What makes a scenario?
about 7 years ago – Wed, Feb 15, 2017 at 11:34:52 PM

We're keeping a nice pace towards our next stretch goal, the Sorcerer promo card. And of course, the character pack including two brand new characters is not far behind it! Keep the conversation going, continue to share the project, and let's get some more characters into The Shared Dream!

While I've already placed this video into the main project page, I wanted to take another opportunity to thank Lance for his instructional video that I think a lot of you will find very enjoyable! I think he does a great job explaining how Personal Reflections work without going into spoiler territory. Lance shows off how tests are made and how combat works. He also highlights the relationship between Conviction, Nightmare, and spawning enemies.

Hopefully, between our updates, checking out these videos, and looking over the rules, you'll understand the basics of how the game works. In order to contextualize some of those basics, I'm going to go a little bit deeper into 2 scenarios, comparing and contrasting their component lists and how they play differently. Naturally, this update contains some minor gameplay spoilers. 

Beast at the Door

Every scenario starts with its own short story that sets the scene. We also list any scenario-specific components and a small "notes" section that highlights any significant unique mechanics in that scenario.

Component wise, Beast at the Door is pretty straightforward. As described within the Objective and Victory sections, Beast at the Door is a literal race against time. The goal is for each player to get through their Personal Reflection deck as quickly as possible in order to earn a Dream Fragment. Once each player has a Dream Fragment, they are able to force the Beast to manifest on the board and face it in combat. Time is of the essence, as at the end of each turn the players draw a "The Beast Strikes!" card that will make that final fight that much harder. 

Strategically, the players must balance three needs:

1) Manifesting the Beast as soon as possible so it can be fought in its weakest form.

2) Being prepared to face the Beast. This can include drawing Artifacts to bolster your offensive capabilities, making sure you have sufficient Conviction to use your Animus when the time comes, and ensuring that you're as healthy as possible so you can stay in the fight once it starts.

3) Not allowing the board to be overrun by Shadows and Reavers by spending too much Conviction in their efforts to speedily achieve steps 1 and 2. When enemies do eventually arrive on the board, players must make tactical decisions on how to handle them: Do you risk delaying the beast's arrival another turn so you can clear out the board? Do you run as far as possible from the existing enemies, hoping you can defeat the Beast quickly and render the other enemies moot? 

Things such as character selection, board composition, and even a little luck force each play through Beast at the Door to have different answers to these questions and strategies to accomplish these goals.

Explosive Nightlife

Here are the components for Explosive Nightlife. As you can see, there are a few more elements involved in this scenario. Unlike Beast at the Door, the Nemesis of Explosive Nightlife is within the city throughout the entire game. This scenario also has an entirely different victory condition - rather than having to face the Nemesis directly, you need only foil his plot by disarming the bombs he's set in the city.

Disarming the bombs is a process that has a few steps:

1) Players must defeat the Supervillain's minions to obtain differently colored bomb defusal codes.

2) Players must complete their Personal Reflection decks in order to find where the bombs are hidden.

3) Players must travel to those bombs and disarm them, using the proper codes.

Pretty immediately, we can see that there are a few strategic differences between BatD and Explosive Nightlife. Unlike BatD, it is not always the best course of action to simply speed through your Personal Reflection. Once your Reflection is complete and you're aware of a bomb's location, the timer immediately starts, giving you only 3 phases before you can disarm it. Finish your Personal Reflection too early, and you'll be stuck with a bomb and not enough codes! While you can survive at least 1 bomb going off, such an explosion is not without its consequences.

Actually obtaining the codes is a strategic decision in and of itself. The primary method of obtaining a code is to defeat one of the Supervillain's minions in combat. The wrinkle here is that the Supervillain will only summon one of these minions if he ends his turn on a free space. This forces the players to engage in a game of cat and mouse, staying far away enough from the Supervillain to ensure he will summon one, while staying close enough that they will be prepared to handle the new threat.

Making this cat and mouse game even more perilous is the fact that the Supervillain only has a limited number of Minions. Once he's spawned them all, Bryce decides it's time to skip ahead to the main event and start the countdown on all of the bombs - even if they haven't been discovered yet!

Another element of risk is facing off against the Nemesis itself. Bryce has a high Combat score and 5 Health, making him a risky foe to tangle with. Should you defeat him while he still has Minions to summon, Bryce's plans are temporarily put on hold as he is unable to act in the night phase. (Some brave player may decide that such stall tactics are necessary, putting his neck on the line to face Bryce toe-to-toe). On the flip side, if there are any bombs currently active when Bryce is defeated, he will immediately speed up their timer. Defeating Bryce now speeds up the clock rather than holding it back!

And that is the push and pull of Explosive Nightlife. Players must balance proceeding through their Personal Reflections with forcing the Supervillain's hand to summon minions. These minions must be summoned quickly enough to gather up enough codes, but not so quickly that the bombs start to go off prematurely. And throughout it all, the players must contend with a dangerous enemy who is permanently on the board.

I hope this update has helped answer some questions about the scenarios, and shows off how different from each other they truly are. And of course, this update did not touch upon any of the storytelling elements involved in the Personal Reflection deck, which adds another layer of fun, interest, and personality to each scenario.

Status Update/New Stretch Goal Announced/Adapting ODAM
about 7 years ago – Mon, Feb 13, 2017 at 11:33:14 PM

We are about $1500 away from our next stretch goal, the Rakora Alternate Animus promo card set. These cards (not included in normal retail editions) further add replayability by adding new art and a unique spin to existing characters.

We've also added a second stretch goal at $80,000 - another promo card set, this time turning the Pyromancer into the Dreamscape: Laruna Legacy Archetype the Sorcerer!

Since these cards are not new characters, please note that they do not add scenarios to the Crux Collection. 

One final note before we get to the meat of today's update: we will be streaming live tomorrow at 2:30 PM EST. If you will not be able to join us, please know that not only can you watch the stream after the fact, but you can also participate by submitting your questions ahead of time! Just click on the "Submit Questions" button and ask away!

Today's update serves two purposes. First, it gives everyone a character breakdown of the Telepath, and second, it goes into the design process of how we adapted ODAM characters to The Shared Dream. Hopefully you enjoy this peek into our minds!  

This post may be of more specific interest to those who are familiar with Of Dreams and Magic, the tabletop game that The Shared Dream is based on, but hopefully if you’re not familiar with ODAM, this post will inspire you to learn more!

When creating the player characters for The Shared Dream, we always knew we wanted to pull directly from the “iconic” sample Animus from the book. They serve as an obvious bridge between both products, no matter what direction you’re coming from. Today, we'll look at converting the Telepath from the pages of ODAM to a playable character in TSD.

In Of Dreams and Magic, it is desirable for a character to be playable in a multitude of ways. While we provide the ability set and some background information, most RPG players are going to take that information and make it their own. Their version of the Telepath will have its own personality and moral code, and may end up using their abilities in very different ways.

The Telepath who rips secrets from her enemy's mind and implants horrific thoughts in their place is a very different character from the Telepath who uses her abilities to help coordinate her friend's communications and soothe their minds to ignore pain. We believe that part of an RPG's job is to allow both of these Telepaths to exist, and for the Telepath sample Animus to be familiar to everyone while being unique FOR everyone.

In a lot of ways, you want a board game character to have less room for interpretation. Players need to be able to quickly and easily understand the mechanical purpose that character plays within the game - C.L.E.O. is a Combat master, the Pyromancer deals heavy Magic damage, the Superhero is a tank with lots of mobility options. 

Due to this, the first step in developing the characters for The Shared Dream was to decide what their identity and gameplay purpose should be. Of course, you don't want this identity to just be a mechanical consideration that's just pasted on top of a character. You want that mechanical identity to be able to echo a common-sense interpretation of that character.

For us, we decided the Telepath's identity would be one of "manipulation." She is able to move other players and enemies, is able to attack from distant spaces, and even manipulates one of the most basic rules of TSD by being able to take an additional action. This character wouldn't be taking chunks out of a Nemesis' health or shrugging off attacks from a Shadow, but would instead subtly manipulate the board in her team's favor.

Now to take that identity and turn it into a reality! 

First, we look at the Telepath as presented in Of Dreams and Magic.

Some of the ODAM Telepath's Passive Aspects informed our choices for her Ability Scores. Telepathy would be represented by an extremely high Social score of 7, while the added Intellect would improve her Magic score.

In Of Dreams and Magic, the Telepath's passives focus on her ability to perform multiple actions at once, as Divided Mind allows her to use certain abilities for free.

In The Shared Dream, Divided Mind had the most impact if it affected all of the Telepath's actions, rather than just her abilities. Resource management (including actions) is of vital importance in TSD, meaning that giving someone extra actions had to come at a serious cost, making it most appropriate for a Rank 3 Passive Aspect. 

This left the Telepath with 2 more Passive Aspects. Rank 2, Pain Recollection, was transformed from an active Psionic ability in the RPG to a passive that gave the Telepath some defensive options. Rank 1, Mental Strike, was then created specifically for the board game to supplement her Active Abilities that manipulated the board.

Speaking of Animus Abilities, here they are! Rank 1, Telekinesis, is a great example of taking an existing Ability and altering its usage so it is applicable to the Telepath's new "manipulation" identity. It can be used either as a damaging strike that can move enemies away (or closer to) other players, or as a support ability that can be used to help a player get where they need to go.

For Rank Two, Implant Thought became the more thematically appropriate Dominate, and further builds on the character's ability to manipulate the enemies of the board. Dominate is also a unique ability in that even though it is played during the Day Phase, it manipulates the action in the Night Phase, potentially neutralizing an enemy for a turn by forcing them to move away from their normal targets.

While looking over the page from ODAM, you may think that Psionic Storm or Mental Overload would be obvious choices for a Rank Three. After all, even without reading the actual ability, you can guess that they would do some pretty serious damage. While this is definitely true, we felt that the ability to build upon the concepts of telepathy, manipulation and support was too strong, and so we went into another direction.

In a lot of ways, the Telepath is a support character - moving enemies and players around, using herself as a shield to deal out double damage, and taking extra actions to be able to do so quickly and easily. Having her Rank Three ability be one that deals a lot of damage might have strengthened the character's solo ability, we decided instead to focus on her role as a support character. 

Steal Thought allows her to use any ability of any other Animus currently in play. This gives her versatility while firmly keeping her in the support role, as her ability is now defined by the other characters she plays with. 

The Telepath has an extremely high Magic score, making her highly capable of using the right ability for the job and getting maximum results. When playing side by side with the Paladin, she may decide to bring another player back from the brink of death with a Heal. Need to double down on your firepower? If the Pyromancer is active, the Telepath can instead choose to use Burn, dealing massive damage to an individual target. This Ability also encourages teamwork, as it requires another player to agree to both act before the Telepath, and channel their Animus, which may not always be the best individual action, even if it is now the one that is most beneficial to the entire team.

I hope you've enjoyed this look into the thought process behind character development in TSD. As was requested in previous comments, look out for a companion piece where we talk about how you can use The Shared Dream as a bridge to interest your play group in playing the Of Dreams and Magic RPG.

Necrophobia Strech Goal Reached! New Stretch Goal Revealed!
about 7 years ago – Sat, Feb 11, 2017 at 10:48:02 PM

At this point, what can I even say? We've hit the 65K mark, which means the new add-on Necrophobia will rise from the crypts of our minds to assault your dreams!

Want Necrophobia? Here's what to do!

Add $25 to your pledge

or

Add $20 to your pledge if you are an Ultimate Dreamer backer.

or

Add $100 to your pledge if you are a Dreaming In Bulk backer

or

Contact us if you're a retailer!

Since you're all awesome and are anticipating we will be unlocking additional add-ons, there have been requests for an updated package deal pledge level.

We will be doing so If the Axitath add-on is unlocked, creating a pledge level that includes all of the add-ons.

While we appreciate the confidence, we're requesting for those of you who are at the Ultimate Edition pledge level already to upgrade your pledge by $20 now rather than waiting. This will allow us to get a real sense of the interest in these add-ons and allows us to make more accurate plans as the campaign continues. It also ensures that later Stretch Goals will be unlocked sooner rather than later!

Speaking of Stretch Goals, you told us you wanted some new ones, and we listened!

 At $75,000, all backer copies of TSD will include 4 promo cards containing a re-imagined version of the Monster Hunter sourced from our fantasy RPG Dreamscape: Laruna. These promo cards allow you to take an existing character (Billy Prust) and miniature (the Monster Hunter), and play them with an all new Animus! New Passive Aspects, new Animus Abilities, and new art!

Please note that since these promo cards 1) will be limited and 2) are alternate versions of existing characters, *Alternate Animus unlocked through Stretch Goals will NOT have content added to the Crux Collection.*

You may be tired of hearing it, but I don't think I'll ever be tired of saying it. Thank you for your support, your excitement, and your feedback. 

Hangout with ODAM Publishing!
about 7 years ago – Fri, Feb 10, 2017 at 10:42:12 PM

As I was writing this update, we hit 700 backers! Awesome! We're also less than two thousand dollars away from our next stretch goal!  Rumor has it that after we've unlocked Necrophobia, some new Stretch Goals may appear, so now's the time to keep our momentum strong!

Now, to our regularly schedule update:

Anyone who has followed our previous Kickstarters know that this is one of our favorite parts of the process - getting to chat directly with you backers!

So, here's the plan:

Tuesday, February 14, at 2:30 PM Eastern time, we will be participating in a Kickstarter Live Q&A session. In a couple of days, you will see more information (and a countdown) appear. If you are unable to make the chat at this time, you are able to submit questions ahead of time using this countdown. Please, send us your questions and feedback. The Q&A will also be hosted on our campaign page so it can be watched back at a later date.

In addition to the official Kickstarter Q&A, we will also hold a more informal Google Hangouts session. Just as the name says, we use these sessions to hang out, get to know our backers, and let you get to know us. We also usually show off things like concept art, talk about unused ideas, and talk about the direction of ODAM Publishing as a whole. These Hangouts are always a lot of fun, so we hope you join us!

We're still settling on a date and time for the Hangout, so if you're interested in that sort of thing, please take the following anonymous survey to let us know your best availability. While we can't guarantee we'll be able to fit into everyone's schedule, this survey will give us the best opportunity to hang out with as many people as possible, as well as possibly schedule more than one Hangout, depending on demand.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VJ75TFT

Thanks everyone!

Character Breakdown: Nikki Meeks/C.L.E.O.
about 7 years ago – Thu, Feb 09, 2017 at 11:11:15 PM

We continue to set a great pace and build momentum! Of course, we can only keep that pace together, so please continue to share the project and talk about it on social media and message boards (only if it's on topic!) If we keep at this pace, we'll be at the next stretch goal in no time! We're going to have some more stretch goal related content for you soon, but today we wanted to focus on another one of The Shared Dream's playable characters. Hope you enjoy the update!

Last time, we broke down the Superhero, and I know what some of you were thinking. "Okay, that's cool, he can help people move around the board, he can support and protect others. But where are the big guns?"

To those of you who have experience with ODAM, Nikki is an old, familiar friend. For those who have not had the pleasure, Nikki Meeks is a clever police detective and a strong leader. Her Waking World scores reflect on her natural charm and ability to get the most out of those around her, with a high Social of 4. She has average Movement and Magic scores, with a slightly above average Combat scores. While she may not shine in one particular score, she also has no specific weakness, making Nikki well rounded enough to handle most situations.

Then again, I did say that in this update we're breaking out the big guns.

While her Magic, Social, and Movement scores only take small shifts, look at that combat score! A 6 is impressive in its own right, but let's take a look at her Passive Aspects as well.

First, unlike most characters who must share a space with an enemy to make an attack against them, C.L.E.O. is able to attack enemies who are on adjacent spaces. On top of that, her Combat raises to a 7 when she does so! 

This gives C.L.E.O. a lot of flexibility, as she is able to attack targets who may be in the opposite direction of where she may need to go. For those players who are especially dedicated to self-preservation, this also means that if C.L.E.O isn't able to finish an enemy off, she has some space advantage  to try to avoid that enemy chasing her! (Enemies always move towards and attack the closest player, meaning C.L.E.O. could attack an enemy that shares a space with another player, and as long as that player doesn't move, be spared the wrath of that enemy in the Night Phase!) 

Speaking of self-preservation, no matter how clever you are with your movement, when you're getting your hands dirty like C.L.E.O., you're eventually going to be a target of a dangerous attack. Channeling at Rank 2 can be the difference between life and death, as C.L.E.O. can ignore 2 points of damage. Of course, everybody knows that the best defense is a strong offense, so not only does C.L.E.O. ignore that damage, she reflects some of it back to her enemies. Clever players may even decide to bait an attack from a weaker enemy, knowing that they can use that attack to deal automatic damage to another, stronger one.

The Shared Dream has some strong enemies, especially in scenarios where you have to face off with a Nemesis in direct combat. All the clever planning in the world can only take you so far - sometimes you just have to set your feet and punch back. For those times, channeling C.L.E.O. at Rank 3 gives her an extra 2 Combat  and allows her basic attacks to deal 3 damage. That means when channeled at Rank 3 and one space away from her target, C.L.E.O. has an overwhelming 9 Combat! Of course, you never know what that extra Conviction you spent may be sending your way once you have to make your Nightmare check...

Unlike the Superhero, who deals a lot of his damage through the usage of his Animus Abilities, C.L.E.O. is very well equipped to handle enemies using only her Combat score and base attack. So let's check out her Animus Abilities and see what they bring to the table.

Rank 1, Rocket Thrusters, has pretty obvious personal utility. It can be used to pursue enemies, retreat from a battle, or to help speed along a Reflection. The ability to ignore Stop sign's usual movement restrictions can also allow C.L.E.O. to use Stop signs to her advantage, taking a route that is not available to her enemies.

Concussive Blast uses C.L.E.O.'s Magic score, which is obviously lower than her Combat. While there is a trade off in raw ability, Concussive Blast allows multiple enemies to be damaged in a single action, and further increases C.L.E.O.'s mobility options by stopping enemies in their tracks.

Rank Three, Detention Field, is pretty unique for a couple of reasons. First, not many Animus Ability cards take 2 Actions. Second, it affects the entire board, making it very powerful and versatile. Granting all of the players the ability to make plans without having to worry about enemy movement in the following Night Phase can be a game changer, especially when the players are up against it and need to regroup. At high levels of success, Detention Field becomes even stronger, virtually guaranteeing player safety, at least for a night.

I hope that this look at Nikki both gets you excited to play and shows you how different each character is. Every character in The Shared Dream has their own strengths, weakness, and strategies, and they all bring different tools to the table.

As always, we'd love to hear your feedback on Nikki!