Iteration 1.4 Notes

*Iteration note 1.4 is here for The Legend of the Seven Swords. This major update introduces the first Graphic Update to the Board and Hero Sheet. We also performed another round of character balancing, especially with regards to Initiative now that we have a better understanding of how turn order can affect gameplay. The battlefield has also received an overhaul in terms of both the Ultimate Zone and the number of flags that can spawn.*

## Playtest

This update was developed based on feedbacks from:

* In-class Playtest #3.

This update was featured during:

* Internal Playtest #3.
* In-class Playtest #4.

## Graphic Update

*To better communicate gameplay elements through clearer visual designs, as well as to boost aesthetic values overall, we overhauled the visuals of the following gameplay components:*

### The Board

* The Board has received **textured backgrounds**.
* Important gameplay elements (e.g Spawn/Respawn points, Flag tiles, etc.) have been **highlighted and bolden** to further indicate their importance.

### Hero Sheet

* Finished character design have been added to each Hero's sheet.
* Elements of the previous design have been re-organized to provide better visual hierarchies.

## Tile Generation Update

*A goal since version 1.1 has been for us to trim the number of tiles that can spawn on the board from 180 to 60. While previous iteration achieved the same result by trimming the tile lottery deck, the current iteration visually makes it clear on the board and the lottery. This was changed in a bid to reduce visual clutter, dead spaces, and better balance the randomized nature of flag spawning. All flag tiles now closely adhere to a middle ring-shaped formation.*

### Revision

* The total number of tiles that can spawn flag has been reduced from 180 to **60**.
* Tile ID for each Heaven has been reduced from 1-30 to **1-10**.
* Major Flags will spawn from **7-10**, while Minor Flags will spawn from **1-6**.

## Ultimate Zone Update

*While the previous iteration disallows players from putting terrain on top of the flag, it was still a problem with players blocking path to the Ultimate Flag instead. To further protect the importance of the Ultimate Flag, it has received a special 1-tile zone around it that restricts AoE placement.*

### Revision

The following Hero's AoE tokens **can no longer be put on anywhere within a 1-tile range of the center tile** (which spawns the Ultimate Flag at the beginning of the 6th turn).

* Fia's Snowstorm token (from Icelit Dance)
* Regu's Earth wall token (from Thousand Stones)

## Hero Balancing

*On Monday playtest (11/13), we learned two things about Hero's Initiative: 1/ Having high hero Initiative is not always good, and 2/ People have to break even too much with a D6. Regarding point 1, we discovered that First-turn player struggles to control the board every round, and Last-turn player has a key advantage with certain heroes who can manipulate position. Regarding point 2, we discovered that too many heroes share equal Initiatives that make many team compositions end up with similar Team Initiative.*

*With better knowledge of how each hero works in accordance with their Turn-order, we reworked all the Hero Initiative into a number that encourage healthier playstyle (A great example of this is taking away Last-turn order from Violea, who can instantly capture a flag and deal damage at the same time.) All heroes have also received a unique number for their Initiative. It is our hope that this lessens the issue of breaking even with a D6.*

### Fia, the Snow Bunny

* ~~Initiative: 7~~ --> 6
* Basic Skill:

~~Hop and Cast. She is able to JUMP 2 tiles and cast a Snowstorm Field within a 2 range radius. The Snowstorm Field will deal 4 damage and bind all enemies to their occupied tile when entering. The field will last until the player's next turn.~~

>> Hop and Cast. She is able to JUMP 2 tiles and cast a Snowstorm Field within a 2-range radius. **The Snowstorm Field will deal 4 damage by initial AoE and subtracts 3 movement from enemy heroes entering or leaving through the field.**

*Fia's ability was changed from performing a Root to just a Slow to prevent players from permanently freezing their opponents.*

### Silac, the Wind Panda

* ~~Initiative: 6~~ --> 9
* ~~HP: 14~~ --> 12

### Violea, the Lightning Crane

* ~~Initiative: 7~~ --> 10
* ~~HP: 8~~ --> 7

## Playable Component Update

The following adjustments have been made to the playable components:

* **Tile Lottery**: Each Heaven now only has 10 tickets, ranging from 1-10, for a sum total of 60 tickets.

## Rulebook Update

The following adjustments have been made to the rulebook:

* New **illustrations and instructions** regarding **Tile Lottery sorting**.
* More detailed description of each **Hero's niche under Team Composition**.
* New **illustrations and descriptions** regarding The Board **post-Graphic Update**.
* New **illustrations** regarding Hero Character Sheet.

## Almanac Update

The following heroes have received additional entries for their interactions:

* **Fia:** on the topic of Snowstorm field and the new Slow effect.
* **Panda:** on the topic of manipulating movements around Snowstorm field.
* **Regu:** on the topic of manipulating movements around Snowstorm field.
* **Luces:** on the topic of Self-Takedown or Indirect Takedown and scoring.