MechWarrior: Destiny

[victor_shaw]

I don't remember the beta being a stretch goal though.  Thought it was just something they tossed in for free.

It's not about it being a stretch goal.
It's about their ability to meet dates that they set for it.
If they can't meet the goal they set here how are we to believe they can get any item in the KS out on time.
They are already tell us on the Kickstarter updates how much more time then expected the Pins, Shirts, Etc. are taking.
They said that the MW:D beta would be out by the end of August or bleeding into September.
I want this Kickstarter to be successful and more Kickstarters in the future, but if this starts to stretch and they start missing dates this could all fall apart.
If they can't make this date then how are we supposed to believe they will make March 2020?

[Sartris]

The only thing guaranteed by the KS was the book itself. The beta was offered as a potential October release but they’ve obviously withheld it for one reason or another

[victor_shaw]

The only thing guaranteed by the KS was the book itself. The beta was offered as a potential October release but they’ve obviously withheld it for one reason or another

Where did you get that?
Watch the AMA 2 or follow the information on the KS page.
They are still saying the Beta will be this month.

[Sartris]

They had originally said maybe August. They still plan to release the beta but it obviously didn’t happen last month

[victor_shaw]

They had originally said maybe August. They still plan to release the beta but it obviously didn’t happen last month

The timeline of last week in August Bleeding into September was directly from them during the AMA 2, so I have no idea where you got October.

[Sartris]

Mmm me either. Definitely meant to type August. Up with child half the night brain™️ Has subtle but often disastrous effects

[Daryk]

Mmm me either. Definitely meant to type August. Up with child half the night brain™️ Has subtle but often disastrous effects

Heh... it doesn't get easier with age, only different.  For example, when they're 16, you'll be up all night wondering when (if) they're coming home with your car...

As far as the "promised" date, I'm less inclined to put stock into an AMA (or any other "live" answer) than written updates, and looking back through my e-mail archive, the only "date" I see is from 09 August:

We’ll deliver that to you in the near future, along with details surrounding that playtest.

The older I get, the longer "near future" implies to me.  At this point, anything under a year meets that criterion.

[Doom]

The sooner they fall behind, the more time they have to catch up.

[Cubby]

Nothing is being intentionally withheld, let's put a cork in that right now, Sartris.

I completed my edit of the book last week. BUT, because this was being pushed through as a beta to meet the timeline stated in all the forums you all have quoted, I was feeding the book into layout a chapter at a time. So layout is well along.

Over the last few weeks, management has been checking in with and applying pressure to the production team to get this ready for a beta release as soon as possible, with the timeline they previously stated well in mind.

I don't have an exact timeframe for when the beta will be delivered. But it has not been forgotten about, and "soon" will not be months from now.

[Sartris]

Nothing is being intentionally withheld, let's put a cork in that right now, Sartris.

Not my intended implication

You wanted to have it out potentially last month and didn’t meet that “deadline” [window is probably better than deadline as one was never really set] for reasons (primarily that it wasn’t ready I imagine).

The only conspiracies I believe in are the ones in which I participate

[Ursus Maior]

Well, it has always been communicated clearly that MW:D could slip into September for its beta release to backers. We just now entered the second half of that month. So, no hurries, there are still two weeks left. And we all know how this goes: Hugely succesful projects are harder to estimate concerning their time ressources than projects that aim lower. So schedules need to be adjusted.

I take this delay as a commitment to the core products of the Clan Invasion Kickstarter, which are miniatures. And I think, nothing will support BattleTech more than getting those out on time.

[Sartris]

yeah I’m not concerned. Frankly any output by the end of the year in the face of the mammoth preparations required for the Kickstarter is impressive. Annoyingly, my last two posts in the thread only exist because I was scolded for implying something I wasn’t attempting to imply in the first place.

If I wanted to start a whisper campaign about some conspiratorial product withholding, I wouldn’t kick it off with a clumsily worded accusation written in the grogginess if sleep deprivation  :P

[Insaniac99]

Nothing is being intentionally withheld, let's put a cork in that right now, Sartris.

I completed my edit of the book last week. BUT, because this was being pushed through as a beta to meet the timeline stated in all the forums you all have quoted, I was feeding the book into layout a chapter at a time. So layout is well along.

Over the last few weeks, management has been checking in with and applying pressure to the production team to get this ready for a beta release as soon as possible, with the timeline they previously stated well in mind.

I don't have an exact timeframe for when the beta will be delivered. But it has not been forgotten about, and "soon" will not be months from now.

It sounds like instead of the "plain word document" type of beta that I remember originally being mentioned, we'll be getting a "properly laid out, almost ready for printing" kind of beta?  That's a good reason for a delay IMO.

[Cubby]

Yes, the "Beta" will be a fully edited, dev-reviewed, laid-out file for review.

I anticipate the next question will be "so how much can our input actually change, if it's that far along." The simple answer is, we won't know until we see what your input is. Any other answer, I'd just be speculating.

Speaking only for myself, but as the editor of the book: I think it will depend in part on how thoughtful and detail-oriented the edits and feedback are. If someone says, "these rules suck, trash them and give me MW 2nd Edition"...yeah, we're not going to do that. But feedback provided in good faith will be considered, at the very least.

Phil, Dak, and our whole team worked fast but hard to make MW:D a polished product. Phil, especially, spent a lot of time on it, and has thought through every element of the system - nothing was done haphazardly. So I'm expecting that most feedback or edits will be specific and actionable.

[Ursus Maior]

This is what I always assumed, since it's a beta.

[Ursus Maior]

Yes, the "Beta" will be a fully edited, dev-reviewed, laid-out file for review.

This is, what I had in mind.

Can you already estimate our time to review it? Will it be weeks or months? I'm planning a one-shot adventure for a selected group of players. But of course, reading the book and running an adventure would need more time than just reading it; including more time to write a dedicated feedback after the one-shot.

If that's even what you would want from us?

[NutritiousSlop]

This is, what I had in mind.

Can you already estimate our time to review it? Will it be weeks or months? I'm planning a one-shot adventure for a selected group of players. But of course, reading the book and running an adventure would need more time than just reading it; including more time to write a dedicated feedback after the one-shot.

If that's even what you would want from us?

I'm asking the same question.  I have 4-5 other people who are interested in a small recurring campaign, and I'd like to start scheduling sessions. 

As far as I've been able to glean, if it's similar to Shadowrun Anarchy, won't it be running on the Cue system? 

[Cubby]

Can you already estimate our time to review it? Will it be weeks or months?

I don't have an exact answer, unfortunately. I'd be guessing. But, I'll ask up the chain.

If that's even what you would want from us?

Sure. More playtesting can't hurt. Just bear in mind my advice above.

As far as I've been able to glean, if it's similar to Shadowrun Anarchy, won't it be running on the Cue system? 

It is Cue-based, yes. With the caveat that it's not a direct port by any means - we didn't just find/replace SR for BT and Street Sam for MechWarrior, slap a logo on it, and call it done. While the engine is Cue, there's plenty of wrinkles and additions included to make it feel like part of the BT universe.

[Daryk]

I'll be interested to see what those wrinkles and additions are... and I have to add, I'm pretty skeptical anything based on the Cue system can feel like it's part of the BT universe to me...

[victor_shaw]

May issues with Shadowrun Anarchy has always been its limitations oversimplification.
The limit on 6 skills.
limit on traits/advantages.
It's reduction of armor to a +1 per XP expenditure.
Entry level pack character creation.
Turning everything into a add-on pack (Magic, Cyber-ware, Etc.)

And the issues with the Cue-system in general has been the overpowering ability of the player(s) to derail the game to amuses themselves.
Played with to many out-for-themselves players for this to work.

[Paul]

Pretty solid Destiny preview in today's Kickstarter Update.

[victor_shaw]

Pretty solid Destiny preview in today's Kickstarter Update.

Looks promising, see its using some form of the path life system, and the character has more then 6 skills, but still not enough info to elevate my issues with Shadowrun Anarchy.

Just to be clear not see anything I out-and-out hate either.

[Daryk]

The "simplified" 'mech sheet at the end will probably raise some hackles.

[Ursus Maior]

I must say, I was a bit surprised by that and I'm not exactly a fan of yet another variant. After regular BT, the intro-box simplified sheets, Quick Strike and Alpha Strike, I think we already had enough variants.

[ActionButler]

I'm sold on Destiny from the preview alone.

EXTREMELY interested in seeing more.

[NeonKnight]

The timing cannot be better as I'll soon be wrapping up my TOTAL CHAOS Campaign, and this could be a fun new direction to go in.

[nckestrel]

I must say, I was a bit surprised by that and I'm not exactly a fan of yet another variant. After regular BT, the intro-box simplified sheets, Quick Strike and Alpha Strike, I think we already had enough variants.

BattleTech as a tabletop game is great.  BattleTech as a combat system for a role-playing game is terrible.  Similar issues to D&D 4th edition.  The combat takes so long that, regardless of how good it is, it's a time hog and there's nothing left for actually role-playing.
If the tabletop is your primary interest, and you just want to add some role-playing, there's the tabletop integration chapter. 

[Cubby]

I must say, I was a bit surprised by that and I'm not exactly a fan of yet another variant. After regular BT, the intro-box simplified sheets, Quick Strike and Alpha Strike, I think we already had enough variants.

I think you might be looking at the simplified sheet as a BattleTech player first. The simplified Mech sheet that was previewed is for the MW:Destiny player who might need to engage Mech-scale play, and need to track damage.

Put another way: MW: Destiny includes rules for handling Mech-Scale Combat fully within the MWD rules - no jumping to Total Warfare or Alpha Strike needed. That's what the simplified sheet is for.

[SteelRaven]

This is something a few friends of mine will be very interested in as a rule lawyer killed any interest they had in TW

 

[wolfspider]

The group I play with is normally 7 to 8 people and when you are working out mech combat using TW or AS they lose focus and then lose interest. We have had 2 different campaigns shut down because the mech combat slowed the story down. I am hoping with this new system we can get the feel and favor of BT but have more time to RP and not worry about dragging the game down!
Looks promising so far!