September 2018

 

The following changes will be in effect for our September 2018 event.

--- SYSTEM CHANGES ---

Effects

  • We have already made a post about the changes to the effects of our game, which can be found in the link here: Link to Effects Changes

    • tl:dr

    • [Curse] and [Snare] removed from the game.

    • All Great effects have been removed.

    • [Maim] moved to a Monster Only call.

    • Most spells have been adjusted to account for these changes.

    • [Overflow Resist Points] (ORPs) have been added to the game that’ll allow players to take more effects before taking the Overflow effect.

    • Players with Patterns that have one of these removed effects need to return them at Check-In for a FULL POTENTIA REFUND.

  • We are introducing a new keyword [Afflicted], which indicates when you are under any status effect.

Rune Casting

  • For Rune Casting, [Curse] has been replaced with [Beckon] and [Snare] has been removed.

    • Due to the short amount of time between these patch notes and our September game, we do NOT expect Rune Casters to have their props updated for September.

Stacking

  • [Stacks] can now be spent on ANY target, with the exception of [Exploit] skills.

    • Previously, the rules were that [Stacks] could only be spent on the target you used to build your [Stacks]. After receiving some feedback we found that this was too restrictive as many monsters would die before you could use your stacks.

    • We are keeping the old rules in place for [Exploit] skills because we originally designed [Exploit] to create an interaction between players and singular boss monsters, giving players an option to use teamwork to distract and wear down a target that can't otherwise be harmed, while giving that target a chance to focus its attention on attackers before an exploit occurs.

Rules Reminders

  • Being [Hit] causes you to lose your [Stacks] unless stated otherwise.

    • Please note that being [Hit] is not tied to damage, so armor does not help you retain your stacks if an attack contacts you.

  • Being [Hit] interrupts any [Channel] you are performing unless stated otherwise.

--- EVENT CHANGES ---

Contracts

  • We are going to allow (and encourage) players to write down the names of the players that the contract will pay out to on the back of the contract before starting the mod. Players will still need to go to NPC shack at the end of a mod to receive the reward and are still fully responsible for ensuring they receive their reward. This is mainly a facilitation tool.

Siphoning Big Monsters

  • We are introducing a new call called [Group Siphon]. When you kill a tough monster, they may require you to have multiple people siphon it in order to receive its loot.

    • [Group Siphons] will have a minimum number of siphoners, but no maximum.

    • Any Potentia that is siphoned will be evenly split among all siphoners.

    • For large loot items such as patterns, we will be incorporating a bidding system. All siphoners can see the pattern before bidding. The winner of the bid will receive the pattern, but must pay the amount of Potentia that they bid. This Potentia is split between all siphoners who lost the auction. A creature subject to [Group Siphon] will have a very lengthy bleedout timer to facilitate some organization to the looting process.

Monster Tag Rewards

  • Monster tags that are turned in after a significant amount of time has passed since the mod had concluded will only be worth 1 Potentia.

  • For some mods this event we will be testing an optional loot system where players can pool together the tags they siphon off of monsters for greater rewards.

    • For example: if 5 tags are turned in at once, then the value of those tags may be increased or an essence may be added to the loot bag.

    • Our current loot system heavily favors melee fighters who can siphon enemies immediately after they are killed. We have seen that this encouraged play styles that disincentivize teamwork and cooperation, which we feel is required to tackle some of the bigger challenges we like to throw at players.

    • Players can still turn in Siphon tags individually, but know that you may not be receiving as much of a reward than if you coordinate with your fellow players.

Wild Shop

  • We will be adding a small inventory of Wild Patterns that players can purchase from the Codified Weaver (Vargus) at any time. While these patterns will be first come, first serve, the inventory will be restocked sometime after every meal.

  • Vargus will now purchase Wild Patterns for 50% of their printed value.

 

May 2018

The following changes will be in effect for our May 2018 event.

---EVENT CHANGES---

Contracts

  • We are implementing an “In Queue” Contract list to assist us in organizing mods during events. Players wishing to do a Contract will now be required to go to NPC Shack and inform staff the name of the Contract and a person of contact.

    • The order in which Contracts are ran will not be solely determined by the order they are put into the queue. Available NPCs, Staff readiness, and more will also factor into the order.

    • Players will NOT be required to physically carry the Contract with them to NPC Shack.

  • We are implementing a “Contract Reservation” system. Players will be able to reserve Contracts by paying a deposit of 1 Faction Status appropriate to the Contract. This reservation will allow players to carry the physical Contract with them and determine who gets to participate in the Contract. Reserved Contracts will also be placed at a higher priority than non-reserved Contracts in the “In Queue” list. The deposited faction status will be returned upon completion of the Contract.

    • Unless stated on the Contract, the default faction needed for Contract reservation is with “Cynwrig”.

    • The best way to gain Faction Status is through an NPC shift.

  • With the above changes, players will no longer be allowed to keep Contracts on their person unless they have deposited a Faction Status to reserve it.

    • You can still temporarily take down Contracts from the Contract Board to observe/share them, but you must return them to the Contract Board when you are finished.

  • Instead of having all of our Contracts available at the beginning of the event, Contracts will be placed on the Contract Board throughout the event. Be sure to keep checking the Contract Board!

  • In response to player feedback, Contracts will identify whether or not they must be completed during the day or at night.

Check In

  • In response to player feedback, armor weight will now be checked by placing armor into a bin and weighing the bin on a scale.

    • To account for this new system, for the May 2018 Event we will require that all players with armor have it re-weighed at Check-In.

Character Backstories

  • We now require players to have attended at least one Stormflux event before we approve any submitted backstory.

    • The world of Stormflux can be complex and we feel that experiencing Stormflux first hand is essential for creating a fitting backstory.

---RULES CHANGES---

Heavy Armor

  • The minimum weight for Heavy Armor has been changed from 50 lbs to 40 lbs.

  • Players in Heavy Armor no longer need to kneel to perform [Self-Cleanse]. While Channeling this version of [Self-Cleanse], your feet must remain planted and you may not raise your hands above your waist.

---PROJECTS---

---AUGMENTS---

  • Augments and Augment Casting have been fully implemented into our game. You can read more about them on page 48 of the gamebook.

---NEW CODIFIED PATTERNS---

---CARD CHANGES---

Shaping

  • We have updated our Shaping patterns to be more descriptive in what a player can do with them.

Riposte Tree

  • {Riposte}, {Quick Riposte}, and {Instant Riposte} now read: “Spend all of your [Stacks] to replace an [Attack] with [Pierce].” (Was [Stab] with [Pierce]).

    • Replacing this pattern is mandatory and will be available at Check In.

Gun Casting

  • {Gun Casting} has been renamed to {Magishot Casting}

    • Replacing this pattern is not mandatory.

February 2018

 

Heal Changes:

The Heal charge-up spell now proceeds Heal Self -> Cleanse -> Heal Other, increasing the requirements to heal another by two channels, and removing Heal as One from the game.

Additionally, all casting styles will have an explicit minimum roleplay when casting the first level (instant) of a charged spell (example - touch a packet to your rune).

The Daze roleplay is now more debilitating.  Instead of Slow+Great Panic+Seal, the requirement is now that you maintain two points of contact with the ground, do not channel, do not attack, and do not raise any weapon or shield above your waistline.  Points of contact may be hand, foot, elbow, knee, torso, or buttcheeks.

-----

We believe that it’s important for the flow of battle to be satisfying for both players and monsters, and we often take time observing combat in progress to ensure that we’re presenting challenging but generally not oppressive scenarios.  The current state of healing in the game has been detrimental to our ability to grasp mod flow, and sometimes frustrating to interact with as a monster.

When a player can be healed instantly at a distance, it allows that player to be rescued without committing to engaging the creature that felled them.  The monster becomes burdened to “camp” to a greater degree than we feel is necessary, especially because these ranged heals can reset the bleedout count.  In order for staff to continue to present challenge in these circumstances, it becomes necessary to escalate monster capability, and we want to make changes in a less adversarial direction.  With slower, more involved healing, we expect more focus on getting injured targets to safety, and more design space for healing as a primary gameplay style.

To adjust the pace of combat and improve our ability to visually inspect the flow of battle, we have also adjusted the roleplay for Daze.  The intent for daze is that you are not fighting, and the new ruleset should ensure that you cannot fight.

In reviewing the healing rules we had originally implemented, we agreed that this ruleset was ideal for a smaller player group that could not rely on dedicated supporters.  We believe this change is necessary to facilitate a larger group of players, broadening the support player niche and heavily incentivising this as a dedicated role. We will be producing additional codified and wild patterns that allow players to further invest in healing - and you may want somebody to do that.  Expect new pattern announcements by May (March is all about Wild stuff, and we don’t announce those).

Double Ended Weapons

  • Double Ended weapons are long weapons with both ends being hit legal. (Example: Quarterstaff).

  • Should one end fail to be stab or strike legal, both ends fail.

  • Must be 4ft - 7ft in length or will not pass as a weapon.

  • Base calls for Double Ended weapons are [Stab] and [Strike].

  • Can use (Dual-Wield) patterns while both hands are on the weapon.

  • Does NOT count as a Two-Handed weapon nor use (Two-Handed) patterns.

Semi-Automatic

  • Twinshock and Rotofury.

  • Base call for Semi-Automatic weapons is [Stab].

  • Does not count as a Automatic or Non-Automatic weapon.

Due to the requests for latex props as daggers, we have reduced the minimum melee prop length to 18 inches. If safety concerns due to this change arise we will examine this policy again.  

New codified patterns will be created for these new categories and grace period will be provided to those who use these weapon types. Please contact us for any further inquiries about these changes.

December 2017

Bids - Bid ranks are more clearly delineated in the Creation section of the book.  Each rank has a keyword.  The role of Boosts is more clearly defined.  Shaping is easier in “Familiar” locations, and locations you have decorated count as Familiar.  With this, we hope that bids and shaping will be easier to understand and more accessible.

Designs Rework - The lower end of Designs now leans on the Bids system.  Consumables created through Designs work like pre-packaged bids that non-shapers can use.  The designs that we have on the books are still available, and we’re looking to lower the bar on creating new designs.  Let us know if there is an idea you want to pursue.  The upper end of Designs (permanent items) will be handled by the Projects system.  Our old listings will have different costs, so please communicate with us about what you want to build so that we can set targets.

Project Cards - Project Cards are now available for the creation of items and structures. Structures and items will have their own tapestry that can be filled with the new project cards.  Costs vary wildly, so please speak with staff about what you want to accomplish.  Some of the more complex features may require blueprints, including faction-specific innovations such as the Wild Laboratory.

Updated “Iconic” Rules - We have added a Costuming and Props section to the Character Creation chapter of the game book.  This section details some rules and parameters for costuming-related rewards.

Runic Casting Update - Runic casting now uses the Project System to acquire runes.  A runed shield is effectively a project item.  We aim to make no functional changes here.  Runed items are some of the only project items that tend to be available at market prices. Players who currently have Rune Casting will need to exchange their old pattern for the new set.

New Casting Style - We have added Magi-shot casting, a style that imbues spells into bullets.  This style emphasizes preparation and ammo management.

Blasters - The new Twinshock Mega Blaster is an odd duck.  It’s faster than we want to see for anything that can possibly call Bolt as a baseline (and it doesn’t take much to make it 3 ft long), it has serious potential to outmode other offerings.  It’s also much slower than something like a Mastodon, so it doesn’t need the same degree of restrictions we have for automatic weapons.  For now, we will consider the weapon to be automatic, but we recognize the need for a “burst-fire” niche that covers weapons that fire multiple projectiles per trigger pull without being fully automatic.  We’ll be polishing up our rules sections regarding automatic *and* burst fire blasters, as this also lead us to realize that the delineation isn’t as clear as it could be.

New Codified Patterns - A few new codified patterns are available for daggers, two-handed weapons, sword + gun combination, and others. Expect to see more Codified cards added in future updates.

New Corruption Patterns - Over 30 new corruption patterns have been added to the game. We encourage players to try and discover as many as possible.

Game Book Edits and PDF Version - We’ve polished up the game book here and there with some minor edits.  With this version, we have created a PDF of the game book available for download on the website.