Since the kick-off of this twelve-week sprint, we’ve been working on the slow, but essential work of turning ideas into procedures you can run at the table. The headline is that the Echo Walkers is using the Saga Machine for its core mechanic, and the cost of power is very visible in play.
What have we achieved over the last week?
We have tweaked the game engine to give clarity about the core loop and tone. Dice feel sharper, outcomes more legible under pressure.
“Tempting the Echo” is now locked as our push mechanic. You can bargain for advantage or effect, but you always owe the world something back. More on that as we develop the introductory one-shot!
Consequences ladder drafted end-to-end: Minor, Severe to Catastrophic, with concrete examples you can point to mid scene.
Anchors reframed as traits. They’re now the human truths you lean on — and the first things the Echo strains when you push too far.
The one-shot “The Name Forgotten”, is in first draft and is in active refit for Saga Machine with focused tests for identity erosion, pacing, and bargain seeds.
Pre gens and character materials are underway to make the quick start truly self-contained.
Why does this matter?
The peril contained within the Echo Walkers is “measured cost”. Not spectacle (well, some spectacle), but consequence. By shifting to Saga Machine and naming the prices out loud — pushes, bargains, and the ladder of harm — we’ve made that theme legible to GMs and players without losing the strangeness that gives the world its bite.
What’s immediately ahead
Primer and adversaries index draft, then polish.
Quick start v2 with tightened examples and procedures.
First draft of the one-shot to tighten it up, create a gap list, then an assembly pass toward v0.7 and on to v0.9 for the closed play test window.
Lore drop: The House that Counts Our Names
This week we also published a short lore piece, “The House that Counts Our Names.” It’s a tonal compass for the project—on memory as measure, and what the Echo takes when you aren’t looking.
If the ache of a half-remembered name speaks to you, this one’s for you.
If you’re new — start here
The Devlog is a live weekly update of the progress that we are making. The plan and weekly cadence live here. It’s the source of truth for milestones and the public update rhythm.
The world in one breath: investigators, archivists, fixers, shepherds — different callings, one duty — witness, repair, preserve, before the Echo eats the shape of things.
Join us!
If you want to see the system while it still has fingerprints on the margins, add your name for closed play-test interest. Dev logs, lore drops, and early play materials will continue to roll out on the Tavern — subscribe so you don’t miss the next step.
So where does that leave us? We’ve set the table and are now working on creating the game!
Next up: the primer’s first pass, adversaries that fight like the world is unravelling, and a scenario that challenges you to survive the first ten minutes.