Hey everyone, Brooklynn here.

We’ve had enough people asking about the Update Pack that I thought I could give you a solid breakdown of what the Update Pack is, and what to expect.

Who gets the Update Pack?

First off, for all those who are new backers. If you pledged at any level that included Middara, then everything listed in this Kickstarter Update is baked into the product you’ve already purchased. Meaning, that the Update Pack isn’t something you need as you will already have a form of its content included in your pledge.

The Update Pack is relevant for returning backers only. In addition, this Update Pack is a freebie that is part of the Returning to the Portal Pledge levels. Meaning, if you backed at this level, you will be getting this Update Pack at no extra charge.

What is the Update Pack?

The Update Pack is a box that contains all the updated material for returning backers to easily and effectively bring their original copy of Middara (The one sold on our first Kickstarter) and anything else they purchased on that Kickstarter to match the new printing we will be delivering in Wave 1, sometime in February. This Update Pack will be included in Wave 1, meaning if you backed us at a "Returning To The Portal" level or purchased the Update Pack as an add-on, you will be getting it sometime in February.

This product contains a new set of all the cards. This means that you will receive a giant box that contains a reprint of every single card in the base game. This means every large 5x6 sized card, every mini american card, every standard euro sized card, and every tarot card (Over 872 cards total!).

While not every card has changed, the reason for replacing every card is multifaceted. First, it's easier for you to simply replace everything than to dig through each and every card to update individual pieces. Second, it allows us some logistical leeway to take the cards on the new printing, print extra, and put them into a different box. This ensures that the new cards are indeed exact copies of the cards going into the new printed versions of Middara.

We’ve also included an updated set of the three promotional character cards, Nyx, Black Wolf, and Shayliss, and the 2-3 player variant cards from the first Kickstarter. Lastly, the Alternate Art cards included in the Artbook have also been included in the Update Pack as a last minute addition to ensure that all your cards are up to date.

Note: Any cards requiring updates from the Story Pack Pirates of Elenia will be delivered to original backers when we finally release that product on our next wave.

In addition to these new sets of cards, the Update Pack contains a booklet. This booklet exists so that we can compile information updated in the Rule Book and Adventure Book. The information in question is only the information that we deemed had relevant mechanical differences. What this means is that Encounters that have been significantly updated in the new printing have a new version also printed in this Update Pack. Likewise, new sections of the Rule Book and Updated rules have been added to this Update Pack Booklet.

In practice, this means that returning backers can reference Encounters, Diagrams, and new Rules in the Update Booklet as needed when playing Middara.

You can find a Print and Play PDF of the Update Booklet here.

Lastly, the Update Pack contains any new items we’ve included in the Middara base game. This includes new/updated tokens, plastic stands for our standees, and a pad of adventure sheets for the campaign.

 What’s changed between the first printing and this new one? 

The list of changes is both subtle and exhaustive. Our first changelog was over 20 pages. Posting it all here doesn’t make sense. In addition, linking it wouldn’t be fair as it’s since been made out of date due to even further changes being made. However, I will explain what has changed with broad strokes.

•  Editing: We hired an editor to make a passthrough of the entire Adventure Book. This has produced minor grammatical changes and spelling fixes. We also fixed spelling errors on a myriad of cards including Items, Command Cards, the Rulebook, and any other errors found that have been reported to us. Any editing made to cards, problematic encounters, and significant rules has been included in the Update Pack.
   
•  Errata: Any Errata printed on the website at http://succubuspublishing.com/errata/ is included in this Update Pack.
   
• Alongside our community we identified a myriad of required changes. Changes consisted of a combination of blatant errors, unintended abusable combinations, original design intents missing the mark, power levels being off, math issues, general balance, and long term scaling for future content calling into question original concepts.
   
  •  The game is more difficult: We believe that Middara's default difficulty is too easy. After Chapter 1 the Intelligent Combatants drop off quickly as clever players put together incredibly efficient and complex builds. Instead of nerfing builds (in most cases), we've opted to identify why the game was too easy outside of player customization and tune there. However, with that said, many of the rule book changes we made to make the game harder have had their original rules moved to the “Alternate Rule” section in the back of the rule book so that you can still play them if you want an easier experience.
     
  •  Combat Hit Percentages Tuned: Intelligent Combatants didn't get to activate as often as we'd like. We've fixed this by changing how Initiative works and upping the total HP Intelligent Combatants have as the game progresses beyond Chapter 1.
     
  •  Removed many Items that gave free Dodges: Dodge was too strong. This has been addressed by reducing the prevalence of Dodge on Items as well as nerfing some key items for builds that abused this.
     
  •  Made hard counters to magic: Not enough counters to magic-heavy builds. We've fixed this by adding some abilities to Intelligent Combatants that interact with spellcasters as well as adding abilities that take advantage of spells. Lastly, the math on Conviction Dice has been re-checked and many Intelligent Combatants have benefited as we've found that their Conviction Dice were too low for their tier. (Though in some cases Adventurers have benefited as Force Values have gone down on some Intelligent Combatants.)
     
  •  Hit percentages were generally too low on higher lvl Combatants: This was a mistake we made shortly before we went to print. I (Brooklynn) removed some key mechanics that were there for a reason and that shouldn't have been removed. To fix this, we've swapped out Combat Dice on many Intelligent Combatants after Chapter 1 to be more appropriate for their tier. For those curious, the general design philosophy is that we want an Intelligent Combatant to be able to hit you on a statistical average if you don't Dodge, and miss you if you do. For those past Chapter 2, you've probably noticed that many Combatants don't hit you even when you don't Dodge. This has been fixed.
     
  •  Added combatants that scale: We've added tougher versions of Intelligent Combatants that already exist in the game. The tougher versions are lore appropriate and not every Combatant has this "alternate" version. As you progress through the story, you'll swap out monsters you've already fought with tougher versions that have their Stats go up.
     
  •  Fixed abused Disciplines: Some builds were abusable or being used in a way that wasn’t intended. We’ve addressed every Discipline and using feedback from our active community made a myriad of changes to keep each and every Discipline a competitive pick through the entirety of Act 1.
     
  •  Tuned nearly every Item: Some Items were not getting picked. We’ve fixed this by identifying weapons that weren’t as useful and buffed them. Alternatively, many weapons saw a nerf due to abuse or busted combinations.
     
  •  Took a second look at every major Boss Encounter: Boss battles were particularly problematic. Some worked great, others weren’t clear enough or were easily abused. We’ve gone through the game and tweaked nearly every major boss battle to ensure they’re challenging.
     
  •  Rule Book Changes: Many rules have been examined and updated, clarified, or appended as needed. The biggest changes come in the form of how we handle Upgrades, Summoning, Action timing, Scaling Icons, and Combatant Tokens. If you already know how to play Middara, you’ll still know how to play Middara. Most of the Rule Changes are being made with a very detail-oriented community in mind. Due to the vast build possibilities and play styles that Middara offers, many changes (not related to direct math or the new initiative) might not even be noticed by groups thirty or forty hours in. If you’re interested in the specifics that have changed in the rule book we recommend checking out the linked Change Log above and the linked Update Pack PDF. We contain every single rule that saw a significant change inside of the Update Booklet PDF.
     

     With all the above changes made to the game we deemed it much easier to replace every card than try and keep track of each individual change amongst our 800+ cards. If you want to see the incredible in-depth discussion happening around Middara, go check out our Discord here. Our active community is playing the game on Table Top Simulator and helping us make it better daily.
  
   

Is there a Change Log or Print and Play?

You can find the Print and Play here. However, we have one more update to these files coming out that will reflect the final files going to print. This is a large project and I haven’t gotten around to uploading the newest Print and Play. I’ll work to have this done by the end of September. However, the version uploaded currently does contain the vast majority of the changes we’ve made. If you already printed out everything, know that you still have far and away everything you need. If you must, I recommend reprinting Boss Encounters and related Cards.

Unfortunately, early on I deemed the Change Log too time-intensive to upkeep. This is something that I regret doing and have since doubled down and made sure to keep the log updated. This means that the newest Change Log (posted here) contains all the changes made and dated since the currently posted Print and Play. It’s possible some changes slipped through the cracks between the creation of this Change Log and the original uploading of the Print and Play. We apologize to anyone who is inconvenienced by this and will ensure that the Change Log is kept up to date moving forward.

We will ensure that an update is put out when the final Print and Play is posted.

Lastly

I just wanted to personally thank all our backers who helped us make this game a reality. In addition, I wanted to thank all those in the TTS and BGG communities. The TTS and BGG community has done a service for everyone who will ever play Middara by providing their dedication, feedback, and time. Their constant challenge to our designs have truly helped forge what we believe is one of the best dungeon crawl board games ever made. Certainly a game with as much customization as Middara could never truly be made balanced without the help of so many passionate fans. 

We love you guys and girls and hope that when you see something you suggested make it into our game, you can feel like this project is truly built by the love of everyone who plays it and not just those who work here at Succubus Publishing.

Thanks, and we will talk to you soon!