One of the major additions to this game thats new to my process is the idea of a wandering agent who roams around an arealike the classic Immersive Sim guard out of Thief or Dishonored.

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/45503562/6dc65a0c6f8d07c548786f48f1ebdbd996ef6650.gif"][/img]

As ever, I wanted to approach the wandering agent concept from a distinct angle. Sure, you could sneak up behind them and try to pick their pocketsall in the spirit of mischief. And my game leaves room for that. The agent has sight cones, patrol routes, and a sense that they can catch you. But there are aspects to this sort of encounter Ive chosen which separate what Im doing from my inspirations.

Agents on the prowl

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/45503562/e0203ea9c80b3d8c94b2c0506be9d3f7d1b99459.gif"][/img]

For starters, more confrontational physical aspects are already being handled by my dice system. If a guard catches you, you can try to wrestle, cajole, charm, or bribewhatever makes thematic and situational sense. However, if youre unable to convince the guard, youve effectively surrendered. Then what?

For one thing, an unsuccessful encounter like this doesnt lead to a one-on-one fight to the last person standing. Basically, when you surrender, the guard ejects you from the area you're trying to roam in. Its a start back at the edge of the arena situation. It still creates tension because when you get ejected, both you and the guard gain condition dice representing the outcome. It could be something obvious like Injured or Embarrassedlike if a bouncer tossed you out of a club. As before, youll need to roll dice to fully remove this condition.

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/45503562/37cb11f1200edf50275dea63bd304077d7f17c9b.gif"][/img]

So the risk remains, but you still get to choose whether to step back into the area where the wandering agent might find you again. Failure is never game overbut it can be if you have an appetite for more risk.

Hiding, with a cost

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/45503562/221539d4493d5cf2a58f31e9e69376c60e408617.gif"][/img]

Another thing Ive added is the opportunity to hide. Hiding is simply finding an area in the game where you can be sure the agent wont see you. Even if theyre chasing you, hiding gives you cover to wait out their search. However, once you step into a hiding zone, a timer starts. If you hide for too long, youll gain another conditionanother die youll have to roll away later. To me, this is another way to keep the tension high so you never get too comfortable while engaging with this system.

Zones of Hindrance and Assistance

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Finally, Ive included certain traversal areas that give you passive environmental conditions. Examples include sticky surfaces or cloudy hazes that apply temporary conditions while youre in them. You cant roll these away as long as you remain in that environment. Guards can pass through these areas too, and the conditions affect them as well. Maybe you follow an agent into a hazy zone, but time your move so that theyre in it and youre not. Yet more flexibility and reactivity in the system.

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/45503562/8a170de6876290b7cda2aec32eb3f26232e6f1bd.png"][/img][img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/45503562/b8037458feca53dd0f928063d5334f45d4707682.png"][/img]

I want all of this to be dynamic, dramatic, and interestinggetting players to think about spatial traversal. But I also want to make sure players arent forced to engage with stealth if its not their style. They might move through a space thats a little dangerous, or pursue an alternate path. The game is still a dice-based RPG at its core, so all of these systems serve role-playing, dice strategy, and the drama that comes with it.

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/45503562/59f59a0648621b85d8e346265fb993f6fd4acd96.gif"][/img]

To wit, Im not grafting a stealth game into my current oneIm incorporating stealth elements to serve dice-driven gameplay. Its a genre hybrid approach. Its a way for me to push what I feel is possible in this sort of space.

Part of why Im excited about Early Access is that I get to workshop and refine this idea with you all. If you see opportunities for balance, for elevating the experienceor if it gets in the way of your funI want to know. Im excited about the idea, but its still a work-in-progress, and I welcome your feedback when the time is right!

I look forward to sharing more of my new ideas with you from Moves of The Diamond Hand.

[ 2025-07-09 18:57:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Cosmo D here. One thing Ive come to realize in my years of board and tabletop gaming is a simple truth:

Im a big fan of dice drama.

I really like the physical tumble. That chaotic ritual of tossing a big handful of dice into the air and just seeing where they land. Its a timeless ritual. Too many dice, visually speaking, are awesome. Its maximalist, a visual overload of symbols tripping over one another. And it's ok if that's a little hard to parse in the moment - it's all part of that drama. As a designer, I'm drawn to the spatial constraint, too. Just six dice faces to work with, small squares. Not a lot of room for baroque iconography.

In both Betrayal at Club Low and Moves of the Diamond Hand, Ive really dug into all of this. The dice are 100% simulated in the physics engine. Sure, thats created some issues with jankinessespecially in Club Lowbut Ive worked to address those issues over time. The payoff, though, has been worth it. Youre watching the dice make your fate - its theater. Your listening, too. I still remember recording those dice hits on my felt dice tray back in 2020.

But the tactile chaos isnt all Im interested in.

The part I find just as compelling is the strategy: taking what youve rolled and trying to make the best of what youve got. In my system, you roll three times using modified Yahtzee rules. You keep what you like. Its a classic foundation, but Im always tweaking it to fit the situation. And that situation is constantly changing. Which means players need to think on their feet, they gotta improvise. But if youre clever, gutsy or just feeling bold, rolling and re-rolling those dice should offer a path to triumph, relief, or a bit of both.

[previewyoutube="8WB1M-OJB2M;full"][/previewyoutube]

The above example, recorded from a Steam Deck work-in-progress build, shows how you can use certain dice to turn a bad situation into a good one. Note the explosion symbol - it lets you destroy your opponent's dice.

[previewyoutube="7rS1Zie_YlY;full"][/previewyoutube]

The above video features all-around dice shenanigans, using dice to manipulate the situation to the players' advantage. You'll notice a message that says "The Sandwich is Too Tasty, you must re-roll it." That's for special "Sandwich Dice" (this area takes place in the basement of a deli). Sandwich dice are powerful, but they have to be re-rolled - another strategic layer to consider.

When I design dice, I always aim for even-handedness.

Even the harmful dice usually have an upside. Theres always some slim chance youll roll the least bad optionor even something unexpectedly helpful. The tension comes from that mix. And then I throw in temptation. Do you roll again and go for something better? Or hold onto what you've got and play it safe?

[previewyoutube="aaveJXrJ0ds;full"][/previewyoutube]

The above video shows how the player narrowly escapes game-over using various dice powers.

When Im deciding which faces should go on a die, I try to design around a basic three-tiered system.

• One or two sides that are just okay

• One or two where something good could happen

• One or two where something bad might go down

Then, I think about what that dice actually represents- what story can it tell within these three tiers, these six faces? For example, "Too Confident" is a condition you can get when you tie a roll. In my games, ties are successes, but the tied success come with a cost.

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/45503562/27375490d574ae1d901983acdb782a141293e6a8.png"][/img]

[img src="https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images/45503562/22aff520c8700c75f651b4401e24e2f2e2909d3d.png"][/img]

Certain sides are helpful, certain sides are harmful, certain sides are middle-of-the-road (including "blank" sides). This die is communicating that you can roll well, but you might roll bad because you got too confident with your approach. A humbling moment is just around the corner if youre not careful. That way, no face is irrelevant. Even the risky dice make you think. Maybe you rolled something decent, but youre eyeing that better outcomeand risking a worse one in the process. Thats the internal Dice Drama: the drama of decision-making. Coupled with the thematic storytelling, the whole system is really meant to draw players in and make every roll feel tense, strategic and tactical.

Then, when the dice start interacting with each otherwhen their quirks combine and escalatethats when the higher-level Dice Drama kicks in. Ill talk more about that in the next post, but for now, I'll leave you with a clip of the player using dice to narrowly escape a game-over. Notice certain dice that let you choose faces of another die.

[previewyoutube="aaveJXrJ0ds;full"][/previewyoutube]

[ 2025-06-17 15:52:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

First off, thank you for everyone who helped dive into my new game over this past month.

Full Controller and Steam Deck Support

I'm pleased to announce that Moves Of The Diamond Hand now has full native controller support. PS, XBox, and Steam Deck. For this game, more than any of my previous games, this controller support was really prioritized to provide a smooth, intuitive experience. The UI reflects the buttons, and everything just works.* This means the Steam Deck experience is just as smooth. If you were using Steam's various input conversions to make the Deck think you were playing with mouse/keyboard, you no longer have to do that!

Music Performance Balance

I noticed players were able to get enough with music performances to walk away before things got really scary. In response, I brought the "good note" and "great note" values down from 5 and 10, to 4 and 8. Costumes are also a little less powerful.

Adjustable Difficulty

You can now adjust the difficulty of your game on-the-fly. A new option lets you change which Difficulty Dice you want your opponent to roll alongside their main dice. In the previous version, you could choose the game's difficulty at the start, but it locked you in for your entire run, unless you started a new game or edited the save file(!?). Now, you can simply flip a switch if you feel stuck or want to spice up your session. This does not affect shop price rates which are also impacted by the game's initial difficulty choice for now. It also does not effect starting health, which you still increase from leveling up your dice. *Of course, should you discover any lingering bugs in the system, so don't hesitate to post those in the game's forum or on my discord page.

[ 2025-03-16 14:30:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

I'm thrilled to announce my next game, Moves Of The Diamond Handmy biggest and most ambitious project yet. Play the free demo now: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2778240/Moves_Of_The_Diamond_Hand_Demo/ This Demo represents Chapter 1 of the game. It alone is roughly the length of Betrayal At Club Low and will be part of Steam Next Fest this coming week. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2778210/Moves_Of_The_Diamond_Hand/ This game brings together everything Ive been building over the past ten yearsrefining my dice mechanics from Club Low while returning to the immersive first-person perspective of my earlier work. Thanks for your support thus far, and I'm looking forward to continuing on this journey with you!

[ 2025-02-21 16:40:25 CET ] [ Original post ]