Rules Revision November 25, 2022 14:28
Hey Everyone!
Some of you got a sneak peek at Gen Con, and know this one is coming. We have a rules revision closing in on completion here, so I wanted to talk a little bit about some of the core changes and what they mean, as well as providing a convenient place to update them as we incorporate some of your feedback in the final stages. The buttons at the bottom of this post will have updated files as any last changes are made, so you can always find the latest version (2.0F) here!
So here we have it, the revised rules for Arena Rex. These are not locked in stone (or at least print) yet, but we feel pretty good about where they are at and wanted to share them with all of you who have waited patiently for some time. Many of the changes to the core rules were previewed at Gen Con earlier this year, so if you have read through that document, you shouldn't be too heaviy surprised by what you see. Some of it is small cleanup of rough edges that have formed over the years, but there are a couple of key changes.
First, the Arena Features (formerly terrain) section has gotten a bit more love. It's still meant to be very open and flexible, but with a little more guidance for things that are "out of the box." While writing scenarios for events, I often found that I was doing some serious gymnastics around the simple nature of Hazards, adding a bunch of exceptions and specifics for interactions that really weren't meant to adhere to that structure. With the new revision, Hazards are explicitly an object, something like a model or wall that has a physical presence. They are now joined by Zones -- abstract areas on the board for scenarios, or things that won't necessarily stop a model moving across or through them. Previously, Duel Zones were doing a lot of heavy lifting as the closest approximation, but now it should be much easier to make ridiculous scenarios.
Secondly, the Ludus Benefits have been changed up a bit. One of the trickiest questions to answer properly when getting new players into the game has always been "So are there factions?" The old 75% rule worked pretty well once you got your head around it, but it took a bit of explanation, especially with beasts as exceptions and the like. Now, taking more models from a given ludus gets you more benefits from that Ludus, which is much more straightforward. You can also still mix and match, potentially blending the abilities from different factions a little more easily, instead of just having to pick one as your primary. Hopefully this will lead to even more list flexibility, and a lot more fun combos before even getting to the table.
Thirdly, Staged models are even more flexible now, since you can take any stage on its own, or combine them. Unity abilities mirror the Ludus Benefits in philosophy, giving a bonus for including all stages of the model, and individual stages have gotten a bit of a re-work to make them both viable and interesting on their own, not just as part of a whole.
Lastly, we also have the revised Model Cards ready to share for the first time. I wanted to make sure everyone knew what was coming before making any holiday gift decisions. These are a little fresher in the ink than the core rules -- not every model will see changes, and some changes are bigger than others. These should, however, give you a strong idea of where we have seen opportunities for adjustment and growth for existing models.
It's been a while coming, but we hope you enjoy the updates, and please give us any feedback through the form below:
Revised:
2.0a -> 2.0b:
- Hroka no longer twice as triumphant as other models.
- Larger defenders moved from Caveat to Main Text.
- Pushed Mounts and Riders layout fix.
2.0b->2.0c:
- Hroka now properly protective.
- Noxius no longer borrowing Aemilia's statline.
- Wendigo Haunt no longer ghosting a word.
- Turn Structure intro restructured.
- Titan resistance NB clarified, a few vitality and damage tree boxes inline corrected.
2.0c->2.0d:
- Layout & mechanical fix to Staged models (vitality wording now in line with vitality track section, defeat now possible).
- Clarified Counterattack effect.
- Aggressive Hazards now trigger immediately after action resolves.
- Updated attack negotiation caveat.
- Removed "Living Hazard" language from Titans.
- Added clarifying language to Chord
- Frigge damage tree visual layer issue fixed.
- Taunt now reliant on targeting to prevent strange interactions.
- Valor wording updated for clarity of resolution.
2.0d->2.0F
- Mounting and dismounting now more flexible -- can happen during activations as well as clear turns now.
- Zones generally do not affect mounted riders to prevent doubling up.
- Titan push resistance damage is now applied simultaneously with attack damage.
- Tactics verbiage adjusted in many cases to use iconography
- Spending vs Paying favor clarified, adjusted in some cases.
- Tweaked wording of Power Attack for clarity.
- A load of copyedits and layout tweaks
- Added bookmarks to the PDFs
- Version went right to F for Final -- print versions available soon!
Thanks everyone for the great feedback and suggestions!