Dev Update: Precipice (10/1/2026)
This week has been focused on that most scintillating of game design tasks: spreadsheets. Big old spreadsheets rules for Encounters, rules for Enigmas, and rules for Structures. Game design is a glamorous life, sometimes.
But there’s still some flashy, exciting news to talk about, so let’s get into it!
Fiction Primer: Control Schemes
This week’s fiction primer takes us into the world of the cockpit. From the cramped mechanized coffins of Arbelos to the alien control pods of Swarmworld Arcturus to the loom of a great Harness, we explore the ways in which the pilots of Precipice interface with their machines, and how this reflects the themes and concepts of the works! Come for the information about the worlds of the Precipice, stay for the Dubious Max Original Concept Images (and some excellent concept art by Javier Holguin)!
Read more here!
Encounter Playtesting
Today’s playtest gave further insights into the forthcoming update to Encounters, Missions, and Enigmas. If Encounters are the general stakes of the battlefield, Missions are what you do when you get there and Enigmas are things nobody planned for. The Precipice is, after all, a realm of uncertainty, and no plan truly survives contact with it.
Here are some key takeaways (and key photos) from the test!
A more mature version of last test’s playing card-based system for missions was a hit! Key to this success was that each player’s hidden mission, once revealed, also gives their opponents a way to score victory points (based on their own mission). Now I just need to fill in the rest of the table. I mean, how many number/suit combinations can there be in a 52 card deck, really?
Redesigning structures to include unloaded keywords (Feature, Hazard, Resource, etc) makes sure they can be referenced by the mission, giving different players different targets on the map without revealing their aim to the opponents. Of course, now I need to redesign Structure cards around this premise…
Enigmas that (often) connect to the missions worked great. They felt both rewarding to explore and interesting to stumble into. A giant energy storm sweeping across the map was definitely a highlight!
Oh, and Aaron will not rest until he crushes every structure on the map beneath his mech’s metal foot.
Preview Packs Out in the Wild
The first Preview Packs have started to reach their destinations! If you want to get your own, email WildPlumGames@gmail.com or join our Discord (by joining the mailing list) to get more info!.
Tabletop Simulator Mod Under Way
The incredibly talented builder of our TTS mod has almost completed work on the Alpha Mod. I’ll be sharing more about him and his awesome implementation of the game (and how to use it) soon!
And that wraps up the Precipice news for this week! Join us next week for the final chapter of Harness Part 1 and more development news!