![]() ![]() ![]() The initial crafting system would work in video game that tracks all of the information for you, but in tabletop someone has to physically do the labour. We however wanted to make it as simple as possible for players to engage with. Encumbrance is often ignored in tabletop roleplaying games, we felt it was important to include in Salvage Union due to the core aesthetic of playing as salvagers hauling scrap across the wastelands. However, as the game expanded to include over 150 Systems and Modules, and 30 Mech Chassis, across six tech levels of play, inventory management became difficult. This version can be found in the 1.0 Salvage Union Quickstart. These parts could also be obtained by breaking down the 30mm Autocannon and other items found in the game world, with some parts being rarer to find than others and needed to build more powerful things. The initial salvaging and crafting system required players to craft specific Systems and Modules from parts they found in play, based on crafting recipes we called 'blueprints.' For example, to craft a 30mm Autocannon System, you needed to use scrap metals, wiring loom, and a simple mechanism. Progression in the game revolves around finding scrap in the wastelands and using it to craft these various components. In Salvage Union, Mechs are built using a Chassis as the core, Systems as external hardware (such as weapons or rigging arms), and Modules as internal parts (like comms or coolant devices). This blog explores the challenges myself, Panayiotis Lines and Aled Lawlor, in developing a salvaging and crafting system for Salvage Union that met these design goals. In Salvage Union, we wanted to intertwine this customisation with the role of salvagers scouring the wasteland for scrap. One key aspect that makes mech games appealing is the ability to customise your own unique mech, fine-tuning its various options to your tastes. Our core design goal with Salvage Union was to create a simple-to-learn mech tabletop role-playing game, which retained the essence of the genre while vastly simplifying its mechanics and learning curve. ![]()
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