Hi everyone! This thread is a place to gather feedback for the game. I want to know what you all think of the game (once you get some experience playing/running it). Let me know what you like/dislike, what feels unfair, what you would want to see changed, what you find interesting, etc. Just remember that if it's feedback about specific bosses, things to buy from the shop, or anything like that to hide potential spoilers and mention in the non-spoiler part of the post what level this occurred at so people know whether they can read it without worrying about spoilers. Thanks!
So far there is not much to comment on (other then that it's very fun!) I just think maybe there should be three magic items instead of 5? 5 seems like too much to choose from and could mean you get something too powerful... Though I'm not sure. Thanks!
Yeah this is actually one of the main things I've been going back and forth on. I agree that 5 options seems like it might be overwhelming but I'm concerned that 3 options would make it too likely that nothing is actually useful to the party...
Would kind of like it if there was the option to return to previously cleared rooms and also the option to run away from fights if it proves that the encounter is going poorly. Being locked in a small square until reset feels a bit... off? The vast majority of Roguelikes that rely more on Dice rolls/RNG to determine things like if an attack hits or not generally Allow some form of backtracking. Examples include games like Dungeon Hack (An actual DnD Rougelike), DoomRL, FTL, Rouge (the original Rougelike that started it all). These games all allow a form of backtracking because without it, how far a run goes ultimately ends up in the hands of RNG with the player being able to do very little to influence the outcome. Modern Roguelike games that do lock the players in a room with no escape and don't allow much backtracking generally have Action RPG elements which makes it so whether an attack hits or misses depends on how well the player moves their character and aims their weapons, no RNG involved in that. This makes it so that a skilled enough player can get through the toughest enemies in the game with the worst weapons.Examples include stuff like Death Road to Canada. Since DnD very much relies on Dice I think having the capability backtrack to some extent (Maybe have a point after which backtracking to previous sections is no longer possible like boss rooms that section off parts of the dungeon) would suit this type of game.
P.S: Thought I'd add this too since my feedback became really long. I'm still enjoying the game so far. I just gave my two cents on one thing that felt off to me. The post got a bit rambly because I am fascinated by game balance and design. So yeah, this is just my opinion/suggestion/feedback.
What are your thoughts about surprise rounds? If I made a stealthy character and manage to sneak into the room unnoticed, I think it would make sense that I could, if the settings of the room make it possible, surprise my enemies. Beyond just gaining an extra turn, this is a major factor in the decision of subclass I'll have to make eventually, as Assassin rogues gain a lot from surprise rounds.
And if you feel it's broken, I see no reason why all monsters should just stand and wait for someone to attack them. Intelligent monsters might also try to hide to surprise those who enter their room. Other monsters might have other tactics, and so can the players.
What are your thoughts about surprise rounds? If I made a stealthy character and manage to sneak into the room unnoticed, I think it would make sense that I could, if the settings of the room make it possible, surprise my enemies. Beyond just gaining an extra turn, this is a major factor in the decision of subclass I'll have to make eventually, as Assassin rogues gain a lot from surprise rounds.
And if you feel it's broken, I see no reason why all monsters should just stand and wait for someone to attack them. Intelligent monsters might also try to hide to surprise those who enter their room. Other monsters might have other tactics, and so can the players.
@ZulkRS thanks for the well thought out feedback. The heavy RNG aspect of this is definitely one of my main concerns about this game. I do think however that this will be most present and most painful at early levels for two reasons.
1. Dnd comes down to luck more early on. Level 1 characters can die from 1 critical hit from basically any monster in the game and getting access to more spells and abilities make characters more resilient to bad luck.
2. There are mechanics later on (nobody has seen them yet so I don't know exactly how balanced they are) that I designed with the goal of allowing players to reduce RNG/more heavily weigh things in their favor.
For now, I'd rather wait and see how things feel after some advancement but I'll definitely keep the idea of allowing some sort of backtracking/in-run recovery in mind.
If you have not figured out the room rewards mechanics yet, please do not open this spoiler!
I am not sure that giving characters legendary items at level 1 is that balanced... Although maybe I am misjudging because we never actually got one... but theory-crafting wise, it gives whichever player is using the item a HUGE edge. Also it means that the rewards never scale up as we level (although I could be missing things)...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
What are your thoughts about surprise rounds? If I made a stealthy character and manage to sneak into the room unnoticed, I think it would make sense that I could, if the settings of the room make it possible, surprise my enemies. Beyond just gaining an extra turn, this is a major factor in the decision of subclass I'll have to make eventually, as Assassin rogues gain a lot from surprise rounds.
And if you feel it's broken, I see no reason why all monsters should just stand and wait for someone to attack them. Intelligent monsters might also try to hide to surprise those who enter their room. Other monsters might have other tactics, and so can the players.
Without spoiling too much, I think stealth and some other tactics will prove to be more viable once we get past level 1 rooms.
As far as subclass choice goes, I've just accepted that some classes/subclasses are going to be stronger for a game like this and some are going to be weaker. For example, something like a Knowledge Domain cleric which is more focused on skills and utility probably wouldn't be the best choice for this game. That's sort of an extreme example, but my point is that part of the game is figuring out what builds are the most optimized for the game and for the party and some subclasses might just not work as well here as they would in a real D&D game.
If you have not figured out the room rewards mechanics yet, please do not open this spoiler!
I am not sure that giving characters legendary items at level 1 is that balanced... Although maybe I am misjudging because we never actually got one... but theory-crafting wise, it gives whichever player is using the item a HUGE edge. Also it means that the rewards never scale up as we level (although I could be missing things)...
Yeah it might be broken, but it's also like a 5% chance of being offered plus locked behind a difficult encounter. Also at the end of the day, a level 1 character with a legendary sword still only has like 10 hit points. I'm excited to see how it will play out in game because my IRL group hasn't been able to get one yet.
If you have not figured out the room rewards mechanics yet, please do not open this spoiler!
I am not sure that giving characters legendary items at level 1 is that balanced... Although maybe I am misjudging because we never actually got one... but theory-crafting wise, it gives whichever player is using the item a HUGE edge. Also it means that the rewards never scale up as we level (although I could be missing things)...
Yeah it might be broken, but it's also like a 5% chance of being offered plus locked behind a difficult encounter. Also at the end of the day, a level 1 character with a legendary sword still only has like 10 hit points. I'm excited to see how it will play out in game because my IRL group hasn't been able to get one yet.
I mean our group has encountered it twice, and the group I am DMing got it on their very first choice, so maybe 5% is still too high... Although I get what you are saying about 10 HP...
BTW: How far is your IRL group (what level?)
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
What are your thoughts about surprise rounds? If I made a stealthy character and manage to sneak into the room unnoticed, I think it would make sense that I could, if the settings of the room make it possible, surprise my enemies. Beyond just gaining an extra turn, this is a major factor in the decision of subclass I'll have to make eventually, as Assassin rogues gain a lot from surprise rounds.
And if you feel it's broken, I see no reason why all monsters should just stand and wait for someone to attack them. Intelligent monsters might also try to hide to surprise those who enter their room. Other monsters might have other tactics, and so can the players.
Without spoiling too much, I think stealth and some other tactics will prove to be more viable once we get past level 1 rooms.
As far as subclass choice goes, I've just accepted that some classes/subclasses are going to be stronger for a game like this and some are going to be weaker. For example, something like a Knowledge Domain cleric which is more focused on skills and utility probably wouldn't be the best choice for this game. That's sort of an extreme example, but my point is that part of the game is figuring out what builds are the most optimized for the game and for the party and some subclasses might just not work as well here as they would in a real D&D game.
Sure, not all subclasses are balanced even in normal settings. What I meant is, can we expect surprise rounds in later stages or will it always be locked? Anyway, I see that past level 1 the rooms will change somehow so I guess I'll just wait and see. I'll ask again once we hit level 3 if I'm still unsure.
What are your thoughts about surprise rounds? If I made a stealthy character and manage to sneak into the room unnoticed, I think it would make sense that I could, if the settings of the room make it possible, surprise my enemies. Beyond just gaining an extra turn, this is a major factor in the decision of subclass I'll have to make eventually, as Assassin rogues gain a lot from surprise rounds.
And if you feel it's broken, I see no reason why all monsters should just stand and wait for someone to attack them. Intelligent monsters might also try to hide to surprise those who enter their room. Other monsters might have other tactics, and so can the players.
Without spoiling too much, I think stealth and some other tactics will prove to be more viable once we get past level 1 rooms.
As far as subclass choice goes, I've just accepted that some classes/subclasses are going to be stronger for a game like this and some are going to be weaker. For example, something like a Knowledge Domain cleric which is more focused on skills and utility probably wouldn't be the best choice for this game. That's sort of an extreme example, but my point is that part of the game is figuring out what builds are the most optimized for the game and for the party and some subclasses might just not work as well here as they would in a real D&D game.
Sure, not all subclasses are balanced even in normal settings. What I meant is, can we expect surprise rounds in later stages or will it always be locked? Anyway, I see that past level 1 the rooms will change somehow so I guess I'll just wait and see. I'll ask again once we hit level 3 if I'm still unsure.
Yeah I think we'll have to just wait and come back to this one. I will say that I don't currently see it as surprise rounds being "locked". It's just that if there's a creature waiting in a room and then the door to that room opens, they're probably going to see what's coming through so it would be tough to surprise them. But things could change in the future.
If you have not figured out the room rewards mechanics yet, please do not open this spoiler!
I am not sure that giving characters legendary items at level 1 is that balanced... Although maybe I am misjudging because we never actually got one... but theory-crafting wise, it gives whichever player is using the item a HUGE edge. Also it means that the rewards never scale up as we level (although I could be missing things)...
Yeah it might be broken, but it's also like a 5% chance of being offered plus locked behind a difficult encounter. Also at the end of the day, a level 1 character with a legendary sword still only has like 10 hit points. I'm excited to see how it will play out in game because my IRL group hasn't been able to get one yet.
I mean our group has encountered it twice, and the group I am DMing got it on their very first choice, so maybe 5% is still too high... Although I get what you are saying about 10 HP...
BTW: How far is your IRL group (what level?)
IRL group is level 2 but I think they'll stay ahead of everyone on here and will continue to be my first test subjects for everything.
I think our group is running into a bit of an issue. We're heavily martial-skewed, and after a few fights, we're really not finding rewards we're liking. They're strong, but not suitable for our characters.
I think we'd much prefer, rather than random +1 weapons right off the bat, just basic weapons tailored to each of our characters. After all, an archer really needs a bow (with ammo) to function properly. A dual-wielder needs a second finesse weapon. Etc. Honestly, one of the main reasons I went with a monk was just so I wouldn't need anything anyways, which is almost feeling like a cheat at this point.
That said (just so you don't only get negative feedback)--
I admit I'm enjoying this style of game! The combats are engaging, we seem to be going through our rooms at a reasonable clip (especially given our varied time zones,) and our DM is great at this. I'm really looking forward to moving on and seeing how things develop; the above issue is just a minor one I thought a quick suggestion might be able to address.
Hi everyone! This thread is a place to gather feedback for the game. I want to know what you all think of the game (once you get some experience playing/running it). Let me know what you like/dislike, what feels unfair, what you would want to see changed, what you find interesting, etc. Just remember that if it's feedback about specific bosses, things to buy from the shop, or anything like that to hide potential spoilers and mention in the non-spoiler part of the post what level this occurred at so people know whether they can read it without worrying about spoilers. Thanks!
So far there is not much to comment on (other then that it's very fun!) I just think maybe there should be three magic items instead of 5? 5 seems like too much to choose from and could mean you get something too powerful... Though I'm not sure. Thanks!
When players get creative.
Yeah this is actually one of the main things I've been going back and forth on. I agree that 5 options seems like it might be overwhelming but I'm concerned that 3 options would make it too likely that nothing is actually useful to the party...
True maybe 3 options, or if none are good they can choose a potion of healing? (common) Something like that?
When players get creative.
Or 3 options and maybe potion of healing(or just random magic potion)/pile of gold as the default selection if the magic items are not useful.
Probably potion of healing since it is common. Maybe they can choose a mundane weapon, but they choose which one?
When players get creative.
I actually do like having more options to choose from, but like people said above a potion of healing would be a nice stable reward for the pool
Would kind of like it if there was the option to return to previously cleared rooms and also the option to run away from fights if it proves that the encounter is going poorly. Being locked in a small square until reset feels a bit... off? The vast majority of Roguelikes that rely more on Dice rolls/RNG to determine things like if an attack hits or not generally Allow some form of backtracking. Examples include games like Dungeon Hack (An actual DnD Rougelike), DoomRL, FTL, Rouge (the original Rougelike that started it all). These games all allow a form of backtracking because without it, how far a run goes ultimately ends up in the hands of RNG with the player being able to do very little to influence the outcome. Modern Roguelike games that do lock the players in a room with no escape and don't allow much backtracking generally have Action RPG elements which makes it so whether an attack hits or misses depends on how well the player moves their character and aims their weapons, no RNG involved in that. This makes it so that a skilled enough player can get through the toughest enemies in the game with the worst weapons.Examples include stuff like Death Road to Canada. Since DnD very much relies on Dice I think having the capability backtrack to some extent (Maybe have a point after which backtracking to previous sections is no longer possible like boss rooms that section off parts of the dungeon) would suit this type of game.
P.S: Thought I'd add this too since my feedback became really long. I'm still enjoying the game so far. I just gave my two cents on one thing that felt off to me. The post got a bit rambly because I am fascinated by game balance and design. So yeah, this is just my opinion/suggestion/feedback.
Edited for clarity
Glad you are enjoying it, and nothing is perfect the first time it's played so we really appreciate the feedback!
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
What are your thoughts about surprise rounds? If I made a stealthy character and manage to sneak into the room unnoticed, I think it would make sense that I could, if the settings of the room make it possible, surprise my enemies. Beyond just gaining an extra turn, this is a major factor in the decision of subclass I'll have to make eventually, as Assassin rogues gain a lot from surprise rounds.
And if you feel it's broken, I see no reason why all monsters should just stand and wait for someone to attack them. Intelligent monsters might also try to hide to surprise those who enter their room. Other monsters might have other tactics, and so can the players.
Varielky
That would be cool
When players get creative.
@ZulkRS thanks for the well thought out feedback. The heavy RNG aspect of this is definitely one of my main concerns about this game. I do think however that this will be most present and most painful at early levels for two reasons.
1. Dnd comes down to luck more early on. Level 1 characters can die from 1 critical hit from basically any monster in the game and getting access to more spells and abilities make characters more resilient to bad luck.
2. There are mechanics later on (nobody has seen them yet so I don't know exactly how balanced they are) that I designed with the goal of allowing players to reduce RNG/more heavily weigh things in their favor.
For now, I'd rather wait and see how things feel after some advancement but I'll definitely keep the idea of allowing some sort of backtracking/in-run recovery in mind.
If you have not figured out the room rewards mechanics yet, please do not open this spoiler!
I am not sure that giving characters legendary items at level 1 is that balanced... Although maybe I am misjudging because we never actually got one... but theory-crafting wise, it gives whichever player is using the item a HUGE edge. Also it means that the rewards never scale up as we level (although I could be missing things)...
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Without spoiling too much, I think stealth and some other tactics will prove to be more viable once we get past level 1 rooms.
As far as subclass choice goes, I've just accepted that some classes/subclasses are going to be stronger for a game like this and some are going to be weaker. For example, something like a Knowledge Domain cleric which is more focused on skills and utility probably wouldn't be the best choice for this game. That's sort of an extreme example, but my point is that part of the game is figuring out what builds are the most optimized for the game and for the party and some subclasses might just not work as well here as they would in a real D&D game.
Yeah it might be broken, but it's also like a 5% chance of being offered plus locked behind a difficult encounter. Also at the end of the day, a level 1 character with a legendary sword still only has like 10 hit points. I'm excited to see how it will play out in game because my IRL group hasn't been able to get one yet.
I mean our group has encountered it twice, and the group I am DMing got it on their very first choice, so maybe 5% is still too high... Although I get what you are saying about 10 HP...
BTW: How far is your IRL group (what level?)
“The mark of a successful DM is when you have caused more player deaths with doors than dragons, demons, or devils.”
Sure, not all subclasses are balanced even in normal settings. What I meant is, can we expect surprise rounds in later stages or will it always be locked? Anyway, I see that past level 1 the rooms will change somehow so I guess I'll just wait and see. I'll ask again once we hit level 3 if I'm still unsure.
Varielky
Yeah I think we'll have to just wait and come back to this one. I will say that I don't currently see it as surprise rounds being "locked". It's just that if there's a creature waiting in a room and then the door to that room opens, they're probably going to see what's coming through so it would be tough to surprise them. But things could change in the future.
IRL group is level 2 but I think they'll stay ahead of everyone on here and will continue to be my first test subjects for everything.
I think our group is running into a bit of an issue. We're heavily martial-skewed, and after a few fights, we're really not finding rewards we're liking. They're strong, but not suitable for our characters.
I think we'd much prefer, rather than random +1 weapons right off the bat, just basic weapons tailored to each of our characters. After all, an archer really needs a bow (with ammo) to function properly. A dual-wielder needs a second finesse weapon. Etc. Honestly, one of the main reasons I went with a monk was just so I wouldn't need anything anyways, which is almost feeling like a cheat at this point.
That said (just so you don't only get negative feedback)--
I admit I'm enjoying this style of game! The combats are engaging, we seem to be going through our rooms at a reasonable clip (especially given our varied time zones,) and our DM is great at this. I'm really looking forward to moving on and seeing how things develop; the above issue is just a minor one I thought a quick suggestion might be able to address.
Sterling - V. Human Bard 3 (College of Art) - [Pic] - [Traits] - in Bards: Dragon Heist (w/ Mansion) - Jasper's [Pic] - Sterling's [Sigil]
Tooltips Post (2024 PHB updates) - incl. General Rules
>> New FOW threat & treasure tables: fow-advanced-threat-tables.pdf fow-advanced-treasure-table.pdf