FenPaints

Visual Models: Early Game Hunt Team Visual Guide - GORM Edition

As always, larger version in the download link below so you can keep it separately. This one is designed to be used in concert with the core game one released last week (here). 

You can see there's no 'trapper' here and that's because while Spear Proficiency use is possible with the Gorment Armor, it's just inefficient when compared to Screaming, Mixed or Cycloid Builds. We're trying to stick to simple b...

Visual Models: Early Game Hunt Team Visual Guide

As mentioned last week, due to the injury to my wrist/hand I've had to lighten the amount of typing I'm doing for a little while. Fortunately my mouse hand wasn't the one injured, so I'll be catching up on a few Visual Guides I intended to do.

This one is for the Core Game only and it covers the period of the game before you get access to the Weapon Crafter, Leather Worker and Barber Surgeon (The Pre-Phoenix area).

Next week I'll be putting up another of these guides for the Early...

Screaming Armor: A Requiem

While updating the Early Years visual guide and releasing its expansion featuring “complete picture” I had a few questions surrounding the status of Screaming Armor, which departed from its staple state in the 1.5 guide versions to a 'highly situational' position in 1.6's tier lists. Patron Joseph asked for a post about what versions of the Screaming Antelope cards I would keep – while the true answer is 'The latest version' because I play the game as APG designs it – that's not reall...

Kingdom Death Early Lantern Year Advice: Expansion Edition.

So, if you want a full breakdown of the game theory and reasoning behind this visual guide, let me know in the comments below and I'll record a video on it. I have to minimise my typing for a little while due to RSI.

Dark Herald Updates: Red Witches & Oblivion Mosquito

As bizarre as it is to be writing this, in a refreshing change the Oblivion Mosquito Dark Herald was released a whole day before the end of the month. If you told me back in 2016 when this Kickstarter was first pitched that I'd be commending the team for beating a self imposed deadline by one day, I would have laughed and shook my head. However, here we are, it was and even though that's such a tiny thing, it's an improvement over the previous month releases.

Because both the Red Witche...

Pasha and Willow: Gameplay Content Review

So last month we got not one, but two pieces of beta content in the shop. Now before we get into it, I do want to express some concern about this acceleration of broken promise that this represents. We were told that there would be no more store sales until the Gambler's Chest was complete – we've not had that completion announced, but these sales returned and they've somewhat escalated in scope with not just a sale that has one piece of beta content, but two.

At this point I think it...

1.6 Early Game Visual Cheat Sheet

Here is the updated version of the Early Game Visual Cheat Sheet for 1.6.

I'm going to support this here with some discussion on what's changed and what's stayed the same.

Innovation

As before, it still remains optimal to hold off from innovating for as long as you are comfortable. Yes, you have a limited amount of innovations you can make per campaign and each skipped one reduces the total amount. But, gear is more important ...

Dung Beetle Knight Visual Guide Summary

I've written about the Dung Beetle Knight in detail now, however the Visual Guide was released before. So lwe'll be moving along to covering the Gold Smoke Knight, because it's an interesting case to try and understand, especially with its switch from being a non-hostile, even helpful side character into the new big bad once the watcher dies. A real case of 'Always a Bigger Fish'.

Here ...

Coming Out of My Shell: The Dung Beetle Knight Showdown (Part 2)

The Dung Beetle Knight is much like the Sunstalker and Dragon King in that it presents a real challenge when you are attacking it due to the way that it mixes up its defences with a few curve balls thrown right at the nearest non-fuzzy groin. It also takes the concept of 'monster X weak to certain weapons' to the most focused degree we have seen so far (outside of the lore based weakness of the Watch...

Nothing But Net: The Dung Beetle Knight Showdown

There is no other showdown in the entire game that is as tightly balanced on a knife edge as the Dung Beetle Knight's. You can be in complete control, as safe as the last egg in a forgotten carton one moment and a single misstep later you're on the floor, broken and leaking yolk all over the precious Persian rug you inherited from your great grandfather's totally not colonial visit to the continent. Or something similar, that small piece of narrative got away from me somewhat, but it's stayin...

Rumblings in the Dark: The Dung Beetle – Part 2: The Hunt

The hunt phase is a mostly narrative experience where players get to experience an abstracted expression of the journey. A large part of this is wildly random, as basic hunt events are a wild swinging for the fences in their quality of experience.

The monster specific hunt events however are far more creative, refined and precise. They are tailored to support the monster's showdown with how the...

Everyday I'm Tussling

Townsfolk Tussle arrived in Europe recently and I've spent a fair bit of time playing through it because it has that sweet spot mix of constructing builds from semi-random options vs. bosses with a set of rules that are fast enough to operate that it's easy to want to run another game. It's made a really nice break from the world; and as such I wanted to share my notes, thoughts and strategies learne...

Grumpy Grimmory's Grim Gusk Gougers - Beta Content Review

Guilt is the force that drives Grimmory. Betrayals mar his conscience, sins for which he can never fully atone. His shoulders are heavy with death and his heart is lost in the past. His Knives serve two masters. Grimmory believes he is the stronger of them.

As the beta miniature content continues to come out in a more consistent and regular fashion than the kickstarter updates, we're g...

Nuggets of Gold: The Dung Beetle Knight Deep Dive Part 2

One of the most fundamental things which should be considered when deciding what monsters to add to your campaign is the carrot. The carrot is; as you are probably aware, the reward for interacting with the given monster. Monsters with too little carrot in comparison to their stick (punishment) tend to be less popular with all players (King's Man, Phoenix, Spidicules, Lion God, Lion Knight) while tho...

Hulking, Savage and Interesting - The Dung Beetle Knight: Part 1

When I checked on Monday to start work on this, the Dung Beetle Knight just about won out over my personal favourite, so that's the next deep dive subject. Now first of all we'll explore the inspirations for the Dung Beetle Knight's design and the lore/folklore surrounding the creature in game. We're very fortunate because like the Sunstalker, Gorm, Spidicules and Dragon King we have a pretty complete picture of the monster's lifecycle. However, we also have more information than any of the o...

Who's the Next Deep Dive?

So, which monster will we start a deep dive into next week? Pick your choice!

Froggy Dog do do dee do do doo, Froggy Dog do do dee do do doo.

While it arrived in March (why on earth they can't internally schedule these things to launch in the middle of each month instead of behaving like someone dragging their feet over homework); the Frogdog Update is more of what I wanted to see from the Dark Herald. Very little Adam in this post (though again he cannot help but dampen the hype over the Dark Herald post by starting off with a reminder th...

“If you look for perfection, you'll never be content.” – Perfect Hits

This is a patreon request by Helge Thiel, if you have any requests, please do make them as they often bring up areas of the game I've not deep dived into yet, and those are always some of the most interesting topics to research and test.

The Perfect Hit mechanic in Kingdom Death holds its roots deeply in its ancestors and it is as suc...

A Visual Guide to the King's Man

Here's the capstone on our King's Man section, next week I have a patron request deep dive into one of the mechanics in the game. Perfect hits. So make sure you're standing in the Perfect position!

As always, the full, uncompressed image is in the attachments. 

Kingdoms Forlorn is Live!

Go check it out at the link above, pledge responsibly (or click 'Remind Me' if you're still on the fence). This world's vision is pretty cool and unique.

If you do back, Tell them Fen sent you and that you want a Knight of the Fens! :P

The Last Standee - Marcin Kingdoms Forlorn Interview

The Interview with Marcin about Kingdoms Forlorn has now gone live, I'm missing from the first portion because I went to pick up the game and then share the contents with the others.

It should answer some of the questions that were posted Friday. I'll look through the rest tomorrow and answer them.

Kingdoms Forlorn: A Preview & Overview

Kingdoms Forlorn, an upcoming game from Into the Unknown Studios has between 1 and 4 players taking the role of a specific knight in a series of dark fantasy kingdoms. This place was once ruled by the Grand Kingdoms; and things were joyous until the Kings stopped listening to the Good Church and ignored the warnings that its Pope was proclaiming.

Soon, the land became cursed and a ...