The Legend of Dev Diary: The Diary Begins

The "loot-carrying" feature of Rodolfo (or Rodolfo II et al., depending on whether your mule dies when you lose an adventure (did ya think of that, huh, huh!?)) is one that got my attention. I had forgotten that backpacks are not necessarily all-encompassing. This seems like another good idea for a game trying to theme itself around RPG's and their attendant concepts: really getting people to think about physical realities.

 

I very much doubt the mule will actually be on the adventure map and thus killable. I suspect it's just a mechanism that works in the background, like a shared backpack.

 

Yes, probably, but it's a good riff to run with, though - "protect the mule, it's got all the loot!"

 

If the mule is not on the map, can we at least get a figurine for a tabletop decoration? I wouldn't want Lady Jennabelle to wander off while I'm busy with the adventure.

 

I likewise doubt it will be on the map; this is why I suggested the special circumstances of "when you lose an adventure." If not a single adventurer comes back alive, it might be appropriate to tell the player "Sorry, the kobolds barbecued Rodolfo next; what would you like to name your new mule?"

 

I am expecting that you wouldn't lose your party (or your mule) (although you might lose items) for failing a mission, it's more a case of you didn't reach the save point so you don't get anything you may have earned before they died. I would prefer from a storytelling point of view to develop a core group rather than to constantly replace the fallen. I suppose Card Hunter doesn't have to use the "zero to hero" trope, but it seems likely. Also, the dev diary emphasized that Rodolfo is there to help you maximize your deck for each battle: if getting just the right balance of cards is so important a feature, permanent death seems like a harsh penalty for a wrong guess.

 

I'm probably going to use my first mule to harvest Smithore.

 

Okay, I'm probably getting ahead of the diaries. We're finally getting some solid details on party management outside the tactical battles and I'm chomping at the bit.

What's that, Rodolfo? I can keep it? What do you mean the bit's all slobbery now?

The Jewel of Alet Zhav module consists of eight battles. We've read elsewhere in the diaries that the aim is for battles to take about 20 minutes each. That's 160 minutes right there, plus time for deckbuilding in preparation for each, plus extra if you have to replay battles (because you failed the first time). A whole module is looking to be 2-4 hours or more. Now, I don't know about you guys, but I won't be able to find that kind of time every time I play. Which, in turn, suggests a need to save our progress until the next session. This goes right along with re-tuning our decks after losing a battle: mid-quest progress save is an invaluable tool for both features.

So: if my "guild" has 6+ doughty adventurers -- does it? -- can I split them into multiple teams and have more than one quest in progress at the same time? Obviously rewards earned and loot plundered won't be available to equip the stay-at-homes until a team returns, but I don't see offhand any argument to limit the number of quests undertaken except by the number of 3-person parties that we can send.

 

Whoa, okay, can this be a feature? Please? I'd LOVE to be able to create, as it were, multiple "sessions" and select which one I want to continue today from a list.

Sure, the problem of "dude, your Axe of Awesomnity is already out with the first crew of adventurers; you can't use it in your second" is a limitation, but we already know that individual characters have individual decks: you'd have already designed the other decks without the Axe of Awesomnity. So if your adventurers are set to go, why not let them go?

 

Also, Rodolfo has limited space which is cool, but I hope once it's back at my palace after the adventure, there's room for every item in the game. In fact, I hope there's room for multiple copies of items. Can we obtain multiple copies of items from adventures? Either by running the adventures multiple times or some other way? Will I be able to create my party of one godly wizard and his two identically equipped lowly guards?

 

Growing off your point, Pugs--can we have multiple adventurers of the same class? Team cleric?