Current Status and Where This Is Going

ON THE WORKABILITY

Last month's update simplified things in terms of gameplay and workability (Ironcrunch it's becoming less crunchy as a matter of fact), and in tune with this, I've been working my head around making it possible to play without cards. As a result, for this month's update, I will be adding a third page to the character sheet for optional use for non-cards setups, or if you would like to log your last session's setup.

ON THE BESTIARY

After much fiddling with the values of the old d20 System and Ironcrunch, everything is set in the workbench: the conversion formula to take creatures from OSR, the presentations for the creatures' entry in the rulebook, and the presentation of the creature cards. I compiled every creature from the OSR that is openly licensed, and the amount is excitingly outstanding. The bestiary update will be massive, not because of mechanic additions to the core system, but because it will add a slew of content. I'm expecting the bestiary appendix to be not less than 100 pages.

So what's the issue? It turns out that converting every openly licensed creature from the d20 System into Ironcrunch is such an ambitious endeavor I didn't properly measure the scope of it for the time I anticipated it would take me to do it. So it will take more than I expected to bring it to fruition, considering that at the same time as converting, I'm also designing a creature generator for the player to make their own monsters. This is why the bestiary update will be split into 2 or 3 parts.

Having said that, I would like to prioritize the most essential and desired monsters to get them available for playtesting. You are the one who determines which are those creatures, so if you are a 2nd tier patron and have any creature you would like to be released, reach out to me or comment below. It doesn't matter if the creature is not present in any SRD, shoot me your idea or inspiration from any creatures of any fantasy setting and I'll make it happen. Make a list of various sources, or invent something on your own, go crazy with this proposal.

SO WHAT'S COMING ON THIS MONTH'S UPDATE?

Some creatures are already designed, the general structure of foes has been simplified, the character creation has been streamlined, and the companion acquisition process has been clarified, but what makes the biggest chunk of this month's update is something I'm calling Demeanors.

After releasing the Motivations Card Set, I read some posts about other systems that use character-centric mechanics and found the Traits mechanic from Torchbearer. I got my hands on it and fell in love with the idea.

When I made this discovery, I started working obsessively on making something similar, not just for Ironcrunch, but also for Ironsworn and as a system-agnostic supplement. However, Ironcrunch already features a motivations mechanic, so the only way to incorporate this other character aspect into the system would be to remove 1 motivation per character to add 1 demeanor.  This is very similar to the way Septimus employs its character creation. In fact, the term demeanor is taken from it, as seen below. 

So the premise for the demeanor mechanic is the following.

When creating your character, you take 1 demeanor and 1 motivation (in replacement of 2 motivations as in the current build). When you use your demeanor to perform an action, you take +1 momentum; but if you are using it against you to pay a considerable narrative cost, you choose one.

• Draw 2 resilience cards.
• Draw 1 resilience card and take +5 momentum.
• Take +10 momentum. 

Each demeanor will also have a buyoff (which gives you +5 momentum), but it will be narratively harder to trigger as opposed to the motivations', since the demeanor is an aspect of your character that is meant to represent the more rooted inclinations of their personality.

All in all, it is very similar to the motivations but with more nuances and a mechanical twist. The purpose is to encourage roleplaying while giving a distinctive feeling to your character.

When I get to release the demeanors supplement on DriveThruRPG and Itch.io, all $5+ lifetime patrons will get a free copy.  I'm also keeping an eye on the concurrent months for patrons who fulfill the $5-lifetime support to give them a free copy of these supplements.

AFTER THE FINAL UPDATE

When Ironcrunch is done, I'll release the supplement on DriveThruRPG under its formal name (won't be Ironcrunch as you can tell by the back of the cards). All highest-tier patrons will get a free digital copy of the product. Then, I will continue producing products as specified on the roadmap with the support of this Patreon. The highest-tier patrons will get them for free once they get released.

I enormously appreciate your support, but your feedback is even more valuable, so please, don't restrain yourself from sharing it with me.