Beta Preview

You can read the latest Beta Preview here.

After a few months of barely being able to put work into this game, the revised Arktech chapter is finally done. The core themes and presentation of the way tech works underwent a rewrite to give everything a stronger identity and theme. Now we know more truths and mysteries of the Ark, and have a clearer understanding of the otherworldly ways that it functions. Machine Spirits play a much stronger role than they did before, and some light has been shed on the relationships between Artificers and Technomancer, the times that have passed thus far and the times that are yet to come.

Content-wise, most of the artifacts, vehicles and rules were given a bit of polish from earlier iterations, and the descriptions for individual vehicles finally make a return from the alpha.

There's been a few changes regarding the Ancestries to better describe their physical traits, too. A few extra starting weapon examples (one of which sheds a bit of light on the primary weapon of choice for the world), a new page in the Journeys chapter explaining the different "lands" of the world as the wanderers see them.

Combat (and characters) have seen a slight rework in some very minor mechanics (adjustments to mobile warfare, and the ability to retreat), and have changed more prominently in the way that Martial Disciplines are presented. Now, every Discipline has its own spread, and every Path has its own paragraph explaining its strengths and weaknesses and providing example tactics where their presence is useful. Tacticians in particular have been given slight tweaks and extra mechanics for them to work properly without needing as much GM fiat.

Lastly, the whole document has seen a very minor but impactful tweak to its color values, which should make the pages easier on the eyes.

Player Ready?

Player Ready! Barring any further polish to the writing, all the chapters in the current beta preview represent everything that a player needs to know to create characters and interact with the world. The missing chapters from here on out relate to the general presentation of the game (introductory explanations and whatnot) and the GM-side things such as advice for running the game, and the rules for creating and playing monsters. The latter will be my focus from here on out--writing and polishing content for the Monster Workshop while I run a game using the player-facing rules.

Hopefully I'll be able to finish this game (or at least release the full Beta version) this year. We'll see how that goes.

See you later!