One of my favorite things about designing Nevervale is the tension between healing and surviving.
You're not just fighting monsters - you're racing against the world itself. Every round, corruption spreads. That peaceful meadow you cleansed three turns ago? Watch it closely. One marker, two markers... at three, the darkness reclaims it. The tile physically changes back to corrupted. Everything you worked for, gone.
That's why Harmony Stones matter so much. When you place one, that tile becomes permanently protected. A safe zone that can never fall. But stones are limited. You need 8 to win the campaign, and you'll only find 10. Every placement is a strategic decision.
Cleansing Rules Teaser
"Count the corruption markers on the tile. 0-2 markers? Roll 8+. 3-4? You need 11+. 5 or more? Good luck hitting 14+. The deeper the corruption, the harder it is to purify."
The ritual itself is a team effort - heroes can contribute Energy from adjacent tiles. You'll watch the dice hit the table knowing that if this fails, corruption spreads again at round's end.
Combat has that same tension. You attack, the monster retaliates. Kill it before it hits back, or brace for damage. The Warrior can take hits. The Sage? Not so much. But the Sage adds +2 to every cleansing ritual, so you need to keep him alive.
30 quests. 4 heroes with unique skill trees. A settlement that grows between missions. And a world that keeps trying to swallow everything you've built.
Development continues. More details soon.