Big Changes Ahead: LIT and Rules Updates
Written by Evie Ende
Hey Wastelanders!
We have several big changes coming down the pike, and rather than a series of separate posts, we felt that the best way to communicate them would be to give you all a bit of a roadmap for what’s ahead. While much of this is long term, we want you to be informed of some of what’s happening behind the scenes. This is a lot of text, so there’s a quick TL;DR at the very end of the post.
LIT Update
The first thing coming up is another update to how we use the online inventory system, LIT. Starting January 1st, 2024, chapters will no longer be adding new items to LIT. The system itself will not be shutting down at this time, and no one is going to lose the items they currently have stored in there (outside of normal expiration). In addition, online events will still be able to allow econ play as before- crafting, farming, etc. But rather than adding any new items digitally, the chapter hosting the online event will now be mailing out item cards. Each chapter will mail cards for the items generated during their event directly to individual players, whether they are local or traveling. How they handle item trades, like most other aspects of online econ, will be left to chapter discretion.
What if I’m an online only player?
If you are an online only player and are not able to attend any live events at all, your game runners can choose to make an exception- please contact them to discuss the particulars of your situation.
Why is this change being implemented?
There are two main reasons. First, the large amount of LIT input has resulted in a lot of strain placed on the game runners and coord guides at live events when they need to cash out cards. We’ve received a bunch of feedback about the disruption this causes at the public works. So while we’re not going to stop people withdrawing items (many chapters have local policies on this already), we hope that mailing out item cards directly will start alleviating this at the source. The second reason is similar to why previous LIT changes have been implemented- as the network largely returns to live events, we want to try and reduce the amount of bloat in a system that was meant to be an interim solution.
A New Ruleset
Now for the big one: We have been working steadily on a new ruleset, and enough work has been done at this point that we want to give you guys the official heads up. This isn’t happening right away- the writing is still in progress, and after that will come rounds of edits, playtests, and then evaluating playtest feedback. We’re looking at a minimum of a year before we’re ready to fully implement the new rules.
Since the new rules are still in development, we don’t have specific points or mechanics to share. But there are a few questions we wanted to make sure we answered right off the bat.
Will there be an XP or Economy reset?
There will not be an XP reset of any kind. There will also be no full econ reset. While a new ruleset means changed or new items, and we will have more details on how we’ll be handling that down the line, we will not be doing a mass turn-in like between 2.0 and 3.0.
How will the new rules be published, and will they cost anything?
We’re going to be splitting the rules content in two for the first time, separating them into a player’s guide and a game runner’s guide. This will cut down significantly on the content that newer players need to read to get started, but both books will be publicly available for those who want to delve a little deeper. Both of these books are going to be published as living online documents. That means that as playtests happen and feedback comes in, changes can be made in real time without forcing a re-issue of the entire book or books. It also means that even years down the line, as issues or typos are discovered, they can be fixed easily and cleanly. This will eliminate the need for an Errata page, and everything vital will be found in one place. It will be hosted online, and available to download, for free.
How will feedback be provided for the new rules?
While we have not finalized the full process yet, the intention is to run numerous playtests across the network, and collect feedback from the participants. By running many playtests in different communities, we hope to work out some of the kinks early, and gain valuable and topical feedback from our players.
Why a new edition?
Put simply, we want to address some of the aspects of the 3.0 system that didn’t quite hit the mark- as well as things that carry over from editions past. We have reviewed tons of feedback over the last several years, and many of the changes in this new edition will be directly from pieces of this feedback. We hope the final result will have some new stuff for everyone to love.
A Final Word
Lastly, we want to make sure that the development and launch process for this new edition is handled with sensitivity, transparency, and forethought. The launch of 3.0 was a stressful and frustrating time for our community, and we hope to learn from that experience so as not to repeat it. Big changes like this can be scary, and we want to communicate as much as possible throughout the whole process to reduce that as much as we can. And to that end, we’d also like to ask our community to make like Bill and Ted, and Be Excellent To Each Other. Conversations about mechanics have the tendency to get heated, because so many of us are passionate about this game- which is a good thing! But let’s try to assume the best of each other, and be kind even when we disagree. We all want to see this game be the very best it can be.
Thank you for reading, and be sure to stay tuned for more information. Happy Halloween!
TL;DR
Starting January 1st, 2024, there will be no further entry of new items into LIT. Chapters will instead be mailing cards.
LIT as a whole is not going away.
A new ruleset for DR is in progress, and is at least a year from launch.
The new rules will be published in living documents for free.
More info, including playtests, will be coming in the future.
