1.7 is a Big Deal
Also available on Patreon. Join the discussion and follow me there
I usually dont' post about "minor" upgrades to my games (with "my games" being FSD, since the others are either not published or not in development), but this recent release of FSD really had a huge amount of small changes, and some not-so-small ones.
It's the Same Game
Just to make things clear: none of the core rules of the game changed. In fact, almost no rule properly changed, but over the last 6 months in particular there's been a huge influx of new players to the community, and with them tons of questions, recurring misunderstandings and so forth.
All great opportunities to clarify stuff, or to write down something that wasn't spelled out loud before. So - for someone this might seem like the rules changed, but in reality they just crystallized what was before kind-of-implied.
New Format
It's no secret that I've got plans to publish the game in a hardback format with Modiphius. It's been in the works for two years, but several priorities made it shift forward quite a bit. That's a good thing: the book is getting more improvements, more content, and new images too!
Moreover, the book has been re-organized for a digest format (13.97 cm x 21.59 cm , or 5.5 x 8.5 inches), which makes it easier to handle, and increases the pages number.
This is... not optimal for printing it at home (it's simply more pages), but working on multiple formats wile the living rulebook is still actively worked on was absolutely unsustainable.
So: for now this is the new size (which is the same of Swarm Mode), and we'll see what happens after the Modiphius release!
Changelog
Finally, here's the full changelog. Note that many single-lines in there took an enormous amount of effort. Entire paragraphs have been rewritten multiple times.
1.6->1.7
--> NEW COVER!!!
--> Changed the book format to a digest-sized book. This is due to publishing requirements, and also because it's cute.
- Reworded the "movement" paragraph to clarify that units can move through friendly units.
- Tiled Terrain reworded, added several paragraph to cover relevant cases.
- added better stories for the scenarios (when needed).
- Added "Reactions" to the "Core Concepts" introductory chapter. Making clear that you need to spend one AD to react.
- Clarified Controlling and Contesting objectives, behaving like a prepared action (in the Controlling and Contesting paragraph of the Scenarios chapter).
- Tighter formal structure for scenarios, more coherent between them. Scenarios with 12x8 DU tables don't need the size of the table specified. Also removed the "Objective:" wording from the paragraphs.
- Scenario Goliath is now 80 points per side
- Scenario Clash of Titans has now clearer army composition, and modifiers (like the other symmetric scenarios) and a new scenario objective
- Behemoths chapter moved BEFORE the Terrain chapter
- Changed the infamous Area of Control paragraph. Now units have more freedom of movement when in area of control.
- Reorganized "The Game Round" chapter. Paragraphs are now in a (hopefully) more readable order
- Reworded the "Unpin" paragraph, added "Interacting with Objectives" and "Performing special actions" paragraphs in the "The Game Round" chapter.
- Clarified in "Triggering Reactions" that reactions cost one AD on top of any cost on the card
- Added "Tokens" paragraph in the introduction
- Indirect Fire now properly increasing target defense.
- Reworded Behemoth Introduction, added "A Different Gameplay" paragraph.
- Behemoth Split "Core, Systems and Attachments" into three paragraphs.
- Minor rewords on all the paragraphs of the Behemoths chapter.
- Land Battleship example image fixed to align with the "no reaction for attachments" rule clarification.
- Clarified Area X weapon attacks have cover effects from the center of the blast.
- Added the "Occupable buildings" terrain chapter, splitting the "Strongpoints"
- Added a Preparing your Table section for terrain, composed of three new paragraphs and a Nota Bene.
- Corsairs lore extended
- Expanded the Reclaimed lore in the "eccentric cores" paragraph.
- Conglomerate lore extended
- Renamed "Tiled Terrain" to "Tiled Battlefields"
- Extended "Co-op decision making" and "player conflict" paragraphs.
- Added "Table Size" in the scenarios chapter.
- Reworded the "Valuable Technology" and the "Towers Deploy" paragraph in the Until the Last Bit scenario to use the correct term "extract".
- Specified the speed of the Scientist in the evacuation scenario
- Added a "Destroy the Fortress" condition in the Sleeping Fortress scenario
- Mainframe defense changed from 2D10 to D10(2) in the Into Enemy Territory scenario
- Removed mentions to Damage Profile (it's only Damage Chart)
- Clarified "Movement across Terrain", in particular the behaviour of Broken terrain.
- "Terrain Areas" now better handles what happens with affected units.
- Fixed a few mentions to Def instead of Save
- Added the "Lost when Firing" paragraph in the Behemoths section.
- Cleaned up references to "unspent ADs" since they are simply called "Ready"
- Clarified that triggering reactions are mandatory.
- Added a "Nota Bene: Line of Sight and Cover" in the terrain chapter.
- Changed "Initiative": The player who wins the roll decides who has the initiative. The player who has the initiative acts first and deploys first.
- Reworded "Area X" rule, with both cover and LoS calculated from the origin of the explosion.
- Extended the Arc of Fire paragraph.
- Added a faction rule to the Detached Railguns
- Updated manual images with cards with the new 1.7 cards (see below)
- CARDS CHANGES:
- Changed FONT and S1-S4 looks on all the cards. Nothing that requires a reprint.
- (RECLAIMED) Cyclops/Cyclopes instead of Cyclop/Cyclops. I liked the previos term but it was too close to not sound like a typo.
- (HIVE) Hive collective added the + symbols on collective cards 3,4,5, when there were two AD slots present. the action requires BOTH.
- (TECH) Add TRACKED to Solon and Gorgias
- Removed weapons with range 0-X (unified all with range X if there is no minimum range)
- (RECLAIMED) Removed movement from Reclaimed warden, since unnecessary.
- (RECLAIMED) Clarified that IMPs can save a hit only once per hit.
- (RECLAIMED) Clarified that IFRIT shoot only once per action.
- (CORSAIRS) Clarified Netcaster Rocket 3 targets rule (and added the x3 keyword). Individual rocket now deals 4D8 AP1
- (CORSAIRS) Corsairs Walrus sidestep clarified
- (RECLAIMED) Centaurs (both Gunslinger and Flamer) damage profile weakened a bit, and weapon cost increased.
- (UNION) Improvised Barrier reworded: two segments barrier, and counts as traversable and Obscuring.
- (UNION) Mobile Fortress now with D8(5) Save, and a slightly weaker damage profile.
- renamed load-unload as load or unload for transport units
- (ENLISTED) Gunner walker gun is now 3d6 1-2 DU AP1
- (ENLISTED) Self-Propelled Artillery now require 2 dice to shoot, and cannot react -> ability Inert.
- (CORSAIRS) Narwhal Scout Damage now affecting S1
So... Have a good read. :3
Jack