Gremlins, Inc. News

[h3]ːHoly_Grailetː 13.08 12:00 PM GMT – 16.08 12:00 PM GMT ːHoly_Grailetː [/h3]

We're trying something new this time.

The rules are the same for both Asian and European servers:

ːcardsː Players: 4
ːscoreː Session limit: 40 rounds
ːcursecardː Chaos Cards: allowed
ːhealth_powerupː Character Abilities: allowed
ːtelegramː Impending Misfortune: visible
ːcheatdiceː Characters: from random set
ːRatsClockː Timer: normal
ːLocationː Field: Clockwork Colony (2nd)

[h3]RULES[/h3]

There is no limit on the number of sessions that a player can play during this tournament. To win this tournament, you need to win 3 tournament sessions. There will be multiple winners and each will receive the corresponding prizes.

During this tournament, regular rating points will be frozen for all the players. Your tournament sessions will not affect your regular rating.

[h3]PRIZE FUND[/h3]

Every player who wins 3 tournament sessions, receives 1 Summer chest and 1 Tournament chest. There will be also special sets of prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd players on each server in the following categories: most sessions won; most sessions won in a row; highest score at the end of tournament session; most sessions played.

______



ːmaliceː Official Discord
ːmaliceː Twitter (game updates)



ːsummer_magicː Official Discord
ːsummer_magicː Twitter (game updates)

ːsteampunkː STATUS: THE UPDATE IS LIVE

ːsunnyemoː IMPORTANT: due to significant internal changes in the code, saved games made in the earlier version of the game will not be compatible with the updated version. We apologize for the inconvenience.

–––

Dear players:

Hopefully, the summer treats you with good weather, and you and your families are doing well. We, from our side, are happy to provide you with this brand new update that adds 2 new cards, a number of bug fixes and changes in balance.

We'll look at all the changes in just a second, but first, a quick shoutout to our other game – Spire of Sorcery, which participates in the Steam Next Fest event: the demo-version is already available on Steam, and supports 7 languages.

If, for some unexplainable reason, you desire something less chaotic and brutal than Gremlins, Inc., then you may consider leading a party of runaway mages in a post-cataclysmic fantasy world of Spire of Sorcery. You can download the demo on the game's Steam page:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/637050/Spire_of_Sorcery/

And now, back to Gremlins, Inc. and all the goodness of the new update!


ːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsː

[h3]NEW CARD: "ID CARD OF SECRET POLICE"[/h3]

Location: The Court
Cost: $500
Move points: 3
Type: Normal, Permanent
Get: +ːscoreː6, +ːmaliceː1



Special rule:

When another player plays a secret card, they pay you $50. If they can’t pay in full, they discard all their cards.

"The lives of those who are unable to purchase protection from the secret police, can change at a moment’s notice, and in a very unpredictable way."

When this card is in play, one careless move when you are out of money might change your entire plan for future turns (for better or worse).

ːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsːːcardsː

[h3]NEW CARD: "QUICK LOAN"[/h3]

Location: The Bank
Cost: free
Move points: 3
Type: Normal, Permanent
Get: +$400



Special rule:

Pay $20 at the beginning of your every turn. If you cannot pay, lose ːscoreː3, then this card is discarded.

"For customer contracts, we use nothing but the finest print."

Be careful with this one – playing it just because you can might not be a good idea.


ːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinː

[h2]CHANGES IN BALANCE[/h2]

In the course of the last few months, we experimented a lot with cards and special character abilities. With this update we implement most of these changes on a permanent basis. If you play regularly and follow our monthly updates in which we discuss adjustments in balance, all these changes and the reasons behind them will probably look familiar to you. Otherwise, feel free to take a look at how (and why) the balance has been changed.


[h3]CHANGES IN SPECIAL CHARACTER ABILITIES[/h3]

We have buffed two characters who, according to the data, were underperforming on both servers.

[h3]The Damned[/h3]



[h3]The Pauper[/h3]




[h3]CHANGES IN CARDS[/h3]

As you can see, most of the changes have a similar base: money reduction and score reduction. This is, of course, for a reason. Years of development with regular updates that bring not only new features but new cards as well, lead the game to the state that one can call "inflation". There are much more resources (money, votes) that are available in sessions than it was 2-3 years ago and that affects all aspects of gameplay.

We want to take a step back and reduce the impact of some of the cards in order to change that. In almost every case this isn't about nerfing a particular card but about reducing the overall amount of money that circulates in sessions. Reasons to change Chaos Cards are similar: an increased amount of available resources means that these cards are easier to play now than it was a few years ago. As such, we want to reduce their impact on the game just a bit (and in some cases compensate it with the reduced amount of ːmaliceː these cards gives to the player).


[h3]CHAOS CARDS[/h3]

[h3]A Sacrifice[/h3]



[h3]The Agent of Chaos[/h3]



[h3]The Army of Chaos[/h3]



[h3]A Diversion in the Astral Plane[/h3]



[h3]The Allies of Chaos[/h3]




[h2]CARDS[/h2]

[h3]Eternal Mortgage[/h3]



[h3]Racketeering![/h3]



[h3]A Fence[/h3]



[h3]Toxic Waste[/h3]



Reason: this is not just because of the reasons we already explained. This card is still one of the most playable cards in the game due to the combination of its effects. So, in this case, yes, it is a nerf of a specific card in order to reduce its effectiveness.

[h3]Prize Fund[/h3]



Reason: ːvotesː4 or -ːmaliceː4 is just too good in comparison to $100. It also has a significant impact, especially the ːmaliceː reduction. So, we decided to nerf this card a bit.

[h3]A Bag of Money[/h3]



Reason: as was noticed in the comments after the previous change of this card – no one cares how many votes it gives because no one plays it for votes. Fair enough. We made it more balanced in terms of what it gives :)

[h3]Corporate Scam[/h3]



Reason: with this card, the effect works as intended but it isn't impactful enough. Now you can get up to 4 free points out of it while simultaneously punishing those opponents who didn't join you in this scam.

[h3]Investigation[/h3]



Reason: despite increasing its cost back in October of the last year, the card still has an extremely high 'play to move' ratio (meaning, it is rarely used for movement and almost always played). While some cards will inevitably have a higher ratio than the others, we want to change it a bit more.

[h3]An Inspection[/h3]



Reason: the situation here is similar to Investigation, which is understandable – police cards are very powerful. In this case, we didn't want to nerf the card and instead made it more tempting to use it for movement.

[h3]Forbidden Knowledge[/h3]



Reason: this is rather simple: we want this card to be played more often.

[h3]Cold Deck[/h3]



Reason: after testing it for some time we do believe that ːmaliceː1 works better for this card.

[h3]FIXES[/h3]

• Gremlinopedia now correctly shows all the monthly changes for cards and characters outside of sessions.
  
• The tooltip for the Banker's ability Hedging the risk now shows at the correct spot.
  
• Added missing indicators on the board for active permanent cards The Common Fund and Corporate Scam.
  
• Indicators in the first tutorial entry are fixed and appear next to the correct elements of UI.
  
• Raging bull emote now can be converted into charges.
  
• A few more typos in different languages has been discovered and fixed.
  

We wish you all the best, and hope to have some great news about the Card Game for you in August!

Dear friends,

Today we have two news to share with you:

First of all, the playable demo of Spire of Sorcery – our upcoming party RPG with turn-based spellcasting and hex-based exploration – is available during Steam Next Fest, from June 16 onwards.



Spire of Sorcery is a very ambitious project for our studio, and those among you who follow our studio might know that its development has been anything but easy: to make it happen, we’ve pushed ourselves to the very limit. Given the development progress of the last 6 months, we’re confident that the project will be released in Early Access in the autumn of this year!

In Spire of Sorcery, you play for a party of runaway mages who try save themselves (and maybe others, if they can) in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world where magic talent is a crime.



Just as with Gremlins, Inc., with Spire of Sorcery we build upon the game’s own original setting, and we don’t rely on a single central mechanic. Instead, we mixes together multiple interconnected mechanics to create a unique experience from their combinations.

Spire of Sorcery has elements of gameplay that you might find in board games, even though it’s not a card game. Every character owns a personal adjustable deck of elements that they combine together to cast spells and deal tokens, that combine with different effects.



There is some randomness in the game – the maps are procedurally generated, as well as stats and decks – but we keep it rather low in comparison to that other game that you all know and love (or hate :P).



Of course, there are more things. For example, each character is a person with their own stats, perks, and goals. They can be improved, but they also can get sick or injured. They react differently to the surroundings and events. And since mages are the most efficient when they act in groups, it lies on the player's shoulder to decide how to mix different party members.



If this sounds interesting and you want to know more, or try the playable demo while it’s available, you can download the game here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/637050/Spire_of_Sorcery/

We would be tremendously happy to receive your feedback, comments and suggestions, as it is our main way to develop and improve our games.

Secondly, the development of our second new game currently in production, Gremlins, Inc. Card Game, is progressing nicely.

You may be familiar with the physical game that’s available as Print & Play DLC for Gremlins, Inc., and now we are turning it into a digital board game as well.

Since this is an adaptation of the existing game, the development is fast and smooth. We already have a fully playable version that we test against bots (they aren't the brightest, but they know how to play) or other players (on a dedicated server or through a direct peer-to-peer connection).

The base deck of 64 cards is also fully implemented, and sessions can be played for points or rounds where both conditions can be set at the same time, in which case the session ends when at least one of them is reached.

The main reason why we don't provide any public access to the build yet (and decided to opt-out from this Steam Next Fest with the demo) is that the game looks ugly as... well, let’s just say that it's very, very ugly – since we haven’t even started work on the interface yet.



While hardcore fans probably would be able to deal with it, we do not want to traumatise anyone else. Yes, it works! But no, it’s not ready to reveal itself to the general public yet.

However, you can already add the game to your wishlist, if you wish –

https://store.steampowered.com/app/860560/Gremlins_Inc__Card_Game/

Our current estimate is that Gremlins, Inc. – Card Game will enter Early Access on Steam in the autumn of this year. In the meantime, we'll be sharing news on how development progresses, and how the game changes (mostly it will be getting prettier and the bots become smarter). You can also join the game's dedicated Discord server.

The following rules become active on June 1, at 12:00 GMT, and will apply throughout June to all ranked sessions that are launched after that point.

ːsteampunkː EUROPE

ːcardsː players: 4
ːscoreː victory condition: 30 points
ːcursecardː Chaos Cards: allowed
ːhealth_powerupː Character Abilities: allowed
ːtelegramː Impending Misfortune: hidden
ːcheatdiceː Characters: from random set
ːRatsClockː Timer: normal
ːLocationː Field: Clockwork town (1st)

* Special rules for EU server:

None.

ːsteampunkː ASIA

ːcardsː players: 2
ːscoreː victory condition: 35 points
ːcursecardː Chaos Cards: allowed
ːhealth_powerupː Character Abilities: allowed
ːtelegramː Impending Misfortune: visible
ːcheatdiceː Characters: random
ːRatsClockː Timer: normal
ːLocationː Field: Clockwork town (1st)

* Special rules for Asia server:

The following cards are removed from the ranked deck on Asian server:

ːcardsː The Accelerator
ːcardsː An Award Ceremony
ːcardsː A Compromising Document
ːcardsː A Fraudulent Transaction
ːcardsː An Honest Exchange

ːsteampunkːːsteampunkːːsteampunkː

In addition to this set of rules, we also make an adjustment of just one card that we keep tinkering with because of its extreme efficiency. But this time it's actually a buff. Please keep in mind that all the previous changes are still intact.

[h2]CARDS[/h2]

[h3]Investigation[/h3]



Reason: despite the increased cost and malice the card is still played 4 times out of 5 when it hits the hand of a player. We still don't want to change its effect as it works rather well, so this time we'll make it more useful for movement to tempt you to spend it that way :)

______



ːmaliceː Official Discord
ːmaliceː Twitter (game updates)



ːsummer_magicː Official Discord
ːsummer_magicː Twitter (game updates)

[h3]ːHoly_Grailetː 07.05 12:00 PM GMT – 10.05 12:00 PM GMT ːHoly_Grailetː [/h3]

Just as in April, this tournament will have a different set of rules. Bribes of all players increased and there are more cards that allow extorting bribes from opponents or to avoid paying them. Being the Governor now is more profitable than ever before but the position is harder to keep because elections happen more often! So, manage your ːmaliceː carefully, prepare to pay more bribes, and don't forget to collect ːvotesː.

Good luck!

[h3]ːsteampunkː EUROPE[/h3]

ːcardsː players: 4
ːscoreː victory condition: 25 points
ːcursecardː Chaos Cards: allowed
ːhealth_powerupː Character Abilities: allowed
ːtelegramː Impending Misfortune: visible
ːcheatdiceː Characters: from random set
ːRatsClockː Timer: normal
ːLocationː Field: Clockwork town (1st)

Special rules for European server

• default bribe is increased by 10 (30 instead of 20, The Pauper pays 15 instead of 5);
  
• 2 more copies of The Miracle of Bureaucracy added to the deck;
  
• 2 more copies of A Governor for an Hour added to the deck;
  
• 2 more copies of The Right Connections added to the deck;
  
• Elections happen every 15 rounds instead of every 20;
  
• The winner of each election gets ːscoreː2 instead of ːscoreː1;
  

Tournament points (place in session/points gained):

1. +150 tournament points
   
2. +45 tournament points
   
3. 15 tournament points
   
4. 0 tournament points
   

[h3]ːsteampunkː ASIA[/h3]

ːcardsː players: 2
ːscoreː victory condition: 35 points
ːcursecardː Chaos Cards: allowed
ːhealth_powerupː Character Abilities: allowed
ːtelegramː Impending Misfortune: hidden
ːcheatdiceː Characters: from random set
ːRatsClockː Timer: normal
ːLocationː Field: Clockwork town (1st)

Special rules for Asian server

• default bribe is increased by 10 (30 instead of 20, The Pauper pays 15 instead of 5);
  
• 2 more copies of The Miracle of Bureaucracy added to the deck;
  
• 2 more copies of A Governor for an Hour added to the deck;
  
• 2 more copies of The Right Connections added to the deck;
  
• Elections happen every 15 rounds instead of every 20;
  
• The winner of each election gets ːscoreː2 instead of ːscoreː1;
  

Other changes in the deck (Asian server only):

-1 The Accelerator
-1 An Award Ceremony
-1 A Compromising Document
-1 A Fraudulent Transaction
-1 An Honest Exchange

Tournament points (place in session/points gained):

1. +60 tournament points
   
2. 0 tournament points
   

[h3]ːvotesː RULES:[/h3]

Sessions that count towards the tournament: ːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinːːbh2coinː (8)

For each defeated opponent ("defeated" means that at the end of a session the player has a lower final position than yours), you receive additional tournament points. The number of points depends on the number of victories (1st places) of the defeated opponents in the current tournament. Important: these additional points also are added to your overall tournament score retrospectively, when the players previously defeated by you achieve victories in the tournament – even if you already have reached the limit of sessions for the tournament. What this means is that you keep getting tournament points as long as your previously defeated opponents continue to play, and win.

During this tournament, regular rating points will be frozen for all the players. Your tournament sessions will NOT affect your regular rating.

Players get tournament points for the first 8 sessions played in the tournament on each of the servers. Any subsequent sessions won't give any tournament points, and won't increase the number of defeated opponents who give additional points. Nonetheless, victories of all opponents who were defeated in the first 8 sessions will affect your final tournament rating.

[h3]PRIZE FUND:[/h3]

Awarded: Top 10 players on each of the servers. In addition to the main prize fund, every player who finishes all 8 tournament sessions receives a special bonus player icon “Facepalm” (only if it has not been received before)!

Place / Prize –

1. ːHoly_Grailetː 5, ːgreengemstoneː 7, Bomb-o-mat, A Contraband Box of Goods x 3
2. ːHoly_Grailetː 4, ːgreengemstoneː 7 A Contraband Box of Goods x 2
3. ːHoly_Grailetː 4, ːgreengemstoneː 6 A Contraband Box of Goods
4. ːHoly_Grailetː 3, ːgreengemstoneː 6
   
5. ːHoly_Grailetː 3, ːgreengemstoneː 6
   
6. ːHoly_Grailetː 3, ːgreengemstoneː 6
   
7. ːHoly_Grailetː 2, ːgreengemstoneː 5
   
8. ːHoly_Grailetː 2, ːgreengemstoneː 4
   
9. ːHoly_Grailetː 1, ːgreengemstoneː 3
   
10. ːHoly_Grailetː 1, ːgreengemstoneː 3
    

ːHoly_Grailetː = Tournament Chest (limited, tournaments only)
ːgreengemstoneː = Spring Chest (limited, Spring Season only)

In the case when at the end of the tournament two or more players will have equal number of tournament points, they will share the same (highest) place and get the same rewards. However, the award list will not be extended, and we will still award only the top 10 players on each server.

[h3]TOURNAMENT CHESTS – FAQ:[/h3]

Q. Where do Tournament Chests drop?
A. Only in tournament sessions, which are available via Multiplayer Lobby.

Q. If I've finished all my tournament sessions, can I get more tournament chests?
A. Yes, as long as you will keep playing tournament sessions.

Q. Are the tournament items limited to this tournament only, or to tournaments in general?
A. The tournament items are available via tournament chests, which drop during every official tournament in the game.

Q. Is there a full list of tournament items available via tournament chests?
A. Yes, please see below:

• Message – No need to thank me. (uncommon)
  
• Message – Nothing personal. (uncommon)
  
• Emoticon – Winner (uncommon)
  
• Emoticon – Thief (uncommon)
  
• Lobby icon – Darbl fon Murblenton (rare)
  
• Player profile – Trophy shelf (rare)
  
• Main menu background – The Champion (rare)
  
• Governor frame – The Governor of Governors (contraband)
  
• Blueprint – Blueprint: "The Ruffian" (contraband)
  
• Special item – Bomb-o-mat (contraband)
  
• Token trail – Champion's trail (illegal)
  

[h3]DATA[/h3]

• Participants: 1,290 unique players participated in the tournament.
  
  
• Involvement: 253 players completed 8 or more sessions. 82 players received the "Facepalm" lobby icon for completing all 8 tournament sessions for the first time. 424 players completed more than half (5+) of their sessions.
  
  
• Sessions played: 1,893 tournament sessions were played in the course of the tournament.
  
  
• Average lenght of sessions: Europe: (4 players, 25 points) – 41 minutes / 41 rounds. Asia: (2 players, 35 points) – 25 minutes / 57 rounds.
  
  
• Bans: 3 protests have been investigated and 6 players banned for the breach of the Fair Play Rules during this tournament.
  
  
• Tournament chests: 2,411 tournament chests were distributed during the tournament (overall, including non-tournament sessions, 4,108 chests were distributed to players in this period).
  

[h3]TOP-10 – EUROPE[/h3]
803 participants

01. Meowth (1020) – 8 sessions, 6 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x5, ːgreengemstoneː x7, Bomb-o-mat, A Contraband Box of Goods x3
02. Kroshka_enot (1014) – 8 sessions, 6 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː 4, ːgreengemstoneː 7, A Contraband Box of Goods x2
03. Черешня (987) – 8 sessions, 5 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x4, ːgreengemstoneː x6, A Contraband Box of Goods
04. CrazyLameR (969) – 8 sessions, 6 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x3, ːgreengemstoneː x6
05. Kaizes (945) – 8 sessions, 5 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x3, ːgreengemstoneː x6
06. Kas'r'kin (927) – 8 sessions, 5 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x3, ːgreengemstoneː x6
07. uCANdoMAGIC (918) – 8 sessions, 5 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x2, ːgreengemstoneː x5
08. murder-cali (903) – 8 sessions, 5 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x2, ːgreengemstoneː x4
09. Bigamol (894) 8 sessions, 5 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x1, ːgreengemstoneː x3
10. littlematt (873) – 8 sessions, 5 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x1, ːgreengemstoneː x3


[h3]TOP-10 ASIA[/h3]
487 participants

01. 五六七 (654) – 8 sessions, 8 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x5, ːgreengemstoneː x7, Bomb-o-mat, A Contraband Box of Goods x3
02. RomenZero (636) – 8 sessions, 8 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː 4, ːgreengemstoneː 7, A Contraband Box of Goods x2
02. Thainlex (636) – 8 sessions, 8 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː 4, ːgreengemstoneː 7, A Contraband Box of Goods x2
04. Meowth (630) – 8 sessions, 8 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x3, ːgreengemstoneː x6
05. Calmand (624) – 8 sessions, 7 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x3, ːgreengemstoneː x6
05. ohlokrat (624) – 8 sessions, 7 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x3, ːgreengemstoneː x6
07. yaekokuryuu (606) – 8 sessions, 7 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x2, ːgreengemstoneː x5
07. Hypnos (606) – 8 sessions, 7 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x2, ːgreengemstoneː x5
09. Standard of Ur (594) – 8 sessions, 7 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x1, ːgreengemstoneː x3
09. Mr.Ra1nDr0p (594) – 8 sessions, 7 victories. ːHoly_Grailetː x1, ːgreengemstoneː x3

ːHoly_Grailetː = Tournament Chest (limited, tournaments only)
ːgreengemstoneː = Spring Chest (limited, Spring Season only)

* the number of sessions played shows only the sessions that were played while they had impact on the overall tournament score of that player.

** if two or more players have equal number of tournament points, they share the same (highest) place and get the same rewards.

We congratulate the winners and wish good luck to everyone in future events! Thank you for being such an awesome community! ːvotesː

______



ːmaliceː Official Discord
ːmaliceː Twitter (game updates)



ːsummer_magicː Official Discord
ːsummer_magicː Twitter (game updates)