Rumors of this game's death... has been greatly exaggerated.

I know.  It's been a minute.

I am posting this long-overdue update to get everyone caught up on things.

First things first, things along the homestead still need to be resolved.  I've yet to return to Chicago to tie up some loose ends that I couldn't deal with when I moved to Florida a couple of years ago, but I'm hoping it does by this time next month so I can get back to RōNIN full time.

However, I have NOT been idle. I've been working on some significant developments for RōNIN.

• Anticipate the unveiling of another district module, Hawthorne. This module covers the western inner suburbs of Chicago, where I grew up, and promises to be bigger than Northlandia. It will feature some parks, Frank Lloyd Wright houses, railyards, industrial parks, a suburban community that's become a 'hermit village,' a shopping mall, a quirky strip mall, and much more. I'm sure you'll be thrilled when I release this module.
• The player's handbook is set to undergo a MAJOR overhaul.  After several playtests on the Shogunate Discord, I've decided to work out many of the major kinks.  Here are the following issues that I intend to fix, ensuring a more refined and enjoyable gaming experience for you:
  • Overhauling the Specialty system.
    I'm blowing up the current specialty system but keeping the foundation.  Over the next week, I'll be getting together with the crew on the Shogunate discord and redoing the entire specialty system.  Each skill will have five specialties.  Four you can choose from at every five points in a skill, while the fifth 'elite specialty' you'll receive when you raise that skill to 25.
  • Unarmed Mechanics and decoupling stances, language, and mutate skills from specialties.
    The unarmed mechanics will be more precise, and some skills will be repurposed to bolster any bonuses from unarmed attacks.  Additionally, stance specialties will be its own thing to make unarmed combat (and some melee and firearm combat) less cryptic.  The same will be done with mutate skills and languages as well.
  • Overhauling Character Creation
    This is another big one.  I'll be designing a solo campaign in the style of Call of Cthulhu's 'Alone Against the Flames' to serve as a way to create your character and as an introduction to RōNIN.  There will probably be a truncated version of character creation for those who wish not to screw around and get to business.  This will be the most challenging part of the overhaul, in my opinion, but it will also be a fantastic introduction to the game.  I might even replace this as the quickstart.  I'll keep you all informed.
  • Safehouse Mechanics
    This was at the suggestion of the Shogunate discord.  I read through this proposal for the safehouse system, and I found it to be quite interesting!  As such, we'll have a much better system for hideaways and safe houses throughout the game in the overhaul.
  • Expanded Equipment and Items
    I'll be revamping vehicles, defensive wear, consumables, and weapons. When all is said and done, I project that the equipment, vehicle, and item lists will be doubled in size with a much more coherent and clean setup.

So, I do have a lot of work ahead of me. In hindsight, delaying the crowdfund start turned out to be a MAJOR blessing in disguise, as the mechanics were still a bit undercooked.

Oh, and one last thing: RōNIN will NOT be launched on Indiegogo. There have been many problems with that platform recently, and after careful consideration, I've decided that Kickstarter will best serve those who wish to back RōNIN. As such, when we're ready to crowdfund the game, it will most likely be on Kickstarter.

In the coming weeks, more details about Hawthorne, the handbook overhaul, and other issues will be available.

Until next time, fortune-seekers!