Dev Diary #2: Wandering Agents

One of the major additions to this game that’s new to my process is the idea of a “wandering agent” who roams around an area—like the classic Immersive Sim guard out of Thief or Dishonored.

As ever, I wanted to approach the wandering agent concept from a distinct angle. Sure, you could sneak up behind them and try to pick their pockets—all in the spirit of mischief. And my game leaves room for that. The agent has sight cones, patrol routes, and a sense that they can “catch” you. But there are aspects to this sort of encounter I’ve chosen which separate what I’m doing from my inspirations.

Agents on the prowl

For starters, more confrontational physical aspects are already being handled by my dice system. If a guard catches you, you can try to wrestle, cajole, charm, or bribe—whatever makes thematic and situational sense. However, if you’re unable to convince the guard, you’ve effectively surrendered. Then what?

For one thing, an unsuccessful encounter like this doesn’t lead to a one-on-one fight to the last person standing. Basically, when you surrender, the guard “ejects” you from the area you're trying to roam in. It’s a “start back at the edge of the arena” situation. It still creates tension because when you get ejected, both you and the guard gain condition dice representing the outcome. It could be something obvious like “Injured” or “Embarrassed”—like if a bouncer tossed you out of a club. As before, you’ll need to roll dice to fully remove this condition.

So the risk remains, but you still get to choose whether to step back into the area where the wandering agent might find you again. Failure is never game over—but it can be if you have an appetite for more risk.

Hiding, with a cost

Another thing I’ve added is the opportunity to hide. Hiding is simply finding an area in the game where you can be sure the agent won’t see you. Even if they’re chasing you, hiding gives you cover to wait out their search. However, once you step into a hiding “zone,” a timer starts. If you hide for too long, you’ll gain another condition—another die you’ll have to roll away later. To me, this is another way to keep the tension high so you never get too comfortable while engaging with this system.

Zones of Hindrance and Assistance

Finally, I’ve included certain traversal areas that give you passive environmental conditions. Examples include sticky surfaces or cloudy hazes that apply temporary conditions while you’re in them. You can’t roll these away as long as you remain in that environment. Guards can pass through these areas too, and the conditions affect them as well. Maybe you follow an agent into a hazy zone, but time your move so that they’re in it and you’re not. Yet more flexibility and reactivity in the system.

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I want all of this to be dynamic, dramatic, and interesting—getting players to think about spatial traversal. But I also want to make sure players aren’t forced to engage with stealth if it’s not their style. They might move through a space that’s a little dangerous, or pursue an alternate path. The game is still a dice-based RPG at its core, so all of these systems serve role-playing, dice strategy, and the drama that comes with it.

To wit, I’m not grafting a stealth game into my current one—I’m incorporating stealth elements to serve dice-driven gameplay. It’s a genre hybrid approach. It’s a way for me to push what I feel is possible in this sort of space.

Part of why I’m excited about Early Access is that I get to workshop and refine this idea with you all. If you see opportunities for balance, for elevating the experience—or if it gets in the way of your fun—I want to know. I’m excited about the idea, but it’s still a work-in-progress, and I welcome your feedback when the time is right!

I look forward to sharing more of my new ideas with you from Moves of The Diamond Hand.