ROLES, ARCHETYPES, PATHWAYS AND THE SYSTEM REMEMBERS // D-LOGS #4 AND #5
[p]// DISPATCH UPDATE
Two weeks in and Burned Horizons has already stacked 2,000+ wishlists on Steam.
That’s converting on Steam well above typical indie averages — and that’s without a trailer, gameplay footage, or major social push. Early coverage from TurnBasedLovers and PopularAirsoft helped kick things off, and the next waves are already queued: fresh renders this month, the trailer in October, and the first alpha slice in December.
The Kickstarter launch page goes live within the next week. Target is 5–10k wishlists by campaign time in January. Every wishlist stacks the odds. Every share moves the line. Always forward.
We’re also posting two D-logs today to pull everyone into sync on where Burned Horizons is headed. D-vlogs post every Monday.
For the latest versions — with edits, notes, and extras — you’ll always find them first on our Discord and the D-logs channel.
[hr][/hr]
* [ EARLY CONCEPT ART — NOT FINAL ]
[/p][p]⬤ D-LOG ENTRY \[0004]
\[// DEV]
\[2025-06-23-1000]
\[POE // DVG-98]
\[NAFOSEC // NCC-RIGA]
\[RE: ROLES, ARCHETYPES, PATHWAYS]
ROLES
A Role is a locked-in designator.
You can’t swap it. Can’t respec out of it.
You don’t stop being a trauma operator just because you’ve been sniping for a few weeks.
You expand. You adapt. But the core? That stays.
And like real life, your Role doesn’t restrict what you’re allowed to do —
you can wear heavy armor, attempt tasks outside your skillset
or shoulder a different weapons system.
But it affects your proficiency.
You might be able to fire a Barrett —
you just won’t handle it like someone who’s trained with it,
deployed with it, and knows what it kicks like under pressure.
ARCHETYPES
Archetypes aren’t mechanical layers.
They’re narrative tone — shorthand flavor for how an operator thinks or carries weight.
Burnout Medic. Rogue Advisor. Reluctant Warden.
They might influence early cohesion or Scar profiles, but they don’t evolve.
They don’t override anything.
They’re there to give context — not direction.
SPECIALIZATION PATHWAYS
Behavior creates movement.
Do something long enough, well enough, and the system starts carving out new space.
The difference here is focus:
Roles define your starting capability
Archetypes reflect your emotional baseline
Specialization shows how those two evolve
None of it’s locked.
But none of it’s undone either.
Change lanes. Go hybrid. Become something new.
But your Role never leaves your file.
[hr][/hr]
[/p][hr][/hr][p]⬤ D-LOG ENTRY \[0005]
\[// DEV]
\[2025-06-30-0930]
\[POE // DVG-98]
\[NAFOSEC // NCC-RIGA]
\[RE: THE SYSTEM REMEMBERS]
Once you strip out XP, levels, and class trees —
you’re still left with the question:
how do you track who someone actually is?
You need memory.
You need scars.
You need a system that watches.
The game watches.
ATTRIBUTES
Operators don’t get Strength 10 and Dexterity 8.
They don’t roll for INT or unlock perks with XP.
Attributes in Burned Horizons aren’t chosen.
They emerge. They evolve. They fracture.
You start with a foundation —
a few grounded choices during character creation:
a background, a Role, a handful of traits that say who you are.
Then the field writes the rest.
Attributes are tracked, visible, and real.
They don’t tell you how powerful someone is.
They tell you what they can handle — and what they can’t.
Tactical Aptitude → movement logic, initiative, pattern recognition
Combat Proficiency → weapon handling, suppressive control, accuracy under pressure
Medical Skill → trauma triage speed, stabilization window, survival chain timing
Engineering / Ordnance → sabotage, breach reliability, trap handling, repair logic
Cohesion / Leadership → morale effects, squad trust, command resilience
Wound Resilience → ability to function while injured, collapse delay, bleedout resistance
Attributes can rise — through survival, Scar offset, mentorship.
They can fall — from trauma, failure, or persistent breakdown.
They’re shaped by what you do, not what you buy.
THE SYSTEM
You breach under pressure? That’s noted.
You run point three ops in a row? That’s noted.
You freeze when your squadmate bleeds out next to you?
That’s noted too.
Nothing gets forgotten.
Not by the system.
FORWARD
Eventually, the record becomes something you can see.
A file. A flag. A trait.
A dossier someone else reads before they trust you.
We’ll talk more about that next time.
But for now — just know:
the system remembers.[/p]
//----
Attached Excerpt // Development Feed
Here’s a sneak peek at the kind of systems being stitched in behind the numbers:
One of those systems is dynamic missions — ops that don’t sit pre-scripted, but emerge organically as campaigns unfold. Intel finds, patrol chatter, or sudden shifts on the ground trigger missions that queue for the player to act on… or ignore.
That kind of organic, lived-in design sets Burned Horizons apart — and is another reason why operators who’ve seen it are connecting. Example follows:
[/p]
* [ EARLY CONCEPT ART — NOT FINAL ]
//----
SUPPORT THE OP
👉 WISHLIST + FOLLOW // Every mark adds weight to the push ahead.
OPN-FULCRUM // PHASE 2 → JAN 2026. Mission-critical funding op to carry Burned Horizons forward. Stay locked in — followers get the deployment notice first.
ALPHA SIGNUPS // Open.
Two weeks in and Burned Horizons has already stacked 2,000+ wishlists on Steam.
That’s converting on Steam well above typical indie averages — and that’s without a trailer, gameplay footage, or major social push. Early coverage from TurnBasedLovers and PopularAirsoft helped kick things off, and the next waves are already queued: fresh renders this month, the trailer in October, and the first alpha slice in December.
The Kickstarter launch page goes live within the next week. Target is 5–10k wishlists by campaign time in January. Every wishlist stacks the odds. Every share moves the line. Always forward.
We’re also posting two D-logs today to pull everyone into sync on where Burned Horizons is headed. D-vlogs post every Monday.
For the latest versions — with edits, notes, and extras — you’ll always find them first on our Discord and the D-logs channel.
[hr][/hr]
* [ EARLY CONCEPT ART — NOT FINAL ][/p][p]⬤ D-LOG ENTRY \[0004]
\[// DEV]
\[2025-06-23-1000]
\[POE // DVG-98]
\[NAFOSEC // NCC-RIGA]
\[RE: ROLES, ARCHETYPES, PATHWAYS]
ROLES
A Role is a locked-in designator.
You can’t swap it. Can’t respec out of it.
You don’t stop being a trauma operator just because you’ve been sniping for a few weeks.
You expand. You adapt. But the core? That stays.
And like real life, your Role doesn’t restrict what you’re allowed to do —
you can wear heavy armor, attempt tasks outside your skillset
or shoulder a different weapons system.
But it affects your proficiency.
You might be able to fire a Barrett —
you just won’t handle it like someone who’s trained with it,
deployed with it, and knows what it kicks like under pressure.
ARCHETYPES
Archetypes aren’t mechanical layers.
They’re narrative tone — shorthand flavor for how an operator thinks or carries weight.
Burnout Medic. Rogue Advisor. Reluctant Warden.
They might influence early cohesion or Scar profiles, but they don’t evolve.
They don’t override anything.
They’re there to give context — not direction.
SPECIALIZATION PATHWAYS
Behavior creates movement.
Do something long enough, well enough, and the system starts carving out new space.
The difference here is focus:
Roles define your starting capability
Archetypes reflect your emotional baseline
Specialization shows how those two evolve
None of it’s locked.
But none of it’s undone either.
Change lanes. Go hybrid. Become something new.
But your Role never leaves your file.
[hr][/hr]
[/p][hr][/hr][p]⬤ D-LOG ENTRY \[0005]
\[// DEV]
\[2025-06-30-0930]
\[POE // DVG-98]
\[NAFOSEC // NCC-RIGA]
\[RE: THE SYSTEM REMEMBERS]
Once you strip out XP, levels, and class trees —
you’re still left with the question:
how do you track who someone actually is?
You need memory.
You need scars.
You need a system that watches.
The game watches.
ATTRIBUTES
Operators don’t get Strength 10 and Dexterity 8.
They don’t roll for INT or unlock perks with XP.
Attributes in Burned Horizons aren’t chosen.
They emerge. They evolve. They fracture.
You start with a foundation —
a few grounded choices during character creation:
a background, a Role, a handful of traits that say who you are.
Then the field writes the rest.
Attributes are tracked, visible, and real.
They don’t tell you how powerful someone is.
They tell you what they can handle — and what they can’t.
Tactical Aptitude → movement logic, initiative, pattern recognition
Combat Proficiency → weapon handling, suppressive control, accuracy under pressure
Medical Skill → trauma triage speed, stabilization window, survival chain timing
Engineering / Ordnance → sabotage, breach reliability, trap handling, repair logic
Cohesion / Leadership → morale effects, squad trust, command resilience
Wound Resilience → ability to function while injured, collapse delay, bleedout resistance
Attributes can rise — through survival, Scar offset, mentorship.
They can fall — from trauma, failure, or persistent breakdown.
They’re shaped by what you do, not what you buy.
THE SYSTEM
You breach under pressure? That’s noted.
You run point three ops in a row? That’s noted.
You freeze when your squadmate bleeds out next to you?
That’s noted too.
Nothing gets forgotten.
Not by the system.
FORWARD
Eventually, the record becomes something you can see.
A file. A flag. A trait.
A dossier someone else reads before they trust you.
We’ll talk more about that next time.
But for now — just know:
the system remembers.[/p]
//----
Attached Excerpt // Development Feed
Here’s a sneak peek at the kind of systems being stitched in behind the numbers:
One of those systems is dynamic missions — ops that don’t sit pre-scripted, but emerge organically as campaigns unfold. Intel finds, patrol chatter, or sudden shifts on the ground trigger missions that queue for the player to act on… or ignore.
That kind of organic, lived-in design sets Burned Horizons apart — and is another reason why operators who’ve seen it are connecting. Example follows:
[/p]
[p]
\[XIN // GHOSTRIDE]
Intel drop flagged a derailed supply convoy outside Lyskov Yard.
UKR patrol hit the site and found a BTR-80 abandoned across the tracks.
Local chatter calls it Ghostride.
Mission profile logged under dynamic ops queue — optional intercept.
\[ FSR-02-18037-LGV // GHOSTRIDE ]
* [ EARLY CONCEPT ART — NOT FINAL ]//----
SUPPORT THE OP
👉 WISHLIST + FOLLOW // Every mark adds weight to the push ahead.
OPN-FULCRUM // PHASE 2 → JAN 2026. Mission-critical funding op to carry Burned Horizons forward. Stay locked in — followers get the deployment notice first.
ALPHA SIGNUPS // Open.