By Gavin Dady
Hello Friends. It’s been a while since the last blog update, so there’s a few things to cover off.
Core Rulebook Update
The update to the core rulebook exists! It’s been through layout and internal review. We’ve got a bunch or re-edits to do to it to correct typos and style issues (some words should be Capitalised All The Time, some Words only get the first time the word is written capitalised – stuff like that). These revisions have been passed back to our team of Dwemer Graphic Design Animunculi to enact and as soon as they are complete we will begin the public review of the revised rules.
As a reminder, we will be running the public review period of several months and will be collating feedback in one place. After this we will make the updated PDF freely available and will print hardcopies of the revised rulebook. If you own a copy of the current core game you will be entitled to a copy of the revised rulebook free of charge, with just postage payable.
Here's a little taster of some of the new content - a page from the new introductory chapter that explains some of the basic concepts right out of the gate:
Histories of the Empire Volume 2 and 3
The revisions to the Core Rulebook have slowed down the development on the Histories of the Empire. Volume Two: Steam and Shadow is mostly written and edited, and needs some small adjustments before it will go into layout. Volume Three is well developed and expected to arrive some time mid-later 2023. Unlike Volume 2, Volume 3 isn’t linked directly to one of our Chapters, but instead will provide rules expansions for you to use with any faction or party and will expand the gameplay to facilitate longer running campaigns, with Heroes gaining abilities, founding their own Settlements and fighting off enemies that may attack their home whilst they are off adventuring (and totally not attacking someone celse’s home…)
Epic Creatures
Because Dragon’s aren’t the only big, bad, enemy in Skyrim. We ran a public playtest late last year with our rules for Dragons and they just didn’t feel right to us. So, our Dev team, in conjunction with the game designer, Mark, took the rules in hand and have streamlined and rationalised them so they are now faster playing, more customisable and less fiddly than before. We can now use the core system as a framework for more than just Dragons, which ties in nicely with a certain teaser image we did as part of ModCon 2022. We’ll be preparing another round of playtest with the revised rules shortly, so watch out for the distant sound of beating, leathery wings and the trembling of the ground from massive footfalls…
Chapter 3 Bundles
February sees the release of the Bundle Deals for Chapter 3. Each of the Bundle deals includes a copy of the new Chapter 3 Card Pack and our exclusive Chapter 3 promo miniature, The Familiar, in translucent blue resin. These bundles will go on sale on 24th February. Mark your calendar!
Bundle 1 – Dawnguard – £140
Hold back the darkness with the Dawnguard Bundle, consisting of the Dawnguard Faction starter, Dawnguard Stalwarts, Dawnguard Vampire Hunters, The Chapter 3 card Pack and the Familiar Promo Miniature.
Bundle 2 – Vampires – £140
Stalk the night for Clan Volkihar and Molag-Bal with the Vampire Bundle consisting of The Vampire Faction Starter, Vampire Fledglings, Volkihar Inner Circle, Chapter 3 Card Pack and the Familiar Promo miniature.
Bundle 3 – Bandit Bundle - £140
Rob from the rich and, well, rob from the poor too with the Bandit Faction Bundle consisting of the Bandit Faction Starter, Bandit Outlaws, Bandit Pillagers, Chapter 3 Card Pack and the Familiar Promo miniature.
Bundle 4 – Adventuring Bundle - £110
Brave Adventurers roam the wilds of Skyrim and face its woodland guardians with the Adventuring Bundle. Consisting of Adventurer Fortune Hunters, Spriggans, Spriggan Matriarch, Chapter 3 Card Pack and the Familiar Promo miniature.
Bundle 5 – Chapter 3 Finale Bundle - £110
If you have been collecting the previous sets in Chapter 3 as they have been released, this is the bundle for you. Comprising of the final releases in Chapter 3, Dawnguard Vampire Hunters and Volkihar Vampire Fledglings plus Chapter 3 Card Pack and the Familiar Promo miniature.
Bundle 6 – Chapter 3 Bundle - £410
The big bundle. Everything we have released for Chapter 3 in one giant bundle with a saving of £200! Comprised of (deep breath) Dawnguard Faction Starter, Dawnguard Stalwarts, Dawnguard Vampire Hunters, Vampire Faction Starter, Vampire Fledglings, Volkihar Inner Circle, Bandit Faction Starter, Bandit Outlaws, Bandit Pillagers, Adventurer Fortune Hunters, Spriggans, Spriggan Matriarch, Chapter 3 Card Pack and the Familiar Promo miniature.
What’s next?
Chapter 3 is complete with the release of the Card Pack and Bundles in February. We’ll now have a couple of months break with some special releases before we start Chapter 4: Rise of the Dragon Priests in May 2023. The forthcoming chapter will flesh out the Draugr and their Dragon Priest Masters as a fully playable faction, and introduce Draugr and Dragon Priest heroes, more Draugr Followers and Adversaries. In addition, we also see a few more factions introduced and some with just a single member expanded. Also, is that a howl I hear drifting over the snow-covered landscape? The glint of a Silver Sword in the moonlight? Better gather some trusty allies by your side…