mcdm

Early September Patreon Q&A Livestream

Added 2024-09-02 16:00:05 +0000 UTC

It's time for another live Draw Steel Q&A with Dael Kingsmill and senior game designers Willy and Djordi! The stream will start at 4pm Pacific US Time on Thursday, September 5th! We'll post the link here on Patreon when we go live. It is for MDCM Plus Patrons only.

This Q&A is going to be focused on making monsters, classes, and character advancement up to 10th level. If you want a little pre-Q&A discussion with other Patrons, come hang out in the Discord.

Post your burning questions about the monsters, classes, and character advancement. Dael is going to go through them and summarize for me. We'll also take questions live!

See you Thursday (or on the VOD after)!

-James

Comments

If you check the rules, you'll actually find that the Memonek still have this trait! It's just phrased as "you get pushed 2 more squares" instead of having negative stability, which are effectively the same thing.

WaywardWasp

2024-09-06 20:52:23 +0000 UTC

What was the reasoning for preventing stability from becoming negative? Was it particularly game breaking? Matt Colville even emphasized to the stream his excitement about his Memonek Null character being moved extra distance by forced movement in his character creation twitch stream recently. In my opinion I think that trait was really fun, reinforced the character fantasy of playing a memonek and even led to more interesting tactical decisions where aoe forced movement would more drastically separate the PCs which I found interesting. The negative stability even had some interesting synergy with other PC abilities that could create forced movement on other PCs which felt like such a cool combo. Please revert the change and allow negative stability.

John

2024-09-05 22:58:50 +0000 UTC

4pm PST friend, not EST!

WaywardWasp

2024-09-05 20:24:07 +0000 UTC

where is the stream?

Orion ar

2024-09-05 20:19:25 +0000 UTC

Draw Steel shows some undeniable appreciation for DnD's 4th edition, which received a fair bit of criticism - deserved or not. One of the most salient was that classes felt kinda samey; everyone had their daily, their encounter power, their standard actions, etc. With class progression and Heroic Resources becoming more standardized, is there any focus on keeping the mechanical feel of the classes distinct?

Robert Lane

2024-09-05 18:59:42 +0000 UTC

In the December 2023 packet there was a whole section on the character sheet for Victory Benefits, but in the most recent playtests the only ability that gets directly stronger with Victories is the Draconian Guard benefit of the Dragon Knight. Can you talk about why Victories aren't used to empower more abilities like this, or why this specific one still has that mechanic?

Sunbear Games

2024-09-05 18:26:21 +0000 UTC

Characters are already fairly complex at level one. How do you plan to balance complexity with increased power and options at higher levels?

Celeborn

2024-09-05 14:47:55 +0000 UTC

In regards to the idea of upgrading abilities can you go into more detail would automatically get [signature attack] mark 2 at level 5 if I picked it at level one or would it be the options at level 5 are upgraded versions of the level on and I can pick the other option.

The Yaki

2024-09-05 13:58:29 +0000 UTC

What do solo creatures look like with all of the monster updates? Do they still get two turns and have two actions each turn?

p1aying_mantis

2024-09-05 11:41:42 +0000 UTC

Is there any guidance on how monster EV's are calculated? I'm looking at creating monster stat blocks for a conversion of Reavers of Harkenwold and plan to look at Angulotl's from Flee Mortals, but I'd need to workout the encounter math as well so would love to hear how that system works at the moment

Patrick Boyle

2024-09-05 07:04:03 +0000 UTC

There are so many classes/subclasses that I'm excited for that are being saved for a second Hero book (Beastheart, Operator, more elements for Elementalist, Summoner). Any idea how long it would be after the release of the core books before we could get our hands on these awesome classes that won't be included in the core rules?

Callahan Johnson

2024-09-05 02:25:14 +0000 UTC

Hi MCDM. Loving the game, excited to see more. In recent stream Matt mentioned abilities gained at higher levels will replace lower level abilities. How many abilities does the team think PCs will have at any given level/tier? Does this clash with the fantasy of spellcasters having access to more spells as they learn more? Any other insight you can provide regarding leveling and abilities?

Damian Spurling

2024-09-05 01:50:22 +0000 UTC

Hi MCDM. Loving this game! Matt said in recent? stream that as you advance in levels, new abilities will replace older abilities. How many abilities does the team think a character will have at each tier/level? Does this approach also clash with the fantasy of spellcasters having access to multiple spells and is this on the radar? Great work can't wait to sink more teeth into the game

Damian Spurling

2024-09-05 01:46:15 +0000 UTC

I realize now thanks to Djordi and Matt chatter in the discord I shouldn't be asking about "quantity" of abilities at 10th level more the "scope" ... How exactly does one ride lightning? Exciting stuff!

Matthew Dollar

2024-09-04 20:47:55 +0000 UTC

In a previous post there was mention made to animal stats abstracted to a series of traits to pick from (Hi Willy, loved that post!). If animal companions were to be implemented in the initial hero book instead of a later supplement featuring the beast heart (fingers crossed), how do you see those concepts interacting?

Ben Milne

2024-09-04 14:11:54 +0000 UTC

Hi MCDM team! Very excited for the full release and loving the playtest content so far. My question was about the Elementalist, and if you guys were still planning on having a “metal” element, or if that got scrapped? Also, any thoughts on making ability/power cards?

Simzak

2024-09-04 12:03:02 +0000 UTC

As the beast heart is not in the base classes, will there be an option for those who's specific fantasy involves an animal companion? Asking as a director for a player.

McKenzie Byrne

2024-09-04 11:16:43 +0000 UTC

Balancing encounters by level and victories seems likely to create a difficulty treadmill. In 5e I would balance encounters by tier of play. Since you anyway group levels into tiers, have you considered balancing for that?

Sl0th

2024-09-04 05:41:22 +0000 UTC

With a encounter maths based around how many victories the heroes have, will there be rules for adjusting encounters on the fly. Say if your heroes have got more victories (or less) than expected before an encounter?

Roman Penna

2024-09-04 02:17:54 +0000 UTC

You and I must have heard different things in that video. My read was that Matt has not said that he thinks long adventures are bad for the game, but something more along the lines that having big book adventures being the DEFAULT assumed adventure is bad for the game. That those shouldnt be the MAIN adventure product, but one option. Im fairly certain he explicitly states in that video that he doesnt think theyre flat out bad. My question is more assuming theyd already gotten to put out a book like Where Evil Lives, and they were decided on doing a big book adventure, what would each designer want to do as the first?

Caleb Plehn

2024-09-04 00:18:35 +0000 UTC

But maybe they'd do an anthology of adventures in one setting? In that case, I do want to hear the answer to your question.

Ernge

2024-09-03 23:41:28 +0000 UTC

Matt has made a video called "How Long Should an Adventure Be?" in which he explains why he thinks adventures that take more than around 3 sessions to complete are bad for the game.

Ernge

2024-09-03 23:39:53 +0000 UTC

How do you know if a class or monster ability is too powerful to go into the game? Can you tell as soon as you’ve written it down or does it need testing?

lone-rev

2024-09-03 22:28:45 +0000 UTC

How does the mechanics of this system work with a pre-made campaign setting (i.e. Midgard by Kobold Press) and their deities and setting specific themes? Would the process of matching draw steel domains and piety be a straightforward 1:1, or are there multiple steps involved?

Michael L

2024-09-03 21:46:50 +0000 UTC

How have you seen encounter balancing interacting with parties coming back after a respite? I can imagine needing to rebalance slightly using the formulae that include victories, and I can imagine adjusting nothing to maximize the impact of player choice.

Zachary Yoder

2024-09-03 20:25:47 +0000 UTC

Each character class feels very different and unique, how does that contribute to monster design (or encounter design), especially at higher levels?

Drew Nelson

2024-09-03 19:57:25 +0000 UTC

okay so with character progression, whats the balance between set features determined by your subclass/specialisation and heroic abilities you choose from? how does the team ride the line between providing ample variety for players while not overwhelming them with the sheer amount of options?

Ben Milne

2024-09-03 14:25:39 +0000 UTC

What kind of enemy squads do you see tenth level heroes fighting? Have you made any new types of monsters to fill out gaps between levels, compared to the spread of monster squads in Flee, Mortals?

Bestest Fin

2024-09-03 13:39:23 +0000 UTC

Will there be a system or set of guidelines for director-created monsters? I've spent some time recreating Flee Mortals Kobolds in Draw Steel, but how do you go about calculating EV for example? Is there a formula or is it more a case of saying 'we want an EV9 monster' and jigging it around until it feels right?

Jake

2024-09-03 10:43:50 +0000 UTC

Do you think being so transparent has been a positive or negative overall. Specifically, since the playtest packets lack any presentation work, do you think people might bounce off the game who would have been better served by playing on release?

Ben Ward

2024-09-03 10:42:12 +0000 UTC

The game seems Really interesting and quite complex in the first few levels. How do you plan on scaling it up at higher levels? Just damage increase seems boring. Longer range push and pulls can create big distorsions. Heavier effects can make a player skip entire turns and be unfun.

MShin

2024-09-03 09:18:28 +0000 UTC

What is the approach to balancing giving players more dope abilities as they level up with not having pages and pages to sift through at Level 10?

Josh Rodell

2024-09-03 08:11:17 +0000 UTC

How much do you think the rules are going to change from now to the finished product? Meaning, do you imagine or expect changes to excisting mechanics or is it just number balancing and adding content from now on?

alon yairi

2024-09-03 07:32:48 +0000 UTC

How specific of a fantasy do you want each kit to cover? For example, the Raider kit is clearly styled as a viking-type warrior, but it fit the Greek hero character I was making quite nicely. Would you want to specifically make something like a Hoplite kit, or leave players playing more niche archetypes to find the right kit for them?

David Dillon

2024-09-03 04:06:52 +0000 UTC

We had talked previously about getting Titles that confer abilities. How is that coming along?

Gogo M

2024-09-03 02:45:22 +0000 UTC

When it comes to creating a type of class for Draw Steel, do you tend to design it from a "this is a cool vibe/theme" or "this would be a cool set of abilities" starting point?

GriffinMuffin

2024-09-03 02:32:24 +0000 UTC

As you add new classes and levels, do you foresee adding any new mechanics to the combat system (ie., effects, actions, resources) or do you think that it's pretty close to maturity in terms of it's basic parts?

Sam Watson

2024-09-03 02:10:13 +0000 UTC

I believe James + Matt discussed a "scene" system that might help directors budget out how to build an adventure. Has that been brought up in development at all in discussing the director experience?

gebellum

2024-09-03 01:50:49 +0000 UTC

Will the Beast Heart be a secondary book add-on or part of the initial Hero book?

Markeith Parker

2024-09-03 01:42:06 +0000 UTC

Are there plans for Noble House/Guild-specific treasures (potentially accompanied by small adventures) within Capital?

Markeith Parker

2024-09-03 01:40:32 +0000 UTC

As heroes advance, will signature & low resource abilities eventually fall off? Or will these abilities scale through things like treasures and still be useful in tiers 3 and 4?

Markstellar

2024-09-02 23:26:58 +0000 UTC

there are a lot of decisions to make at first level when building a character, will this continue as we level up or is the path pretty fixed?

Richard McGain

2024-09-02 23:10:20 +0000 UTC

What are the current plans for Magic Items that will give similar bonuses to Kits (ie more stamina, more damage etc)?

Cat Nuggetz

2024-09-02 22:13:20 +0000 UTC

I know it has been mentioned in passing previously and will clearly not be core when the game releases. but have you guys had any thoughts about prestige classes and is this something you consider when designing these classes if you intend to implement them in the future

Troy Walsh

2024-09-02 21:48:47 +0000 UTC

How are you balancing making meaningful advancement without risking feature bloat?

Caleb Fasnacht

2024-09-02 20:33:56 +0000 UTC

Matt has declared the best class to be the censor in his last stream. If you were forced to choose, what do you consider the best class?

Orion Delwaterman

2024-09-02 20:29:47 +0000 UTC

Are both single target attacks and "AoE" equally effective at clearing a squad of minions? It felt a little odd during the playtest to encourage players not to use their AoE abilities (so I just ended up letting their multi hit attacks hit each available target)

NAcomingthrough

2024-09-02 19:44:58 +0000 UTC

If you alone had to decide on the theme and villain for the first big-book adventure published for MCDM (ignoring any plans the team already has), who would be the villain, and what would the heroes be trying to do?

Caleb Plehn

2024-09-02 19:41:06 +0000 UTC

How is the development of psionic kits going? Are they going to be lumped in and/or work similarly to caster kits, or is there a going to be a mechanical difference in how they work?

WaywardWasp

2024-09-02 19:17:49 +0000 UTC

Is there any concern that since a Censor’s abilities all have the magic tag but not all of them have the weapon tag that it’ll incentivize them to not take martial kits?

Tamara

2024-09-02 19:05:35 +0000 UTC

I’d love to know more about the four as of yet unreleased classes, especially talent, how is clarity going in testing?

Tamara

2024-09-02 19:03:50 +0000 UTC

As much as I adore every part of the game that's coming in the first release, I am especially interested in the classes you've teased for potential future books. Can we get any sneak peaks of how those classes and their heroic resources might work, particularly the acolyte, alchemist, or summoner?

WaywardWasp

2024-09-02 19:00:55 +0000 UTC

There are a lot of cool abilities in this game, but I worry about my players facing choice paralysis, especially with the low-cost Heroic Abilities if they don't get the opportunity to pick more later. Will there ever be a way to have more than one 3-cost ability at a time? More generally, how many Heroic Abilities will high-level heroes have?

Sunbear Games

2024-09-02 18:56:08 +0000 UTC

It's not unusual for max level in a ttrpg to be a thing you look at and go "oh that's cool", but never actually get there, or you stop the campaign shortly after hitting it. What thoughts do you have about the role of Draw Steel capstone abilities and the amount of play that may occur or be supported at max level? Do you have ideas about what some 10th level abilities might look like?

JPR

2024-09-02 17:59:47 +0000 UTC

As bonuses to power rolls increase, are there concerns about the balance of 2/2/2 vs 0/0/4? depending on how much the flat bonuses to attack power rolls go up as we level, would we get into the scenario where T3 results are so common that 2/2/2 starts to feel like its consistently outpaced by 0/0/4?

Cat Nuggetz

2024-09-02 17:50:33 +0000 UTC

How do magic items factor in to signature and resource draining actions? Do you expect them to at first level (of gear) always (or most of the time) provide a new action for the player to use?

Gus Galarnyk

2024-09-02 17:47:58 +0000 UTC

What is the target number of Signature Actions for a given character and how quickly do you imagine a character will collect those?

Gus Galarnyk

2024-09-02 17:46:30 +0000 UTC

What has been your favorite class to work on and what challenges have you overcome while designing it?

Jacob Schoch

2024-09-02 17:08:08 +0000 UTC

When can we get some Skellingtons? I want to run a Delian Tomb!

GubDM

2024-09-02 17:06:27 +0000 UTC

What are your guys' thoughts on the new minion design where they pool hit points into squads? How has the feedback been?

Callahan Johnson

2024-09-02 16:50:35 +0000 UTC

What was the most unexpected feedback you got from the survey? Also, was there a case where "no one else is talking about this, but this one person is making a good point?"

Subharup Roy

2024-09-02 16:39:11 +0000 UTC

James mentioned that a significant part of damage scaling may come, in part, from magic weapon bonuses at higher levels. In doing so, how will the game retain damage variability (both from the Power Roll on a single ability and between different abilities) as characters advance?

Mentalic

2024-09-02 16:37:22 +0000 UTC

My favorite powers from 4e are the ones that give my teammates a free attack, a healing surge, or extra dmg. Is there a focus in Draw Steel on inter-party abilities? Mechanics that make me feel like a team?

Eugene Cheney

2024-09-02 16:33:35 +0000 UTC

For future levels and abilities are there going to be more conditions added to the game? Sorry for the comparison, disintegrate me if need be, but conditions like being Blinded, Deafened, Charmed, Poisoned, On Fire, Stunned, or various other effects that are in other classic Fantasy RPG stuff are not present. Are there plans for adding these as abilities become more numerous, different, and powerful?

Hayden Kelley

2024-09-02 16:33:03 +0000 UTC

Hey there team , I've been focused on the shadow and feeling like the Harlequin is not great to me. I've noticed unlike it's siblings, it's level 1 features are reliant on there being a 2nd enemy close by along side the enemy targeting the Harlequin. it feels very off compared to the other two, which are seemingly all about more directed actions that only require the shadow and/or the enemy they're targeting/being targeted by. Can you run me through how the Harlequin as it exist came to be? and if there's anything the feedback so far has indicated that may change it?

That black guy

2024-09-02 16:29:02 +0000 UTC

Will kits scale with characters, or is kit improvement only possible with treasures?

Jacob Montague

2024-09-02 16:28:02 +0000 UTC

Is the priority to get the level 10 advancements completed for these classes or to create the remaining classes first?

Matt Wallis

2024-09-02 16:21:47 +0000 UTC

By tenth level is there an expected average number of abilities a character will have?

Matthew Dollar

2024-09-02 16:21:06 +0000 UTC

Monsters in Draw Steel are wonderfully simple to run, each having it's specialization. As the heroes get stronger, it would seem antithetical to MCDM design principles for monsters to just hit harder or push farther. Are there any higher tier abilities that some antagonists will have that you can tease for us? What's a challenge we'll see as level five heroes that we won't see at level 1?

Michael LaRowe

2024-09-02 16:19:32 +0000 UTC

As you advance up to level 10, how many subclass features are you getting throughout advancement?

JBR

2024-09-02 16:13:32 +0000 UTC

Do you start from 3rd and work up, or 10th and work down?

Tom Flynn

2024-09-02 16:12:46 +0000 UTC

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Early September Patreon Q&A Livestream

Comments

If you check the rules, you'll actually find that the Memonek still have this trait! It's just phrased as "you get pushed 2 more squares" instead of having negative stability, which are effectively the same thing.

4pm PST friend, not EST!

where is the stream?

Characters are already fairly complex at level one. How do you plan to balance complexity with increased power and options at higher levels?

In regards to the idea of upgrading abilities can you go into more detail would automatically get [signature attack] mark 2 at level 5 if I picked it at level one or would it be the options at level 5 are upgraded versions of the level on and I can pick the other option.

What do solo creatures look like with all of the monster updates? Do they still get two turns and have two actions each turn?

I realize now thanks to Djordi and Matt chatter in the discord I shouldn't be asking about "quantity" of abilities at 10th level more the "scope" ... How exactly does one *ride lightning?* Exciting stuff!

Hi MCDM team! Very excited for the full release and loving the playtest content so far. My question was about the Elementalist, and if you guys were still planning on having a “metal” element, or if that got scrapped? Also, any thoughts on making ability/power cards?

As the beast heart is not in the base classes, will there be an option for those who's specific fantasy involves an animal companion? Asking as a director for a player.

Balancing encounters by level and victories seems likely to create a difficulty treadmill. In 5e I would balance encounters by tier of play. Since you anyway group levels into tiers, have you considered balancing for that?

With a encounter maths based around how many victories the heroes have, will there be rules for adjusting encounters on the fly. Say if your heroes have got more victories (or less) than expected before an encounter?

But maybe they'd do an anthology of adventures in one setting? In that case, I do want to hear the answer to your question.

Matt has made a video called "How Long Should an Adventure Be?" in which he explains why he thinks adventures that take more than around 3 sessions to complete are bad for the game.

How do you know if a class or monster ability is too powerful to go into the game? Can you tell as soon as you’ve written it down or does it need testing?

How does the mechanics of this system work with a pre-made campaign setting (i.e. Midgard by Kobold Press) and their deities and setting specific themes? Would the process of matching draw steel domains and piety be a straightforward 1:1, or are there multiple steps involved?

How have you seen encounter balancing interacting with parties coming back after a respite? I can imagine needing to rebalance slightly using the formulae that include victories, and I can imagine adjusting nothing to maximize the impact of player choice.

Each character class feels very different and unique, how does that contribute to monster design (or encounter design), especially at higher levels?

okay so with character progression, whats the balance between set features determined by your subclass/specialisation and heroic abilities you choose from? how does the team ride the line between providing ample variety for players while not overwhelming them with the sheer amount of options?

What kind of enemy squads do you see tenth level heroes fighting? Have you made any new types of monsters to fill out gaps between levels, compared to the spread of monster squads in Flee, Mortals?

Do you think being so transparent has been a positive or negative overall. Specifically, since the playtest packets lack any presentation work, do you think people might bounce off the game who would have been better served by playing on release?

The game seems Really interesting and quite complex in the first few levels. How do you plan on scaling it up at higher levels? Just damage increase seems boring. Longer range push and pulls can create big distorsions. Heavier effects can make a player skip entire turns and be unfun.

What is the approach to balancing giving players more dope abilities as they level up with not having pages and pages to sift through at Level 10?

How much do you think the rules are going to change from now to the finished product? Meaning, do you imagine or expect changes to excisting mechanics or is it just number balancing and adding content from now on?

We had talked previously about getting Titles that confer abilities. How is that coming along?

When it comes to creating a type of class for Draw Steel, do you tend to design it from a "this is a cool vibe/theme" or "this would be a cool set of abilities" starting point?

As you add new classes and levels, do you foresee adding any new mechanics to the combat system (ie., effects, actions, resources) or do you think that it's pretty close to maturity in terms of it's basic parts?

I believe James + Matt discussed a "scene" system that might help directors budget out how to build an adventure. Has that been brought up in development at all in discussing the director experience?

Will the Beast Heart be a secondary book add-on or part of the initial Hero book?

Are there plans for Noble House/Guild-specific treasures (potentially accompanied by small adventures) within Capital?

As heroes advance, will signature & low resource abilities eventually fall off? Or will these abilities scale through things like treasures and still be useful in tiers 3 and 4?

there are a lot of decisions to make at first level when building a character, will this continue as we level up or is the path pretty fixed?

What are the current plans for Magic Items that will give similar bonuses to Kits (ie more stamina, more damage etc)?

I know it has been mentioned in passing previously and will clearly not be core when the game releases. but have you guys had any thoughts about prestige classes and is this something you consider when designing these classes if you intend to implement them in the future

How are you balancing making meaningful advancement without risking feature bloat?

Matt has declared the best class to be the censor in his last stream. If you were forced to choose, what do you consider the best class?

Are both single target attacks and "AoE" equally effective at clearing a squad of minions? It felt a little odd during the playtest to encourage players *not* to use their AoE abilities (so I just ended up letting their multi hit attacks hit each available target)

If you alone had to decide on the theme and villain for the first big-book adventure published for MCDM (ignoring any plans the team already has), who would be the villain, and what would the heroes be trying to do?

How is the development of psionic kits going? Are they going to be lumped in and/or work similarly to caster kits, or is there a going to be a mechanical difference in how they work?

Is there any concern that since a Censor’s abilities all have the magic tag but not all of them have the weapon tag that it’ll incentivize them to not take martial kits?

I’d love to know more about the four as of yet unreleased classes, especially talent, how is clarity going in testing?

As much as I adore every part of the game that's coming in the first release, I am especially interested in the classes you've teased for potential future books. Can we get any sneak peaks of how those classes and their heroic resources might work, particularly the acolyte, alchemist, or summoner?

How do magic items factor in to signature and resource draining actions? Do you expect them to at first level (of gear) always (or most of the time) provide a new action for the player to use?

What is the target number of Signature Actions for a given character and how quickly do you imagine a character will collect those?

What has been your favorite class to work on and what challenges have you overcome while designing it?

When can we get some Skellingtons? I want to run a Delian Tomb!

What are your guys' thoughts on the new minion design where they pool hit points into squads? How has the feedback been?

What was the most unexpected feedback you got from the survey? Also, was there a case where "no one else is talking about this, but this one person is making a good point?"

James mentioned that a significant part of damage scaling may come, in part, from magic weapon bonuses at higher levels. In doing so, how will the game retain damage variability (both from the Power Roll on a single ability and between different abilities) as characters advance?

My favorite powers from 4e are the ones that give my teammates a free attack, a healing surge, or extra dmg. Is there a focus in Draw Steel on inter-party abilities? Mechanics that make me feel like a team?

Will kits scale with characters, or is kit improvement only possible with treasures?

Is the priority to get the level 10 advancements completed for these classes or to create the remaining classes first?

By tenth level is there an expected average number of abilities a character will have?

As you advance up to level 10, how many subclass features are you getting throughout advancement?

Do you start from 3rd and work up, or 10th and work down?

More Creators

I realize now thanks to Djordi and Matt chatter in the discord I shouldn't be asking about "quantity" of abilities at 10th level more the "scope" ... How exactly does one ride lightning? Exciting stuff!

Are both single target attacks and "AoE" equally effective at clearing a squad of minions? It felt a little odd during the playtest to encourage players not to use their AoE abilities (so I just ended up letting their multi hit attacks hit each available target)