Posted December 31, 2023 by Johnnie Gray
#announcement #core #overhaul #roadmap #update
The news: roadmap development is well underway; however, it's taken a significant left turn. Looking at developing a website left us to wonder what our values really meant in implementation. The dozens of dissonant factors between the design table and real, legitimate play done by you guys. And, with that, that required us to think outside of the box. After all, if we were going to develop a stable website for aiding gameplay, we needed to nail down any serious remaining core changes made now, before the site is made.
The current, publicly available draft of Blade & Blunt, as developed as it is, for better and worse, is not what we have in mind for our moment-to-moment gameplay. For now, downloading is not an option, but once we release our next update, the old Core will be available again.
Old Core? Wait, rambling aside, what does this really mean?
Well, for starters, combat has been completely overhauled. Strikes now use at least one, though usually multiple, d12 dice. Stamina Points, Fight Points, Armor, Strike rolls, etc. everything has either been removed or edited to fit the new format. It's too much to detail here, but we've been adding more new core mechanics and concepts to close the gap between what we want Blade & Blunt to be, versus what it actually has been.
Every single Career, Trait, Rune and Item has been 'tweaked', and where necessary, buffed or nerfed, to fit the new system.
Basic Skill Tests will remain, still using d6, although we're borrowing from other concepts. No longer is it tied to rolling on a scale of 7 or higher to win. In our current case, all Skill Tests will use at least 1d6, the more dice the better, usually at a maximum of 5 or 6 dice at higher tiers of gameplay. To win a Skill Test? Roll at least one 6. And/or a 5 if you're really good at that skill. Thats where Talents come in, which are tied to character creation and progression. More on that in the days to come.
How much are you willing to sacrifice to hold back a fireball, escape the law or present evidence of the evil captain to the common folk? These are Contests, new core mechanics, such as hot-tempered arguments, chases, lockpick attempts and magic duels that are now mechanically very different than basic Skill Tests. While the base mechanics of a Contest are the same, there are multiple types, each with a different set of minor ruling changes. Each participant, of which there usually two, rolls their respective dice for two named Skills by the Referee, relative to the situation. In a fast minigame of skill, luck and sacrifice, the effects of these Contests, win or lose, spill over into the other portions of the system, having lasting effects on participating characters.
As your characters travel, rest and fight alongside each other, they will grow closer and yet, even in defeat, that is not the end. These are two of the new core mechanics, namely Affinity and Trauma points. Trauma Points relate to being defeated in battle, where a character may over time and continual personal defeats, come closer to death or simply become too tired to continue fighting within a campaign. On the other hand, Affinity allows player characters to buff their party members at critical points each session, providing a much-needed helping hand when all may seem lost.
Finally, we now are planning on revitalizing the core pdf every year. That includes new short adventures, Careers, Traits, creatures, etc. etc. Around this time next year, we'll update Blade & Blunt again, adding what went well in 2024 to the base product.
There is a lot in store, and we're using every single day to plan, draft and playtest every mechanic and concept in Blade & Blunt. Expect the Devlog covering the Core '24 overhaul update to be massive. Most importantly, thank you for your time, patience and interest.