v.8 Rules Update is HERE! What's Changed?
As alluded to in our previous post; with a fresh perspective on Breachstorm's rules and mechanics we're re-examining them in a new light. While the core rules have remained largely unchanged, I'm excited to announce that the v.80 update is the biggest overhaul we've undertaken to the game.
You can read the changes for yourself right now over on the rules page - or keep reading for a summary!
Getting Defensive
We've reworked the damage curve across all the profiles in the game. Generally speaking units now have double (!) the hit points they had in the past, but damage numbers have increased proportionally.
This has the effect of increasing the granularity that we're able to work with - including more nuanced Armor values for units like Volgox Crawlers and M-TAC Breachers.
Some of the game's Defense effects have changed accordingly. One idiosyncrasy of previous versions was the Dodge defense, which could be applied in addition to other defenses. This is no longer the case, so Dodge works exactly the same as other defenses, now with some built-in damage reduction to compensate.
Similarly, the Riposte defense worn so handsomely by Khash'Parah is no longer synergistic with Dodging, but comes with its own hefty brace of damage reduction based on the accuracy of the defender's counterattack. Appropriately this means that getting into a one-on-one duel with the Spur's premier Khariphesh arena gladiator is not likely to end well for you.
Similarly, Attack Modifiers have been standardized so that they all apply at the same time. A point of contention in the past has been that attack modifiers that assign tokens to the target may or may not benefit the attack assigning those tokens seemingly at random; based on the effect of the token itself. These have been simplified to all apply after the attack is complete, so there's no confusion about whether or not the bonus should be added.
Sticking to the Mission
A rework to attacks and defenses is great and all, but it doesn't necessarily win you the game. That's what missions are for - and the 6 objective cards we've included in this update are entirely redesigned from the ground-up.
In the past, a player could score VPs via a single method, and won during the Victory Phase if they had 3 VPs and more than their opponent - but we've increased that requirement to 10 VPs. This has allowed us to add more interesting mission parameters; instead of having a single task to score them their one VP every round, players now have a series of smaller objectives that score them varying sums of VP based on their difficulty.
Generally these objectives can score up to 3-4 VPs each round, but getting to those higher numbers requires a lot more legwork. Overall, this increased complexity has a happier marriage between the narrative flavor and mechanics of each mission, alongside increasing the amount of interaction between teams and preventing stagnated board-states.
Upgrading Your Game
The last big change is to upgrade cards and team construction - and this is another HUGE one. Players now have an additional resource to spend on upgrades during team building; Special Requisition. These points function identically to Requisition, but can only be spent on upgrades and Asset Points.
A lot of the complexity has been taken out of the upgrade system as well, since levelling upgrades have been removed. Now a single upgrade slot can be assigned a single card, and vise versa.
The effects of almost every upgrade in the game has been carefully revised and reworked - with some old staples (such as Gunslinger) transforming into new but familiar versions. Overall the power level of upgrades has been increased slightly, to help them compete for that sweet sweet Special Requisition.
But with these new effects come a significant drawback - upgrades are now unique in your team, and can't be repeated across multiple troopers... so if you have a favorite you'd best equip it wisely.
Paradigm Shift
These changes are some of the biggest we've undertaken to the system, and we look forward to taking feedback on them from the community. I recognize that with reworks this big, there are going to be a few kinks to work out - but we plan to keep our ear to the ground, and rebalance pain-points as the playerbase picks them out.
If you'd like to interact with us and provide your own feedback, why not join our Discord channel or Facebook group?
See you on the battlefield, commanders!
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