Hello Backers! We’re here to provide a game update as of right now as we await the remaining drafts from writers, Nick has thrown himself into writing and completing the stretch goals for the core rulebook in order to get everything for the final manuscript done as soon as possible. We’ve got an overview of some of these updates and changes below!
The 13th Archetypes
We are happy to announce that both the Forgotten and the Eldritch are complete and in the official manuscript. The Forgotten involves talents that utilize Strands, such as Blank Space,which allows the GM to help build out your past with you, and Last of the Real Ones, which lets you contact other characters you have Strands with – no matter the distance. Our 13th Automata Archetype, The Eldritch, boasts some of the most unique talents we’ve written to date. Rapid Assimilation lets you consume fallen Horrors and add additional weapon tags to your Signature Arm, while Bring Forth the Nest lets you create dangerous field effects that your Automata thrives in.
The Eldritch Arms
We’ve also completed the 10 unique Eldritch Arms and added them to the book. The Eldritch Arms are the ultimate evolution of what Automata weapons can become. We often hear that with great power comes great responsibility, but in this case, great power comes at a great price. Every Eldritch Arm has a specific Bane – often a static debuff that affects you as long as you are wielding it. From a mechanical standpoint, the Bane is counted as “in effect” when it is placed in your Automata’s loadout when launching for a battle. The Bane lingers for a Shift worth of time from when it’s removed from your Automata’s equipment.
Now we’re finalizing descriptions and getting these off to modeling for our highest-tier backer rewards and the Equipment Deck 😉
Mechanics Updates & Changes
We received some great feedback from the Quicklaunch and our games at Gen Con this year, which has inspired us to make some gameplay tweaks. We’re adding a small section addressing Panic Roll Cascade, tweaking the rules behind the Ammo flaw tag, and clarifying the explanations on some of the more confusing mechanics. We also took the time to revisit the Area descriptor tag, we knew this would be a popular tag but also feared it overtaking the game. In our quest to tighten up game mechanics and make every bit of Eldritch Automata feel used we changed the Area descriptor tag in order to keep in line with the ruleset had for Explosions.
Area - Your weapon’s attack encompasses an entire zone, and can hit an entire group of enemies. Weapons with the Area tag act according to Explosion rules and act as if they had a Blast Power of 5. Additional successes cannot be used to add additional damage to your attack. However, you may buy the Area tag a second time to increase Blast Power to 7. (Cost 3)
We also revisited the Scorching Zone feature to bring it line with base rules we have for Fire. We’ve removed Scorching and tied in the talent of Scorched Earth from the Collateral to create fire with adherence to the Intensity mechanic.
These mechanical changes will all be available in the Quicklaunch update we’re working on!
Upcoming Events
In other news we are proud to announce we’ll be selling merchandise and official prints of the Quicklaunch at PAX Unplugged in December. So if you’d like to drop by and pick up a copy of the Quicklaunch and/or talk to the creator and lead designer of Eldritch Automata, stop by booth 3646!
That’s it for now. We’re hard at work getting everything ready, off to printing/manufacturing, and ready for PAX! Stay tuned for more news soon, and don’t forget to get your Pledge Manager survey finished, as we’re locking those down on OCTOBER 1!
