Epic Tavern
New Unstable Test build: Achievements & Dead Heroes
We have a new Unstable testing build up if you'd like an early peek of the patch that will be released to everyone in just a few days.
Every achievement in Epic Tavern is now confirmed working, which required Rich take a deep dive into every remaining area of the game that was acting a little wonky, including the dreaded Death & Dying system for heroes.
Hero deaths, and particularly full party wipes, were always a little dodgy. If you got down to one surviving hero in the party, you could sometimes encounter strange behavior. And full party wipes never quite worked right... until now. Expect to see much deadlier storylines arriving in future patches.
UP NEXT
The next patch we're already working on is a big one. In addition to overhauling our Spirit/Hunger/Foraging system, we're ripping out the first 30ish days of quests and replacing them with more robust content that takes advantage of all the features that didn't yet exist when we first wrote those stories.
Your choice between siding with Victor Marshall and the Fantastical Crimes Unit or with Arielle Nightbloom and the Undermarket will now shape your entire gameplay experience. Your choices will earn a reputation for your tavern as either an upstanding member of your community or a den of criminals, each opening up new narrative paths. A whole lot of new Undermarket and FCU quests are on the way.
REMINDER
Our last patch added the ability to customize your tavern by hanging trophies on your walls that your heroes earned in their adventures. Click on the DECOR button in your tavern to get started decorating.
How to Access the Unstable Testing Build
Disclaimer: Unstable testing builds can be, well, unstable. If you’ll be using a beloved tavern in the test build, we always recommend creating a backup of your save file, just in case.
1. Go to your Steam Library
2. Right-Click Epic Tavern
3. Select Properties
4. Click the Betas tab at the top of the pop-up window
5. Click the drop-down arrow and select Unstable - Public Test Tavern
We Want To Hear from You
Epic Tavern streams development every Monday and Friday on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/epictavern).
Mondays at 7pm EST: Narrative Chat with Tomo and Shawn
Friday at 4pm EST: Bug Squashing with Rich
Dev Chats on Discord
NEW TIME: Every Wednesday at 1:30pm EST, join Tomo and Shawn for an open voice chat about game design and storytelling where we field any questions from our players. Stop on by!
https://discord.com/invite/epictavern
Tavern Trophies are now live on Stable!
A special thanks to all you folks who helped test out our new Tavern Trophy feature, which is now live for everyone to enjoy on our latest Stable build!
Tavern trophies offer a fun new way to customize your taverns. Upon completing quests, you’ll now sometimes unlock special trophies to commemorate your victories and defeats. These trophies can be displayed on the new wall mounts found all around your tavern, allowing you to deck out your Epic Tavern exactly how you want it.
How it works...
Upon returning to the tavern after accomplishing important story events, you'll now see a special popup that tells you a trophy has been unlocked.
From the tavern floor, click on the DECOR button in the top-right to access your new trophy mounts!
[previewyoutube="3Dvt4ZarqEE;full"]
There are dozens of trophies already implemented and awaiting your discovery, including a Flaming Netherkin Head just for completing the prologue. Will you fall victim to the mighty Waspzilla or vanquish it and mount its head on in the tavern for all to see? Each playthrough will unlock different trophies based on your results, so no two taverns will ever look the same.
A few of the trophies waiting to be earned and displayed in your Epic Tavern...
We Want To Hear from You
Epic Tavern streams development every M/W/F on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/epictavern).
Mondays at 7pm EST: Narrative Chat with Tomo and Shawn
Wednesdays at 7pm EST: Let's Play with Tomo
Friday at 4pm EST: Bug Squashing with Rich
Dev Chat on Discord
Every Thursday at 1:30pm EST, join Tomo and Shawn for an open voice chat about game design and storytelling where we field any questions from our players.
https://discord.com/invite/epictavern
Until next time, stay safe out there,
Your friends at the tavern.
Trophies are live on our Unstable testing build
We are all kinds of excited to roll out a cool new way to customize your taverns. As you complete quests, you'll now sometimes unlock special trophies that commemorate your victories and defeats. These trophies can be hung on the new wall mounts found all around your tavern, allowing you to deck out your Epic Tavern however you wish.
How it works...
Upon returning to the tavern after accomplishing important story events, you'll now see a special popup that tells you a trophy has been unlocked.
From the tavern floor, click on the DECOR button in the top-right to access your new trophy mounts!
[previewyoutube="3Dvt4ZarqEE;leftthumb"]
There are dozens of trophies already implemented and awaiting your discovery, including a Flaming Netherkin Head just for completing the prologue. Will you fall victim to the mighty Waspzilla or vanquish it and mount its head on in the tavern for all to see? Each playthrough will unlock different trophies based on your results, so no two taverns will ever look the same.
A few of the trophies waiting to be earned and displayed in your Epic Tavern...
Disclaimer: Unstable testing builds can be, well, unstable. If you’ll be using a beloved tavern in the test build, we recommend creating a backup of your save file, just in case.
How to access the Unstable testing build
1. Go to your Steam Library
2. Right-Click Epic Tavern
3. Select Properties
4. Click the Betas tab at the top of the pop-up window
5. Click the drop-down arrow and select Unstable - Public Test Tavern
We Want To Hear from You
Epic Tavern streams development every M/W/F on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/epictavern).
Mondays at 7pm EST: Narrative Chat with Tomo and Shawn
Wednesdays at 7pm EST: Let's Play with Tomo
Friday at 4pm EST: Bug Squashing with Rich
Dev Chats on Discord
Every Thursday at 1:30pm EST, join Tomo and Shawn for an open voice chat about game design and storytelling where we field any questions from our players.
https://discord.com/invite/epictavern
A New Comic Adventure
Have you read the Epic Tavern comic book, Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit? We have our main cover ($4), the limited Scott Kobish variant cover featuring Grusilla Marrowsucker ($15) and our secret Atari variant cover ($20) all available now at https://www.wisdumbproductions.com. Each cover contains a unique in-game reward and hints on unlocking a secret ending to Epic Tavern's Flaming Gate storyline.
Until next time, brave heroes. Stay safe out there,
Your friends at the tavern.
Hot Fix for prologue issue affecting some international users
After our last update, some players encountered a bug that could cause the prologue to fail. With the help of you folks who submitted bug reports, logs, and save files, we were able to trace it to an issue where numbers were being parsed in local formats after our upgrade to Unity 2020, which could change periods to commas and wreak all kinds of havoc for players outside the United States.
The fix is confirmed working by all our international players who stopped by our Discord to report it and is now live as Stable build 1158.
Huge thanks to our friends across the world who came together to help us crack an elusive region-based bug that no one on our team could reproduce initially. A super special thanks to our Barkeeps and community member Mandal, who was instrumental in helping diagnose the issue so we could get a fix out to you.
Stay safe out there, friends.
New Adventure Actions, Quests, Wealth Ranks, Rest Stops, Bug Fixes and a Puzzle!
Buffs/Debuffs are Working!
As we mentioned in our last update, Buffs/Debuffs are now correctly modifying hero rolls, meaning it's now super important to use your facilities wisely to treat heroes with negative conditions.
New Adventuring Actions
Balanced
Spirit Cost: 2
Special Effect: None
Aggressive
Spirit Cost: 3
Special Effect: +15% power, -10% success (lower chance to succeed, but contributes more points upon success)
Precise
Spirit Cost: 5
Special Effect: -20% Power, +10% Success (more likely to succeed, but contributes fewer points on a success)
Cautious
Spirit Cost: 10
Special Effect: -30% Power, Failure still contributes 25% to success (contribute fewer points, but guaranteed to contribute something)
Support
Spirit Cost: 10
Special Effect: Boost power of next hero’s roll (if a hero doesn’t have any relevant skills, they can spend their action boosting the roll of the next hero).
Stop and Rest
These changes mean Spirit can deplete a bit quicker on the road, so we’ve also added a couple breaks to your traveling day. Whenever your party pauses for a Rest Stop, if spirits are low, you can click the REST button to spend two hours recuperating and regaining spirit before resuming your journey.
Wealth Ranks
Every hero is now assigned a Wealth Rank, which increases over time as they earn gold in their travels. Heroes prefer food/drinks appropriate for their Wealth Rank, which means the old approach of just loading up your menu with the single most expensive food/drink will no longer be effective. You’ll need items at a variety of price ranges to keep your heroes happy.
Fantastical Crimes Unit content overhaul!
The lobby scene in the game has been changed to more closely mirror the chaotic lobby scene from the comic.
All FCU quests have also been revamped and up to four of your heroes can now be deputized as FCU agents.
A Cross-Platform Puzzle!
We’ve hidden a puzzle in both the game and our new comic-book spinoff, Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit. To begin the hunt for a secret ending to the Flaming Gate storyline and uncover the most powerful artifact in Epic Tavern, follow the clues from the comic into the game and back. Your first clue (printed on the inside cover of each issue) is to send Emilia Mortalis and Victor Marshall on the quest Crossover Eve and keep your eyes open for new clues.
Pick up your copy of Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit at comic shops everywhere or at: https://www.wisdumbproductions.com
Itemized Change List
Update/Fix
- Re-inserting space between Epic and Tavern in PlayerSettings Product Name so the game is looking at the right save folder (this is an issue introduced in 2018.2.1 maybe?
- Removing extraneous space in front of PlayerSettings Product Name
- Fixed ListItemRegister prefab, which had blown up on import to 2020
- Fixing more borked TMP-related prefabs
- Chain Request prefab
- Map Adventurer Portrait Object prefab
- ListItemEventAction prefab
- PortraitObject prefab
- AdventurerToolTip started
- ListItem_Trophy
- PANEL_AdventurerToolTip
- PANEL_AdvLevelUp
- PANEL_TrophyViewer
- PANEL_TrophyViewer (more fixes)
- Fixed a few errors with TrophyFirstQuest
- Fixed errors with unlocking new trophies
- Fixed weird asset bundle errors where it was leaving the prefab out in brokenspear and wasphead
- Made sure trophy unlocking was saving and loading
- Removed a bunch of vestigial post messages
- ET Project Settings adjust script order execution to prevent race condition bug with trophy reload
- Fixed trophy race conditions with Log Out and Log In by changing script order execution for TrophyPlacer. Long story
- Fixed trophy unlock pop-up race condition
- Fixed trophy unlock pop-up missing trophy representation
- Misc build prep updates
- Fixed bug where, upon log out and log back in, newly placed trophies would overlap (trophies were getting double populated)
- Refactored trophy loading and placement to be more stable and work better with log out functionality
- Fixed issue where trophies weren't populating correctly upon return from map (trophymanager vars weren't getting reset properly when leaving scene)
- Potential fix for hang on break camp
- Potential fix for hang on 2nd party setting out
- Potential fix for party portrait overlap that also created a prog blocker
- Trophy bundles are now loading and processing upon game start, fixing bug where loading directly into map caused a hang
- Fixed bug where top of turn screen gold count wasn't updating with goods mgmt purchase
- Created script that listens for Bank.cs gold count update Action and attached it to top of turn screen gold count UI object
- Made nullgood serves much less common
- Adjusted messaging on drink chains
- BUG FIX: Stomp/Pick Your Poison Choice Not Working. What happened: Looks like someone left an extraneous 'PF_charHeadDisplay' in the root of the Tavern Hierarchy. It was causing there to be spawned an extra PANEL_CharInfoDisplay with a null FollowTransformUIObject.
- Fixed race condition where new trophy pop-up couldn't find ManagerTrophies (only in Build!)
- Fixed orphan script references in PANEL_DEBUG and PANEL_EffectorsTooltip prefabs
- Corrected data issue that allowed Victor Marshall (Fantastical Crimes Unit) to be unlocked in error on the Undermarket storyline
- Corrected data issue preventing quest 'Cellar Dweller' from unlocking properly.
- Corrected data issue preventing quests from unlocking properly in quest chain: By the Book
- Corrected data issue preventing quest 'Bound and Determined' from unlocking properly.
- Corrected data issue preventing quest 'Neighborhood Watch' from unlocking properly.
- Corrected data issue preventing quests from unlocking properly in quest chain: No Good Deed
- Corrected data issue preventing quest 'Return to Blackheart Manor' from unlocking properly.
- Removed errant links to quest chain: Map Quest
- Removed errant links to quest chain: The Gnoll Problem
- Corrected data issue preventing quest 'No Man's Land' from unlocking properly.
- Corrected data issue preventing quest 'Serenity Gauntlet' from unlocking properly.
- Corrected data issue preventing quest 'Nighty Night' from unlocking properly.
- Corrected data issue preventing quest 'Hail to the Queen' from unlocking properly.
- Corrected data issue preventing quest 'Half-Orc Needs Bath, Badly' from unlocking properly.
- Various fixes relating to making skill checks work
- Various fixes aimed at reducing the number of red x's we are facing in the drink chains
- Corrected reward issue on quest 'Frame Rate'
- Corrected text issues on quest 'Training Day'
- Corrected reward issues on random encounters
- Corrected data issue on quest 'What Lies Beneath'
- Updated buff/debuff data to use current Encounter Type numbers
- Skill Checks working
- Buffs/Debuffs working
- Some methods recategorized into more appropriate classes (mostly Stage.cs -> AdventurerData.cs or SkillAttempt.cs)
- Removed errant space in buffs/debuffs readout
New Content
-Quest Chain: The Lepre-Con. Leprechaun con artist Shayla O'Leary is up to her old tricks. Help Victor Marshall round up a crew to put an end to her latest shenanigans.
-Game/Comic crossover puzzle
-Revamped all FCU content
-Heroes present for first trip to FCU are now deputized and receive trait: FCU Agent
Coming Soon: Skill Checks, Tavern Trophies, and Hand-drawn Hero Portraits
We’re also putting the finishing touches on a pair of new features we’ll be rolling out soon… Skill Checks and Tavern Trophies!
Skill Checks are a game-altering addition that we’ve long been anticipating as a way to bring more of the tabletop experience to Epic Tavern. We’ll soon have the ability to make a single character roll against a single skill before or after the main encounter. Some practical applications…
* Perception checks that increase or decrease the difficulty of the encounter that follows.
* Perception checks after an encounter to find extra treasure.
* Locksmiths can attempt to crack locked chests to gain bonus loot.
* Saving Throws! Save for half damage from the dragon’s fiery breath. Save vs petrification or poison, and even the dreaded Save vs Death are coming very soon.
This feature is already working in our test build and we’re currently designing the UI for it.
We’ve also already created several dozen trophies that you can unlock during your adventures. For instance, rescuing Flustercap from the Abominable Snow Ape will earn you a Netherling in a Box toy, while failing gets you a Flustercap memorial for your tavern. The successes and failures that make up your history will soon be proudly displayed on your tavern’s walls.
Artist Steve Mardo from our comic is also working on a collection of hand-drawn hero portraits that will soon be taking the place of the current procedurally generated ones.
Norman Henderson, Grusilla Marrowsucker, Victor Marshall, Murgul Flametongue and Emilia Mortalis.
We Want To Hear from You
Epic Tavern streams development every M/W/F on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/epictavern).
Mondays at 7pm EST: Narrative Chat with Tomo and Shawn
Wednesdays at 7pm EST: Let's Play with Tomo
Friday at 4pm EST: Bug Squashing with Rich
Dev Chats on Discord
Every Thursday at 1:30pm EST, join Tomo and Shawn for an open voice chat about game design and storytelling where we field any questions from our players.
https://discord.com/invite/epictavern
This is an exciting time as we work on the final features necessary to complete the main gameplay experience and get Epic Tavern out of Early Access. Once the remaining features are in, we'll undertake a full tuning pass where we'll be cranking up the difficulty on many gameplay elements that are currently a bit too overly forgiving. The crew at Hyperkinetic Studios really appreciates your patience during what was a challenging stretch of development during the pandemic. The finish line is now very much in sight.
New Unstable Build: Buffs/Debuffs fixed!
As we were preparing to release our next Stable build, we were able to find and correct an issue that had been preventing Buffs/Debuffs from properly influencing character rolls and we didn't want to leave out that important fix. So we've just released a new Unstable build for the weekend to give Buffs/Debuffs a little test run before we put out our next Stable update.
As you can see here, your characters' die rolls are now altered according to their status effects. Buffs are shown in green and debuffs are in red.
-Dugorim is suffering a 60% penalty for being Heavily Wounded and a 10% bonus for Bless, reducing his overall roll to 50%.
-Katris has offsetting Buffs/Debuffs, as Cursed and Bless both influence rolls by 10%.
-Murgul, whose only condition is Blessed, has her rolls boosted to 110%.
What this means is that your heroes who have a pile of health issues will be a hinderance if sent into the field. Studies have shown that grievously wounded knights are substantially less effective in battle, and so they now are in Epic Tavern as well.
This also means proper use of your facilities is more important than ever. Rest up those heroes before sending them out or things can get dicey on the road.
Disclaimer: Unstable testing builds can be, well, unstable. If you’ll be using a beloved tavern in the test build, we recommend creating a backup of your save file, just in case.
How to access the Unstable testing build
1. Go to your Steam Library
2. Right-Click Epic Tavern
3. Select Properties
4. Click the Betas tab at the top of the pop-up window
5. Click the drop-down arrow and select Unstable - Public Test Tavern
We Want To Hear from You
Epic Tavern streams development every M/W/F on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/epictavern).
Mondays at 7pm EST: Narrative Chat with Tomo and Shawn
Wednesdays at 7pm EST: Let's Play with Tomo
Friday at 4pm EST: Bug Squashing with Rich
Dev Chats on Discord
Every Thursday at 1:30pm EST, join Tomo and Shawn for an open voice chat about game design and storytelling where we field any questions from our players.
https://discord.com/invite/epictavern
A New Adventure
Epic Tavern's official comic-book adaptation, Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit, is also now on shelves all over the place, which we are crazy excited about. You can follow the further adventures of Epic Tavern stalwarts Victor Marshall, Emilia Mortalis, Grusilla Marrowsucker, Murgul Flametongue and Norman Henderson by ordering our first issue at https://www.scoutcomics.com or pick one up direct from us (including signed copies) at https://www.wisdumbproductions.com.
You can check out a review here: https://comicbookcurious.com/tales-of-the-epic-tavern
Until next time, brave heroes, stay safe out there!
ET's comic-book, Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit, is on sale now!
Epic Tavern’s official comic-book adaptation, Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit, just hit shelves world-wide courtesy of Scout Comics/Black Caravan!
Tales from the FCU features some of our favorite Epic Tavern heroes (Emilia Mortalis, Grusilla Marrowsucker, Victor Marshall, and Norman Henderson), villains (Alzabar Pandemonium, Braarg Faceripper, Zeddicus Gnash), and storylines (the Lost Menagerie and the Fantastical Crimes Unit) all mashed together to create an epic new comic adventure. Written by Epic Tavern's own Shawn French, with art by Steve Mardo and colors by Steve Lavigne from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!
As an added bonus for Epic Tavern players, we’ve created a puzzle which can only be solved by following a series of clues from the comic into the game and back. Clever adventurers who solve the puzzle will unlock a secret ending to the Flaming Gate storyline and the most powerful artifact in the game. You can find your first clue on the inside cover of Tales from the FCU #1.
Here’s a peek inside our first issue…
COVER OPTIONS
Episode 1 ("Angel is a Centaur Foal") launched with 10 different covers, each of which unlocks a special in-game reward. Your cover options, rewards, and order links...
Main Cover
Artist: Steve Mardo, colors by Rich Woodall
Unlocks: Oztrum’s Trueseeingmabob
Order link (physical): https://www.scoutcomics.com/collections/epic-tavern/products/epic-tavern-tales-from-fantastical-crimes-unit-1
Order link (digital): https://www.scoutcomics.com/collections/epic-tavern/products/epic-tavern-tales-from-fantastical-crimes-unit-1-digital-copy
---
Grusilla Marrowsucker variant
Artist: Scott Koblish ("Deadpool"), colors by Simon Gough
Unlocks: Hammer of Koblish
Limited Run of 250 copies
Order link: https://www.wisdumbproductions.com/product/tales-from-the-fantastical-crimes-unit-1-grusilla-marrowsucker-variant
---
Emilia Mortalis/Black Caravan variant
Unlocks: The Black Ledger
Artist: Richard Pace
Limited Run of 300 copies
Order link: https://elreycomics.com/collections/we-don-t-kill-spiders-schmalktoberfest/products/epic-tavern-tales-from-the-fantastical-crimes-unit
---
Jetpack Comics Variant
Artist: Rich Woodall
Unlocks: Rusty Jetpack
Limited Run
Order link: https://jetpackcomics.com/product/epic-tavern-tales-from-fantastical-crimes-unit-1-jetpack-comics-rich-woodall-exclusive
---
Victor Marshall /Coast City Comics variant
Artist: Steve Lavigne (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Unlocks: Snowboard of the Rad Wraith
Limited Run of 250 copies
Order link: https://coastcitycomics.com/products/epic-tavern-tales-from-the-fantastical-crimes-unit-coast-city-exclusive-steve-lavigne-cover
---
Galahad Comics /Izzy’s Comics variant
Artist: Clint Kisor
Unlocks: Helm of Galahad & Sir Izzy’s Longsword
Limited Run of 250 copies
Order link: https://izzyscomics.com/products/epic-tavern-tales-from-fantastical-crimes-unit-1-izzys-comics-galahads-comics-shared-exclusive-cover-by-clint-kisor
---
Comic Book Shopping Network variant
Artist: Steve Mardo, w/ colors by Steve Lavigne
Unlocks: Fantasy Adventure Comic Book
Limited Run
Order Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/409470939573503
---
Uncanny/Big Pete’s variant
Artist: John Gallagher
Unlocks: Big Pete’s Book of Uncanny Magic
Limited Run of 350 copies
Order link: https://uncannyknackcomics.com/products/epic-tavern-tales-from-fantastical-crimes-unit-uncannyknack-virgin-variant-1
---
ECGCE Wraparound Cover
Artist: Enzo Garza
Unlocks: Heaume of Partay
Limited Run of 250 copies
Order link: https://www.ecgce.com/collections/active-exclusives/products/epic-tavern-tales-from-the-fantastical-crime-unit-garza-x-ecgce
---
Secret Atari variant
Artist: Steve Mardo, colors by Rich Woodall, design by Joe Schmalke
Unlocks: Cartridge of Adventure
Limited Run
Order link: https://www.scoutcomics.com/collections/epic-tavern/products/epic-tavern-tales-from-fantastical-crimes-unit-1-secret-atari-homage-cover
---
We're also currently putting the finishing touches on a Fantastical Crimes Unit-themed content patch for Epic Tavern. Existing FCU stories have been revamped, a new quest chain has been added, and up to four of your heroes can be deputized as FCU agents, which will make many encounters play out differently if one of those heroes is in the party. Lots of fun stuff in the works. Stay tuned!
New Unstable Testing Build!
We are all kinds of psyched to announce a new batch of features are available for testing on our newest Unstable build.
Disclaimer: Unstable testing builds can be, well, unstable. If you’ll be using a beloved tavern in the test build, we recommend creating a backup of your save file, just in case.
How to access the Unstable testing build
1. Go to your Steam Library
2. Right-Click Epic Tavern
3. Select Properties
4. Click the Betas tab at the top of the pop-up window
5. Click the drop-down arrow and select Unstable - Public Test Tavern
What’s New?
New Adventuring Actions!
One of the big changes to adventuring is that different types of rolls now have different spirit costs attached, adding a whole new layer of strategy to encounter resolution. A closer look...
Balanced
Spirit Cost: 2
Special Effect: None
Aggressive
Spirit Cost: 3
Special Effect: +15% power, -10% success (lower chance to succeed, but contributes more points on a success)
Precise
Spirit Cost: 5
Special Effect: -20% Power, +10% Success (more likely to succeed, but contributes fewer points on a success)
Cautious
Spirit Cost: 10
Special Effect: -30% Power, Failure still contributes 25% to success (contribute fewer points, but guaranteed to contribute something)
Support
Spirit Cost: 10
Special Effect: Boost power of next hero to roll (if you don’t have any relevant skills, you can spend your turn boosting the roll of your next hero)
These changes mean Spirit can deplete a bit quicker on the road, so we’ve also added a couple breaks to your day. Whenever your party pauses for a Rest Stop, if spirits are low, you can click the REST button to spend two hours recuperating and regaining spirit before resuming your journey.
Wealth Ranks
Previously, the fastest path to profit was to just load your menu with the most expensive items and ignore everything else. That is no longer the case.
Heroes will now order based on their wealth rank, which increases as they earn more gold in their travels. If your menu is stacked only with expensive items, less wealthy heroes won’t be able to order, which will make long drink chains trickier to achieve. To maximize your chances of long drink chains, be sure to stock your menu with foods and drinks in a variety of price ranges.
Find a Bug in the Unstable build? Let us know, so we can squash it.
Epic Tavern is on Discord. Stop on by! http://discord.gg/epictavern
So What’s This I Hear About a Comic Book Adaptation?
It’s true! The official Epic Tavern comic book, Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit, will be hitting shelves in just a few weeks. In a couple days, we’ll post a full breakdown on all 10 covers available, each containing a special in-game reward. Stay tuned…
Epic Tavern streams development every M/W/F on Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/epictavern).
This coming Monday (Oct. 11), Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit artist Steve Mardo will be joining Tomo and Shawn for a special dev stream on Twitch at 7 pm EST!
Dev Chats on Discord
Every Thursday at 1:30pm EST, join Tomo and Shawn for an open voice chat about game design and storytelling where we field any questions from our players.
From your friends at the tavern, stay safe out there and thanks for sticking with us as we continue working hard to make this game the very best we can.
Epic Tavern Comic-Book Preview and Upcoming Feature Patch!
An Epic Tavern comic book? It’s true! We are all kinds of psyched to announce the official adaptation of Epic Tavern coming this October from Black Caravan and Scout Comics… Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit!
A limited-edition black and white ashcan preview of the first eight story pages is on sale RIGHT NOW through Scout Comics (https://www.scoutcomics.com/collections/black-caravan/products/epic-taverns-tales-from-the-fantastical-crime-unit-ashcan-preview) and the fully-colored book will be available to pre-order at your local comic book shop in just a few weeks! Much more to come on that as we progress.
THE STORY
The series follows the adventures of the Fantastical Crimes Unit, tasked with investigating crimes committed by Beor’s mythological and supernatural creatures. The first issue’s story is a mashup of the Epic Tavern quests: The Lost Menagerie, The Fantastical Crimes Unit, Angel is a Centaur Foal, and Still Crazy After All These Years.
THE CREATIVE CREW
With jaw-dropping artwork by Steve Mardo (www.stevemardo.com), beautiful colors by Steve Lavigne (from the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!) with assistance by Mary Berger, expert lettering by Rob Jones and writing by Epic Tavern’s lead writer, Shawn French (me), the comic provides a whole new perspective on the story world you know and love.
THE HEROES
With hundreds of quests, thousands of encounters, and 160 playable heroes in Epic Tavern, the first big decision was which characters and storylines we wanted to adapt into a comic. We opted to focus on the characters that players seem to connect with most in our weekly dev chat discussions on Discord and on our Twitch streams. And now, your heroes in Tales from the Fantastical Crimes Unit #1…
Victor Marshall, Lead Investigator: Fantastical Crimes Unit
As the central character in the game’s Fantastical Crimes Unit quests, Victor was the obvious choice as the narrator of the comic. His gritty, noir style also contrasts in hilarious fashion with his new partner and the second member of our cast…
Emilia Mortalis: Animal Necromancer
The nutty animal necromancer, Emilia Mortalis, was the first hero I created for Epic Tavern and has always been one of my favorite characters I’ve ever written for any story. Making her the point-of-view character for our readers as they explore the wild world of the Fantastical Crimes Unit was a no-brainer for me. Steve Mardo’s artwork has brought Emilia to vivid life like never before and I could not possibly love her depiction in this comic more. Alongside her undead pals, Belle the zombie blue jay, Fiasco the skeletal dog, and Barnabus Chitters the vampire squirrel, Emilia is ready to handle anything the Undermarket throws at her. Next up on the FCU crew...
Grusilla Marrowsucker: Badlands Berserker
Originally one of seven sisters, Gru and her sister Gurda are all that remains after her murderous mother, Mafalda Marrowsucker, was cursed to die at the hands of her daughters and immediately set out to kill them all. Grusilla’s wild impulsive streak and unparalleled ability to inject chaos and carnage into any situation made her an obvious choice to join the FCU squad. But they’re gonna need a bit more firepower, which leads us to…
Murgul Flametongue: Orc Pyromancer
Horribly burned from within during her berserk incineration of the goblin village whose raiders killed her mentor, Shiloh, Murgul strikes an imposing figure. The pyromancer who begins every game of Epic Tavern on your roster provides the FCU squad with valuable ranged-magic and fire skills. And rounding off the crew is perhaps my personal favorite Epic Tavern hero…
Norman Henderson: Sad Sack Rogue
Norman, seen here sporting fresh bandages after getting kicked in the head by a horse while returning from a quest, just can’t catch a break in life. After bungling his big chance to save the woman he loved and then watching her marry the man who did save her, Norman’s confidence was shattered. Despite possessing the skills of a master thief, his insecurity leaves him feeling overwhelmed in nearly every situation.
With our heroes firmly established, it’s time to meet...
THE VILLAINS!
We scoured hundreds of quests in search of some of our favorite Big Bads to bring to life on the pages of our comic. Making the cut in Episode 1…
Braarg Faceripper: Gnoll Warlord/Bouncer at The Hungry Huntsman
Braarg has always been one of my faves and I love so much what Steve Mardo (inks) and Steve Lavigne (colors) have done with this character design.
Zeddicus Gnash: The Mad Illusionist
Playing Joker to Victor Marshall’s Batman is the insane illusionist Zeddicus Gnash, a long-running adversary who Victor has locked up numerous times, but who always finds a way to escape. They’ll tangle again in Episode 1, with Victor attempting to foil Gnash’s kidnapping of a young centaur.
And any story set in the world of Beor would be incomplete without a trip to the haunted carnival The Lost Menagerie and a brush with its demonic ringmaster…
Alzabar Pandemonium and the Clowns of Death
Even the FCU don’t know what exactly Alzabar is, aside from eons old and extremely dangerous. As the proprietor of The Lost Menagerie, which appears in a thick fogbank each full moon and traps visitors within forever if they fail to escape by dawn, Alzabar has been a thorn in the side of the FCU for as far back as their records go. They’ll clash again in our first episode.
So there’s an early peek for you folks at our upcoming Epic Tavern comic. We’re also working on an exciting new feature patch for the game for release later this month. Tavern trophies and skill checks are just around the corner! Stay tuned, brave adventurers. There’s much more info to come on both the game and our new partnership with Black Caravan and Scout Comics.
Pick up your copy of Scout's ashcan preview of our first episode for just $5 right here: https://www.scoutcomics.com/collections/black-caravan/products/epic-taverns-tales-from-the-fantastical-crime-unit-ashcan-preview
Content Patch Update!
In our internal testing build, we’re currently testing two exciting new features that will be heading your way very soon: Tavern Trophies and Skill Checks!
We’ve already designed several dozen trophies that will be unlocked during your adventures. Rescuing Flustercap from the Abominable Snow Ape will earn you a Netherling in a Box toy, while failing gets you a Flustercap memorial for your tavern. The successes and failures that make up your history will now be proudly displayed on your tavern’s walls.
And Skill Checks are a game-altering addition that we’ve long been anticipating as a way to bring more of the tabletop experience to Epic Tavern. We’ll now have the ability to make a single character roll against a single skill before or after the main encounter. Some practical applications…
* Perception checks that increase or decrease the difficulty of the encounter that follows.
* Perception checks after an encounter to find extra treasure.
* Locksmiths can attempt to crack locked chests to gain bonus loot.
* Saving Throws! Save for half damage from the dragon’s fiery breath. Save vs petrification or poison, and even the dreaded Save vs Death are coming very soon.
We want to hear from you!
As always, the Epic Tavern team hosts discussions with our players five days a week…
Every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:30 am PST, join lead designer Tomo Moriwaki and lead writer Shawn French for an open dev-chat discussion on Discord (www.discord.gg/epictavern).
Mondays at 4 pm PST: Tomo and Shawn narrative stream on Twitch (www.twitch.tv/epictavern).
Wednesdays at 1 pm PST: Let’s Play with Rich or Tomo on Twitch.
Fridays at 1 pm PST: Design stream with Rich or Tomo on Twitch.
New Quests and a preview of our Game-Changing upcoming feature update.
The plague ravaging our lands has begun to subside, so this seems a good time to peek our heads out of the game-dev bunker and share some of the awesome things we’ve been working on. Let’s start with the new content that is now live and then we’ll run down some of the goodness yet to come.
New Quest: Take a Hike
One of the player challenges in Epic Tavern comes a few weeks in, when most new heroes you hire start off many levels below everyone else on your roster. One of the ways we’re addressing this is with special Training Quests, where you can send your low-level heroes away for training in a safe-ish environment to acquire piles of new skills and experience.
The first Training Quest now unlocks on Day 35, and offers an opportunity to send 2-4 low-level adventurers off for an intensive day of survival and wilderness training at the hands of famed ranger Alicaine Fletcher. Will your fledgling heroes successfully complete the challenges, earning unique items along the way, or will they crash and burn (but still come home with enough experience to level up multiple times)?
New Quest: The Winter’s Brawl
This quest is only available to taverns that succeeded in Mother Winter’s Wild Ride, and the invitation to compete will arrive a few days later. Travel to the keep of the mad dwarf, Kraven, to compete in Beor’s craziest winter event since the Frozen Games.
You’ll compete against rival tavern The Hungry Huntsman, newcomer A Twist of Fae, and the Kobold Labor Union to be the first team to climb an icy ziggurat to reach the flag hanging 10 feet above the top tier. No magic is allowed, but cheating is encouraged. And yes, the fine print does mention something about a member of the losing teams being sacrificed to She Who Sleeps Beneath the Mountain, but pay no attention to that. I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Bug Fix: Custom Items Now Rewarding Properly.
There are around a hundred quests/encounters in the game where random rewards just wouldn’t cut it, so I made a custom item(s) as a reward with a description that mentions how you received the item. Unfortunately, the system wasn’t giving you those special items. It was just spitting out random stuff instead. That has been corrected and all the rewards that were designed for specific occasions are now awarded properly.
UPCOMING FEATURES
We have a GIANT pile of exciting new features already working in our test build that will bring us very close to delivering our full intended gameplay experience and allow us to exit Early Access. We’re currently debugging and designing the user interface for the following features…
Upcoming: Trophies!
You will very soon be able to unlock trophies in your travels, that you can use to decorate your tavern! Susie and Rich have been hard at work creating dozens of trophies and the interface that lets you cycle through them to find the best look for your tavern! These are already fully functioning in our internal test build.
Upcoming: Quest Action Tuning
As part of our revamp of the adventuring process, the different types of rolls each character can attempt will have varying spirit costs, adding another factor to your decision-making.
Upcoming: Travel Breaks
As management of supplies and spirit on the road becomes more important, with it comes the ability to stop and rest. Twice a day, you’ll be offered a chance to stop and recoup for a bit or forage for supplies. We’re also looking to expand this into encounters that happen while your party is camping for the night.
Upcoming: Engine upgrade
We have updated the engine we use to make Epic Tavern, which will bring with it performance improvements and faster load times starting with the next patch.
Upcoming: Skill Checks!
I’m outright giddy about this one, as it was the last big missing piece of the puzzle to create an authentic tabletop experience. This new feature, which is already implemented in our testing branch, allows for a single character to make a roll against one of their skills. This opens the door to a host of classic tabletop experiences, like...
Perception Checks!
“Roll for perception” is coming to Epic Tavern. A successful perception check before an encounter might lower the difficulty, whereas one after the encounter could mean the difference between finding all the available loot or not.
First Aid and Healing Checks!
Currently, if I want to use a healer’s abilities, I have to write an entirely separate version of that result that automatically inflicts less damage if you have a healer present. With skill checks, we can now have a pop-up box that will allow your healer/medic to roll to decrease the damage sustained by the party.
Locked Chests/Doors!
It’s now easy for us to insert locksmith skill checks that affect rewards or even story branching.
Saving Throws!
This is the big one. We can now insert a saving throw pop-up after the result has displayed, but before damage has been assigned. Agility Check for half damage from a fireball or falling rocks, Endurance Check vs poison, and the dreaded Save vs Death are all coming soon to Epic Tavern.
Upcoming: An Epic Tavern Comic Book?!
I’ll babble your ear off in a separate update about this soon, but Hyperkinetic Studios is teaming up with Scout Comics to bring Epic Tavern to your local comic-book shop this October. Stay tuned for more details!