Quirkworthy

With the $300K stretch goal smashed on the Kickstarter, we’ve now added not one, but two AI decks to the game. Adding this to the already flexible design means that there are now more different ways of playing than I can count on both hands…

1. Solo play as the Necromancer against the AI Heroes.
2. Solo play as the Heroes against the AI Necromancer.
3. 2-player head-to-head, Heroes vs Necromancer.
4. 2 to 4 Hero players vs an AI Necromancer.
5. 2 to 4 Hero players vs Necromancer player.

But that’s only 5, I hear you cry. Yes, and then you double it because each of those 5 can be played as either the Core game or the Advanced game, and they are quite different. But even that’s not all.

You can also choose to play pre-written campaign scenarios or have the Necromancer player (if there is one) devise a dungeon for you. Again, this changes the style of play as building a dungeon, laying the traps and ambushes yourself makes you play quite differently. It also means that the Heroes are in for a genuine surprise when they first try out the Necromancer’s new dungeon. They really have no idea what is lurking behind that door…

Anyway, I just thought I’d get this down in writing as it’s starting to get quite a long list. Replay value? Oh yes…  🙂

I’ll get a FAQ for the DS Alpha done tomorrow. In the meantime, a couple of points about piles of bones.

The Necromancer has a limit of 4 Skeleton Warriors on the board at once in each Scenario. This makes choosing when you raise things from piles of bones far more tactical.

Also, when you raise a model from a pile of bones it always come back as a Skeleton Warrior regardless of what it may have been originally. Think of the dungeon as being strewn with bits of shattered and ancient bodies. Also consider that being repeatedly smashed may not be good for the “bone memory” (the hardcore version of muscle memory). I always think that more skilled and “fancy” undead require more long-winded and complex rituals to create. Animating any old combination of bones as a crude fighter is relatively easy, but only the bottom rung of the necromantic ladder. Of course, as Mortibris gains experience he will also get new spells…

🙂

Just in case I don’t get time online this weekend, I wanted to post a quick summary of where I’m at with DS comments.

To start with, I’d like to say  a big thank you for all your comments both here, on the Kickstarter, and on the Mantic blog. Loads of useful and interesting thoughts and suggestions for me to consider. I haven’t had a chance to answer all of them individually, though I have read all the ones posted here and on the forum (I try but can’t keep up with the KS!). Please do carry on posting your thoughts.

It seems to me that the comments mainly fall into two related themes. The first is that you want more detail, and the second is that some people don’t think the current structure allows for enough expansion.

I’m here to tell you that I agree: what you see in the bare bones of the Alpha does indeed need more detail, and the current structure needs a small amount of expansion (though I would argue that it does not need to be fundamentally changed). The question is where do these changes go. The answer is largely in the Advanced rules.

My thinking is probably best illustrated with an example:

I think that the fixed turn structure of move then act is fine for the Core game. It allows turns to be done quickly whilst still allowing for some tactics, planning and discussion. My current approach for the Advanced game is to essentially give each model 2 actions in a turn, and not allow any single action to be repeated. Moving would become a type of action. This is similar to Deadzone, and works fine there. I have also thought of a few ways to improve on that basic principle.

This expanded and more flexible approach to the turn structure comes at a cost in time. With more options comes more thinking time to consider them, and though each turn may not add a lot it does mount up over the course of a whole game. This is doubly true when you have co-operative play as there are more options for others to suggest and discuss. This additional time isn’t really something I want to include in the Core game as that needs to remain a quick and simple game you can pick up and play (ideally) in under an hour (for all but the largest of the scenarios).

This sort of simpler, but tweaked change is the sort of variation you can expect between the two approaches. The Core is defined and less variable than the Advanced, and by being this it is also quicker to play and leaves less room for question, confusions and misinterpretation. This is the difference between a game you want to pick up and get straight into, and one where you dig around in the detail of designing bespoke adventures, managing experience and so on. Both are equally valid, but both need different approaches.

Thanks again for your comments, and do keep them coming 🙂

PS: did you notice this tease on the last Kickstarter update:

“Speaking of playability, it would be nice to add some great new game modes to Dungeon Saga, wouldn’t it? We’re building up to a milestone $300,000 and we’ve got something we think you’ll like lined up.”