Saga Machine Unified: Playtest Report

Posted by beholdsa on Sept. 15, 2023, 4:45 p.m.

It's been a month and a half since the release of the Summer Playtest Packet and our internal playests are well underway. This is also the halfway point of its playtesting, and we're just beginning to gear up to work on the upcoming Fall Playtest. Here's what we can tell you so far:

• We expect to release the Fall Playtest Packet in early November. It will include character traits, rules for encumbrance, equipment properties and additional GMing options. It will likely not include restricted skils, such as fighting styles and paranormal abilities; those will be included in the playtest packet that follows.
• Expect some tweaks to the way ambitions are handled, as well as to the way face cards are handled when using card-based action resolution. We also plan to tweak the group effort rules, some of the default stats for skills and include a new GM option for quest ambitions.
• We are still undecided about the new Health and Wound consequence rules, as introduced in the Summer Playtest Packet. Any additional feedback fans could give us regarding the new rules would be appreciated.
• It's clear to us that high-tech weapon options, such as automatic fire and overwatch, need better rules support. This is one of the primary reasons equipment properties are being expedited for inclusion in the fall playtest.
• In an ideal world we will also include a worked campaign example for demonstrating how to use origins and paths in the next playtest, but that may get pushed back due to time constraints. The fall is a busy time for us, with a Patreon release at the end of October and a three-pack booster of Age of Ambition supplements being kickstarted in November.
• Meanwhile, Foundry VTT support for Saga Machine Unified continues to improve. Tracking of fast and slow turns has recently been added, and improved handling of Defense, damage and consequences due to failed actions is due soon.

That's all for now. We look forward to your continued feedback!