Les deux dernières grosses updates…
Update #57 - September: Calendar tracking, optimizing the boxes, covers and more
New month and new update full of news.
- (Production) Following-up on our roadmap. Optimizing the boxes.
- (Components) You can now read and comment on the exploration phase rulebook.
- (Components) Covers and the Crossovers.
- (Other) Esuprunaman’s corner (IX).
- (Gameplay) Personal missions and Jubei’s Wrath.
1. Following-up on our roadmap. Optimizing the boxes.
We begin with our follow-up of the roadmap we presented to you last month.
We determined the final component count, so that Dust could manufacture the “white sample” that will allow us to figure out how to distribute all the components in the boxes. Unfortunately, the information exchanges for the creation of the « white sample » is not complete, and therefore we do not yet have photographs for you. We have received confirmation that this delay will have no impact on the planned schedule.
Here’s what happened: The game content is much greater than the original estimate, and the number of pages in the campaign books has almost tripled. (And that means more of Harakiri for all of us.) We have had to work intensively with DUST to make the game boxes as efficient as possible, in order to keep the increase in the volume of the boxes as small as possible. Even so, the volume of the Act I and II boxes will increase by 20% over the previous forecast.
We are assuming the increase in shipping costs due to the increased volume. You don’t have to worry about paying extra for this!
These larger boxes have room for all the contents of the Fear and Hope expansion, which was originally intended to go inside its own box (which at the time was expected to go inside another box (yes, the truth is that the previous plan for this expansion was quite weird)).
We want to make clear that the expansion content is NOT reduced. EVERYTHING that was planned for the « Fear and Hope » box is still included. Simply put, the content will be directly in the inserts.
We have changed how we apportion the components of Acts I and II between the two boxes. All the miniatures will be in one of them, together with the dice and tokens. The rest of the components will be in the other. This allows us to optimize space while maintaining our commitment that the inserts will have enough room to hold the sleeved cards and the newly added storage trays.
We have finalized the interior designs of the boxes, so we can show you the 3D designs of the various inserts:
DOWNLOAD ACT 1 AND ACT 2 BOX INSERTS
2. You can now read and comment on the exploration phase rulebook.
We would like to thank you for the feedback we have been receiving on the adventure phase rules. We are very pleased by your positive feedback and your suggestions. We have applied your feedback to the adventure phase rules and have re-uploaded them.
This month, we include the link to the rules for the exploration phase. We will also be happy to receive your feedback at feedback@synergicgames.com
3. Covers and crossovers.
While reorganizing the boxes, we made some changes to the front and back covers. Here is the final layout:
Cover Act 1
Back cover Act 1
Cover Act 2
Back cover Act 2
Since our game will not be sold at retail in stores, we do not have the usual requirements for detailed information on the back covers. We thus have more freedom than usual to show artwork on the back covers, and we hope you will enjoy the final layouts.
And of course, you haven’t seen the covers of the campaign books for Act I and II yet… so here they are in all their splendor:
Act 1 campaign book cover by Mich
Act 2 campaign book cover by Mich
Since we are including art samples, what better time to show you the final designs of the crossovers, that we have named as « Wanderers ». The Wanderers include the results of collaborations that we announced during the campaign, characters that can be allies or enemies depending on decisions you will make during play. Here they are:
Hiroshi, click on the image to enlarge
Landolfo, click on the image to enlarge
Nobuyuki, click on the image to enlarge
Nyx, click on the image to enlarge
Sedrik, click on the image to enlarge
Human form Sedrik, click on the image to enlarge
4. Esuprunaman’s corner (IX).
Hello again, let’s go with the ninth installment of this section. As always, your doubts and suggestions are welcome
I hope you like them!
In this case it is Daimyo and Jubei.
Following the box art, on Daimyo’s horse there is a free hand on the head, as if it were carrying a skull.
Daimyo, painted by Esuprunaman
Daimyo, painted by Esuprunaman
Colors:
For the horse’s brown coat I have tried mixing the Kimera colors with the new ones from Vallejo’s Game Color range:
Game Color: Kimera Red Ochre, Kimera Yellow Oxide, Vallejo Dark Flesh and Vallejo Scrofulous Brown.
Tip: Kimera colors are very good but very dense and complicated to use. To dilute them I have used some Scale75 acrylic thinner and it works very well.
For Jubei’s clothing:
Vallejo Black, AK Bronze Green, Vallejo Golden Flesh, Vallejo White Skull.
Jubei, painted by Esuprunaman
Inspirations:
Finally, I recommend you to visit his Instagram @kanaev1978, to see how he paints miniatures as if they were real works of art.
I hope you liked it and I remind you that you can follow my Harakiri miniatures in: https://www.instagram.com/esuprunaman
See you next update
5. Personal missions and Jubei’s wrath.
We hope you already know this: we feel that the connection between you, the players, and the characters you will embody during the Harakiri games is extremely important.
During Act I, each of the characters will have their own personal mission book, detailing their unique goals, and their reasons for joining the fight against the Dark Shogun and his followers. The personal missions detailed in each book will be integrated into the main campaign. The decisions each character makes for their own reasons can significantly affect both Act I and Act II.
Here is the artwork for Tomoe’s book.
Cover of Tomoe’s personal book
Inside Tomoe’s personal book
Jubei’s Curse is another expansion that we hope you will enjoy. Its story is especially created to be played with a single character. While we are keeping much of its story and content under wraps, we have already mentioned one unique mechanic for Jubei: Rage mode.
Replacing the kami abilities that Act I and II characters have, Jubei will have (initially one, and possibly more as the campaign progresses) a « rage mode » card that will be placed on the affinity meter that is used with the Act I and II kami. These cards work differently from the affinities with the kami. Instead of granting skills that can be used once during an exploration phase, these cards can be used multiple times by spending rage points that Jubei will obtain in combat.
With three additional skills for each anger mode, Jubei will have more tools than any other character to deal with the dangers he encounters.
How are these skills used?
It’s straightforward. When Jubei defeats an enemy by attacking with the Focus die, he will add a point of anger to his meter. If the Focus attack obtains a critical success, He will get 2 points instead of 1. (As in the main game, Focus attacks allow Jubei to cause more damage and reduce the armor of enemies, in exchange for the greater risk of missing the attack, or even being the victim of a counterattack).
Each of the rage skills has a different cost, and it will be up to you to manage Jubei’s anger to use them masterfully and defeat the numerous enemies that he will face.
This mechanic enhances the use of the Focus die while allowing the gameplay for a single character to be deeper than for any other character in the rest of the game. Plus, there’s a special bonus to winning Jubei’s Curse: a reveal about Jubei and the Shōgun that will definitely surprise you.
Below, we show you one of the rage cards:
Jubei Rage Card, art by Mich.
And with this, we say goodbye until the next update, in which we hope to keep you informed of the production process.
Update #58 - The white sample is here, but also boxes full of colors as well
It’s a new month, and a new update loaded with news.
- (Production). We have pictures of the white sample… do you want to see them?
- (Calendar). More information about the current project status.
- (Components). We continue revealing boxes. Today: the design of the Jubei’s Curse boxes.
- (Gameplay). (Gameplay). Learn whom you will battle in Wrath of the Gods.
- Esuprunaman’s Corner (IX).
1. (Production). We have pictures of the white sample… do you want to see them?
During the month of October, we received the white sample, which is a formal manufacturing test of all the components that will be included in each of the boxes, but without the corresponding printing. We are reviewing and rectifying some details, but the important thing is that it is another step forward, allowing us to start sending files to the factory for printing. Here you go:
CORE MINIATURE BOX:
CORE BOX PRINTING:
JUBEI´S CURSE:
WRATH OF THE GODS:
Beware that the plastic cover for the Wrath of the Gods expansion is missing
2. (Calendar). More information about the current project status
The team continues to work tirelessly, completing files to send to the factory. The editing process continues, and we are also using these last minutes for testing. Fun fact: the majority of play testing has been conducted remotely, from the beginning, using the « TableTop Simulator » program (thanks to its creators for this wonderful tool). Recently, we thought about adding up the hours that different members of the creation and testing team have spent with this application, and the total sum is close to 2,200 hours!
3. (Components). We continue revealing boxes. Today: Jubei’s Curse
In the previous update, we showed you the designs of several boxes, but not all of them. We must admit that we are so happy with how they turned out, we didn’t want to show them all at once :). Today we’re displaying the final designs for the Jubei’s Curse boxes, and we say boxes because not only we are showing you the design for the expansion, but also the design for the secret boxes included inside.
Top of Jubei’s Curse box, art by Mich
Back of Jubei’s Curse box, art by Mich
The expansions hold secrets that will only be revealed when you play them. But the designs of the boxes (see above) in Jubei’s Curse are complete, and we want to show them off. In total, there are 3 secret boxes and one envelope. They will contain dozens of components that will keep you in suspense throughout the campaign. PLEASE resist the urge to open them when they arrive.
Secret boxes number 1 and 3, art by Mich
Secret boxes number 2, art by Mich
4. (Gameplay). Learn whom you will battle in Wrath of the Gods
As you may know, in the Wrath of the Gods expansion, you will immerse yourself in elements and characters from ancient Chinese culture, controlling four new characters and facing the four sacred beasts.
In a previous update, we showed you how the new system created specifically for this expansion, « Chain Battle, » works. Now, we want to show you one of the artificial intelligence boards, so you can get some idea of one of the enemies you will face. Here’s Suzaku, the Sacred Phoenix, sometimes known as the Vermillion Bird.
Suzaku, click on the image to enlarge
Let’s go over some of its abilities.
First, you can see that sacred beasts have a wide range of passive abilities, making them very powerful opponents from the start of the battle. They begin with a selection of abilities typical of the most dangerous enemies: activating first in initiative, immunity to negative statuses, and in Suzaku’s case, flying movement. And from there, the nightmare unfolds.
The first listed ability is its « celestial skill ». Each beast has an effect that triggers when their special gauge (which accumulates with their activations) reaches 3. In Suzaku’s case, it’s straight to the point: Direct damage to all enemies within a range of 2. Staying close is risky.
Next, we have another common element among several sacred beasts: the « destructive path » ability. While the general rule for regular enemies is to move as little as possible once they’ve chosen a target, several sacred beasts behave differently. They will move through as many enemies as possible and will also end up in squares occupied near the maximum number of them. When they do this (crossing through or ending up near them), they will mercilessly damage their enemies. With a flying movement of 5 squares per activation, Suzaku will wreak havoc on groups that decide to stay close to each other.
« Fire pillar, » its next ability, which deals damage to enemies next to it, further reinforces the danger of staying close.
So why not stay far away and prepare for a more deliberate battle with ranged attacks and the group separated?
The answer is « Igneous Wings. » With this ability, Suzaku plays not once on its AI card (like the rest of the sacred beasts) in each activation, but twice. Thus it accumulates bonuses to its activations twice as fast as the other beasts. If the battle drags on, its power will become so immense that it will be unbeatable.
And what happens if, against all odds, you manage to defeat it? Because, you know, it’s a phoenix, right? Well, the first time Suzaku bites the dust, it will rise from its ashes and launch a zone attack that affects almost the entire area.
And let’s not forget « inner fire, » a way to mark its enemies that will gradually reduce their armor, activation by activation. Suzaku delivers a true nightmare of fire and destruction.
And we haven’t even talked about its direct attacks, which combine attacks at very long ranges (up to 8 squares) with multiple armor reduction effects, focusing on ending the battle as quickly as possible.
Oh, and this is the less powerful version of Suzaku. Do you feel up to the challenge of facing it again?
5. Esuprunaman’s Corner (IX)
Hello again, let’s go with the ninth installment of this section. As always, your doubts and suggestions are welcome
In this case it’s the Tsurube Otoshi’s turn.
I followed the boxart and added a little side lighting effect:
Tsurube Otoshi, painted by esuprunaman
Colors:
For the big head: Vallejo Model Color Burnt red, Vallejo Model Color Sunny skin tone, Scale Color Artist Intense yellow and white.
For the rider: Vallejo Model Color Burnt Red, Vallejo Game Color Scarlet Blood, Vallejo Game Color Orange Fire, Scale color Artist Intense yellow and white.
Inspirations:
As Banshee says in his book « A colorfull Mind » (book I recommend you), it is important to imagine our character in a situation. I imagined a demon controlling another one and surfing on lava. For this reason I created a different base with Milliput and textured it with Gloss Gel from Liquitex:
Modified Tsurube Otoshi, painted by esuprunaman
I hope you liked it and I remind you that you can follow my Harakiri miniatures at:
https://www.instagram.com/esuprunaman
See you next update
Finally from the Synergic Games team we want to congratulate esuprunaman for his bronze medal in general fantasy category achieved in the Soldat de Plom 2023 painting contest (Girona).
Honor to you all!
.
