites use their normal Adversary cards and will activate and attack separately, using the targeting from the Wrath deck. In addition to their normal activations, the allies can be influenced by heroes spending AP. During a hero’s activation, if they are within 1 zone of that ally, they may spend 1 AP to move the ally up to that ally’s speed value. This can be incredibly useful for controlling the map and a great way to flank enemy adversaries. 

Heroes can also spend 2 AP to give an allied adversary a Prepared token. Some missions may require the heroes to protect an object or location while simultaneously tasking them with achieving an objective on the opposite side of the map. Being able to position allies (such as these Myrmidites) and giving them Prepared means the players have their own personal garrison for the encounter. Finally, heroes may spend a hefty 3 AP to make a full activation for an ally, choosing their target and which attack to use. Let’s look at an example of activating allies:

Aleksander spends 3 Speed to move adjacent to the Unsated, then uses 1 additional AP to move the Myrmidite Skirmisher ally to the opposite side of the demon. Aleksander spends 3 AP to attack and another 1 AP to use Ambush. He gains +2 BD from Ambush, since his target is now flanked, and another +2 BD from simply attacking a flanked target (for a total of +4 bonus BD). After the attack, Aleksander uses Self Preservation (to gain 2 AP) to give the myrmidite a Prepared token. When the Unsated activates, the Myrmidite Skirmisher will immediately attack, also benefiting from the Unsated being flanked.

Here's another example:

The heroes are tasked with protecting an objective (the banner in the bottom-right corner), but also need to close the gate in the top-left zone to cut off reinforcements. Adina uses 4 AP to give both Myrmidite Skirmishes Prepare (2 AP each) and moves 4 fields toward the lever. She uses 1 AP to activate the lever, closing the gate and stopping more Unsated from joining the fight. As the myrmidites are prepared, they will attack any enemies that come near the objective, providing much needed support in completing the encounter successfully.

You may be asking yourself, “It’s great to have allies, but who gets that sweet, sweet loot?” If one of your allies earns their paycheck and kills an enemy adversary, you set it aside (along with any other loot dropped by ally-kills). At the end of the encounter, the players, as a group, may take a single card from the stack and add it to their loot bag. The rest of the spoils go to the allies, who will probably spend them quickly and frivolously.

That’s all for now! We’ll be back next month with more news about testing. Until then, we’ll see you in the Storm (where your allies would make good Unsated food… I mean scouts. They would make good scouts).

- LSG

Knights of Tarpitt and Large Miniature Movement
4 months ago – Sat, Dec 30, 2023 at 07:09:11 PM

Hello, folks!

  It’s been a relatively quiet month in the world of Stormsunder, so we’re going to finish off the year looking at the Knights of Tarpitt and how large miniature movement has changed since the demo (through testing, of course).

Knights of Tarpitt
  Led by Lord Darijus, the Knights of Tarpitt ride the only unsated that still remain within the city’s walls. To engage them is to risk their steed’s Vicious Bite, but to keep your distance is a far greater folly. Wild Charge allows a Knight of Tarpitt to cross the entire map, attacking every enemy they pass. 

Knights of Tarpitt are heavily armored elite warriors who specialize in hit-and-run combat. Both their attacks and their On Defense tactics will likely resolve with them pulling away from the heroes, so stopping them in their tracks is the best strategy. Stun and Immobilize status effects work amazingly well on them, especially given their Exposed passive, which lowers their defense if they are so afflicted.

  Without giving much away, here’s the setup for one of the encounters with the knights (the first, I believe), and as you can see, the poor heroes are just asking to be skewered while the knights ping-pong around the map.

Large Miniature Movement

The Knights of Tarpitt are considered “large miniatures,” as their bases do not fit in a single field. We had rules for such adversaries in the demo, but I don’t think we actually had any of those miniatures in the demo campaign book. The more we tested the encounters that did include them (such as with vampire council members Lord Rihard and Lady Renata) it became clear that we needed to make sure these powerful adversaries had room to breathe when it came to movement (especially since not all of them can fly). 

  Large miniature movement in the demo had the adversaries sort of “tip-toeing” around the map, not allowing them to move diagonally. Now they move wherever they damn well please, even if it’s through other miniatures.

  In this example, the Greater Unsated wants to attack Vanessa. Under the old rules, it wouldn’t be able to reach her, even if Adina and Aleksander weren’t in the way (the terrain would have forced him to go left for 1 Speed and then his 2 remaining Speed wouldn’t get him within range). Now he can move diagonally and simply knock the vampire and the priest out of the way. Both heroes are assigned 1 damage, but Aleksander takes an additional 1 damage because he can’t move out of the way thanks to that terrain. The path is clear for the Greater Unsated to have a little Nyere take-out.

 
  Given the large miniatures’ greater mobility, we nerfed their defense against flanking just a little. In the demo rules, you had to have heroes on three out of four sides of a large miniature to qualify for flanking. Now it just requires three heroes on at least two sides.

  That’s all for this year! We’ll be back next month with news on testing. Until then, happy New Year and we’ll see you in the Storm (where that large shadow seems to be moving a lot faster than it was a moment ago).

- LSG

Weapon Affinities and Dice Updates
5 months ago – Thu, Nov 30, 2023 at 06:27:41 PM

Hello, all!

We're back with yet another update talking about the advancements in Stormsunder's design that have been a direct result of testing. But first, let's talk about testing itself...

State of the Testing

Last month we told you we were done with Act IV, which, of course, hasn’t changed. Act V testing is still ongoing and we don’t foresee it to be finished in December (especially given the shortened timeframe due to the holidays). Last month we talked at length about the new Specializations, which will actually continue in this update with weapon affinities, which are also related to changes to the three types of dice in Stormsunder.

All of these changes have already been tested through the previous acts (where applicable) and, like all the changes we’ve made since we designed the Stormsunder demo so many years ago, make for a more enjoyable player experience.

Weapon Affinity
One of the problems we wanted to solve with Stormsunder was the lack of identity that the different weapons had in the demo. Sure, their stats may have been different, but there really wasn’t anything in the game that clearly defined how fighting with a sword was different than fighting with an axe. Our solution was creating weapon affinities.

Each hero begins the game with a weapon affinity that matches the weapon in their starting equipment. This affinity represents a hero's preference and proficiency with a specific type of weapon. Above is what a hero’s weapon affinity looks like on their card (Capac, of course, starting with 1-Handed Hammers at level 1). If a hero uses a weapon they have an affinity for, the affinity symbol (an encircled sword) on physical and magical dice activates a special effect. The effect is either specific to a group of weapons (One-handed swords, wands or bows) or an effect specified on the equipment card (found on some specific weapons, especially ones obtained from defeating a villain). Heroes can gain additional weapon affinities, obtained either from trainers or through specializations.

Each affinity symbol counts as a success, which is counted first, then the affinity special effect is resolved, if applicable. The effect resolves only once, even if multiple affinity symbols are rolled. Here’s an example of how this plays out in combat:

Vanessa attacks a Myrmidite Skirmisher, who has 2 physical defense. She rolls an Affinity and Sword x2, for a total of 3 damage. Adding that to her BD of 2, she deals 5 damage, 3 of which wounds the skirmisher (5 minus its 2 armor). Since Vanessa has affinity for crossbows, she resolves the effect for the affinity, which for crossbows is "Ignore 1 physical defense.," meaning she will deal 4 wounds to the skirmisher instead of 3.

Dice Update
All three types of dice were updated when we added affinities, including some unrelated changes. The changes impact all characters (hero and adversary), generally making them a bit more powerful:

Physical (Green) dice had one Sword turned into an Affinity and another Sword turned into another new symbol, the Sword/Special. Both symbols can be used, making Special abilities (for both heroes and adversaries) more likely to be in play. Magical (Blue) dice get the same treatment as physical, though they already had 2 Special sides, making rolling a Special a 50/50 prospect now. Finally red (impact) dice do not get any Affinity symbols, but a hair more damage with one of their Sword sides becoming a Sword x2. Here’s an example of how the updated dice impact (pun intended) an adversary:

The Tarpitt Guard Captain is attacking a hero with his Entangle ability. This attack has 4 physical (green) dice and 1 BD. A player rolls for him, rolling 3 Specials and 1 Sword x2. With the original dice from the demo, the Guard Captain would always be sacrificing damage if he was able to apply his Special (x2) effects, Bleed in the case of Entangle. With the new dice, if he rolls the Sword/Special sides he can deal 6 damage and still apply Bleed. He will also apply Bleed (or Burn, in the case of Enchanted Blade) more often, due to the increased number of Specials on the dice.

That’s all for now! We’ll be back next month for more Stormsunder news. Until then, we’ll see you in the Storm (where sand always makes an impact).

- LSG