Sunderfolk Devs Reveal Fate Decks, Weapons, and Future Class Plans

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In the game called Sunderfolk, players assume roles from among six distinct classes (Berserker, Bard, Pyromancer, Arcanist, Ranger, and Rogue). The immersive experience is sustained by a collaborative storytelling style, but it’s the gameplay that offers strategic decisions of intricate depth. There are various Sunderfolk build options available, tailored to Fate decks, weapons, trinkets, and more, with a touch of personalization to give each character a unique feel that reflects the player.

Apart from discussing the gameplay and equipment of the Sunderfolk game with its developers, we delved into various other topics as well. These included their potential plans for new classes, strategies for celebrating the launch, and their post-launch strategies. During our conversation, we were fortunate to speak with several team members, such as Chris Sigaty from Secret Door studio, Erin Marek as game director, Jerrick Flores in his role as senior technical game designer, Xavier Gordon who designs characters, Neo Zhang responsible for narrative design, Daren Bader as art director, and Kara Centell-Dunk working on the campaign. This interview has been condensed and clarified for better understanding.

How Equipment and Modifiers Work in Sunderfolk

Fate Decks

Q: Can you talk a little about the design approach behind the standard Fate Deck selections?

Flores: Every great adventure comes with its highs and lows; it’s the uncertainty of when these events unfold that adds an element of excitement to the trip.

Fundamentally, the Fate Deck serves as a means to introduce an element of unpredictability into gameplay during crucial instances such as attacks and their resulting damage. During an attack, you draw a Fate Card from your deck to alter the damage inflicted by an attack and even apply extra effects. The unpredictable nature of the Fate Deck ensures that solutions to missions can never be completely certain: there is always a balance between risk and hope in your decisions. The Fate Deck also plays a role in shaping stories of well-prepared strategies failing and desperate measures succeeding. In designing the Fate Deck, we aimed to maintain a balanced ratio of positive, negative, and neutral effects to create a mix of triumphs and setbacks throughout your journey across the Sunderlands.

As you advance in the game, we offer chances for you to modify and bend the rules of Fate. You’ll encounter new Fate Cards that come with extra effects or disadvantages, making you question the true value of lower or higher damage figures. Furthermore, you might gain the power to adjust the balance and scope of the Fate Deck, allowing you to focus on consistency or maintain versatility. These choices enable you to better align your gameplay style with the unpredictable nature of Fate, and I hope everyone enjoys experimenting with them!

Q: What about the Ultimates for each class? What was the approach there?

Gordon’s method for deciding the roles of the Ultimates revolved around the unique playstyle and mythical aspect of each character. Essentially, it focused on what the character is inclined to do, as well as what their team benefits most when they do it.

For the Pyromancer, it’s all about blazing things up – flames, infernos, and endless firestorms! The Ranger prefers a clean shot that eliminates enemies swiftly. As for the Berserker, they strive to shield their allies and beef up their team’s defenses. The Arcanist aims to command the battlefield, protecting teammates from harm, while the Rogue’s goal is to strike, then strike again, until there are no adversaries left on the field! I can’t wait to see these scenarios unfold in the game for a truly immersive experience!

Trinkets and Weapons

Q: Can you speak to the role that Trinkets play in Sunderfolk? What’s your favorite trinket?

Zhang: Trinkets are special items that allow players to perform an additional action after they’ve declared their spell during a battle. These trinkets introduce more strategic depth, either by complementing the player’s current equipment or serving as a crucial backup when health is low or the situation becomes challenging.

Among all my treasures, nothing beats Chirp’s Whistle – with a single blow, it calls forth Chirp, an unwaveringly resilient Guard Bug, who leaps into combat and fights side by side with you.

Question: Can Sunderfolk characters use weapons that function outside of the turn sequence? After these weapons have been unlocked by players, how significant do you think their impact on the gameplay might be?

As a gaming enthusiast, I can’t help but appreciate the strategic depth that weapons bring into the fray. They offer an intriguing dimension to combat, enabling players to creatively combine their skills with unique and engaging possibilities, or even counter enemies’ moves, shifting the momentum of a battle. However, it’s crucial to remember that these weapons only come alive during specific instances in battle, such as when we take damage or push our foes.

In managing these weapons, players must strike a balance between the conditions that trigger their activation and their potent effects; a weapon that activates frequently might not be as impactful as one that triggers sparingly but packs quite a punch in rare instances. To conquer the toughest battles, choose weapons that complement your team composition and provide benefits unattainable elsewhere.

My preferred tool is the Splatterspore, which enables me to share mushrooms with my comrades when they’re hit hard. In these challenging circumstances, would you like a Shroom as well?

Q: Can you talk about any favorite builds you’ve played during your time with Sunderfolk?

Player: One of my preferred amusing character setups is playing as a Berserker, followed by consuming the Apple Pepper Bomb meal that causes self-inflicted fire damage to nearby enemies when stepping into flames. Subsequently, gather any item or card that generates fire, such as the Fire Bug Trinket, fire-based Fate Cards, and so forth. During an encounter, create a cluster of fire near enemies, then step onto the initial flame to gain Rage. Afterward, move onto all remaining fires, dealing damage to adjacent foes without taking any harm due to Rage’s protective effect. This strategy becomes more effective with a Pyromancer in your party, and it allows you to maximize your movement for offensive purposes. It’s highly enjoyable!

If you’ve ever dreamed about being a mob boss and commanding your minions, consider acquiring the Oozewax Chandelier trinket from one of the Workshop upgrade trees. Apart from numerous other benefits, it summons an allied Oozling in every empty space near you when you have two or more, effectively creating an Oozling army. Additionally, equip the Stonevalor weapon which becomes more active with more characters on the battlefield, allowing you to establish barricades that obstruct enemy retreat paths, trapping them alongside you.

Customization in Sunderfolk

A: How much diversity do the customization options offered by Sunderfolk provide through dyes and dialogue choices? If my friend and I are playing separate Berserkers in distinct games, focusing on character development, how significantly different can our characters appear from a roleplaying/visual perspective if we engage deeply with their personalities?

In Sunderfolk: There’s a multitude of story paths and results for our players to explore. The choices you make about your character’s background, as well as the connections you form with non-player characters (NPCs), will significantly impact your journey in unexpected and sometimes amusing manners. For instance, if you opt to play as a Berserker with a Retired Guard backstory, while your friend selects a Honey Farmer, each of you will uncover distinct dialogues and NPC interactions tailored to the choices you’ve made!

You additionally have the opportunity to influence or significantly strain your relationship with Non-Player Characters (NPCs). By being friendly and charismatic, you could potentially receive extra rewards, unique conversations, or even initiate a small romance between your character and an NPC – although it’s not mandatory, it is certainly an option.

In Sunderfolk, regardless if you’re venturing on a solo journey or teaming up with companions, your tale will always be distinctive – brimming with choices, repercussions, and perhaps some debatable life moves.

Q: For the available customization options, what would you say the overall design ethos is?

Zhang: In our approach to customization within conversations and storytelling, we focus on creating immersive, significant, and emotionally impactful experiences, ensuring narrative consistency while encouraging open-ended creativity. Every aspect, including backstory, dialogue options, and relationship trajectories, is carefully designed to feel tailored, reactive, and rewarding.

Regardless if it’s a serious choice or an exciting whirlwind, we aim to cater to various gaming approaches and individuals – all the while ensuring the adventure remains engaging and enjoyable!

What’s Next?

Q: From playing with the team, are there any fun stories or moments you’d like to share?

One memorable moment during our product development, around early 2024, was when we conducted Friends & Family testing. I was playing with Alan, our Technical Director, and Daren, our Art Director. We reached the Smuggler’s Run mission where designers had recently incorporated some improvised naming instances. Unbeknownst to us, Daren was prompted to name something, which we didn’t catch until a few minutes later. Upon realizing it, we all burst into laughter, and for me, it was so unexpected that I even shed tears. It was an unforeseen moment that strengthened our vision for the game and remains vivid in my memory.

Bader: Yeah, that was funny!

In the trial run of the Brightstone Cleanup side mission, we were using a gameboard I’d personally customized with pit terrain – an unfortunate detail that would soon become relevant. Playing on the challenging mode meant we each had just two lives. By the first Monster Phase, we’d already lost one life. It was our turn, and I boasted about my strategy to knock monsters into a nearby pit using a Leap Bard skill. Without any response from my team, I swiftly played the card, only to realize in horror that I’d pushed one of my colleagues’ heroes instead of the intended monsters. My coworker, unfortunately, met his end in the pits I myself had placed earlier in the game. Despite the setback, he took it all in good spirit, and I made sure to communicate more effectively with the team after that mishap.

Flores: To clarify, I didn’t participate in the group, but it’s a recollection I hold. During one of our extensive playtest sessions, there was a team that included Michael, who I confidently describe as the contemporary embodiment of King Midas. He swiftly acquired the Hoardheart weapon, which boosts gold production, and used it to an astonishing extent. I recall periodically checking in during the playtest and observing his gold accumulation… and rising… and RISING… AND RISING. It was both impressive and unsettling. He wasn’t merely a bank or treasury; he embodied the ENTIRE ECONOMY. His actions serve as an inspiration, a reminder, and a cautionary tale for implementing balanced income strategies.

Question: Could you share any “desired courses” or characters that you might like to be included in the game in the future, assuming it’s feasible?

In simpler terms, Sigaty is suggesting that while other classes such as Rogue and Arcanist make excellent tanks and damage absorbers outside the Berserker class, it would also be great if another top-tier tank contender were added to the roster in the future.

Gordon: Once more, let me make it clear – I’m yearning intensely for an extraordinary Wolf Warrior to jump into the fray and give them a tough time. Being a devotee of the Fighter class, this desire runs deep within me.

For me, it’s not particularly important which class we incorporate since I’m primarily thrilled about delving deeper into the animal realm to enrich our understanding, regardless of the new addition to our Sunderlands. Embracing the animal kingdom offers us a wealth of intriguing possibilities for expanding the Sunderlands.

Marek: I’m always the Game Master, which means I’ve tried every character class except for the one we’re using, and I don’t have a particular favorite. However, I’m really keen on having a reptilian creature in our game! So, I’d love a companion that goes well with a lizard.

User-Request: I’m thinking about creating a character that is well-rounded. I’d like to portray a character reminiscent of an animal, such as a sheep, a hippo, or a large frog, or perhaps a very fluffy bird. For the class, I have a preference for magic users. I’d be excited to see more of those, maybe something like an alchemist with a witch-like aesthetic? Or how about a Frog Alchemist, or even a Sheep Bog Witch?

This version maintains the original meaning while making it easier and more natural to read for most audiences.

Flores: I’m really fond of the allure of fortune and randomness, so a course themed around the Gambler persona would be fascinating. There are numerous creatures thought to bring good luck, like elephants and rabbits, that we could draw inspiration from. Picture an elegantly dressed elephant donning a felt hat and a tiny dice cup… now, that’s quite captivating.

Q: How does the team intend to celebrate come launch day?

On April 23, we’ll keep a close eye on the game’s debut across all platforms – Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. We’ll make sure everything is functioning perfectly, which will involve expressing gratitude to the team and company for their hard work that led us to this point.

Next week, our remote workers will be joining us in person for our corporate debut celebration, a restaurant dinner, and various entertaining events spread across the week.

Q: What are your post-launch plans as they stand?

Sigaty: For a while now, our main focus has been achieving launch. With this moment finally upon us, I believe everyone here is eager to interact with the community, gauge their reactions, take in player feedback, and subsequently make necessary changes and enhancements based on what we learn.

We’re eagerly planning to expand the world of Sunderfolk, but we don’t have any concrete details to share at this time!

[END]

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2025-04-22 16:39