Sauriana: The Bone Wars – Relaunching in 2017
The Sauriana Kickstarter’s maker, FossilPunk Foundry aims to bring their game to life in 2017 with a new direction and game plan.
The Sauriana Kickstarter started off with a bang and ended on a fizzle, earlier this year in October. Undeterred, FossilPunk Foundry aims to bring their game to life in 2017 with a new direction.
Set in an alternate 19th century where dinosaurs once again roam the earth, Sauriana is a skirmish-level wargame where two or more players control a band of agents representing one of four factions, with the ultimate goal of defeating their opponent and claiming their objective. With the new launch planned for 2017, we thought we’d elaborate on the game’s concept and plans.
Gameplay
Players build a band of agents based on an agreed-upon Fossil budget (Fossils being the world of Sauriana’s currency). A typical game will be 20-30 Fossils per player. Agents can cost as little as five or ten fossils or as much as 40 or 50 on their own, and a typical band will include between 1 and 3 agents, plus their equipment. Players can outfit their band with weapons, armor, gear and other assets to cater each agent to their preferences. Each agent is an archetype with special rules and abilities, but most represent a “blank slate” that the player can develop into a character all their own. Everything from scientists and soldiers to steampunk automatons and living, breathing dinosaurs can be used, the only restrictions being the agents’ faction.
Factions
Sauriana will launch with four initial factions – three of these are major factions: the Othniellians, The Cope Collective, and the Explorer’s Club. Players may build bands out of agents from only one of these factions. The fourth faction, the World’s Faire, is a mercenary faction containing all of the assorted weirdness of the 19th century, wild animals, guns-for-hire, and bounty hunters. Any of the three major factions may add World’s Faire agents to their band, or a player can build a band consisting solely of agents from the World’s Faire alone. More factions will be added as the game progresses, and every faction will get equal amounts of attention throughout the game’s lifespan.
The Othniellians:
Cowboys of science who prefer to get their hands (or claws) dirty, this faction is all about speed and aggression. Made up of gunslinging scientists and dinosaur-human hybrid abominations, the Othniellians take Darwinism very literally, and are the “monster” faction for players who like to play a very in-your-face game.
The Cope Collective:
Gentleman-scholars and museum hermits guarded by steampunk automatons and fossil-spewing engines of destruction, the Cope Collective is the polar opposite of the Othniellian cult. These clean-cut men and women provide engineering prowess, long-range firepower, and the odd bit of daring-do behind an impermeable wall of walking brass and clouds of steam.
The Explorer’s Club:
Rugged individualists with an eye for the extraordinary, these colonial hunters, explorers, and big-game getters are a force to be reckoned with. Each is a strong-willed, consummately-skilled man or woman more than capable of holding their own in a fight. Good old-fashioned values coupled with tribal mysticism and finely-honed hunting instincts allows them to attack from unexpected quarters.
The World’s Faire:
Home of the wondrous and weird, the World’s Faire hosts its fair share of mercenaries, gunmen, bounty hunters and charlatans. You’ll also find those with no allegiance at all – rogue dinosaurs, wild animals, toxic plant life and other, more esoteric powers. Sometimes they’ll join together under a particularly powerful organization, more often you’ll find individuals from their ranks serving under one of the other factions.
Assets
Each agent in a band can be equipped with assets – weapons, armor, business connections or refined skills that give them an edge on the battlefield. Whether you choose to arm them with a Schofield Revolver or something more powerful is completely up to you, as long as you have the fossils to spend. With the right assets, an agent can go from a melee monster to a ranged powerhouse, from a light skirmisher to a damage-soaking tank. Sauriana is intended to give players full control over their characters, and allows them to make their band feel like a real personalized choice.
Sauriana is being re-launched as Sauriana: The Bone Wars in early 2017, so keep an eye out for more news! FossilPunk Foundry will continue to release news and updates as they venture forth to deliver their completed game, but in the meantime you can find them on Facebook, Twitter, or can donate to their Patreon to help speed the game’s development and receive early playtest rules, exclusive products, and more!
