Hi, fellow wargamers. This update took a bit longer to prepare, but I dare say it was totally worth it. It is not about writing more but rather going through lots and lots of tests to balance out points and builds. And it's just grazing the surface.
The update is a complex one as I've looked through previous chapters and rebalanced a lot of weapons and gear after weighing them thoroughly against one another. We are not just moving towards realism and variety, but player-friendly rules and gameplay design.
First, you've got the new chapter: Models and Points. Part 1, covering periods from stone age to the great colonial empires. It provides you with a lot of options and examples to design and build a troop, a character or a faction to your liking.
Second, you get rebalanced weapons and equipment for the said periods - the tables in PDF format with all item profiles grouped together and easy to compare. Perfect for reference as well.
Third, I made a small change to the magic system which nevertheless massively overhauls the spellcasting mechanics in TWB, making it much more balanced and comfortable for the players. This change was a last moment decision, so I decided to exclude spellcasters from this update, but they'll appear in the next one along with an updated Magic chapter.
What is there to look forward to in the coming months?
- Remaining builds and points for all tech levels up to the spacefaring age, including natural and bio weapons and mutations.
- Introduction of fantastic creatures, special racial abilities added to the lists and unique profiles for some of the most distinguished inhabitants of the fantasy and sci-fi worlds.
- Strategic orders, special missions, terrain, etc.
- A lot more of the stunning graphical content and page designs you've been complimenting so far, from me and our great artist. This last part really depends on your support of our work though - as I have to outsource the illustrations and perhaps attract more people to speed things up. It is with your donations that this independent freeware project can really shine.
Since I'm updating the book real time as I write it, I don't have much opportunity to go back to edit things or reorganize old-new content. Once I'm done with the bulk of it, I'll go through the entire thing again, implement minor updates, correct the wording, and group relevant sections together to improve navigation and integrity.
From this point on I'm also expecting a lot more feedback from you, on what content you'd like to see, what your experience with the open testing was like and more. Feel free to comment and contact me with your feedback and suggestions. Also don't forget to share the link with your friends. I look forward to hearing from you again soon. Cheers!