KickStarter Solasta: Crown of the Magister Thread - now with Palace of Ice sequel DLC

[ERYFKRAD]

I'm not sure I've ever felt this detached from my characters in an RPG before. None of the characters feel like they're my own, even though I made them all from scratch.

I think that's just 5E.

Nah.

 

[Faarbaute]

I'm not sure I've ever felt this detached from my characters in an RPG before. None of the characters feel like they're my own, even though I made them all from scratch.

That seems like a design decision they made when they have you choose different personality traits for each of your characters. If I recall an interview by the designers accurately, they wanted to make it feel like a real tabletop experience with people arguing and interjecting. The downside is that it removes the player's agency to direct at least one character. I guess they were thinking "hey, what would a game with full party creation be like if you had party banter like you do with NPCs?" I don't know whether they're satisfied with the result, and I wonder whether they'll change that if they make a sequel.

Which I hope they do, because for the most part the game is good and definitely shows promise. If the modding tools continue to get better, I think it'll be around for quite a while.

It's the cuckolds Dungeons and Dragons experience.

 

[Larianshill]

Must be circus bears, experts at the balancing act

 

[Artyoan]

My dungeon maker campaign is bugged out and I can't playtest it anymore. Infinite loading screens if I try to actually run the campaign outside the dungeon maker quick play option. And the campaign itself disappears entirely if I back out of it, requiring me to restart the game just to get back to access. I may just have to release it not fully tested and let God sort it out.

 

[rojay]

My dungeon maker campaign is bugged out and I can't playtest it anymore. Infinite loading screens if I try to actually run the campaign outside the dungeon maker quick play option. And the campaign itself disappears entirely if I back out of it, requiring me to restart the game just to get back to access. I may just have to release it not fully tested and let God sort it out.

You have a bright future in game development ahead of you.

 

[Cpt. Dallas]

I'm enjoying this for what it is, a tactical RPG-lite. X-Com with elves and swords. Zero C&C. Middle school level writing. Addictive, but not mentally engaging. The 'factions' boil down to whose store you get to shop in.

Some QOL issues: having to fast-travel from way-point to way-point through maps to get to a major gate, which is always in a basement, to avoid days of road travel.

At one point the sole survivor of a battle couldn't 'quick rest' to revive the scattered party until I figured to fast travel 3 unconscious members to where they were neatly gathered in a pile.

It's pretty enough. The rule set is ok. No crashes, but I suspect a memory leak, as the game started to crawl hours in.

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

Addictive, but not mentally engaging

That's actually a very eloquent way to describe Solasta. And many other pretty fun, but not great games.

 

[Larianshill]

Those who already played through the Lost Valley - is there a way to side with the gubmint and stomp all those quirky rebels to death? The evil tyrant is the only one with any charisma, I want to help that guy.

 

[Cpt. Dallas]

Other QOL issues: you can't actively pause or change travel routes, which is a problem on 9 day hikes. I haven't found a way to end combat with hostile enemies that don't pursue when you've moved halfway across the map. Having every PC disengage doesn't do it.

 

[Faarbaute]

It's a TB tactics game pretending to be an RPG. I find it quite insulting and I'm very disappointed. Everything outside the tactical layer is completely superficial and lazy.

I would have enjoyed this alot more as a fantasy XCOM, without the bullshit.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Those who already played through the Lost Valley - is there a way to side with the gubmint and stomp all those quirky rebels to death? The evil tyrant is the only one with any charisma, I want to help that guy.

Yes. You just do quests for the big guy.

 

[Infinitron]

Missed this - stream today: https://www.solasta-game.com/news/1...st-community-archetypes-revealed-warlock-bard

DEV STREAM AUGUST 31ST - COMMUNITY ARCHETYPES REVEALED! (WARLOCK, BARD & MONK)​

Hey there folks!

Do you remember the Wishing Well Event back that took place 2 months ago in June? Well we're finally done reading through all of them and we're here with the winners, as well as some runner ups to make it more interesting. Join us next Wednesday August 31st on our Twitch Channel at 9 am PDT / 12 pm EDT / 6 pm CEST for the reveal of the Community Archetypes for the Monk, Warlock and Bard who will be implented in the upcoming DLC!

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Make sure you follow us on Twitch to not miss the stream!

Incidentally the Crown of the Magister subreddit just recently hit 10,000 subscribers, and they are doing a giveaway of 10 Game Keys and 10 PDF of the Solasta Sourcebook until August 31st - so if you're interested in some goodies, make sure you head there if you already have an account (need to be 7 days old at least).

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Alright folks, this is the end for today! See you on August 31st for the Community Stream, and don't hesitate to prepare a few questions for us! Thank you for reading, drop by our Forums or our Discord Server to chat with other players.



Article by Tactical Myzzrym

 

[IDtenT]

It's a TB tactics game pretending to be an RPG. I find it quite insulting and I'm very disappointed. Everything outside the tactical layer is completely superficial and lazy.

I would have enjoyed this alot more as a fantasy XCOM, without the bullshit.

An average TB Tactics > Great cRPG.

 

[razvedchiki]

bard is really hard to fit in 4-man parties.

 

[Serus]

I'm enjoying this for what it is, a tactical RPG-lite. X-Com with elves and swords. Zero C&C. Middle school level writing. Addictive, but not mentally engaging. The 'factions' boil down to whose store you get to shop in.

Some QOL issues: having to fast-travel from way-point to way-point through maps to get to a major gate, which is always in a basement, to avoid days of road travel.

At one point the sole survivor of a battle couldn't 'quick rest' to revive the scattered party until I figured to fast travel 3 unconscious members to where they were neatly gathered in a pile.

It's pretty enough. The rule set is ok. No crashes, but I suspect a memory leak, as the game started to crawl hours in.

Zero C&C (at a all or real ones) = 99% of CRPGs ever made. How is lack of this particular element something that makes this crpg stands out, I do not know. Real C&C is more of a meme than the real thing, always was. The first C is there but the second C almost never existed - in a non-superficial way. And that's the crpgs that have the fake C&C, most crpgs don't care at, never did and they still don't. It's just the C&C crowd that wants you to think otherwise because they are in love with the idea of C&C - not reality.

 

[Supermedo]

I'm enjoying this for what it is, a tactical RPG-lite. X-Com with elves and swords. Zero C&C. Middle school level writing. Addictive, but not mentally engaging. The 'factions' boil down to whose store you get to shop in.

Some QOL issues: having to fast-travel from way-point to way-point through maps to get to a major gate, which is always in a basement, to avoid days of road travel.

At one point the sole survivor of a battle couldn't 'quick rest' to revive the scattered party until I figured to fast travel 3 unconscious members to where they were neatly gathered in a pile.

It's pretty enough. The rule set is ok. No crashes, but I suspect a memory leak, as the game started to crawl hours in.

Zero C&C (at a all or real ones) = 99% of CRPGs ever made. How is lack of this particular element something that makes this crpg stands out, I do not know. Real C&C is more of a meme than the real thing, always was. The first C is there but the second C almost never existed - in a non-superficial way. And that's the crpgs that have the fake C&C, most crpgs don't care at, never did and they still don't. It's just the C&C crowd that wants you to think otherwise because they are in love with the idea of C&C - not reality.

I guess because most people play the game and finish it once, So the illusion of choice and consequences is not broken unless you replay the game while it is still fresh in your memory.
To be honest I prefer the illusion of C&C over not having it at all.

 

[Artyoan]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2856632741

Alright. Rip it apart and have at it. Start is level 1 or 2 and goes to 11 or 12. I initially wanted to just see what the dungeon maker could do and despite having a lot of issues with it, and a lot of things it badly needs, its worth messing with. I used probably 95% of everything in it, every location set is present, every placeable, ended up with a fair amount of dialogue, quests, some custom made items. It's all stream of consciousness as I went along, instead of planned out so the story should mostly make sense but no promises.

Combat is probably too easy after the first couple hours for a while, but I made more custom monsters with much higher to hit values that should have the ending segments at least provide some degree of thought. I'll be making more passes at combat tuning in the middle and probably more custom monsters so they don't have <10% chance to hit your most armored character all the time.

They badly need to allow for customization of monster spells, instead of just melee stuff. Seems like a lot of combos could be pretty potent if at least allowed for that.

 

[Yosharian]

How long is the campaign?

 

[Artyoan]

How long is the campaign?

If you're talking about mine, probably 15 hours at least. Screenshot is after my first full test so not entirely representative.

Main game and DLC were roughly 30ish each.

Spoiler

 

[Yosharian]

That's cool.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tacticaladventures/solasta-crown-of-the-magister/posts/3597473

Wishing Well Result - Monk, Bard & Warlock Community Archetypes​

Hiya folks!

We're here today with the results of the Wishing Well Event. Three community archetypes have been created and implemented for the upcoming DLC featuring the Monk, the Bard & the Warlock classes. What are they? Who are the lucky winners? You'll find everything below, bundled with a couple of other runner ups we really liked. We've also saved the VOD of the Wishing Well Community Stream if you missed it yesterday and wanted to watch it!

Summer heat is rough. On all of us. Hang in there lil' buddy.

Wishing Well Stream Archive​

Didn't manage to catch yesterday's stream? No worries, you can watch the session here. Witness my flawless mastery of the ancient tool named Powerpoint (which is part of the character background Computer Nerd in case you're wondering where I got the proficiency from) as I talk you throw the different themes that caught our attention before revealing the winners. If you prefer text, read on!

Wishing Well - And the Community Archetypes are...​

Before we get into the results, we just wanted to thank you all again for participating to the Wishing Well Event. We've received more than 1,000 submissions - with a lot of them being absolutely fantastic. For those who may not remember the Wishing Well Event rules, we picked up themes and features that we loved the most to put together a Bard, Warlock & Monk Archetype from all the great ideas you submitted.

Without further ado, here are the members of the community whose submission we took inspiration from: Tristan Townend, William Swedin, Silvers, ADHDTV, Christine Price, Nathaniel Wheatly, Vylantze, Scifive. If you are one of the winners, please reach out to us either through Discord (if you had your Discord Account info in the submission form) or by mail at contact@tactical-adventures.com with the following information: The name of the archetype you submitted, the name of the features and what those features did (as best as you can remember).

And before jumping into it, we want to give our warmest thanks to Li'Hild for providing us with fantastic and colorful artworks to illustrate our Community Archetypes and three of the runner-ups for each class. If you like her illustrations, make sure to follow her on Twitter or Instagram!

Bard Community Archetype - College of Heroism​

Bards from the College of Heroism aren't content with just telling the stories - they must be part of it. Their thundering voice ensures their allies are always at their best, and at their side even the most cowardly soldiers become stalewart combatants. Even at times most dire, the tale will not end with a Heroism Bard in your party.

College Features:

• Level 3: Bolster Morale - When an ally uses one of your Bardic Inspiration dice, they roll twice and pick the highest result.
• Level 3: Heroic Tale - Use an action to bolster an ally you can see within 30' (6 cells) for 1 minute. They gain advantage on all Saving Throws and immunity against Frighten & Fear effects. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Level 6: Thundering Voice - Whenever you grant a Bardic Inspiration to an ally, the closest enemy within 60' (12 cells) must make a WIS saving throw or take 1d8 + CHA mod. Thunder damage and have disadvantage on their next attack roll (half damage on save).
• Level 14: At Road's End - When an ally you can see within 60' (12 cells) is reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to make them fall to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
• Contributors: Tristan Townend, William Swedin, Silvers

Bards Runner-Ups

• Sound Theme: Examples include College of Roars, College of Mayhem, College of Dissonance & College of Screams. This theme mostly focused on nuking enemies with heavy Thunder damage and various conditions through its features.
• Debuff & Control Theme: Examples include College of Lethargy, College of Minds, College of Elegies & College of Discord. As the name implies, this theme mostly focused on controlling and debuffing enemies through its features.
• Battle & Martial Theme: Examples include College of War Chant, College of Savagery, College of Skalds & College of Dueling. This theme almost made it into the game as it was a very close vote between College of Dueling and College of Heroism. College of Dueling had a feature similar to Bladesingers, unlocking an Extra Attack and being able to use their Bardic Inspiration to temporarily increase their AC to make an instant riposte if the enemy missed their attack as a consequence.

Monk Community Archetype - Way of Light​

"Stay in the light, friend". Such as simple expression, yet most forget its origin. After the Cataclysm, many struggled to survive in the dark times that loomed over Solasta. The Way of Light appeared around that time, with its practioners helping to keep isolated settlements safe from the many creatures of the dark that lurked around.

Tradition Features:

• Level 3: Luminous Ki - You learn the Light & Shine cantrips. Whenever you hit a creature with one of the attacks granted by your Flurry of Blows, they automatically start emitting bright light until the end of your next turn.
• Level 6: Radiant Strikes - Any time you strike a target affected by Shine or Luminous Ki, you deal an additional 1d4 radiant damage.
• Level 11: Blinding Flash - As a bonus action, you can spend 2 Ki Points to generate a blinding burst of light. All creatures within 3 cells of you must roll a CON saving throw or take 3d6 radiant damage and become blinded until the end of your next turn (half damage on success).
• Contributors: ADHDTV

Monks Runner-Ups

• Artistry & Craftsmanship Theme: Examples include Way of the Pen, Way of the Dancer, Way of the Polished Glass & Way of the Herbalist. This was one of the most varied theme in terms of features, many of which were mostly suited for Tabletop and not Solasta due to how complex (though fascinating!) they were.
• Magic Theme: Examples include Way of Attunement, Way of the Sacred Talisman, Way of the Spellweaver & Way of the Magister. Most of the proposals revolved around turning the Monk into a half-caster, which although interesting made it very complex in terms of resources due to the Monk getting access to both Ki and spell slots.
• Meditation & Balance: Examples include Way of Balance, Way of the Perfect Strike, Way of Patience & Way of the Free Wind. Way of Balance made it pretty far internally, with a focus on shoving and getting bonuses against prone targets - but was deemed to situational against larger creatures that would be immune to shoves.

Warlock Community Archetype - The Timekeeper​

Timekeepers are strange and mysterious entities who exist beyond the fabric of time and space - and you've made a pact with one, allowing you to make small adjustments in endless flow of the river of time, as unnatural as it may sound.

Patron Features:

• Level 1: Curse of Time - Whenever you damage an opponent with a spell, they become afflicted with the Curse of Time. Enemies under the Curse of Time take half your proficiency bonus (rounded up) force damage at the start of their turn for the next minute.
• Level 6: Time Shift - After you take damage, you can use your reaction to revert time. You briefly disappear in a time rift and heal back the damage received. You are considered banished until the start of your next turn. After you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you complete a long rest.
• Level 10: Accelerate - You can use a bonus action to briefly accelerate an ally within 30 feet. They gain the effect of Haste until the start of your next turn; however they do not suffer from lethargy when Accelerate ends. You can use this feature a number of time equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.
• Level 14: Time Warp - On your turn, you can take one additional action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.
• Contributors: Christine Price, Nathaniel Wheatly, Vylantze, Scifive

Warlock Runner-Ups

• Darkness Theme: Examples include The Shadow, The Spectre, The Eclipse & The Nightmare. These Patrons often played with the Light & Dark system, drain health from enemies and inflict a lot of very annoying debuffs to deal with.
• Various Concepts: Examples include The Puppet, The Clockwork, The Archive, The Paradox. As Warlock Patrons are singular entities, most did not fit into singular themes like most archetypes for other classes would. There were plenty of very interesting ideas, but often very hard to implement because they were so unique.
• Ancient Heroes Theme: Examples include The Great Ancestor, The Fallen, The Heroic Soul, The Legend. Wake up Great Grampa it's time to go kick some ass! This theme also nearly made it into the game as it was very cool, making a pact with a powerful hero of yore (possibly your own family tree) who would oversee your growth as a hero - a nice balance to all the more sinister patrons from the official Warlock archetypes. With their Patron looking over their shoulder, their design allowed them to never be surprised, have a bonus in iniative rolls, be able to regain a Pact Magic spell slot once per long rest, use their reaction to remove most conditions several times per day and at higher level have 6th level instead of 5th level spell slots for their Pact Magic.

Alright folks, this is the end for today! As always thank you for reading, and check out our Forums and our Discord Server to chat with other players :D

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

So I finally got around to playing this. Excellent combat, fun dungeons with great vertical level design. Maps are pleasant to look at. No idea about the story cuz I had to fast-forward through Oblivion-quality dialogues and all NPC interactions, this shit was so bad it made my brain hurt.

Overall it's an impressive product for a debut game. If there's a sequel I do hope they go fully in a tactical-fantasy-X-com direction, instead of sitting on a fence and trying to be two things at once.

 

[Artyoan]

So I finally got around to playing this. Excellent combat, fun dungeons with great vertical level design. Maps are pleasant to look at. No idea about the story cuz I had to fast-forward through Oblivion-quality dialogues and all NPC interactions, this shit was so bad it made my brain hurt.

Overall it's an impressive product for a debut game. If there's a sequel I do hope they go fully in a tactical-fantasy-X-com direction, instead of sitting on a fence and trying to be two things at once.

The vertical design is its greatest strength but is almost completely absent in the dungeon maker portion. A lot of spells like fly and jump are missing most of their potential as a result. Easily my biggest complaint in the DM. Even the placeable pieces that add height elements, like a guard tower, don't allow for placement of loot or monsters on top of them. So a tower can be set but a skeleton archer has to be placed at its base so the AI can choose to climb it. If a monster is killed on top of certain towers, the loot doesn't spawn which could be potentially game breaking if it's a key.

 

[Grunker]

Yes, Solasta was a promising first game from a new developer, but there are a few obvious improvements that would enable the next game from Tactical Adventures to greatly surpass it:

• Larger party size, at minimum 6 PCs versus the current 4, to boost diversity of party composition and increase replayability
• Wilderness exploration, rather than merely selecting a destination on a map
• Proper dungeons with non-linearity and puzzles, rather than a mostly linear sequence of fights
• More logistics and other effects to improve exploration
• Decent cosmetic aspects in the character creator (cf. Dragon's Dogma) with vastly improved faces

Their next game would probably benefit mechanically from dropping any connection to the current version of D&D, although I suppose this benefits them commercially in terms of sales, so if they do stick with D&D/AD&D they would be better served by using the actual Dragonlance setting rather than ripping off certain aspects with the rest of the game-world being either vague or a mess.

I'd add actual encounter design and difficulty to the top of this list

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Yes, Solasta was a promising first game from a new developer, but there are a few obvious improvements that would enable the next game from Tactical Adventures to greatly surpass it:

• Larger party size, at minimum 6 PCs versus the current 4, to boost diversity of party composition and increase replayability
• Wilderness exploration, rather than merely selecting a destination on a map
• Proper dungeons with non-linearity and puzzles, rather than a mostly linear sequence of fights
• More logistics and other effects to improve exploration
• Decent cosmetic aspects in the character creator (cf. Dragon's Dogma) with vastly improved faces

Their next game would probably benefit mechanically from dropping any connection to the current version of D&D, although I suppose this benefits them commercially in terms of sales, so if they do stick with D&D/AD&D they would be better served by using the actual Dragonlance setting rather than ripping off certain aspects with the rest of the game-world being either vague or a mess.

I'd add actual encounter design and difficulty to the top of this list

Also needs more sword and sorcery than run of the mill fantasy, but what doesn't?