CORE SPACE! ... Needs a select few of you :oD
about 6 years ago
– Tue, Sep 11, 2018 at 02:34:08 AM
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Well, the final parts of Core Space are falling into place and what a cracking time it is watching the last pieces of the puzzle come together. Rules are nicely arranged, minis are finalised, missions are working like a charm, tooling has started and everything from packaging box design to the final character boards are finished.
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So lets just give you some updates on some of these cool things so you can see what we've been up to and the results of the hard work that's now coming to fruition.
Rulebook
When we started we said straight from the start that the rulebook will get some special attention. So many games with great ideas and cool minis fall short on the rules, which really let down the quality. We did not want to fall foul of this and have spent nearly 12 weeks just making sure that the rules will support not only the Core Space base game, but also all the extra minis we provided... and then any new minis that we bring out over the coming years.
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A normal tabletop game that plays fast like Core Space will have a 40 - 60 page soft book, but we wanted a nice 80-100 page supportive set of rules. Well, we now have a 160 page hardback rulebook that covers both the core rules and the advanced rules.
Don't worry, we've not waffled on and overspilled, leaving you 160 pages of mess. This is a concise book with coherent tight explanations (not like my updates :o) It's even got things like the character generation rules in there and how to play Core Space with a GM. (We're discussing adding a further 16 pages just to annoy your postman :) - Wayne)
Just get your peepers on the contents page :)
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Basically we took the same approach with the rules that we take with our terrain. We just kept developing them and making sure everything was perfect, it's still exactly the same cool game mechanics but with all the edges polished and thematic feel increased for a truly grounded universe. We think you'll like it.
Now we do still have one more thing we need to do with it... put it into the hands of a few people that are already familiar with the Core Space game. A select few that know the basics from the game play videos and who have been following and planning their games... who could this be?... well it could be you :)
If you would like to get your grabbers on the rules now and give us feedback then drop us an email at [email protected]
Remember, these are beta rules that are teetering on alpha - you can push them over the edge!
Miniatures
You've seen lots of cool pictures of the characters and miniatures but there are still some cool bits and bobs to show you.
First off the extra Purge poses. Core Space is all about the unique sculpts, every Trader, Civilian, Ganger, Galactic Corps are totally unique in sculpt, however the Purge did have a few repeats... well now we have updated them, just because we wanted it all to be perfect. Here are the 5 different Harveys and 2 Devastators. Obviously the Assassin and Live One are singles so already unique...
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... and while we are here, some other cool minis just in case you missed any over the previous updates...
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Character boards
We are all now accustomed to the character boards with their adjustable stats and upgraded armour slots and civilian reverse sides... how about the Annihilator and Gatherers... how do they work?
The Annihilator and Gatherers were going to have standard character boards just like the Harvesters, Devastators, Assassin and Live One board. I'm sure that would have been just fine, however 'just fine' is not what Core Space is about... so...
Annihilator
Anni is a Rank 6 NPC, so it activates before any other Purge in their phase... don't be in LOS of it unless you've made peace with the galaxy... it's a Massive Class 2 so it's hard to knock back.
It can be upgraded in some missions with abilities like Scramble (for multilevel set ups) and Target Lock (shoot into close combat at any range and pick a target or ignore partial cover), plus other skills. These skills can be slotted into its character card (just like the armour tokens on the trader boards), making it adaptive to various missions.
You can also leave its slot empty so it can pick up items too. With an armour of 3 it's as powerful as a Live One, but once you beat this, it does not go down... not yet. You push out its Full Power stats and replace them with the Damaged ones... then the Failing ones after that... careful though, when it's failing it has a Close Assault attack of 5 dice... that's the same as a ballistic grenade... one hell of a punch! :)
Finally, if you do manage to take the Annihilator down (and I have once or twice with an experienced crew and some trader's luck) then you can grab the Purge Eye token from it. Take it back and sell it for some probably much needed supplies in the Trading Phase :)
Gatherers (Mother and Spiders)
The Gatherers are Rank 5 so activate second only to the Annihilator. The mother is also Massive Class 2 so good luck trying to boot her down the stairs :) Like the Annihilator she's also got an armour of 3 so she's tough, but she does not have any extra stats to slot in, once beaten she's dead... however when her spiders are not engaged in combat they will scutter to her side and swarm around her. Any hits she takes will be intercepted by her spiders so you better thin them out first... oh, and she can create more ;)
As for those spiders, taking them down is easier than the Mother and when dead their remains can be picked up and sold later, just be careful though as they might explode, flip the dead spider token to see how powerful the explosion is... Maybe you think you should just run the other way... of course the spiders have 3 actions so you better think again.
Assuming at some point in the many missions you will play that you take the Mother down she will drop two tokens, a Purge Eye and an Energy Sack, take both of these and sell them or trade them in (plus some UA's) to create Mother's Venom. It's a very large weapon that takes up nearly all your equipment tray but packs a powerful punch. 5 dice in both short and medium range... even 3 at long, but shoot true, it can only be reloaded between missions :)
Both the Anni and Gatherers can and will be brought in by event cards or by using the reverse side of the hostility tracker card insert...
... It's a nice place the Core Space galaxy :DDD
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Shipboards
The shipboards have been upgraded a few times. You might be aware that they now have a Ship's Hold allowing you to have extra space to store equipment tokens that you might not want to use now or simply want to sell at the right time.
We also now have ship upgrades. Once your ship is fully repaired in all of its systems, you can spend money adding useful upgrades. Upgrades have 3 levels, each one giving a more advanced or powerful version of its previous benefits.
- Scanners allows you to check cargo crate contents to help your crews with salvage and objectives. With its powerful sensors it can even let you know when and where Purge will spawn at its highest upgrade level.
- Auto defences gives you some protection when you need it most by adding range attacked weapons to your airlock. Its always a race back to your ship with Purge or rival traders on your heels... treat them to a little surprise in the form of up to 4 combat dice right where it hurts :)
- Thrusters give you the ability to move your ship from its current docking location to others around the game board... very useful when you are trapped and it looks like there is now hope of getting out alive let alone grabbing the objective (I've been there before), just call the ship around for a lift :oD
All of these rules are in the rulebook but also the removable Hold section of the board has basic reminders of the upgrades and their effects for easy reference in game.
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If that was not enough we've added a reverse side to the ship board. This gives a nice airlock floor texture to match the game board mat and also it has the upgrades marked so you can see what level (if any) you have and activate them as needed.
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Other cool things
We've actually been adding so many extra cool things just because we can. Small upgrades we felt were not completely needed, but certainly nice to have to add that final x-factor.
- Counters for marking searched rooms are now textured to match the game map, have their own search specific icon and thicker so they are easier to pick up and place. All counters are upgraded so we have positive, negative markers and activation markers too that can be flipped if your character is defeated to mark that they need assistance.
- Civilians are more active and their AI is smarter as they avoid threats of the Purge and similar.
- As mentioned above we've added ranks, allowing quicker play section of NPC's, but also future proofing for new rules coming over the years. Maybe a new skill in the future will affect civilians, but only those of a particular rank.
- Trading phase now has specific stores to visit depending on what type of equipment you want to buy, so choose wisely :)
- Tech Class and Machine characters can now repair items in the Core Space galaxy, we even have new equipment like the Repair Kit to boost those skills.
Plus lots of other cool game upgrades that make Core Space play in a thematically advanced and balanced way.
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Game testing
As much fun as we are having making this game the best it can be, I have to say my favourite part is the game testing. We are always testing Core Space, constantly, since way before the Kickstarter.
Right now we are currently half way through the core rulebook campaign. One of our regular game testers, our very own Drewbacca from the comments, and I are slowly advancing our crews and are on mission 6 of the 9 mission campaign. We've been doing very well and just as we were getting the feeling we would end up finishing the campaign with the best equipment and ships in the galaxy, we got our arses handed to us on a plate in mission 5... It was brutal, our captains made it out but we both lost valuable crew, too many, and it just goes to show that even the most experienced players can come a cropper in the harsh environment of the Barrens...
...As the creators of Core Space we feel it's our job to warn you to help keep your crews alive... we will not succeed... not with all of you :)
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Project Fulfilment
The time line for the project is running late now, but rest assured its for all the right reasons. We don't have exact dates, but we will very soon as the manufactures give us the final timelines for the various components. Over the last 5 years and 4 successfully fulfilled projects, we've always managed to hit out deadlines, something not many Kickstarter creators can say, not even the big boys.
Core Space was the ultimate test though and November was our estimated date. As soon as we know the amended dates we will let you know, hopefully not too far off the mark. I must say we could have made the dates if we made some compromises to the final rules and components, but for the sake of a little longer of a wait you will be very happy with the result.
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What's next
Well its the fun part now, because we start to get production samples and show you the behind the scenes stuff as it all comes together. This will make some nice updates and always finishes with the obligatory unboxing video... can't wait to show you final box with the minis in trays and the extra space for packing terrain and additional minis etc.
So until the next update, keep chatting in the comments and...
Happy Gaming...
Colin & Wayne :)
