Dev Diary #7 Playtest Announcement

Greetings brave knights!

We’re officially announcing our next playtest. Aaaand… It’s happening on March 9. The Public Playtest is open for requests starting NOW. All requests will be accepted when the playtest officially opens, so feel free to invite your friends. The more players, the better!

The playtest will run from March 9 onward. If you want to see the game early and help shape it, now’s the time.

[dynamiclink href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/3291450/The_Vow_Vampires_Curse/"]

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about what February looked like for us, because we locked ourselves in and went full polish mode.

Changes to Defeat Rules

After the last playtest, we received feedback that losing the run immediately after buildings were destroyed felt too punishing and cut runs short.. So we’ve reworked the mechanic. Now, when a building is damaged, it applies a debuff to your deck by cursing one of your cards, increasing the pressure without immediately ending the run. Steam post imageYou now only lose if the hero dies or if all four buildings are destroyed.

Day Abilities Reworked

We redesigned the Day phase. Now you have 4 actions per day which you can spend them on randomly rolled abilities of the buildings or invest them to increase the number of options available. And so from that you decide do you commit early to what you’re given or spend actions fishing for something stronger? Steam post imageNow preparation feels tighter and resource management matters more.

Three New Building Types

As promised, added three new building types. Each one introduces new utility and decision making. Some support you directly. Some shape the battlefield indirectly. Some create powerful timing windows if used correctly. ( items and untis and abilities) The Lighthouse, Alchemy Lab, Smithy Steam post image

Battlefield Control

Two major mechanics entered the battlefield.

Traps

You can now place traps to control space and punish enemy movement. Positioning matters more and also you can lure the enemies into the traps.

Stakes and Vines

Auras

Certain buildings and units now radiate passive effects around them. It can be a Buff or a Debuff.

Items & Allies

New Items

We added several new items, each bringing its own gameplay twist, blessings, calling in the Wolf, mobility boosts, and more. Items work the way if you stand on their tile, their ability activates. Steam post image

New Ally Types

We also introduced new ally types, each with distinct roles and interactions on the battlefield. The Cow is our personal favorite. Enemies will prioritize attacking the Cow first. Poor baby. She can be used strategically to redirect pressure Steam post image

These are some of the abilities tied to the buildings you choose and upgrade during the Day phase.

We have more sounds now *woosh*

We spent a serious chunk of time integrating new SFX across combat and systems. You’ll here them when you play it !

Visual Clarity

We added:

• Directional arrows for movement and effects

• Clear spawn markers for enemies

• Counterattack indicators

• Burning visuals on ignited units

• Color-coded action highlights

• Stronger visual separation between different effects

Steam post imageCombat reads faster. You understand what’s happening at a glance, chaos still exists tho.

A New Blood System

We rebuilt the blood engine. More reactive splashes, better tile interaction, stronger visual response to heavy hits. When things get violent, the battlefield reflects it.

Ok, so February was about improving systems and clarity. So now, it’s your turn to try it. Request access and join the playtest. And if you wanna hang out with us, share your thoughts, hop on to our Discord!

See you there!