Dawnshade is live (Journeys in hexagonal lands)
Dawnshade has launched on Kickstarter, and the campaign will run for 28 days. You may back either the basic version of the game or the one with extra upgraded (weighted) chips. If you don't like the hex-shaped box, you can choose a square one in the pledge manager. Neoprene mats are also available as add-ons.
Our preview post below was published on May 16.
Dawnshade is a 1-4 player cooperative fantasy adventure game. It is planned to launch on Kickstarter on May 19.
In Dawnshade (which admittedly looks like a love letter to Too Many Bones), poker chips are used to represent a group of human-flying squirrel hybrid creatures (the Petarukin). The heroes have been sent out by the village elders to stop a raging war between two rival factions.
The game takes place on three separate boards. One is used for the heroes' map adventuring, one is for battles and dexterity games in the tavern, and one is where the elemental power tokens are placed and handled.
When you begin your journey, you will consult the accompanying Logbook to find the details of each of the three chapters that constitute the campaign. You will be placing tiles on the map, and as you move the party on each tile, a new quest will be revealed. You will read the equivalent paragraph from the book, and see what kind of event occurs or if you have to engage in battle. Each chapter ends with a final threat that you have to defeat in order to progress to the next chapter.
When a battle takes place, you will first stack both heroes and enemies with their health and shield chips, and then roll their dice for attack and defense. The elemental powers the characters have gained over the course of the game also assist them in combat (they get extra dice to roll). When heroes visit the tavern, you may be asked to perform various mini dexterity or push-your-luck games (e.g. spin two chips: the one that spins for longer, wins).
If you feel like playing the game but don't have time to dedicate to the campaign, Dawnshade offers the trilogy mode option: this means that you can experience all three chapters in one condensed gaming session.