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2023, how to play and updates !

To the Gates of Truth
A downloadable Existential journey

Hello there !

So yes, this is finally time for a big 2023 update, as I finally had time for the past 3 weeks to work on this project ! At least for July and August, I'll be working on it too so, here's the update about what I've been working on and what's next!

Updating cards, gameflow and everything

The very first thing I wanted to make was update every game material I had. That includes for now :

  • 80 power cards
  • 49 passive cards
  • 15 enemies (Manager's Island) and 5 enemies (Doubter's Island)
  • 13 weapon cards
  • 40 status cards

This update was very important, especially for power and passive cards, as I made sure all mechanics of the game were there but also all names and lore descriptions are now a bit more accurate to the lore !

Adding "AI" or "intent system"

The next thing I finally implemented is a way for players to identify with precision what will be the sequence of actions the enemies will make during their turn. This also means that with this system, the sequence of actions are decided following a short table, so a GM is less needed !

The lost mechanics

Some of you have tested the games in the very early stages. Some of the few mechanics that disappeared are dice during combat, a strict distinction between enemy and player tiles, etc.

Scenarios

As you know, there's a strong emphasis on the narrative part of the game, even though it is not necessary anymore (for more info on why I don't call this a TTRPG, see the different posts!). However, there's still scenarios. Here's the planned list for the next few months !

  • Tutorial/introduction scenario (playtested)

Manager's Island

  • Advancing in the desert (playtested)
  • Archeology (ready for playtest)
  • The buidling Automat (ready for playtest)
  • Manager's confrontation (ready for playtest)

Doubter's Island

  • Fog of doubts (ready for playtest)
  • The first crisis (in preparation)

The Giver's Island -> Interconnected (in preparation)

The Structurer's Island -> Time doors (in preparation)

Playtests?

The same as always : playtest, playtest, playtest. It is crucial to me to have feedbacks from players, as it is truly with you that I have made the game evolve !

Note on illustrations / graphic identity

So even if all art used on the cards are temporary, all art used is from Freepik but I wanted to make sure nothing was AI generated (even though it's only for playtest purposes). I'm also not sure on the direction I want to take for the overall graphic identity of the game : either something fantasy like, just like I already use, or something more "abstract". We'll see in the future !

Conclusion and what's next

For those of you that are still here, thanks a lot ! If you haven't playtested yet, or if you've tested 1 year ago or more, the game has changed for the better ! Feel free to let me know if you're interested in playing! I'll also be streaming on twitch some game design and level design sessions ! ~ All game materials are now sent only to people that reach me or on discord, so feel free to join if you want to know more about it ! This page now serves for now as devlogs, communication or if you want to support me by donating!

https://discord.gg/nS5ueNYaSp

Anyway, thanks for reading and have a good day

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