ABSOLUTION: Make a haven, then defend it from an angel of raw unreality
over 4 years ago
– Thu, Sep 19, 2019 at 10:07:37 PM
We're pleased to announce that you've unlocked Absolution, the first adventure stretch goal!
Throughout our playtests we've done two types of games in general: one where we send players off into the unknown to discover horrible things, and one where horrible things come to them. Drowned (the Quickstart adventure) is the first type: Absolution will be the second type.
At the core of the adventure is a system for building your own haven with your group - asking questions and filling out details until you're left with an exciting place that you want to explore. Then, because this is Heart, an Angel announces its terrible approach and the players must scramble to defend the sanctuary that they just created.
Depending on how much time you've got to spare, you'll hopefully be able to run Absolution as a one-shot or a series of linked games - just put the Angel further away at the start. We've had great fun seeing what groups come up with in playtest: fractal casinos infested with nihilists, library-sepulchres where each book is also a ghost, and a temple built on the ruins of dozens of previous temples compacted down into a sort of sacred mulch.
We've also found that including it as part of the core gameplay discourages exploration, as groups are keen to stay put and tell stories in the haven they've built - and Heart is a game about getting out there and dying gloriously. So the opportunity to include it as an adventure is really exciting, and lets us treat it as a different style of play without weakening the core gameplay.
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Things are slowing down a little bit now after an astonishing first day, which is to be expected. Next up on the list of stretch goals is an audio commentary from Grant and Chris - if you're interested in seeing how the sausage is made then this'll be right up your alley.
- Chris, Grant and Mary