Dungeons of Aledorn Interview

Our counterparts over at RPG Codex managed to corner Team21 for a quick interview about Dungeons of Aledorn, their forthcoming “hardcore” role-playing game that’s currently seeking a $60,000 funding goal on Kickstarter. A bit of what to expect:

There seems to be environmental considerations to make in combat, such as lighting oil on fire. This was seen in Divinity: Original Sin. Are there other ways to manipulate the environment, and how prominent will this be in Aledorn?

It will be possible, for example, by using magical spells. We have spells that create solid walls, ice walls and thus are modifying the environment. Furthermore, it will also be possible to maneuver the various obstacles and props. Here, however, we go a little further in interacting with the battlefield than most games. While in most games it is necessary to destroy barriers, in our game you can jump or climb over them. While characters perform these maneuvers, the battle system will subtracts the appropriate number of action points. The system will roll the luck dice and compare it to your skill level and, if successful, the player will overcome the obstacle and land where they wanted to be. If they fail the roll, the character is probably going to fall on the ground instead, thus giving the enemy a considerable advantage.

By creating fire, you can also impact the AI. So, for example,if you have to fight a pack of wolves, you’ll be able to cut them off with fire, as they would rather run away from the flames than going straight through them.

There will also be numerous items generated on the battlefield that can give advantages, and not only to the player, but the enemy too. So as you’ve pointed out, oil may be set on fire creating a barrier between you and the enemy. We have more to reveal on this, but can’t say too much without revealing some awesome tactics that we want the players to figure out for themselves.’‹

The battle maps are generated in the same space that the player can explore in the first-person view. Are there any ways for the player to affect the start of the battle, in terms of positioning when initiating the encounter? Are there any sort of formations that the party can use?

You can set the formation in which the player will start the fight. Within the GUI, you have a “circle” gadget of the 17 hexes. On this, you create the formation of your party. All fights will begin using this formation, unless you’re directly attacked, like in an ambush (e.g . in the night while camping, when the party is asleep).’‹