I’m thinking of introducing a new type of asset in my group’s next mission, and I wonder if you had any thoughts towards maintaining the balance of the game, see red flags, etc.
I rolled Asset, +1 Intel/+1 Pressure for this mission.
Should they choose that mission, the squad will discover an old, dilapidated mansion that was taken over by the undead during the first invasion of Aldermark, and then forgot about and taken over by nature. The place was owned by a master alchemist and is basically a giant workshop/laboratory, with some of the clockwork machines still working. The mission would be about navigating the mansion, and scavenging and learning what they can from it before Blighter’s troops catch up. The Intel is the ‘undead studies’ notes the alchemist left behind from the first invasion and the Pressure increase is how Blighter would use their designs to her advantage.
The quartermaster loves doing alchemical long-term projects and has enough of the basic assets, so I was thinking the PCs could retrieve an ‘alchemical schematics’ asset from the mansion. This asset would not add dice to an engagement roll and could not be acquired in the campaign phase—basically a one-off. The quartermaster could use this asset in lieu of supplies to boost a long-term project to create an alchemical device or compound. Basically a specialized supplies I know my PCs will be excited about, with the Legion’s alchemists work from the master’s old designs within the fiction. The PCs would get one to three uses of the asset, depending on how the mission goes.
Does this sound balanced to you? Anything I should keep in mind? Any ideas you want to share? Always great to read your thoughts. Thank you!
Recon is the mission type. What you call “Recon” is “Intel” (Intelligence).
I see no real problem to this approach. If there is a balance problem, it would be because the reward could be considered too weak; not too strong. “Asset” can mean a lot of different things. It could be some alchemical potion (see page 137, “alchemical concoctions are fine quality” assets). So something that just adds segments to an alchemical LTP is not too strong and it sounds like a fun mission if you can make it something other than just visiting room after room in a big mansion.
What makes the Alchemical Assets any different than Supplies as you state it right now?
My suggestion would be to make the schematics make it a “safe” alchemical project that workers also could contribute to. First talk to your players are about what a cool Alchemical Long Term Project could be that works within the fiction. Then the Alchemical Asset could be a LTP that does need an action to start, gives no corruption to alchemists and maybe workers could also add ticks to.
I could just hear the Quartermaster in my group start pining for this mission!
Nothing much beyond being LTP-focused, but it’s by design. The Quartermaster gets to spend Alchemical Assets to boost an alchemical LTP instead of Supplies, which frees the latter for other uses. My reading of the rules allows the Quartermaster to spend Supplies to boost LTPs led by Alchemists–maybe I’m mistaken?
I really like that idea. However, we already established in our fiction that engaging in Alchemy generates corruption on its own, so I would have to figure out why it’s not the case with these particular schematics.
My first idea would be that the Orite Alchemy god is not the sole source of the craft and those schematics were ‘inspired’ by another god. That would be a big reveal with lots of implications that go well beyond this mission and the Road to Skydagger campaign. Revealing that the Orite alchemical god has a divine rival that could turn the tide of the war would be a great opportunity for world building, though.
Matiar, the unbroken Aldermani god, has a hammer and could possibly have some kind of super-smithery that is not corrupted. Although I think Orite Alchemists are actually bound to an Orite god before they can do alchemy. So I’m not sure Aldermani schematics would be enough to avoid corruption unless you manage to bind someone to the Aldermani god.
Thank you!