Update That Is Due - Soulinked is still alive!

Soulinked or Soulink....? Regardless, we are still alive....!

To all who follows this Itch page or have yet to follow. I would like to just update that we are indeed still alive....

Its been a long time since I've posted anything here or even on my website. But I finally found the time to gather my thoughts and pen down what is happening. -- Sorry for the yapping of a post. In this post, I will be explaining all the decisions I have made throughout the years and where I will be leading Soulinked towards now.

The Major Updates

The following are brief bullet points, I will touch on some of the topics in detail at the later sections.

• Soulinked is currently looking to do a branding and lore change
  • Soulinked's lore or setting used to be a medieval dark fantasy (like elden ring or bloodborne) style of world. However, I've decided to change the setting of it to be something of its own two feet.
  • The new lore of Soulinked is now incredibly similar to the manga -- Gantz. Where players play as residents of a hotel that sends them only deadly missions. Completing missions earns credits and allows them to gain abilities to perform deadlier missions. All at the chance of potentially one day leaving the hotel to return to their ordinary lives.
• Combat system - an improvement to player fun
  • Throughout my years of playtesting -- I've realised that combat system needs to be fun more than challenging. As such, I've decided to make the combat wayyy more engaging by giving players more actions that can be taken out side of their turns.
• Boss Battler to Raid Battler
  • I've realised that a 1 v X gameplay where the group of players fight a singular creature -- although cool, might not be as challenging or engaging as I've hoped -- EVEN with the dynamic gameplay with Soulinked Combat system.
  • Thus, I've decided to ramp up the deployment of Minions & Elites to give more targetting options.
• Simplifying The Out of Combat Skill System
  • Soulinked as a focus is based around its combat. As such, I always found it a "tacky add on" for my Skill System. Skill in this context is referring to a character's bonuses when attempting to perform a task such as lockpicking and stuff.
  • So what's the change? Soulinked Resolution system is now going to be based around the Idea of a WORD CLOUD, where players are able to write down Keywords in their character sheet and use them for any relevant challenges they see fit. 
• Resurrection & Death -- Removing Resurrection as a Core Mechanic
  • I've decided to remove the concept of resurrection for players. I understand that this is a key concept to many darksouls/video games. But I've come to terms that people don't actually like to see their characters die. EVEN if they can be resurrected. As such, to keep Death as something to be feared -- I decided to simply remove the concept of resurrection as a core mechanic.
• Introducing Classes with Point Buy Arrays
  • I've now decided to reintroduce the concept of Classes (in soulinked we call them roles) Soulinked used to be a pure point by system where players build their abilities by mixing effects and modifiers. I've decided to now reintroduce roles which limits the type of effects and modifiers a player can choose. The reason is simply to allow easier balancing and also to keep each player unique to a certain extent. 
  • TLDR: instead of a Large global point buy for effects -- you now can only choose special effects limited to your class for you to point buy.
• Narrative Cinema Combat
  • I have decided to now go FULL throttle on narrative cinema combat. By stripping away any form of ideas related to "Health Points" , "Damage" or "Spirit Meters". Now whenever, you successfully land a weapon or land an ability, your ability's wounding effects happens immediately. 
  • Yes, this means if you casted a fireball ability and it is landed successfully, everyone caught in it suffers the Explosive and Heat of the fireball... there is no "damage" or no meta currency that is gained. Depending on the enemies caught, the GM may either rule it to be a "Resisted Effect", "Minor Wounds", "Lethal Wound". Which range from nothing happening, broken shoulders or death.

Our Setting Lore Story

I am going to be posting a short chapter of our "story" to set the setting lore. The setting here is completely written by my team and I. We hope it will keep things exciting for anyone that is planning to give this TTRPG a try once I have better legs on the redirection.

Here is the first chapter...

"Chapter 1"

The last thing I remember is a great party in a shitty part of town. Try as I might I can’t think of how in the hell I found myself in a hotel room I know  damn well I  can’t afford.

The beige, gold-trimmed envelope catches my eye, sitting in a silver stand on my bedside table.

I laugh to myself as I see the single word, spelled out in fine black calligraphy on the front of the envelope.

Junkie.

“Well, you’re not wrong, but a little blunt .” I say cracking a red wax seal and reading the contents, intrigued.

“Once upon a time, the forces of the beyond and the forces of man battled each other in plain view. You’ve heard the stories, the legends, whether you believed them or not.

The hubris of the leaders of this war caused it to be banished to the shadows. Their cruelty, and innovation shackled them with a set of rules , an esoteric treatise on the art of war that they were forced to follow.

But there was only so much control mortals could exert over the fundamental forces of good and evil. Over time, both sides figured out ingenious ways to wage their eternal war , at scale, and with consequence.

You, Isaac, have been given a second chance. An opportunity to earn something no one gets, a reprieve from death.

You died at that party. Your heart and brain destroyed by a series of bad decisions.

Work for the safety of mankind, and earn the chance to make better ones. “

“Yeah, this is some kind of youtube shit .” I say, getting out of bed.

I’m fully clothed, and beyond that, there’s not so much as a stain or wrinkle on anything.

After the night I had, I should be drenched in coke sweat, and smelling like a brewery . But , I might as well have just walked out of the shower.

I put on my boots, they shine like the day I bought them. No wear or cracks in the leather, the soles, factory new.

As I open the thick oak door to my room I’m stunned.

A man stands in the doorway across the hall. He’s massive, no way he stands less than seven feet. His body type is somewhere between professional wrestler and superhero. Easily 300 plus pounds.

As if his size, and the way he looms , hunched over in the doorway, looking at me with suspicion isn’t enough, the guy is dressed like a fucking mime.

I look down the hallway, it’s a long run to the stairs, no way this guy wouldn’t catch me if I tried.

“I’m Isaac.” I say, tentatively, “ People call me Ice. “

The massive man stares at me, tilting his head, almost doglike. He walks over, looking down on me as if I were an interesting insect.

He holds a letter that looks a lot like mine, one massive hand covers most of the text, I can read his name though, “Marcoux “, and as he puts the letter into a deep pocket of his immaculate, black dress pants, I catch a glimpse of the envelope itself.

In that same cursive , it says, “ Vigilante”.

By the time the two of us make it to the brass doored elevator, we’re joined by two more people.

Sarah, our ‘senior’, a sharp witted, olive sweater wearing woman of 82.

And Ahmed, who the front of the envelope referred to as  a ‘ tracker’. The getup he has doesn’t quite say cop, or fed. If I were to guess, the guy’s a fucking bounty hunter. Scum of the earth if you ask me.

The elevator ride is about as awkward as you’d think. I try to make a bit of small talk, defuse the situation a little, but it doesn’t land.

The lobby, while retro as hell, was as pristine as the clothes we all found ourselves wearing.

Three things catch my eye, the entrance , a gift shop, and a mortician looking guy manning the front desk.

“You the douche with the prank channel?” I ask, friendly, as weird as everything is, it’s been an interesting ride.

“If this is for some internet bullshit, I’m owning this place by the end of the week Gomez, mark my words.” Ahmed says.

“Wouldn’t even know what that is good sir.

My name is Lumen Mason, though Gomez was an interesting guess.

And you can think of me as the voice of the hotel. It’s my job to inform and acclimate you folks to your new, situation. “ Lumen says.

I snicker, about to do a half hour of shit talk, but Sarah elbows me in the ribs.

 “Mr. Lumen, I don’t think you’re going to catch the kid’s attention without a little razzle dazzle . No attention span in this generation.

Me, I know from horseshit and I know from truth, and I don’t see a stable around here. “  she ends her advice with a  smile that’s returned by the waxen skinned man behind the counter.

“The hotel chose well with you , young woman.

You, Isaac, humor me for a moment, open the door to the hotel. “ Lumen requests.

“Going to do exactly that, then I’m going to walk away, and  later tonight I’m going to search ‘ junkie pranked’ on Youtube. I’ll like and subscribe if the editing is decent.” I say, intending to go score a bag of something and laugh about how my day started.

What I see outside the door, is nothing.

I want to be clear, not darkness, nothing. A massive void, defying description, more of a feeling than a sight. The knowledge that right in front of me is something Impossible to  understand.

The rest see it too, and as I walk back, stunned look on my face, the mood has changed.

“That’s out of the way, and by the looks of things, everyone is in agreement as to the reality of what’s going on.

The letters explained why, I want to explain how. “ As lumen talks, an old pneumatic tube rattles, a rusted metal cylinder about the size of a thermos is ejected from the device.

Lumen opens the capsule and pulls out 4 sheets of yellowing, torn lined paper.

“Your first contract.

The hotel wants you to stop a human sacrifice. A simple task for your first outing. “ Lumen passes out the sheets as he talks.

They contain some names, descriptions, and an address.

Written in a dark red ink
Primary Objective: Stop the Human Sacrifice
Secondary Objective: Ensure that less than 10 individuals are killed in the process
Location: Gifford Street, Falmouth, USA
Duration: 1 Day

“Elephant in the room here, I can see why Ahmed is here, and maybe even Marcoux . But, Lumen, buddy, I get dope sick, and I’m pretty sure Sarah is already dead. “ , I say, adding, “ No offense. “

Lumen smiles, the grin spreading too far on his face.

“Death is, less of a concern for you four now. We will do our best to bring back any of you that fall. But this isn’t without it’s cost. Each time, more of your nuance, more of what makes you, you, will be taken away.

If this happens too many times, it just gets to the point where it’s more humane to let death take it’s toll.

That being said, each of you is much more than you understand. Find what you need at the gift shop. “ The not quite man points as he finishes talking. 

"End of Chapter1"