Sunderfolk Dev Explains the Core Pillars of Its Gameplay

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The unique team behind Secret Door’s “Sunderfolk” is set to innovate in the realm of tactical fantasy role-playing games, drawing inspiration from the intricate world of tabletop gaming. In a recent conversation with Game Rant, the developers of “Sunderfolk” shared insights into the game’s key features and their influence on its development process.

Using a storyteller near Dungeons & Dragons, various character types, a system to manage randomness via ability cards instead of dice, and a smartphone-controlled interface to mimic character sheets, Sunderfolk cleverly weaves together elements to evoke the ambiance typical of games such as Dungeons & Dragons. Game Rant had the opportunity to chat with developers from Sunderfolk’s team, including game director Erin Marek, who elaborated on the game’s fundamental aspects.

Sunderfolk’s Core Gameplay Pillars Explained

Inviting Experience

Marek outlines the fundamental aspects of the game Sunderfolk into three main categories: Engaging Gameplay, Cooperative Fun, and Strategic Depth. The initial aspect, Engaging Gameplay, is crucial to the charm of Sunderfolk, as Marek emphasizes that the team focused on “easing new players into the game with clear tutorials, gradual introduction of systems, and a rich content depth to prevent overwhelming beginners, utilizing user-friendly design and creating an inviting world and narrative.” Marek further discusses how Sunderfolk will strike a balance between the intricacies of tabletop RPG and board game mechanics while maintaining this Engaging Gameplay foundation.

Simultaneously, we aimed to preserve the essence of these components yet streamline them in strategic spots for quick comprehension by novice players. Although some aspects in Sunderfolk may evoke a sense of familiarity among board game enthusiasts, we strive for a harmonious blend of innovation and simplification, ensuring that these elements are distinctly ours.

Collaborative Play

Beyond the user-friendly nature of Sunderfolk for tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) beginners, the game is designed to emphasize Collaborative Play. This collaborative aspect is highlighted by its focus on local multiplayer, where players must cooperate to achieve better results through teamwork, strategy, and problem-solving with each other. It additionally encourages a touch of unpredictability by fostering player narratives and acknowledging social interactions as integral elements. Marek elaborated that…

Just as we enjoy playing board games that spark our imagination, these interactive experiences foster unique social interactions, obstacles encountered, and decisions collectively made, crafting a tale you’d love to relive. This often requires designing multiple possibilities for the narrative outcome, ensuring an unpredictable gameplay experience!

Marek discusses an intriguing dilemma in his analysis of Collaborative Play, focusing on the unique challenge of tailoring the ambiance of tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs), such as Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) and Pathfinder, to accommodate players who may replay the same module multiple times with various groups. Unlike repeated playthroughs in video games, the experience of playing with a new Dungeon Master (DM) and fellow gamers is distinct each time. To maintain an unpredictable tabletop environment, creating variety will be essential.

Deep Strategy

To sum up, Marek labels the final aspect of Sunderfolk’s gameplay as Deep Strategy. This term encapsulates the intricacies of combat and overall gameplay. The Inviting Experience element, on the other hand, deals with the nitty-gritty rules that a tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) player would typically have to learn from a manual. This encompasses elements ranging from Sunderfolk’s roots in TTRPGs and board games, to grasping the essence of the tactics genre, as Marek put it: a blend of complexity for strategy enthusiasts and accessibility for newcomers.

Our goal was to ensure that the game we were creating would continue to captivate fans of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) and board games. To accomplish this, we felt it necessary to incorporate elements of calculated risk. This means players should be able to evaluate potential outcomes and grasp the likelihood of both success and failure, with the ability to make choices being central to many strategy games.

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2025-04-21 16:04