Alpha Rollback

Hey, everyone, I've decided to make a quick version rollback of the Alpha, from v0.096 to v0.094.

94 was the last version that was feature-complete before all the dice changes that paved the way to the beta that I'm working on right now. This version still features the many attributes and binary bonuses from skills and traits and other stuff that made Vagrant Star work like it did in the past, and features the earlier versions of many things that have changed during the later development of the game. That way, I can leave behind what is more or less a full game that worked in its own way instead of an alpha version that features changes that I later found out to be lacking in polish.

Unfortunately, I don't have access to the editable version anymore, so I cannot remove the placeholder art I put in the chapters or touch up anything. V0.094 is back as the "stable" alpha version exactly as it was back in october of 2019, mistakes and all. I may be able to port over this content to a different format later on, but for the foreseeable future, it is what it is, and so it shall remain.

Beta Development

The Beta version--with all the changes from 95 and 96 + everything else that has happened behind the curtains--continues to be well underway.

Martial Disciplines

I've recently finished working on the expanded Martial Disciplines, which are now the following, each with its own little paragraph of info an example tactics:

Warrior: Guardian, Behemoth, Lancer, Skirmisher, Arcanist

Marksman: Hunter, Vanguard, Slinger, Artillerist

Brawler: Hornet Rogue, Myrmidon, Bettle Knight, Spiderling

Tactician: Watcher, Falconer, Dragoon, Sapper

Tacticians were fun to write because they're the only ones who require special talents to function correctly. Watcher in particular functions similarly to D&D 4e's warlord, which I'm always happy about.

Arktech

The technology chapter is undergoing a complete rewrite both in terms of mechanics and in terms of narrative. The Ark and its influence is better described, and I've paid a lot of attention to the details of frameworks, inner workings, machine spirits, and vagrant's own version of the intangible cyberspace that tethers all technology together. Thematically speaking, Arktech feels much more distinct than ever before.

Monster Workshop

I'm playing around with monster creation rules to be a bit more streamlined in some senses, working more similarly to this alpha version than after the dice update with all the monster skills and whatnot. Instead of having ranked attributes and skills, monsters have a sort of "threat level" that works alongside their nature to shape up the size of their dice pool, which results in faster monster creation that can be used at a glance. Everything else remains the same, I only needed to address the boring part of number crunching when it was not the original intent.

More Beta Stuff?

I've been toying around with extra little rules here and there. Particularly playing around with a very short chapter for an optional Settlement Phase that keeps things simple to keep track of without getting in the way.

No Beta Preview this time around, sadly. That'll have to wait until I'm done with the Tech chapter, at the very least.

See you next time!