Dev Update: Precipice (June ‘26)

Precipice: Mech Miniatures Combat is moving forward, with assets coming together from the talented writers, artists, sculptors, and graphic designers involved in the project. I could tell you how great it is in a few thousand words, but how about I just show you some concept art instead?

Alpha Update

Alpha playtesting has continued to be fruitful. I’m feeling very good about the game’s core systems, especially with a few recent refinements to movement. I’ve also been testing the game at different scales, including a large, chaotic multiplayer experience (pictured below).

And in 1-v-1 scenarios like Breakthrough. My mech slid past enemy defenses before getting whittled down to just a damaged torso, but I did eke out a win on points!

If you want to participate in the Open Alpha, check out the resources here and sent me your feedback!

Marketing 102

Beyond continuing to refine the game, my main task in June has been relearning the ropes of online marketing from some veteran hands in the industry.

I knew that this was an area I’d need to invest some time in when I set out - it has been many years since my time at Backbone Media, and the internet has changed a lot since those days of blog-driven marketing. I usually don’t feel particularly “old” when it comes to matters of my job (my back is a different story). However, realizing how much things have changed has definitely made me cognizant of the passing years.

With that said, I’ve been catching up. Sure, I won’t be on The TikToks any time soon, but I am learning to kludge my way through Da Vinci Resolve!

Timeline Update

My original planned timeline was too short. Several smart marketing folks told me this when I showed them my plans, so I revised accordingly. I needed more time to get my outreach systems up to speed, and to raise awareness of the project.

The launch target date for the Precipice Kickstarter has now been moved back to a date in the fall. I had originally hoped to hit mid-June for the launch, but I’m lucky enough to have the timeline flexibility to craft a more realistic goal. This will give me time to build out the library of Precipice-related information for folks to find, and time to expand the reach to people who aren’t yet aware of Wild Plum Games.

This also has the benefit of allowing me to extend the Open Alpha for several months, maximizing feedback on the game when it is easiest to make strategic changes.

Fiction Tuesdays Begin!

I felt it was important that the game lead with the Open Alpha, but I’m extremely excited to start revealing more about the worlds of Precipice. In my view, the story a game wants to tell is just as important as its rules, and I’ve been privileged to work with several very talented writers in crafting the first set of worlds for the game. Each of these worlds reflects a different vision of mech combat, a different genre, and a different storytelling ethos specific to its creator. I’ll be highlighting these awesome writers over the next couple of months!

The fiction kickoff began June 23, and will continue every Tuesday through the launch of the Kickstarter. The first world featured is Arbelos, with a story inspired by classic anime and the history of the Cold War. Here’s an excerpt from in the first of these stories, Chapter 1: The Drop:

The husk of a tree clung to the earth with death’s own stubbornness. Its pitted branches shook ever so slightly as the utility trak ground past, breaking the ashy earth beneath nine tires. Riston craned to snap a photo, and then the tree was gone, whisked beyond sight by the momentum of the vehicle.

Despite the trak’s compartment seals reading green, Riston pulled at the buttons of his layered polysynth coat, willing it tighter. His camera felt heavier against his chest with every jarring bump of the road.

The trak was an old-style Astiagen armored trak, repurposed as a hauler with a retrofitted cabin set behind the ball-mounted pilot’s cockpit. The U-Trak still had an arm mounted on its left, though the right side had been stripped of the 20mm guns in favor of a winch and cable. He looked across the aisle to the four Varallen soldiers filling the inward-facing row of seats on the opposite side, then to the Astiagen liaison. Borread sat at his makeshift desk in the back corner of the cabin, papers pinned to the wall. The two seats next to Riston felt especially empty.

“Not far to the drop now, cameraman” came the voice from the driver’s cabin ahead, speaking Riston’s own native tongue of Astiagen. [continue reading]

Community Discord

(As in a server where we can talk, not as in “mass chaos in the community”.)

I’m in the midst of setting up a community discord for Wild Plum Games, which is available to anyone who has joined our mailing list. If you’re interested, please sign up for Precipice updates (or send me a message if you’re already signed up) and we’ll get you invited you to the server when it goes live!