Syndicates and You
over 7 years ago
– Mon, Jan 09, 2017 at 07:39:29 AM
Hello wonderful people,
Is everyone happy that it's Friday? I know I am. It's even kind of sunny and warm here in Georgia!
Before I dive into some details on Syndicates, I wanted to let everyone know that the Wyrd offices are closed from December 24th until January 2nd. This means things will be a lot quieter around here.
Have no fear, though! Aaron and Lindsey will still be checking in when they can to answer questions and say hello. In fact, I'm not sure they can be kept away. They're both really excited about The Other Side and look in when they get the chance.
The important thing, though, is that you know that it will take a little longer to get updates, messages replied to, etc. It doesn't mean we don't care! :)
Anyway, onward to Syndicates!
The Other Side is generally a fight between two Allegiances. However, in some cases they look beyond their usual forces and hire outside. This is done via the Allies rule. A Company has a limit on units hired with the Allies rule: they cannot, all combined, be worth more than half the total hiring Scrip spent in the game.
The Allies rule gets used in two ways in the game. The first is with Dual Allegiance Commanders, and the second is with Syndicates.
Every Syndicate indicates the Allegiance type it can work for. For example, the Court of Two Syndicate is a Malifaux Syndicate. This means that only Malifaux Allegiances can take Court of Two units.
Now that you know how to get Syndicates into your game, let's take a look at the two Syndicates we have planned...
The Guild have been a major world power for years and years. An increasingly tightening grip on the world powers and their economies led to a lot of resentment.
The Battle of London proved a good tipping point. The Guild have taken a bit of a step back, selling their forces to the highest bidder to ensure that the global conflict does not weaken them much.
The first Guild Syndicate model to be revealed is Samantha Thrace.
Thrace is a capable fighter and tactician. While she doesn't agree with all of the Guild's decisions, she continues to serve with distinction, including some incredible fighting at the Battle of London.
Onto the Court of Two!
The Court of Two are a mysterious organization that has been accumulating money and power behind the scenes for years. All the upper echelon are made up of Neverborn who have slipped through to Earth over the years, and with the opening of new portals the Court has decided to step forward into the world.
The Court doesn't fight its own battles. Using powerful magic, they have bound armies of ghosts to their will. Renting their spirits to the highest bidder, the Court of Two only grows in knowledge and power.
The first Court of Two model is Binh Nguyen, a ghost.
Binh Nguyen maintained some of his control over spirits after crossing over and has become an integral part of the forces the Court deploys around the world. Trained by Kirai Ankoku, he is one of the most powerful ghosts in the Court's forces.
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That's it for now! Thanks for reading, and let me know if you have any questions. I've also updated our website with this information!
Have a great holiday!
Commander Assets
over 7 years ago
– Mon, Jan 09, 2017 at 07:39:13 AM
Hello backers,
I hope everyone has been enjoying the winter! I've been living in Georgia for about three years now, and I still am surprised at how warm it is at the end of December. Enough about me, though, let's talk about The Other Side!
Today, I'm going to take some time to look at Assets, specifically Commander Assets.
Assets are attachments for units that give them additional effects and help them soak up damage. They usually cost 1 or 2 Scrip, and, in many cases, you'll be taking as many of them as you can. Commanders can have up to two Assets.
Abyssinia
Here is the back of an Abyssinian Asset:
As you can see, the back of the Asset gives it a special rule that allows it to be discarded to reduce damage by 1. This is a near-universal rule on Assets, so keep that in mind as we look at the fronts of the cards.
The Soulstone Necklace is a powerful card. Basically, any time the Commander is attacked it gets to flip two cards off the deck and choose one to use. This is a great way to avoid having to Cheat a card from your hand and help ensure your Commander is hit far less often.
As with most Assets, you can damage the Asset by flipping it to the back. Doing this reduces damage by 2, as well as giving you the option to discard it for an additional 1 damage reduced. You can do both these things to mitigate the same source of damage, if necessary.
The Deflector Shield is an Asset that will make sure your Commander will survive almost any shot with a gigantic 5 damage reduction. The Asset doesn't give much more than that, but when it is used to reduce damage, it deals damage back to the attacking Fireteam. Strength 5 is a potent hit and coupled with the ability to Cheat Penetration flips, it could kill the attacking Fireteam.
This Asset is available to any non-Titan Champion, which means that many Commanders end up taking it. While the damage reduction is a lowly 1, the ability to draw cards can be very helpful, particularly to Abyssinia.
Now, let's take a look at Commander specific Assets:
Prince Unathi is able to place a piece of Hazardous Terrain with his Asset. It also gives him a bonus Action that allows him to move the mines around the table. Since this doesn't take up your normal Action, you can reposition the mines as needed to cut off enemy advances.
The Lord of Steel's Asset helps him avoid damage by mitigating the Strength value of incoming attacks. Because of his high Armor value, this makes any incoming Penetration flip significantly less likely to do actual damage to him.
Those are all the Abyssinian Assets that Commanders can choose from, so let's look a the Cult.
Cult of the Burning Man
So pretty.
The Arcane Tome is a nice Asset for any Commander. Though it has the potential to impede you, it also has the potential to aid you. It also mills through your Fate Deck, looking for those valuable aces.
The Hovering Portal Asset is a great way to ensure that your Squads can stay at full power. If one goes through a portal, you can give it a Reinforcement Token. Since this can apply through Portal Markers or through Stalking Portals, there are many ways to make sure a key Squad can stay alive.
The Corona of Flame is a far reaching magical attack. While its damage is unlikely to be high, it does not need line of sight and gives out Pinned Tokens, which can greatly slow an enemy down. Restricted only to Champions, this Asset has a lot of potential.
Adeodatos' Asset helps make sure he stays alive on the battlefield with An Echo Given Flesh. Add in Remnants of the Past for some card draw, and A Memory Stirs... becomes a very useful Asset for your Commander.
Fenton Brahms is crazy. This gives him an Action to grant Shaken Tokens to your enemies as well as granting Fenton a useful Action at range. The possibility of giving out numerous Shaken Tokens cannot be ignored, as it can greatly weaken enemy forces for the Cult's assault.
On to the Gibbering Hordes!
Gibbering Hordes
The Gibbering Hordes always want to be the biggest fish in the sea. Or maybe we could say they are always the big fish in a big pond? Regardless, this Asset gives them a bonus in points for killing enemy Commanders.
The Tidal Scepter is a powerful tool for Hordes Commanders. Master of the Waves gives them greatly increased mobility. Add in the additional deployment range, and the largely melee-oriented Hordes force is better able to get into position for the slaughter.
Swarm of Bottom Feeders is a nice Asset for getting some more card draw into the Hordes. With an appropriate amount of destruction of your enemies (an appropriate amount being all of the destruction), the Hordes player can gain a strong card advantage.
The Conch Horn is the Stormsiren's Asset. It gives the potent From the Depths, which allows units that are coming back via Endless Numbers to come back to Tide Pools instead of your deployment zone. This makes sure they are never out of the action. Coupled with an ability to reduce damage more, this Asset is a strong choice.
The Frenzy can be a real melee powerhouse. Necklaces of the teeth of those they've defeated in battle shows their might. Gang Up makes them better able to function as a team, making it less likely they'll have to Cheat in cards, and therefore more likely they'll conquer their foes.
King's Empire
What is a British force without a tea reference? A flat +1 to all Acting Values is very strong, and a little card draw is always nice, too. While not a subtle Asset, it is a strong choice for many Commanders.
This Asset gives a nice Morale Action for the Commander to benefit from (since they get one free every Activation). Fire on my Command gives a nice ranged attack from a nearby Squad, while also giving them the benefit of an increased range.
This Asset is a simple one. It ensures that a wanted Trigger will go off. Maybe you add a wanted Mask for your Allegiance's Trigger, or maybe you get an additional effect from an Action. Whatever the case, this Asset gives you that flexibility.
Stoic Demeanor is a nice way to ensure that your Squads are functioning at peak performance. Any time a friendly Fireteam's unit gains an Inspired Token, you can also get it a Reinforcement Token. This could happen, for example, with a simple Focused Effort Order.
No one likes to be insulted. Margaret Belle is particularly good at it, though. With this Asset, she can make a unit discard all Tokens on it, which might stop a plan dead in its tracks. Then, she can move the Fireteam a number of inches equal to the amount she won the duel by. The more vicious her mocking, the further from her they want to be.
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Well, that's all the Assets for now! I will say, though, that there are a few more choices for everyone outside of their Allegiances. There are a number of generic Assets, available to either Earth Allegiances or Malifaux Allegiances, depending on the Asset. We'll take a look at them in another update.
Next time, we'll take a look at Titan Assets and how they play!
Let me know if you have any questions below.
Titan Assets
over 7 years ago
– Mon, Jan 09, 2017 at 07:39:01 AM
Hey everyone, happy Friday!
Today we're going to dive into Titan Assets. Titans are able to add up to 3 Assets, and they can make those decisions after knowing the Allegiance they're up against. This allows them to specialize some in preparation for their incoming foes.
Assets, as a rule, cannot be duplicated on the same unit. Additionally, a unit may only ever have one Asset in a given "Slot." You will see many Titan Assets have the Slot rule, and specify a location. This gives them a few either/or choices for how you build them.
For this update, I'm going to post all of a given Titan's Assets (all 6) at once and then talk about them a little bit.
Abyssinian Dreadnought
The Dreadnought is particularly good at dealing with masses of troops. This helps Abyssinia, which is generally outnumbered. A few Area options coupled with Versatile guns means the Dreadnought can pump out damage.
Some players may build for support by throwing out Reinforcement Tokens, while others might want the added flexibility of an additional Tactics Token.
There are multiple ways to build the Dreadnought, but it will always be a strong addition to an Abyssinian force.
Cult Goryshche
A Goryshche generally sees three ways players build it.
Some go for speed, taking advantage of Constrict and extra movement after traveling through a portal.
Some go for power, taking as many heads as they can to chomp into their foes.
Still others go for survivability, creating a behemoth of a model that can be quite difficult to take down.
Gibbering Hordes' Alpha Crawler
The Alpha Crawler has options, but most of them are just about the way you want to slaughter your enemies. It has multiple options for speed and for damage, and it all comes down to how you want to move this giant creature around the table.
With the Alpha Crawler's survivability, these Assets can really put any other unit on the table in a lot of pain.
King's Empire's King's Hand
The King's Hand is a ranged powerhouse. Generally, you will build it for more offense or defense. If you go offense, you have the choice between high single target damage or Area damage, both of which can greatly hamper your opponent's forces.
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That's it for the Titan Assets! They can provide a Titan with a lot of extra hitting power while also increasing their durability. A well-built Titan can be a thorn in your enemy's side.
I also wanted to mention that in just a few minutes (around 1:00pm EST, Friday, December 30th), two of our playtesters are going to livestream a game of The Other Side on Twitch! The game will be recorded for those of you who can't make it now. Click the link above to head over.
I'll be joining the Twitch chat for some of the game to talk about the game and answer game rule questions for anyone who can attend.
Be sure to check it out if you can!
Playtest Rules Update
over 7 years ago
– Mon, Jan 09, 2017 at 07:38:55 AM
Hello hello!
As the Kickstarter progresses, you're getting to learn more about the game and even see it in action.
If you haven't had a chance to check out the two playtest videos, you can find them here:
Of course, the game is still in playtesting so some rules are still in flux. Though most of the game is nailed down, there are some things we're tweaking. As such, we wanted to take some time to highlight some of the changes that have rolled down in playtesting while this campaign is live.
Remember that backers at the Champion level and above will have the chance to join playtesting once the campaign as finished.
So let's take a look at some of the changes:
Cult's Glory Mechanic
We are looking closely at how we want Cult to be able to go into Glory. We have made some adjustments since the beginning of the Kickstarter. Two things have come out: first, Cult can now go to Glory whenever they have the 2 Shaken Tokens (it's no longer as limited in timing), and second, the Focused Effort order can now grant a Shaken Token.
For Cult players, this means that a single ace in the discard pile could turn into Glory with the Focused Effort Order. Based on current gameplay, it looks like Cult have enough ways to gain Shaken Tokens and enough deck cycling to ensure they get into Glory over the course of the game.
Abyssinia's Glory Mechanic
We are still tinkering a bit with Abyssinia's mechanic, but we are moving away from discarding two cards. This was very resource intensive for the player. Currently, Abyssinia is able to Glory if they take an Action and succeed by 5. Additionally, a Tome Trigger was added to many of their Prototype Assets that allow for Glory.
Though this may not be the final form of their Glory mechanic, I'm confident that we're quite close at this time. Playtesters have liked the Margin difference in the duel as a way to go to Glory, so it's just a matter of the fine details.
Token Changes
The game's Tokens have changed in a small, but meaningful way. Now, Inspired and Pinned Tokens cancel each other, as do Pinned and Reinforcement Tokens. These changes mean that a unit will never have more than 2 Tokens on them at any given time. Not only does this clean up the table, but it also makes certain interactions more clear.
For example, now when you give a unit with a Reinforcement Token a Pinned Token, they both go away. The Pinned Token no longer prevents Reinforcing, rather, it removes the Token.
This is coupled with a timing adjustment on Shaken and Inspired Tokens. These are now used at the same time that a player would Cheat Fate. Moving the use of Tokens until after the flip feels more natural to players and makes the Tokens more powerful.
The same goes for the use of Tactics Tokens. They now allow you to flip another card into a duel to replace the one flipped, but you can make that decision after you've seen the flip. This makes them more powerful than they were, but still not as powerful as a high card in your hand.
Balance Changes
A few units are seeing some minor adjustments to their cards. We are very happy with where units and gameplay is in terms of balance, but there are still a few improvements to be made. We will be updating our website with the updated cards, which will allow players to stay abreast of any of these small adjustments.
Cosmetic Changes
We are also in the process of making a few cosmetic changes to things. This includes calling Stat Cards Unit Cards (to more accurately label what they represent), reworking the way we list what models are in a unit on the bottom of the card, and moving things like a unit's cost to the top of the card.
While these changes don't impact gameplay, we feel that these changes (along with some others) will make the game just a bit more intuitive for players.
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That's about it for the changes. Overall, it's fairly minor, but we wanted to let everyone know about the improvements we're making to the game. The core rules are just focused on clarity at this point, and we're getting some tweaks in to unit balance.
We are very confident that with the help of our backers, this game will run very smoothly and with a high level of balance. Thank you to our current playtesters for getting us this far, and we look forward to more meetings of the minds!
