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Seven Dragon Saga Kickstarter: New Turn-Based, Party-Based Fantasy RPG

kcwisekcwise Member Posts: 2,287
edited March 2015 in Off-Topic
TSI Games has unveiled a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to finance the completion of its upcoming Seven Dragon Saga Kickstarter. Find out more here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/537511454/seven-dragon-saga-by-tactical-simulations-interact

Some interesting highlights:

[spoiler=Seven_Dragon_Saga_Details]Character Design

You get to choose race, class, specialty, and can customize even further as you create your team of six Chaos Touched player characters. And once forged, you have complete control of your party's actions and development throughout the game. At certain times, you will be able to opt to have an NPC join the party in addition to your core six characters, but your party design will always remain fundamentally yours.

The first four player character races: High Elf, Dwarf, Shade Elf, Imperial

Core Gameplay

The party moves through the regions in real time, switching to turn-based combat during encounters. Core gameplay revolves around turn-based tactical combat, quests and navigating factional politics.

The Chaos Touched

The Touched are forces to be reckoned with, both personally and politically. They have been recruited from all corners of the Empire, provided with equipment and training, and a mandate from the Emperor to be his elite troubleshooters. Touched by 'the winds of chaos', these individuals are as feared for their unpredictability as they are respected for their power and status.

The Use of Power.

As representatives of the Emperor, your party of adventurers has significant power within the Empire. It's up to you to choose how you wield that power, how you shape the world, encouraging order and peace or exacerbating the forces of disruption.

GOALS. At creation, the you select a Goal for each character. When resolving quests, you will often be presented with difficult choices. If your choice aligns with one or more character Goals, then those characters receive a bonus that improves them in some significant way. While no character will ever leave a party if their Goal isn't met, they will be slightly weaker. It's up to you to decide if you want your characters to have uniform Goals or a mixture of Goals. Uniform goals lead to bonuses for all from some types of quests yet absolutely none from others. Mixed goals can produce a wider range of bonuses from a broader selection of quests. It's up to you how you wish to manage this precarious balance.

BORDERLANDS. Some territories remain unclaimed and languish under the control of monsters, bandits, or hostile humanoids. If you are able to clear such regions, you will have the opportunity to plant the flag of one faction or another – or perhaps your own – granting the recipient faction greater power and resources. Once conquered, Borderlands become Frontier and a town or trading post will appear, giving you another place in which to buy, sell and quest. Through questing you can go one step further and make the region Settled, therefore providing the associated faction with further benefits. A neglected Frontier will fall back into Borderland status and be lost to the faction.

LEFT TO SLEEP. Within the ruins that dot the landscape, beings and artifacts lie silent and waiting. Some are powerful tools, others are self-aware entities with their own agendas. Should you awaken them, leave them be, or seek their destruction? Your choice. Your consequences.[/spoiler]

I'm a sucker for the old Gold Box games, so it should be interesting to see if TSI can summon up the fun bits of the past to graft on to a more modern engine.
Post edited by kcwise on
JuliusBorisovWilburelement[Deleted User]

Comments

  • iKrivetkoiKrivetko Member Posts: 934
    Games where I have to create the whole party are not for me.
    It takes me days if not weeks to come up with and optimise a build for just one character. :\
    kcwiseNaturalBornKielerSmilingSword
  • VallmyrVallmyr Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 2,457
    I love games where you build your own party <3

    Hehe, maybe the trio will come back.

    Tides of Numenera will be the new Planescape, Pillars of Eternity for the new Baldur's Gate, and Seven Dragon Saga for the new Icewind Dale. :D
    kcwiseJuliusBorisov
  • the_spyderthe_spyder Member Posts: 5,018
    I personally love creating my own group. But then I have a stock group that I keep on recreating in whatever gaming system I have available.

    I may have to keep an eye on this one.
    kcwiseJuliusBorisov
  • kcwisekcwise Member Posts: 2,287
    edited March 2015
    Well, here's something interesting. Seven Dragon Saga is going to have a Gateway system which will allow characters from one game to be transferred to other games. At the moment it will work with the upcoming Shadowrun: Hong Kong and Torment: Tides of Numenera. Neat concept. Here's more detail:

    [spoiler=Gateway_System]From: http://venturebeat.com/2015/03/02/ex-ssi-gold-box-devs-go-back-to-the-future-with-tools-to-transfer-characters-across-role-playing-games/

    Tired of painstakingly crafting your characters? Our have you fallen in love that half-orc warrior with whom you saved The Realm? You soon might be able to bring those adventurers from one role-playing game to another.

    This morning, TSI Partners showed of “Gateway,” a tool that transfers the characters you make from one supported RPG to another. While this system from former Strategic Simulations, Inc., developers Keith Brors and David Shelley (remember those fantastic Gold Box Advanced Dungeons & Dragons games?) is part of the upcoming Seven Dragon Saga, it’ll also work with Kickstart darlings Shadowrun: Hong Kong and Torment: Tides of Numenera.

    If this sounds familiar, it’s because this used to be a staple of CRPGs. You could transfer characters from Wizardry and Ultima to The Bard’s Tale. You could also import characters from certain SSI Gold Box games to others as well.

    “… We envisioned this as something that could be a real boon to players. We also wanted to keep things simple for developers and add greater utility to ‘Gateway’ over time,” TSI president David Klein told GamesBeat this morning. “Gateway creates a standard character format, so importing games don’t need to know the details of which game the character came from. If they see gaps between the character and their own format, they can use a query UI to allow the player make selections. And, as an example, if the Gateway format has the stats for strength and health, the importer could use them to derive unique stats like willpower; say the average of the two existing stats. The whole goal is to allow importing games to use as much or as little of the incoming characters as they feel comfortable.”

    As for importing characters from games with different settings — say, steampunk to fantasy — Klein said that it wants to allow “your characters to continue their adventures in a new setting — while ensuring they can be imported without breaking game play or immersion.”

    The studio told GamesBeat this could just include basic details, like the name, gender, age, or race of a character. But Gateway can also bring over classes, stats, and skills, and TSI said that this could even extend to equipment and currency.

    “We are really excited about the initial reaction to Gateway from the development community and, as gamers ourselves, we love the idea of carrying across our characters and adventuring parties into different RPGs,” said Shelley, the producer and lead designer of Seven Dragon Saga, in a canned statement. “From a technical standpoint, we are proposing an independent app that avoids any issues with an existing game’s user interface and makes it a quick process for developers to add to their games.”

    “Gateway goes beyond being an import/export feature — it represents a development philosophy that I enthusiastically endorse,” said Tides of Numenera project director Kevin Saunders of InXile Entertainment in a canned statement. “By proposing and developing a data standard for game characters, TSI is establishing a stepping stone for independent CRPG developers to collaborate and share content and expertise. It is very much in the spirit of crowd funding and independent game development.

    “As a fan of SSI’s titles, I’m thrilled at their return through Seven Dragon Saga and am excited they are spearheading this initiative through Gateway.”[/spoiler]
    Post edited by kcwise on
    JuliusBorisov
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    It's interesting that the latest Pillars of Eternity update mentions this game:

    "If you are like me, I am sure you are a huge fan of the Gold Box Dungeons and Dragons games. We have some pretty exciting news for you. TSI, the spiritual successor to SSI, has just launched a brand new Kickstarter.

    In Seven Dragon Saga you shape the wild and dangerous Drakelands with your choices. Impress with noble deeds. Coerce with threats and violence. Or simply lay waste to the empire's enemies without mercy or regret.

    The game will feature tactical, turn-based combat and a dramatic storyline with plenty of side content to explore.

    Show those guys some love and let's get a great new game funded."

    http://eternity.obsidian.net/news/update-91-closing-in-on-march-26th
    kcwise
  • WilburWilbur Member Posts: 1,173
    This sounds cool so I pledged $25. Not sure I even have time to play it, but it's the thought that counts right (well and the money too) ;)
    kcwiseJuliusBorisov
  • kcwisekcwise Member Posts: 2,287
    edited March 2015
    An update on character creation:

    [spoiler=Creation]From: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/537511454/seven-dragon-saga-by-tactical-simulations-interact/posts/1166170

    You may have have noticed some bits on character creation in the KS video, and I wanted to expand on some aspects. At its heart, SDS is a points based system with about 80 abilities each having ranks and costs. To create a character, players choose a Race, a Class and a Specialty. Each of these is a container of abilities, with each Class containing the same number of points as each other Class.

    Abilities run the gamut from offense to defense, mobility to senses, stats to skills. For example, a Dwarf has higher resistance to damage, and resistance to knockback, among his abilities. Each combination of Race/Class/Specialty yields a different balance. Some of the combinations seem obvious, Tough Knight, Rogue Scout, but the reverse of these combinations will also produce viable characters.

    A Rogue Knight wouldn't have the stacked defenses of a Tough Knight, but he'd make an effective point man, with heavy armor for ambushes, and the skills to spot and disarm traps. A Tough Scout could slip into the back ranks of enemies, and still survive any counterattacks.

    As characters advance, they gain points to upgrade their current abilities, or purchase new ones. Some abilities are reserved for particular Races, Classes, and Specialties, while others are open to all characters. So the player can either double down on his current set up, or broaden his characters to make them more adaptable to situations.

    The values for each character's five main statistics (strength, dexterity, spirit, intelligence and hit points) comes from the choice of Class and Specialty. Buying additional ranks in Statistic Boost or Hit Point Boost will improve these later in the game. Statistics are used with Skills, and improve damage, Strength for heavy weapons, Dexterity for bows and light weapons, and Intelligence for Spells.

    The whole goal of this system is to allow easy creation of the whole party, with lots of room for customization, and no degenerate solutions. In short, a great testbed for experimenting. Let me know if there are other aspects which interest you. The exact balance with each Class, etc. won't be set in stone until we finish final balance, of course, but the broad strokes are in place.[/spoiler]
    Post edited by kcwise on
    JuliusBorisov[Deleted User]
  • SilverstarSilverstar Member Posts: 2,207
    Stumbled upon this today, was going to make a thread about it. While I don't think the game seems like a super-exciting one, it's interesting to see a game where the empire isn't "evil". I don't know what all this "gold box" stuff that everyone's always harping on about is, but SSI made Eye of the Beholder, Final Liberation, Blood Bowl and a bunch of other great games. So them reincarnating is a good thing as far as I'm concerned, got $25 from me.
    kcwiseJuliusBorisov[Deleted User]Wilbur
  • kcwisekcwise Member Posts: 2,287
    The storyline reminds me a bit of the Avadon series from Spiderweb Software.
  • kcwisekcwise Member Posts: 2,287
    edited March 2015
    Here are a few more details released in the updates section. Read all the information here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/537511454/seven-dragon-saga-by-tactical-simulations-interact/posts

    [spoiler=Races]Shade Elf
    One of two elvish races, with the Shade Elves living in the deep forests close to the imperial homeland. The are very mobile, fast (Running and Flash Step Abilities), never surprised, and acrobatic.

    High Elf
    Much closer to their Fae ancestors, the High Elves have a close link to the Dreamlands. They can restore their long term health through trance, so they can remain awake through the nights. Sealed doorways are no barrier and High Elves can pass through them without opening the door. They have the Fate ability which reduces the effects of Crticals and Fumbles for themselves and increases them on their opponents.

    Imperials
    The humans who lead the empire, martial and noble. They have a bit of luck, some resistance to damage, both short and long term, plus a bit of combat move to avoid Opportunity Attacks, and Fastdraw to speed up weapon switching.

    Half-Shade
    The Shade Elves are close enough to the heart of the empire to interbreed with the Imperials. As one might expect, they have some resistance to damage, some mobility, still can’t be surprised.

    Dwarf
    From the harsh desert lands, the Dwarfs have high resistance to damage, and to knockback and knockdown.

    Kralik
    A human race from a tropical, mountainous southern province; less developed, with wild and dark gods who provide them resistance to magic, greater luck, a single use per encounter teleport, and unnatural sight (see invisible).

    Drakyri A
    race interbred with dragon blood, though they have destroyed their relationship with the dragons in the previous generation. They avoid the dragons by hiding beneath the earth. They have good movement, including Surefooted, which allows them to ignore difficult terrain, and can operate in full darkness. They can sleep while wearing their armor, making them safer while camping.

    Feydri
    The sisters to the Drakyri, who mended their disagreement with the dragons. Their more recent connection to the dragons gives them unnatural sight, along with Surefooted, some toughness and agility.[/spoiler]

    [spoiler=Magic]Earth
    favors protection
    damage type: acid

    Storm
    favors movement
    damage type: lightning

    Fire
    favors damage
    damage type: fire

    Winter
    favors information
    damage type: cold

    Nature
    favors stealth
    damage type: poison

    Necromancy
    favors domination
    damage type: death

    General
    favors magic control
    damage type: physical

    The Casting Toll

    During rest, the player can draw down his maximum hit points and transfer them, one for one into mana. During the remainder of the day, if the caster has exhausted his prepared mana, she can burn her maximum hit points down directly at a cost of 2 for 1 mana. Third level spells cost three mana to cast, and fourth level spells cost four mana. Characters can theoretically cast high level spells until their maximum hit points reach 1 hit point. This isn't considered a safe choice.

    So, a character with 80 hit points could use the resting ritual to bring his hit points down to 60 and gain 20 mana. These hit points are unavailable during that day. No one can heal the character above 60 hit points. At the next rest, the mana converts back to hit points and the character again has 80 hit points.[/spoiler]

    [spoiler=Terrain_Tactics]So destructive terrain can have multiple uses. I covered an example of removing cover, and using destruction to induce damage, but some terrain can become difficult terrain, limiting movement in the region. I'm working with the design team on options where removing a piece of terrain can have wider effects; doing some initial tests on triggering floods. The goal is to make the terrain as dynamic and tactically interesting as practical. Sometimes its as useful as an extra party member, at other times, it multiplies the effectiveness of the enemy.

    Working on multiple AI approaches to fighting the party. From the simplest, path to nearest and hit it, to more static overlapping defense, or favoring more diffuse enveloping techniques. Like the player, I want the computer to switch things up and ideally recognize valid strategies against specific party composition.

    In the broader context of the adventuring zones, I want party order and relative position to matter. Having a picket well out front is an approach with advantages and disadvantages. That character lacks support, but if she is both perceptive and sneaky, she can allow the party to evaluate enemies before the enemies realize. Cautious parties may be able to navigate around, while aggressive players can position themselves for optimal use of a surprise round. Pickets can also be caught out, without cover, and go down before others can react.

    Other aspects of party order can involve whether to position a line of heavies in front of lighter characters, or keep one to the back of the party. How far to string the party out is another consideration. In short, I want tactical considerations to suffuse as much of the system as we can.[/spoiler]

    [spoiler=Classes]Legionnaire
    Veterans from light units of the empire's many wars. Aware of the battlefield, and, with shield guard ability, can further reduce damage from opponents. Shield and light armor make this the hardest Class to hit. Push survival higher with the Defensive Specialty, adding deflection and luck. Or go with the Noble Specialty, for added Hit Points, some useful skills, and the ability to add Leadership bonuses to the rest of the party.

    Armor: Light Armor and Shield
    Primary Weapon: Sword

    Knight
    Specialist of heavy infantry units. Higher overall statistics, especially strength, extra hit points and two-handed weapon abilities. Excellent for the front lines with staying power and multiple targets, or add a speciality with extra movement, such as Fast, and send him as a missile into the heart of the enemy.

    Armor: Heavy Armor
    Primary Weapon: Two-handed weapons

    Scout
    What makes the Scout unique is a very high stealth skill, and Shadowmaster, the ability to turn invisible. Scouts excel at flanking or getting behind opponents before they realize they are even there. Often sent to spot the enemy, remove pickets and guide others. Their Sniper ability improves bow use. A natural choice to add the Rogue Specialty to, and create the sneak thief. Nature Scouts become invisible casters, making them major threats.

    Armor: Light Armor
    Primary Weapon: Bows

    Wizard
    The classic spell slinger, and only class that can cast spells from multiple elements. Has 2nd level spells from all elements available at the start. Also has a host of knowledge skills for understanding the occult, and strange artifacts. Combine with an elemental Specialty to access up to 4th level spells, or gain more utility with a less mystical choice.

    Armor: Light Armor
    Primary Weapon: Spell Staff

    Pitfighter
    Recruited, honestly or not, to perform in the pits to entertain the nobility, and the masses. Lots of hit points, aware of the battlefield, extra attack once per encounter. Good with the Fast Specialty to apply their damage to any target in the area.

    Armor: Light Armor
    Primary Weapon: Dual wielded light blades

    Archer
    An excellent sniper or deadly assassin, with massive range, ability to cover fire, and able to fall back on blades if he's pinned down. This is a damage output class, and could improve this further with the Deadly Specialty, or he could choose an elemental Specialty just to get at the spell which converts his damage to that element (fire arrows!).

    Armor: Light Armor
    Primary Weapon: Bows

    Wraith Hunter
    The empire has a strong dislike for the undead, and the hunters are specialized at eradicating them; somewhat similar to the D&D Paladins, without the religious link. Good hit points, strength, awareness of the battlefield, complements additional defense and the ability to Harm the undead. Increase Harm and add in Heal by matching with the Priestly Specialty. Select Death Element Specialty and add Necromantic spells to further control and destroy undead.

    Armor: Heavy Armor
    Primary Weapon: Dual wielded heavy blades

    Soultender
    A solid fighter, often using the spear to extend reach, a selfish Soultender is a hard character to bring down with her abilities to restore her own hit points. Keeping folks alive during battle is a major task, and the Healer has the two major abilities for that: Heal and Rejuvenation. Also, Physician skill for more mundane injuries, better recovery of party Fatigue and Trauma. Combine with Priestly for very high healing, some harm undead, or Nature Element to mimic a druid.

    Armor: Light Armor
    Primary Weapon: Two-handed weapons[/spoiler]

    [spoiler=Specialties]Deadly
    Extra attacks during the encounter, extra damage, increases to the statistic used for damage, and the Mystic Leap ability to get to where you need to deal damage. Did I say damage often enough? Works well with any character you don’t want focused on support.

    Tactical
    Some damage support, but more importantly, it gives a character access to all the weapons in the game. Prefer your Knight to be sword and board? Make him a Tactical Knight. Want the Scout to be up close and personal with blades? Make him Tactical.

    Fast
    The best Mystic Leaping range of any class, lots of teleports, some extra actions to get extra movement. If you want the character to get where the enemy is weakest, or kite the slow beast, then Fast is a good choice. Shade Elves and Half Shades have an innate Flash Step, which can complement Fast, while the dragonkin races have Surefooted, meaning they ignore difficult terrain.

    Priestly
    This is an overall control and support Specialty. Some healing, anti-magic, harm undead, pin, leadership, a few talismans to toss around, and some good social skills make this an all-around useful choice. Priestly Soultenders get very strong heals, while Priestly Wraith Hunters have the best harm undead. A Priestly Wizard can both cast spells and cancel other magic (including breath weapons and such).

    Defensive
    Lots more hit points, harder to hit in combat, luckier, and the powerful deflection ability, increase the character’s survival significantly. Best with Classes using light armor, heavy armor characters still benefit.

    Tough
    A bit of healing, good hit points, some protection from Trauma, better statistics, and the taunt ability to guide the enemy to this more survivable character. An obvious choice with heavy armor, though hardly useless to light armor characters.

    Rogue
    This Specialty provides the classic thief skills of streetwise, lockpick, traps and bluff. Harder to hit, an emphasis on dexterity, leaping capability, make the character mobile. A few talismans provide some mystical firepower (think grenades, and pools). A natural to combine with the stealthy Scout, and/or the Doorwalking High Elf, it adds some style to other characters. Who says the thief need to be the squishiest? A Rogue Knight can handle both traps and ambushes while out on point.

    Noble
    Another leadership, evasive Specialty, with the skills of the court: seduction, socialize, politics and bureaucracy. So, in combat, better survivability, and some support feature. With diplomacy, the critical skills to thrive.

    The seven elements
    These seven allow any character to have proficiency to cast spells. It further allows Wizards to cast the most powerful spells, and at a longer range. Some teleport ability allows them to move about the battlefield. Weapon users can benefit from using spells to add elemental damage. See my discussion on magic for the feel of each element.[/spoiler]
    VallmyrJuliusBorisov[Deleted User]
  • VallmyrVallmyr Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 2,457
    "Necromancy favors domination damage type: death"

    Welp! They have necromancy so I'm definitely on board!

    No gnome girls though. . .

    Hm. . . I suppose a female dwarf will do.
    kcwiseJuliusBorisov
  • kcwisekcwise Member Posts: 2,287
    A recent update was released about Goals chosen at character creation which can provide experience boosts to individual characters who fulfill the goals during the game. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/537511454/seven-dragon-saga-by-tactical-simulations-interact/posts/1172943

    [spoiler=Goals]Let’s take a look at the two Goals in the image above: Seeker and Serenity. How might they come up and into conflict in resolving a quest? The player’s ultimate goal is securing the Dragonsteel mines and clearing a path for its long term export to the empire. The party comes upon a village in a well situated vale, overlooked by a lord’s castle. The vale appears clear of dangerous monsters, and the road in decent shape.

    The town has befriended a Fire Wyrm; a tough, non-flying dragonkin, all scales and smoke, and used it to drive off monstrous threats. They have also used it to keep the lord’s tax collectors at bay, and they have no interest in obeying a distant emperor. The lord has enough troops to threaten any unilateral deal the party could make with the villagers. The castle has been a repository of old books for some time, and the lord would be happy to share its knowledge with the party, if his tax problem were solved. Possible solutions.

    Assault the village, slay the Wyrm
    Resulting in the villagers no longer being a problem, but the lord’s tax base destroyed. Intimidate or eliminate the lord, and access the library. The player satisfied the Seeker Goal (and probably some others). The vale is now vulnerable to monsters, bandits, etc. Villagers and nobles in the surrounding area are not going to be friendly.

    Lure the Wyrm away from the village and slay it
    The lord can reestablish the old status quo, and reward the party. The vale is less protected, the villagers are probably unhappy and a few get strung up. The player gets the Seeker Goal Nobles in the region are friendlier, villagers less so.

    Set up a threat forcing both the villagers and the troops to join forces (lure something in)
    Use a bit of diplomacy to bridge the gap. The lord underestimates the party’s benefits and does not choose to reward them, but agrees to help secure the vale for the empire’s route. The player gets the Serenity goal, for minimizing the disruption to the locals.

    Set the Fire Wyrm onto the castle, slay the noble
    Library burns. Villagers agree to protection of the empire, lest local nobles come for vengeance. The player satisfies neither goal. However, this option could still satisfy the Goal of another character. So some Goals can be complementary, while others will commonly conflict. For instance, Thrill of Battle and Serenity are going to be uncommon bedfellows.[/spoiler]
    [Deleted User]JuliusBorisov
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
    kcwiseJuliusBorisov
  • SilverstarSilverstar Member Posts: 2,207
    I'm really liking the class concepts.
    kcwiseJuliusBorisov
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    SilverstarkcwiseJuliusBorisov
  • kcwisekcwise Member Posts: 2,287
    It's not looking good at this rate, but maybe they'll rally toward the end.
    [Deleted User]JuliusBorisov
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
    JuliusBorisovkcwise
  • SilverstarSilverstar Member Posts: 2,207

    Even if it fails the first time, they could try again? There'd be more awareness by that point. Also, they could opt for a non-kickstarter backing system as well?

    Well seeing as it's apparently the studio's first game, they may be dependant on the kickstarter funding to get it done. If that's the case there probably won't be a retry. But seeing as the game was allready well under way before the kickstarter project that may not actually be a concern.
    JuliusBorisov[Deleted User]kcwise
  • elementelement Member Posts: 833
    edited March 2015
    for me full party creation will always be second best, I can enjoy them but they're just not the same

    still I hope this does well, seems like an ambitious goal it needs to get its name ou thtere more
    kcwise
  • kcwisekcwise Member Posts: 2,287
    edited March 2015
    The latest update covers the turn based system which won't be "one move, one attack" or based on action points. Instead players will have three types of actions each round.

    [spoiler=Combat_Action_System]A lot of combat in games involves what you allow the characters to do each turn. There are various ways to restrict this: from the simple, “one move, one attack”, to the action points systems where everything has a cost. In Seven Dragon Saga we chose a flexible middle ground. One move, one attack, provides minimal choice for the player, while an action point system tends to favor a more static battle -- most players choose to use points to attack as often as possible, sacrificing movement.

    Each turn, the character has three actions of differing size: Unique (most attacks), Standard (most movements), and Minor (quick spells and abilities). The player may substitute a smaller action for a bigger one, so a Turn could consist of two Standards and a Minor, or three Minors.

    So how’s this work in detail? Spellcasting is limited to one spell per turn, so one could cast a buff spell (Standard), draw a weapon (Minor) and attack with it (Unique). Or a meleer could gut an enemy in front of him (Unique), move up to the next enemy (Standard), and mark it with a Leadership debuff (Minor). A Shadowmaster character could turn invisible (Minor), shoot an opponent with surprise (Unique) and return to invisibility (Minor).

    Movements come in two forms: conventional, Running, Evasion and Mystic Leap, which use Standard actions; and fast, Flash Step and Teleport, which use Minor actions. Each provides its own tactical advantages and disadvantages. Using Flash Step, a character could move out from cover, shoot, and move back into cover in the same turn. Evasion and Leap take up the Standard action, but avoid any Opportunity Attacks. Running is the overall fastest movement.

    In addition, there are limited use abilities which provide extra actions. Adrenaline gives an additional Unique, and that always desirable extra attack or spell. Mobility provides an added Standard, for more movement, or just another useful action. Quickness nets an extra Minor action.

    All of this provides the player great tactical choice, while giving the game strong control over damage per turn from players and enemies. Maintaining this balance allows us to design interesting battles with an expectation of their overall duration and challenge. No one wants a fight that is both a foregone conclusion and drags things out.[/spoiler]
    [Deleted User]elementJuliusBorisov
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited March 2015
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
    kcwiseJuliusBorisov
  • kcwisekcwise Member Posts: 2,287
    Well, that's a shame, but not a surprise. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/537511454/seven-dragon-saga-by-tactical-simulations-interact/posts/1175959

    [spoiler=Cancellation_Announcement]We’re postponing our Kickstarter campaign. No, TSI is NOT giving up on Seven Dragon Saga! Quite the contrary. We’ve done some serious reflection and come to the conclusion that we can’t create the level of RPG today that we know we’ll be able to create tomorrow.

    Given its heritage, SDS needs to set a new standard for the RPG genre. Not a ‘style over substance’ AAA standard. A standard that delivers a fresh, compelling and truly satisfying RPG experience. SDS deserves no less. And that goes for you too, our wonderful, loyal supporters.

    We launched this campaign at "veteran difficulty" (what some call "a high funding goal") because wanted to be sure that we would do SDS justice. We knew there would be a lot of you that remembered the classics or would appreciate our efforts to build a fresh RPG, but we underestimated how much new content we'd need to show in the middle of the campaign to engage people that were less familiar with the older games.

    We'd thought we could talk about core mechanics when it is clear that you want to actually see those mechanics in action. We need to show off more than we had ready right now. There came a point where it became more tell than show.

    We've had incredibly positive results from this Kickstarter. The press awareness, fan response, and community feedback has been tremendous. We're taking that feedback and what we've learned to refine our work further. We'll be coming back as soon as humanly possible, with a better, more refined Kickstarter, and some code you'll actually be able to play, along with killer videos and artwork.

    Once again, we are extremely grateful for all of your encouragement and support. We will continue to follow our progress by signing up for our newsletter on our website: http://www.tsi-games.com/ and by following us on social media. This way, you can hear about our Kickstarter re-launch when it happens. And it WILL happen![/spoiler]

    Better luck next time!
    [Deleted User]JuliusBorisov
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
    kcwise
  • SilverstarSilverstar Member Posts: 2,207
    So they're dropping the kickstarter until they have more to show and the game is more substance than concept. This is an intelligent move imo. Displaying more gameplay will draw in more backers and when the game has a core to build upon they can add stretch goals to enhance the game rather than just create it. The next kickstarter campaign can also be planned a bit better; as it were the reward tiers must have been a bit skinny for a lot of people's tastes and there were no stretch goals to show how they'd refine the game.

    It's good to see TSI is in a state where they could temporarily stop the kickstarter rather than having to do so permanently. I'm still hoping for the company's success and look forward to seeing more of Seven Dragon Saga after some additional work. Maybe I'll even be pleasantly surprised enough to pledge more the next time.
    JuliusBorisovkcwise[Deleted User]
  • WilburWilbur Member Posts: 1,173
    Ah it's a shame. Hope they'll be back and make it next time.
    kcwise[Deleted User]JuliusBorisov
  • FardragonFardragon Member Posts: 4,511
    Fantasy! Why does it always have to be fantasy?
    kcwise[Deleted User]
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