One of the largest changes I made to Rift after the first round of criticisms was to "simplify" the game by making many of the elements more modular. I defined core elements and optional elements.
For instance, the Champions are core to the game. The Lieutenant and his Guardians along with the Battalion are core. Strategies and Attributes are core. The lanes are core.
However, other elements like the number of lanes are not necessarily core elements. The game could technically play out across any number of lanes, so why not open it up to that possibility? The item shop (now Reliquary) is not a core element. I think it is a very interesting element that adds a lot to the gameplay experience. But it is not core. Boon cards give Bush lanes an intriguing mechanic, but they don't define the Rift experience. Hunts are a layered mechanic that opens new options to players looking for creative ways to overwhelm their opponents. However, they are not a part of the basic game loop.
So, by defining the core and optional elements of the game, I was able to open the door to possibilities for expanding the game in interesting and fun ways.
The Boon cards can now be unlinked from the lane setting (the description of the location players are encouraged to imagine the lane exists in) which means that the exact Boon card placed in a Bush lane can be randomized. Different Boon cards will very much have different value to different players and strategies. New Boon cards can be created when a strategic paradigm is identified, giving that strategy legitimacy and support.
Just like the Boon cards, Hunt mechanics can be varied and there can be many Hunt objectives with their own associated quests. Again, these can be used to support different play styles as they are identified and add new interest to the game.
Making the Reliquary optional has allowed me to reimagine what this game element could be all about. With that, I've drastically changed the interaction with this element to make it less confusing and more satisfying for the players involved. The Reliquary now hosts game-changing trial relics which add flavor and interest to the deck. With these changes comes the ability to, once again, add a lot of variety to the types of relics available in this deck.
After establishing all of this potential variety, I realized that other elements of the game could be expandable as well. The first example of this that I thought of was the lanes themselves, as previously mentioned. Another area I realized could be expanded was the Guardian cards. It could be acceptable to alter the default behavior of this game fundamental to create an entirely new gameplay experience. Guardians could be described as a hybrid between Champions and Battalion, with their own attributes. For Guardians, unlike Champions, their interactions are entirely reactive. Players don't tell Guardians to do anything, the Guardians just exist as a barrier between the enemy and the Lieutenant. But, that's not essential to the game experience. So, I reduced the Guardian to three main attributes: Form, Defense and Reflexes. Then I decided the default version of these would be called "Perfect" so that I could define new versions with new goals, like "Lifedrinker" or "Domination."
Of course, in addition to all of this established variety, it should be noted that new Strategies could some day be invented and added to the game. It probably goes without stating, but Champions and Attributes can and will be expanded - the intention has always been for more of these to be introduced at some point.
So, with all of this decided, I am excited to talk about the first 7 expansions I've planned for the game (even though the core game is still in development).
1. Northern Aggression - A Champion expansion introducing 12 new Champions who add the Battlemage, Deacon, Demon, Druid, High Priest, Hunter, Knight, Martial Artist, Psychopath, Siren, and Telepath archetypes to the game.
2. The Basics - A Champion expansion introducing 12 new Champions who add the Bard, Guard, Invath, Magician, Minion, Priest, and Spelleater archetypes to the game.
3. Lifedrinkers - A Guardian expansion introducing the Lifedrinker Form and Lifedrinker Defense to the game.
4. Ortakij Dominance - A Guardian expansion introducing the Domination Form, Domination Defense and Domination Reflexes to the game.
5. One Won - A Guardian expansion celebrating victory in the Great War of the story and introducing the Unified Defense and Unified Reflexes to the game.
6. Measures - A Guardian expansion introducing the Desperation Form and Desperation Reflexes to the game.
7. Get to Know Your Battalion! (Sets 1-6) - A Battalion expansion which does not alter the game, but adds individual names and portraits to Footmen, Breachers and Berserkers.
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