Build delayed to the weekend

TL:DR
Thanksgiving messed things up  and the build will go out on Saturday or Sunday.  I’m getting more writing help.  Items are coming.

Long Version
There was a miscommunication between my wife and I about when we were leaving for Thanksgiving.  I thought it was on Wednesday night, meaning I would have plenty of time to do the build on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Well, we left Tuesday right after work.  So, no time to do a build as I quickly rush to get things ready to leave.

The build will go out on Saturday or Sunday when I get home.  On the plus side, traveling means lots of writing time, so the build after this one will have lots of content.

Speaking of writing, I’ve started commissioning writing help.  I had about 12 possible events for the Downturn celebration planned.  At the rate I can write those, that would take 3 months to complete.  Not acceptable!  So now I’ve got someone to help write.  Their first work will be in the weekend build.

In the meantime, I’ve been working on one of the last of 2 features missing from Unyielding.  Items!  I’ve always imagined the Troubleshooters as crafty people who use mechanical advantage and artifice to their benefit.  Soon, that will be a thing in the game.

Items are not going to work like most games items.  Before some battles, when the Shooters have time to prepare, like Explore Misty Cove, but not The Setback, the game will ask you if you’d like to set up your equipment.  The team going into combat will have access to one copy of every item they’ve unlocked.  Every character can hold 1 item.

Items themselves are very different from each other.  The javelin is a thrown bonus action item.  When it hits someone, if they die, an adjacent hero gets the javelin.  If it hits and doesn’t kill them, it impales them.  When the impaled creature dies, an adjacent hero gets a javelin.  If it misses, or the enemy isn’t adjacent to someone, it’s gone for the rest of adventure or set of maps.

Another example is the medkit.  It’s usable as an action once per adventure, and heals 1d6 + 4 hp, but also makes the target make 3 constitution saves.  For each save they pass, they heal an additional 2 hp.

Items introduce powerful and fun mechanics.  They are a way to make a character stronger at their job, or fill in a missing part of their kit (IE Fhan has almost no way to use a bonus action).  They also unlock some interesting stuff for the Downturn adventure.  When/if the team picks up Mack, that can be a moment that refills used items and allows them to be switched.

This is a pretty big power creep.  The characters now easily smash all the content of Downturn.  I don’t plan to rebalance it, but the stuff that comes after it will be harder.

Lastly, the 2nd anniversary of the project is creeping up.  There is a cool art piece on the way for that.  You can watch it get drawn here.  It contains a big ol spoiler for the upcoming story that will go with the piece.  https://www.twitch.tv/videos/513235918  TwigglyBits is also the UI artist responsible for the new lovely UI.