Turris

Painted Minis!
over 3 years ago – Wed, Aug 12, 2020 at 04:02:22 AM

Hey everyone,

A week or so ago we sent our mini prototypes to Pat Toner (NotOftenDotCom) who agreed to paint them — and he did an awesome job — we thought we'd share it with everyone! 

Keep in mind the prototype minis are 3D-printed and less detailed than the final production version, so when we produce them via mold they'll be even more awesome!

Love from,

AP Board Games

Deep Dive: Locations & Trionfi - Part 4 (And another stretch goal!)
over 3 years ago – Sat, Aug 08, 2020 at 01:27:30 AM

Hey everyone,

This update concludes the series dedicated to lore and location effects. Also, we've hit the linen finish on everything stretch goal! We love that we can improve the quality of the components and we're really looking forward to the next couple of goals!

When the few remaining families escaped from Omnipolis after the Cataclysm, they settled in the Ridge and built a base there. The King, unable to recover from the tragedy, passed away shortly. Unbeknownst to the others, some of the Daeva used the King’s body to try and find out the secret of his longevity. When the truth was uncovered, a fierce fratricidal battle commenced where the traitors had the upper hand. The survivors had to escape once again.

Time passed, and the builders of the Tower decided to check on the mountain base. What they found was completely unexpected. As they entered the seemingly deserted compound, they saw working machinery of unknown purposes. Finally, in one of the rooms they met the base’s inhabitants. At first they seemed dead, as it seemed impossible that there could be any life in their withered bodies. But then they started speaking in weak voices, and it turned out that they were those very ancestors that conducted the research on immortality. They succeeded, but were forever bound to their life-support devices and unable to procreate.

As much contempt as the tribesmen had for the traitors, they also felt pity for them. Besides, their knowledge and technology could be used in building the Tower.

Gameplay: the effect of the Ridge allows you to manipulate the Beasts. Upon Placing at the Ridge move any unflipped Beast one step (resolving its effects should it enter a location with Scouts) and flip it; then Place another Scout normally in the original location of the Beast. This power is very useful but also quite demanding on your resources as you need to have another Scout in reserve. Additionally after resolving the primary effect you may exchange 2 Ichor for 1 Artifact which can either be used as a wild resource or to protect a Scout from any Beast's effect. The Ridge Trionfi card allows one such trade per turn without the necessity of visiting the associated location.

The Circle is an apparition rather than a place or an object. A bright ethereal disc with shifting symbols on its surface slowly rotates in mid-air. When someone comes close enough, some symbols on the disc stop the endless metamorphose and freeze in place, and if several people are in the Circle’s proximity, then combinations of such symbols can be achieved. Further experimenting yielded mixed results: while it was impossible to establish the meaning of some of the combinations, some would cause the Beasts to hibernate for a short period of time, enough to provide safe passage to scouting parties. The Council has declared that deciphering the meaning of all possible symbols is of the utmost importance.

Gameplay: another Location which helps manipulate the Beasts, the Circle allows you to flip any Beast on the board, rendering it immobile for the duration of the upcoming Beast Phase. The second effect of this Location is to advance your token on the Council track one step, gaining the reward of the space you enter. If you have the Circle Trionfi card, you can advance on the Council Track once per turn by spending 1 Knowledge, Relic, or Weaponry resource.

Calamity has brought the tribes to the Brink of the Soil. Beyond it one can see only the cold nothingness. The salutary discovery of the mechanical remains of Turris occurred here as did the first Ichor rain which brought hope back to the Exiles. The sand dune, underneath which Turris lies, became the place for the Council to hold its meetings. Every single decision is taken here, from ration distribution to voting on Council membership. With the endless void behind their backs, the tribes have nowhere to retreat and must hold their ground firmly. The Tower is their last hope.

Gameplay: when Placing in the Brink you gain the Future First Player token, which means that you will become the first player at the very end of the current turn (after its Beast Phase) and will be able to resolve ties on Beast movements in the next Beast Phase. The two other effects of this Location allow you to set the Altar Track to any space of your choice (deciding which Beast will move two steps next turn) and to draw a Tactics card. The Brink Trionfi is useful for those who strive for political power: each time you gain the Future First Player token you will also gain 1 Ichor and 1 Knowledge, Relic, or Weaponry.

Love from,

AP Board Games

Deep Dive: Locations & Trionfi - Part 3
over 3 years ago – Wed, Aug 05, 2020 at 11:30:52 PM

Hey everyone,

We're really excited to share more lore and location effects — this is part 3!

There was a time when all kinds of creatures populated the Soil, coexisting peacefully under the gods’ watchful eyes. Then the insatiable Maw fed on the Soil, and most perished. But the Ornati, bird folk from the east of the continent, survived. They even managed to recover after most of them were massacred by the Daeva in a misunderstanding over the King's daughter. After wandering the Soil for some time they finally settled in a crater not far from the ruins of Omnipolis. Homes were carved out in the rocky walls of the crater which they called the Nest, while at the bottom there was a market where good found across the land were exchanged.

Old grudges were forgotten, and peace was finally achieved between the bird folk and the tribes, so scouts can often be seen at this market, trying to get better deals from the vendors. 

Gameplay: upon Placing in the Nest you draw 2 Tactics cards (you may play 1 per turn) which provide various beneficial effects. Optionally you also may trade 2 of any resource for another of any other. The Nest Trionfi card lifts the "play no more than 1 Tactics card per turn" limitation, giving you more space for maneuver.

The old rituals are replaced by the new ones, as are the sanctuaries. When another room in the Tower is about to be finished, the Council requires the tribes to acquire a totem which is to be carved from a tree in the sacred Grove to the south of Omnipolis. The sap of those trees is known to have outstanding purifying qualities, and the Daeva hope that the totems will provide the Tower with additional protection. However, entering the Grove is quite a challenging task since the Beasts often roam in its vicinity, as if they know that the place is of high importance to the tribes.

On rare occasions the Council allows a room to be built without a totem, but only by tribes which showed their selflessness and dedication to the common cause.

Gameplay: the Grove location is key to constructing Tower rooms. Should you meet the completed Mission prerequisites, upon Collecting from the Grove you will gain 5 Prestige points and Construct 1 Tower room, gaining a Trionfi card and placing an upgrade token on the corresponding location. The Grove Trionfi card promotes active construction of Tower rooms, scoring you additional 2 Prestige each time you construct another Tower room.

The Isle down the river is where the fallen scouts are brought to be buried. The rocks forming a crescent-like shape are penetrated with a network of tunnels leading deep down below the surface, even below the stream bed. After a brief farewell the bodies of the scouts are placed into those tunnels, only to disappear in a split second.

Death is not the end. Many of their fallen brethren, reanimated through unknown magic or technology, climb out of the tunnels. Usually they can be seen sitting on the Isle’s shore and staring at the water. When taken back to the Tower and treated with some Ichor, they seem to be able to return to their duties, but on an emotional level they seem to be deeply changed, often forgetting much of their previous life or exhibiting strange and unsettling behavior.

Gameplay: Upon Placing on the Isle you may revive any number of your Scouts, paying 1 Ichor per Scout revived. The Isle Trionfi card aids you further in keeping your Scouts' hearts beating: each time you complete a Mission you may pay 1 Ichor to revive a Scout.

Love from,

AP Board Games

Deep Dive: Locations & Trionfi - Part 1
over 3 years ago – Sun, Aug 02, 2020 at 11:59:06 PM

Hey everyone,

Over the course of the next few updates we're going to showcase the lore and gameplay effects behind all 12 locations on the main board, along with their associated Trionfi cards. Turris' lore is rich and deep and we're really excited to share it with everyone - this is part 1!

The Spire was the first and the tallest building constructed in Omnipolis, where the Daeva used to live and prosper. Its construction solidified the deal offered to them by the gods: the Daeva would be allowed to stay on the Soil, but, due to their tainted origin, they were to demonstrate their unconditional allegiance by carrying out blood rituals. The regular human sacrifices kept the light of the Spire shining bright, and the gods could use it as a beacon to find the Soil in the endless void.

Though the exterior of the Spire is decorated with various kinds of ornaments and religious symbols, its only room is a very ascetic hall with a massive furnace in its center — now as cold as the gray stone walls surrounding it. Extinguished when the ancestors could not fulfill their duty, it is unknown if the Council can rekindle it. Despite the dangers of roaming the ruined city, those who pray to the gods at the base of the Spire are entrusted with the Council’s most vital missions. 

Gameplay: The Spire allows you to reserve a Mission (immediately upon placing), thereby giving you sole access to that Mission for the remainder of the game as well as a discount of 1 resource to its completion cost. You must also refresh the Mission Tableau either before or after reserving your mission, reflecting the Council’s changing priorities. The associated Trionfi card allows you to ignore the Ichor cost of missions.

The Forge is not just an enormous edifice— it encompasses the entire industrial complex surrounding it, as well as the underground facilities and corridors inside the hill beneath it. The extensive production capabilities of the Forge were required to satisfy the growing needs of the Daeva — from building materials to some of the finer and more advanced goods. Comprehensive mechanization and automation of the processes meant that the Forge’s many workshops could be crewed with relatively few specialists.

When the Tower construction began, the tribes scavenged smaller-sized equipment and brought it to their new shelter. The bigger machinery was impossible to transport and thus the Forge remains the primary means for the tribes to mass produce a variety of goods, in particular weapons, so expeditions consisting of specialists escorted by armed scouts are a regular occurrence.

Gameplay: The Forge gives you 2 Weapons upon collection of a Scout from the location, and the associated Trionfi card allows you to spend 1 Ichor per turn to get a Weapon. 

The Guild might well be the most elaborate building erected by Daeva (prior to the Tower, of course). An enormous structure, supported with pylons and cables, served both as the main research laboratory of Daeva, an observation post to track the small shreds of the Soil floating in the void utilizing a giant telescope, and a data vault summarizing the full extent of accumulated knowledge.

As soon as a basic understanding of ancestral technology was restored to the tribes, scouts started exploring the digital depths of the vault. The biggest challenge up to this point is not gaining access to the database, but asking it the right question, so most of the information extracted is extremely random in its nature — ranging from weapon schematics to recommendations on etiquette.

Gameplay: The Guild gives you 2 Knowledge upon collection of a Scout from the location, and the associated Trionfi card allows you to spend 1 Ichor per turn to get a Knowledge. 

Thanks for reading - next update we'll be bringing you more location deep dives as well as a sneak peak into the factional abilities!

Love from,

AP Board Games

Deep Dive: Locations & Trionfi - Part 2
over 3 years ago – Sun, Aug 02, 2020 at 11:58:33 PM

Hey everyone,

We've been deep diving into the lore and gameplay effects of locations and their related Trionfi cards with recent updates, and this is part 2, enjoy!

A somber place for performance of religious rites like the Spire needed a counterpart in which less formal reflection could occur. The Shrine, with its tall windows of stained glass depicting events which predate even the history of Daeva, served as a meeting area for the families of Omnipolis and (in a sense) the center of its social life.

The catacombs underneath hold a vast collection of relics , said to be gifted by the gods. With some tenacity, scouts often find items of value here. The damage caused to the intertwining corridors during the Cataclysm was quite significant, and the stability of the structure (or lack thereof) means they do have to be extremely careful.

Gameplay: The Shrine provides 2 Relics upon collection of a Scout from here, and the related Trionfi card allows you to spend an Ichor to get a Relic once per turn.

Each year, Sacrifice Day was dreaded by the Daeva. A face appeared in the flames of the Spire’s furnace, and another grief-stricken family had to part with a child. The offering was prepared in the Garden, with its floral abundance contrasting starkly with the mournful occasion. Ripe fruits and fragrant blossoms would be used to adorn the clothes of the unfortunate youth, and tears would be washed away by the streams of the waterfalls.

The ritual is doomed to never be performed again, ever since the flame was extinguished and the gods (presumably) abandoned the Daeva. Through sheer luck, the exiles discovered that the Beasts are drawn to the smell of the rotten fruit in the Garden - an exploring party used this to create a distraction during a particularly poorly timed trip into the city. They smeared a  "volunteer" with the rotten fruit and sent them off in the opposite direction, and came back (mostly) intact with a great story to boot.  

Gameplay: When you Place a Scout in The Garden, you immediately place the fruit token on the board, drawing the Beasts to that location for the turn. This gives players a way to tactically redirect Beasts away from locations where they might want to explore that turn. You also get 1 Prestige Point, as the Council looks favorably upon courageous acts like this. The Trionfi card gives you a resource every time you flip a Beast.  Flipping a Beast can be done through various cards and locations, which stops them from moving that turn (they stand up instead of moving). 

The entrance into the Abyss is a huge circular pit in the ground with unnaturally smooth walls of earth and stone. The Cataclysm started here, and whatever was the origin of the Beasts must exist deep below. If luring the Beasts with fruit is considered to be a suicidal task by many, descending into the Abyss literally means sacrifice; those who come back waste away within mere days. Some exhibit visible signs of disease (dark-colored marks under the skin). Others might appear healthy, but their fate is already sealed. Isolated in an infirmary, they share stories of what they saw, with their descriptions rarely matching. Some claim they were dropped into a tar river; others say that the gravity itself was distorted, and the walls of the Abyss became the floor on which they could walk. All stories have one thing in common though - an untold wealth of resources, weapons and other technologies can be found below. Anything retrieved often bears the taint of the depths, but the tribes cannot cannot be picky when it comes to what they use to achieve their ultimate goal.

Gameplay: When you Place a Scout in the Abyss, you sacrifice another from your reserves to get 2 of any resource or 1 artifact. The Trionfi card allows you to get 2 Artifacts per sacrifice at the Abyss instead of the regular effect.

Love from,

AP Board Games