What’s Stormsunder?
Production Company: Lazy Squire
Genre: Story driven, RPG Tabletop Board Game
Players: 1-4 Cooperative Play
Price: Set 1 Only ($149), Set 1 & 2 ($299), Set 1, 2 and 3 ($449)
Estimated Delivery: May 2021/March 2022
Home Page: https://stormsunder.com
Kickstarter (ended March 5, 2020): Stormsunder Kickstarter
Late Pledge (Still Open): Stormsunder Backerlit
Stormsunder is a RPG tabletop game with choose your own style adventure, detailed miniatures and limitless potential game design space. Recently, the game has successfully completed kickstarter campaign, raising almost US$820k with nearly 4200 backers despite rather short, 9 days campaign. Currently, the late pledge is still open and will remain to be open for awhile since the first wave delivery of product isn’t until May 2021.
Story/World Setting
The world setting is dark low fantasy with humor. American comic style art used in this game is written by only one individual. Choose your own adventure book style story-telling in this game have a significant impact on story path. Example given is one of hero not only leaves your party but may even become an enemy that you have to fight based on your path (choices). Players can even kill quest giver.
Also, in this game Heroes have many stats and categorizations. So when it comes to deciding story progression, there are many design space the developer can use.
Stormsunder story adventure is not just a gimmick we see often seen.
Battle Game System ~ Card Gamer Perspective ~
Resource System ~ Automatic & Sacrifice Resource Systems ~
When it comes to Player vs. Player card game, the design decision of which resource system the game uses often correlates with the depth and complexity of the overall game play. Most resource system design can be categorized into 4 categories. In games without any resource management, no resource system (NRS), player’s action are often constrained by how many card one can play per turn. Automatic Resource System (ARS) is the system where given number of resources are automatically generated each turn e.g. Eye of Judgment. Sacrificial Resource System (SRS) is the system where one sacrifice card for resource point(s) e.g. Shadow Era, Carte etc. Lastly, card based resource system (CRS) is where there are actual resource cards to manage resource e.g. Magic the Gathering, HEX. This categorization seem to apply well in the adventure RPG tabletop games. For example, Gloomhaven uses No Resource System whereas Oathsworn uses Automatic Resource System.
In Stormsunder, general resource, called Action Points (AP), are automatic resource system with amount of resource gained per turn decided based on Hero’s stat. Aleksander below generates 5 AP each turn.
In addition to ARS, Stormsunder has SRS component. Hero’s special power, called signature skills, requires “Power” [points] rather than AP. Each turn, player may discard card(s) to gain Power equal to cost of discarded card’s AP.
Card Types
Number of card types defines card game’s design space. Stormsunder does not just have number of card types compatible to sophisticated PvP card game but each components have significant detail, beyond PvP card games.
Hero
In addition to standard 3 parameters seen in this type of game, there are 6 additional stat parameters (10). These parameters include strength, perception, agility, spirit, vitality and charisma. Different parameters allow distinction of which weapon one favors rather than entirely making whole type of weapon completely in accessible to certain classes. Also, some parameters are used outside of combat for testing in story part.
In card games, Role, Class, Faction and Race are often used for game’s design space e.g. race deck. In RPG, this is not an option but absolute piece of game. Stormsunder not only have couple of these, but all four components.
Hero in Stormsunder certainly have its ground covered to the point, design space allow pretty much anything.
Signature Skills
Each hero possesses powerful special powers, called signatures skills in Stormsunder. This is a common game mechanics seen in various card games with hero system. Rather than giving fixed signature skills to a given hero, Stormsunder allows customization here. Player can choose which signature skills to bring into the combat for each hero. Furthermore, not only one but two signature skills are allowed in this game with one being utility type and the other ultimate type.
Ability Card
Each hero will have an ability deck consisting of various ability cards. As in conventional PvP card game, player will be drawing cards from the corresponding hero’s ability deck each turn up to 3 to keep hand size 5. This drawing from deck gives variance into the game play but draw 3 seem to take away common shortcomings seen in PvP card game at later stage where you simply play the card you draw, which is detrimental to game play in this type of game.
Stormsunder supports instant/intercept type cards where a hero can use his/her ability card during other hero’s or adversary’s turn.
Cards with zero cost may also be played outside of a hero’s activation, either to defend against incoming attacks or aid an ally.
Stormsunder demo rule book p14
Trait Card
Stormsunder has interesting game mechanics that connects evolution of hero’s in story progresses and battle via “trait” cards. At first these generally give negative effects to your hero/party and must be included in one’s ability deck and if drawn, it must be used right a way.
Example of Trait Card from Demo Rulebook p15
Equipment Card
In Stomsunder, equipment card type covers several interesting game mechanics.
- Requirements and base damage based on different stat parameters
- Weapon may be “sheathed” and use of 1 AP allows switching weapons during an encounter
- Armor vs. Defense: Both reduce amount of damage during each attack but armor is a diminishable; whereas, defense isn’t.
- Set Bonus: Special effect is conferred if the hero is equipped with enough equipment from that particular set
Companion Card
When I first saw a word companion, I immediately thought “token generating cards” but just with other parts of this game, Stormsunder added more details/complexity to this. Companions can be divided into 3 types by its size: small, medium and large. Small creatures are just cards without presence on battle field. Medium companions have token presence on battle board but they cannot be targeted by adversary. Large companions are full-fledge heroes-like entity. This is another example where extra-layer of subclassification has been chosen by developer to allow more potential game design space.
Consumable
These are one time use item cards.
Adversary
Adversary cards are similar to Hero but with some distinctive appropriate differences. Adversary cards have physical defense (8), magical defense (9), loot (10) and experience (11). Furthermore, though stated less important than Heroes, Adversary have archetype, class, faction and race. All these are potential design space where specific game mechanics can expand on.
Loot System
When a hero slays adversary, that hero gets specified number of loots for the adversary. In Stormsunder, this means for each loot, player gets to draw a card from loot deck.
Interesting game design here is that there is second layer of drawing associated with some pieces e.g. equipments. This system allows developer to control which specific piece is available during which encounter.
Furthermore, the game give option to rest or not rest between encounters in certain situation and such decision give consequence to player by not-reshuffling loot deck. This basically gives a better chance to draw better loot if first run didn’t get what player wanted.
Combat System
As in many tabletop RPG, Stormsunder utilizes dice to give variance/luck component to each attack. This game design space gives a potential problem analogous to resource (mana) screw in a PvP card game. Imagine complete missed attack one after another due to one’s lack of dice roll. Although this appears inevitable side effect of a game design in order to give the epic moment feel of critical hit roll, many feel this side effect isn’t needed.
So most dice based combat system has some sort of system to relieve this negative side effect. In the Stormsunder, it is fairly straight forward as the total attack points are sum of base damage and dice roll so there is always the base damage points. The final damage to a target is determined by subtracting sum of defense and armor from total attack value.
Battle Field Related Mechanics
From card gamer’s perspective, this can be a new game’s design space in tabletop RPG. The field element in the game board add its own layer of game tactics. Stormsunder fully utilize this game design space.
- Melee vs. Ranged Attack
- Line of Sight with Terrain elements
- Interactive Terrain elements e.g. Lever
Flanking Mechanics
This is one of the most clear game mechanics utilizing field element. When allies position themselves in flanking position to a target enemy, these allies gain extra attack power.
To flank a target, a hero must be adjacent to their target and on the opposite side of an ally who is adjacent to the same target. Any attack made by either ally inflicts +2 BD (base damage) against the target. Companions who have a token or miniature on the map may contribute to flanking a target, even if they themselves cannot attack.
Stormsunder Demo Rulebook p25
Linked & Cone Attacks
In Stormsunder, special multi-target attack patterns exist, linked and cone attacks.
Terrain
Stormsunder have 4 types of terrain: Holes, Full and Half covers, and interactable terrain. Separating full and half cover is yet another example, Stormsunder’s game design is more fundamental design space to provide more distinct field of game rather than simplicity.
Miniatures
The developer has strong emphasis on miniatures, illustrated by detailed quality and sheer number of miniature included in each set. The first set alone will have 100 miniatures. If all three sets were purchased, there will be 348 miniatures! Majority of stretch goals on Kickstarter were indeed addition of more miniatures.
Game Play
There are couple review sites showing actual game play of the game.
The playthrough by MWG Studios is so smooth that the game appears well polished and I certainly felt familiar card game feel in the game.
OnTableTop shows how a round of encounter work.
Second, the longer, OnTableTop play through includes story part.
Concerns
Price
This game is expensive. For each set, it costs US$150 plus shipping. If one is to purchase all 3 sets along with two wave shipping, we will be looking additional $90 and some places even higher. If you are completionist, there are several add-ons as well.
Having said this, the game is massive with 300 pages of campaign book, ~1000 cards, and 100+ miniatures to allow 100 hours of game play in each set.
Since developer states people can upgrade pledge even after core game delivery, if one can really enjoy the game I personally think it is reasonably priced for its scale. Comparison here would be Gloomhaven with retail price of $140, which contains under couple dozens miniatures. As a card gamer, completing playset of each expansion in game like Magic the Gathering costs around $400. Actual game-play being aside (since we can’t compare it without playing it), at least from the amount of content, Stormsunder is expensive but I don’t think Stormsunder is overpriced.
Complexity
If Stormsunder was a strategy card game, from the complexity stand point of view, this is the Magic the Gathering rather than Hearthstone. I personally prefer games with more design space in a strategy card game so the game always continue to have a design space to explore; hence, as a player I always feel game has a whole new feel or mechanics with every expansion they release.
However, this is a double edge sword. The more design space does not always equates to a better game. In fact, there are many games ended up failing because of being too complex. When a game rule or mechanics is too complicated, players end up spending majority of their game time ensuring those rules are followed rather than enjoying the game itself. Furthermore, the more complex the game is, the harder the balancing of the game becomes. Although the general game design in Stormsunder appear relatively intuitive; there are enough depth and details to the point, I wonder if they had gone too far.
The best example here is equipment and base damage. There are stat based requirement for each weapon type equipment. When the requirement is met, the base damage itself becomes dependent on one of the hero’s stat parameter, depicted on the right most section. This number is not even a direct damage point translation, but one has to use conversion table.
So example illustrated in a demo rule book is followings:
- Giantsbane Crossbow needs strength of 8 and perception of 10 for a hero to be able to equip it.
- Vanessa meets both requirements so she can indeed equip the Crossbow.
- Weapon’s base damage is determined based on the right most parameter on weapon card i.e. perception in this case.
- Vanessa’s perception is 13, which translates to 3 base damage using round down rule and the conversion table.
- So in the end, Vanessa can equip Giantbanebow and with it her base damage is 3.
Now this system theoretically allows more flexibility to customize a hero based on the player’s liking, I would argue very similar result can be obtained if weapons just had type restriction. This is especially true given Stormsunder hero’s stats are fixed for a given level i.e. Vanessa at level 4 in the example above have only 8 strength so should not be able to equip Sinister Chakrams. So designer here could have just say Vanessa (at level 4) can equip Bow-type equipment but not Chakram type. If at higher level, this is different, they can open up Chakram type at that level.
As for base damage, current design allows distinction of who is using the equipment and as a hero levels up and stats improves, even the same equipment becomes stronger. This is conceptually and thematically make total sense. However, by adding passive hero’s bonus such as Vanessa has +X BD with Bow type equipment can attain pretty much of the same feel with less complexity. It’s also far easier for developer to ensure balancing as unintended card combination can be prevented by not allowing Vanessa to wear Chakram type weapon.
Lack of the company’s track record
The main concern of the project despite raising far more funding than the company asked for is whether they can really deliver the quality product that they are claiming or most importantly what players are hoping the game to be. Stormsunder is undeniably a massive scale project with so many miniatures, lots of story to discover, and extensive game design space.
This is coming from a developer without prior track record. But Stormsunder is not the first game by Lazy Squire Games. Their first successful kickstarter game was from October 2018, Wild Assent, raised $332k with 2,234 backers. The game is also miniature heavy board game with interesting game mechanics. Despite original estimated delivery had been December 2019, the game has not been delivered yet.
Delayed delivery on Kickstarter project certainly isn’t the first time. For example, a major board game publishing company, mastering Kickstarter campaign, CMON had a successfully funded project Time Machine last September where they were giving second chance to previous Kickstarter exclusive contents on publicly released games with minor new contents of of soundtracks and digital artbooks. Out of all different projects, one would expect estimated delivery of such project by experienced company is the easiest to be fulfilled. Yet, they have not delivered those products despite their estimated delivery were also December 2019 just like Wild Assent.
One may still be appropriately question, even with delays, can a start up company without any track record deliver such massive scale and high quality project? From miniature product point of view, we can see mass production miniatures from Wild Assent, which look as nearly detailed as they had shown on prototype during the campaign.
What about game balance?
This is *all* but nine of the cards; all that are missing are the 1-6 Encounter cards our artist seems hellbent on not doing (he’ll do them) and the three Lavot Seeker cards (Hunt campaign hirelings) we’re still balancing. They always seem to be too squishy or too strong.
Wild Assent Kickstarter Update December 2019
On the update provided during the original estimated delivery month, they have stated that they are still working on some balance. One can take above statement in two ways. It could mean they are struggling with making game balanced. The other way to look is that the developer care about game balance; hence, spending until the last minute.
The concern/complaint especially from Wild Assent backers is while the developer is behind the schedule, how can they work on such massive new project? They should focus on finishing Wild Assent. Assuming group of people involved on these projects, not necessary all are actively working at the same time. For example, Wizard of Coast Magic the Gathering developing team currently have a design schedule divided into 3 phases: Vision design, Set design and Play design (from Making Magic 10/23/2017). Considering Wild Assent nearing ready for final production unit, using the example from Magic, Vision & Set design teams may no longer have any productive work for the game so it makes perfect sense that these group should be now shifted and started to work on other project/game.
However, the real concern I have is why couldn’t they wait until production and shipment of Wild Assent, especially they are almost there? If developer has the high enough confidence on their product, one would think Wild Assent will create a good reputation for the company and create a track record. It is the best form of advertisement. Not waiting until Wild Assent shipment to public players make me wonder two things. Lazy Squire run out of budget and in need of immediate financial source. This is extreme poor planning as the company raised multiple times more funding than they had asked for in Wild Assent.
Alternatively, the developer do not have a confidence that Wild Assent won’t create a good reputation. So they want to get as much money as possible with Stormsunder before public reputation is lost. This pessimistic hypothesis can support the motivation of Lazy Squire making Stormsunder Kickstarter for all 3 sets (1 core + 2 expansions) rather making the first/core set first.
Conclusion
Stormsunder looks a very interesting project with great potential from the game design perspective. However, will the Lazy Squire be able to pull it off? This game is on my radar for potential “All-In” but we should wait until soon to be delivered developer’s first project “Wild Assent” public delivery. So we can see what this company is capable of.