This post is written by Mia, our gameplay designer. Hello there! This time Markos Wednesday post is being usurped by Mia. Hello! Im the other game designer (other than Mat, that is) that is working on The Hand of Merlin! Today I bring you news on what else is coming up in the next big content update, along with the two new Guardians. It is the Nourishment System which is an overhaul on how the supplies worked till now. Supplies are one of the resources that you can gain, lose, and trade in the game. While having supplies (other than in easy mode) would virtually mean nothing, not having supplies would cost all of your heroes one health point for each node visited without supplies. It was apparently something that was easily ignored and not that impactful on the game. The damage may have been a bit more brutal in hard mode but it was still just not rewarding or interesting enough. So, we sat down and brainstormed on what would make the supplies more impactful and actually make you want to go out of your way to buy or pick them as a reward. A lot of ideas were thrown around but what we settled for in the end is

The Nourishment System!

Its based on the idea that if your heroes are (or not) fed, their physical capabilities change. A well nourished person is stronger, faster, and has more energy than a person which is malnourished and/or has not been fed properly for days. As character attributes such as power, speed, and range are meddled with in so many different ways (status effects, abilities, relics) we decided to tap into an area which we have not touched yet - influencing max health (and armor). There are 5 stages of nourishment: Deep Negative - decreases max health and armor by 30%* Negative - decreases max health and armor by 15%* Neutral Positive - increases max health and armor by 15%* High Positive - increases max health and armor by 30%* *The exact percentage is suspected to change for balancing purposes
Starting on neutral, the hero's current stage of nourishment changes depending on supplies. Traveling with supplies will gradually bring you up the scale towards High Positive and traveling without supplies will gradually bring you down the scale towards Deep Negative. Its not possible to skip a stage, so just as the body needs time to gain back strength that was lost so will you have to slowly make your way back up through each stage should you reach the deep negative state of nourishment. Changing just the max health while keeping the current health unchanged was more often punishing rather than rewarding, so the current health changes along with the max health while keeping the ratio static. This did bring along a number of issues, the main one being that should someone go up and down the scale they could see the original number change. Rounding up numbers does that, and it seems to be unavoidable. However, at least you can rest easy knowing that these changes will always be in your favor. So if you happen to gain that 1 health point, good on you! MarkoP hates me for it, Im sure(no, just unstable systems :) - MarkoP) Do come join us on our Discord server to share your thoughts or ask any questions you may have! Mia

[ 2021-12-01 12:54:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Hand of Merlin is a turn-based rogue-lite RPG in which Arthurian legend clashes with cosmic horror. Recruit a company of up to three mortal heroes and guide them in spirit on a desperate journey from Albion to Jerusalem. Explore a richly-imagined medieval setting on the brink of apocalypse. Trade with merchants, improve your heroes and unearth ancient relics. Search for the lost fragments of your soul, scattered across the multiverse - and save as many worlds as you can.


Enjoy a compelling story inspired by Arthurian legend, the Matter of France, and the history of Al-Andalus - with an unusual twist. Make choices in interactive encounters that change every time you play. Written by Jonas Kyratzes (The Talos Principle, Serious Sam 4) and Verena Kyratzes (The Lands of Dream, Serious Sam 4).


Master the tactics of squad-based and turn-based combat to conquer both human and demonic foes. Your enemies will be tough and ruthless; make use of cover, set up ambushes and coordinated attacks, harness synergies between different Hero classes and skills.




Carve a path across the lands of Albion, Marca Hispanica and Al-Andalus. Will you take a dangerous route, risking life and limb in pursuit of a legendary relic? Or will you choose a safer path? Plan and prepare. Negotiate, barter, fight. Tackle challenges. Suffer losses. Recruit new Heroes. Earn Gold, Supplies and Renown. Be careful: your choices are permanent, as is death. But don't tarry - evil never rests.


Use Renown to level up your Heroes, and choose between a randomized set of new skills or improved attributes. But choose wisely! Select skills with great synergy and balance your party for the road ahead.




As you jump from one parallel dimension to the next, history is reshaped. Different kings rule the land, changing the encounters, characters, and events. No two worlds are ever quite the same, and each journey will be unique. And should your heroes fall, remember: defeat is not the end, only a new beginning.


Seek out towns to improve your arms and armor, or stumble upon hermit artisans in the wild. With every day that passes, the world plunges deeper into darkness, and you will need all the equipment gold can buy.


From a peasant's humble luck charm to the legendary sword wielded by Arthur himself, items imbued with magical power are scattered about the world. Some you will be able to purchase from merchants and collectors, but others will have to be earned through acts of heroism - or displays of wit.



Rain thunder and brimstone upon your foes! Seek out and gather Soulstones to restore your power and unlock new Spells. Even if defeated, your spirit will retain all of your collected arcane knowledge as you jump into the next dimension.


There are as many worlds as there are stars in the sky. In each stands Camelot; in each there is a Grail. But there is only one Merlin, and his eternal burden is to stand against the horror from beyond. Each world that is saved is saved forever; each world that is lost is lost for good.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/600610/The_Hand_of_Merlin/