Dark Souls™ - The Board Game is a strategically challenging, deeply immersive combat exploration game for 1-4 players.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Dev Diary #03 - Tiles and Gencon!
over 8 years ago
– Fri, Jul 15, 2016 at 12:58:49 AM
Hello Unkindled!
Today we wanted to talk about how Tiles and Nodes work in the game. One of the most common questions we got asked during the campaign was “How do you decide where enemies get placed during Encounters?” Well, we’re here to tell you.
This was something we ended up testing a few versions of, and the one we settled on is when you flip an Encounter Card, it will designate 'Spawn Points' where enemies will spawn on those nodes. These Spawn Nodes are marked individually on each tile, ensuring both that it’s always clear where to place enemies, and that each tile will have different starting places for enemies.
Locations around the High Wall of Lothric. Work in Progress.
The second part of each Encounter Card is the Terrain Spawn points. Again, there are two Terrain Spawn points marked on each Tile, and each Encounter Card will list which terrain spawns on those two nodes.
Each Encounter Card has different enemies and terrain listed, and each Tile has a different set up of Terrain and Spawn nodes, so every time you play an Encounter it will feel unique, and play out differently. There are also a large number of different Encounters, leading to a huge amount of replayability.
More Areas within the High Wall of Lothric. Work in Progress.
We have also introduced the 'Mini' and 'Main' Boss nodes to indicate on the boss tiles where they spawn allowing some flexibility again in their starting placement.
The full size of the 'main' boss tiles where you will fight the Dancer of the Boreal Valley... Work in Progress.
The other interesting thing which can happen is instead of a Terrain piece being spawned during an Encounter, a Trap could be present on the Tile instead. This was an interesting mechanic to design, because we took a little while to figure out exactly how to make Traps work. Originally we had them simply spawn on one of the Terrain Spawn points, but this simply ended up as a node which no one ever walked onto, which isn’t really fun or engaging and due to the kickstarter comments section (and their excellent ideas around traps) we decided to change this.
The solution was to use a little bit of abstraction and make Traps more random. So now, when an Encounter Card says there is a Trap on the Tile, any time a Player Character finishes a movement, the Player controlling that Character rolls a Trap die. If a Trap face is rolled (a 1 in 3 chance) the Trap triggers, and the top card of the Trap deck is flipped and resolved on the unlucky Player who triggered the Trap!
While we’re aware this isn’t exactly how traps work in the Dark Souls™ video games, but this is somewhere that it would simply make an uninteresting experience if we translated the video game across exactly, so we’ve made a representation of Traps which feels interesting and fun to play with.
Incidentally, the other use of the Trap die is to reveal whether or not a Treasure Chest is in fact a Mimic or not. But the specifics of that will probably have to wait for another Dev Diary…
Any of our US backers who’re coming to Gencon should come visit our booth! We’re at stand 3025, and we’ll be running a brand new demo version of the Dark Souls™ - The Board Game. We started demoing the game at Salute this year, but since that early version, the game has evolved in some new and cool ways that aren’t really shown in the current demo.
As a result, we’ve adapted the demo game and changed it up so it more accurately reflects the full game. This demo includes the new Dodge mechanics, and will give a small taste of how the new equipment system works.
Hope to see loads of you guys there!
Praise the Sun! \[T]/
Dev Diary #02 - Mechanics Update and Brexit
over 8 years ago
– Wed, Jun 29, 2016 at 12:59:54 AM
Player Character Statistics
Those of you that saw the prototype player character (PC) cards used in the original demo game will remember that your Strength, Dexterity, Faith, & Intelligence were innate to the PC. These stats governed the number and colour of dice that were used when attacking, blocking, & dodging. They looked something like this:
During the design process we found that this was potentially limiting to the customisation possibilities of your PC. Having control of your equipment in the Dark Souls™ video games is an essential part of building your PC. Just because you're running around in light armour slinging spells doesn't mean that you shouldn't be able to use a Greatsword... or Ultra Greatsword! We went back to the drawing board in terms of ways that we could implement a leveling up and equipment system which would accurately reflect the freedom of choice that is available in the Dark Souls™ video games.
All of a PC's stats for attacking, blocking, & dodging are now governed by the equipment that the PC is wearing. The equipment that a PC can wear is determined by the choices that you have made while leveling up. If you really want that Greatsword on your Sorcerer, you're likely going to have to pour some Souls into leveling up your Strength!
Dodge Mechanics
When it comes to defensive options, blocking still works largely the same as it did in the prototype. Previously, however, dodging was directly linked to the amount of damage that an enemy attack did. This meant that higher damage attacks were also more difficult to dodge. We didn't feel that this accurately reflected dodging mechanics from the video game, where higher damage attacks can be slower or more telegraphed.
Dodging now has its own type of dice (we have swapped around some dice types in the core set), each dodge die has a 50% chance to roll a success. In addition to an amount of damage, each enemy attack now also has a 'dodge value' which is typically between 1 and 3. This is the total number of successes that need to be rolled for an attack to be successfully dodged. This means that when it comes to damage, enemies are far less limited on the range of values that can be used since each attack can now have a different combination of damage and dodge values. When it comes to bosses, each behaviour card now has its own dodge value.
For example the Dancer's Flaming Skewer attack from the prototype is a grab and slam that deals 7 damage. To dodge this attack the PC needed to roll 7 or higher on the available dice, which felt unfair since this was quite unlikely. The attack still deals 7 damage but now also has a dodge value of 1. This means that a PC that has equipped the Master's Set, which has a dodge stat of 2, would roll 2 dodge dice. A single success would mean that the PC has dodged the attack. We feel this system more accurately represents the dodge mechanics in Dark Souls™
'Brexit' and how this effects the Kickstarter
A lot of questions have been asked about 'Brexit' (Britain's decision to leave the European Union). The Brexit should not affect this Kickstarter due to the time frames for the exit that have been quoted and Steamforged Games will keep all Backers updated if this situation changes.
Praise the Sun \[T]/
Dev Diary #01 - Post Kickstarter Tasks
over 8 years ago
– Wed, Jun 08, 2016 at 12:22:35 AM
Hey Unkindled,
Welcome to our first developer diary! As promised, up until release we will be covering what is happening as far as the progress of the project goes - including giving you an insight into the 'behind the scenes' of what the design team has been up to.
Lets have a look at what the Design Team have been doing...
The team had booked themselves away into a remote location within the UK to get away from distractions and refine the game experience. We treat Kickstarter a little differently here at Steamforged and part of this process was to look at all the feedback we received via email, comments and messages to include as much as possible of your ideas.
Although the core mechanics of the game were already created we have managed to cram in some very nice additions and changes based off feedback...such as:
Fog Gates - The game will now feature a fog gate mechanic which will unlock the mini/main/mega-boss room.
Attunement - Although during the Kickstarter we did not reveal our plans for attunement we have 'beefed' up the system we are now using that relates to treasure/equipment and required attunement levels due to feedback. What this means is that each character will have a variety of progression options during gameplay sessions.
NPCs -We have adapted how treasure/levelling is gained/spent via souls and have included NPCs on the bonfire tile to help with this. These will not be models however its a nice little addition to help increase players immersion into the game world.
We filmed a lot over weekend which covered everything from design discussions, playthrough sessions and feedback revisions so you will see some of this being released in the near future...even Jake the dog manages to make an appearance :)
Our task list right now is pretty heavy involving completing the sculpts, obtaining approval for production on models along with sending models that are approved to production for initial samples - its exciting times here at Steamforged and we cannot wait to reveal all this information over the course of the year.
Finally, thank you to everyone who filled in our survey. The Pledge Manager (operated through BackerKit) will arrive in roughly 1-2 months for you to start choosing your options and finalising your pledges. Thank you again for your patience in this process.
Praise the Sun! \[T]/
Survey's Sent!
over 8 years ago
– Tue, May 31, 2016 at 12:52:36 AM
Hey Unkindled!
Survey's have now been sent out to backers (check your email!)
IMPORTANT: THIS IS NOT THE PLEDGE MANAGER!
This survey is to help us prepare our production and shipping schedules to meet demand and expectations so please answer as accurately as possible.
In 1-2 Months, The pledge manager will be sent out (via BackerKit). During the pledge manager, you will be able to select all your options, update/edit your shipping address and purchase additional items.
Retailers: You will receive your survey next week as there are a few more details we need from you to accurately help our production plans.
In Other News...
The design team has been pretty busy behind the scenes working on a whole host of 'Dev Updates' that will be coming in the near future. Up until release we will be keeping all our faithful backers informed at every stage of the process so you can keep track of what is happening at Steamforged HQ!
Don't forget to drop by our website www.steamforged.com and visit the forums - we would love to see the Kickstarter community that has formed around this project transition across when the game is released next year.
As always, any problems drop [email protected] a line - our customer support team are always happy to help!
Praise the Sun! \[T]/
Declined Pledges & The Pledge Manager
over 8 years ago
– Fri, May 20, 2016 at 11:42:08 PM
Hello Unkindled,
If you have messaged us and your question is not answered here please resend your question.
Where is the Pledge Manager?
We've been getting a LOT of questions in regards to the Pledge Manager. The Invitations have not been sent yet. We will be using BackerKit, so expect an email inviting you to join our Pledge Manager during the next few months. We will also put out an update when we send them out to remind you.
During the pledge manager you will be able to:
Select language localisation from French, German, Italian, or Spanish (English as Standard)
Increase your pledge to include more Add Ons or a Second Copy
Select your Add Ons
Pay for your shipping & finalise your shipping address
Timeline
Kickstarter Campaign Ends
0 Day - Pledges are charged.
1 Week - Survey sent confirming emails.
1-2 Months - Pledge Manager sent to backers confirming add-on purchases, extras and taking payment for shipping.
1 Month Before Shipping - Pledge Manager deadline - any late confirmations after this deadline will be shipped from the UK after all other pledges are completed and may incur additional cost.
My pledge has been declined! Money hasn't left my account!
A handful of you have had your pledges declined. There is nothing we can do from our end to help you with this. We recommend viewing the Kickstarter FAQ.
1. Check that you've entered valid card or account numbers and the correct expiration date. Make sure the card hasn't expired.
2. Confirm that your billing postal code is correct.
3. Make sure you haven't exceeded the credit limit on your payment method.
4. Confirm with your bank that the funds are not being held.
I need my pledge refunded!
We will be issuing refunds after the 30th May - this is 14 days after funding. Please contact [email protected] to resolve these requests.
We will run the late pledge for a decent amount of time, but please get your late pledges in sooner rather than later so you will have access to the Pledge Manager when we send it out. If you miss the Late Pledge you will have missed the boat entirely. This is also your opportunity to pay via PayPal.
Other Frequently Asked Questions
No, the Early Bird Pledges cannot now be taken.
Now the campaign is over the chance to pledge for Retail Level is gone.
If you have any Retail based questions please email [email protected]
If you have any General based questions please email [email protected]
