Camelot Unchained BSC Days Wrap-Up

Stats: Logical Character Progression

2/5 on the Bat Shit Crazy Meter

From its Kickstarter inception, City State Entertainment has been strong on the idea that stats would not have strong importance. Instead, stats would influence gaming decisions in different ways, and this week’s seen the first reveal of the core stat system.

Camelot Unchained will have three stat types: Primary, Secondary, and Derived. Primary stats (like strength) increase over time in logical ways, by doing things that require or encourage specific stats. For example, to build strength, a character may practice combat using swords. This system means that you will only progress in areas you care about. Secondary stats are similar to primary stats, but are static and cannot be changed through focused actions (such as a giant’s mass.) Derived stats are “derived” from primary and secondary stats; examples include your health pool, movement speed, and encumbrance.

In total, there are almost two dozen planned stats across this system, which is comparable to most major MMOs. Players will be able to control their stats through character creation (assigning their starting stats, plus bonuses from their race and class choices), and further through their actions in the game. With control over only a limited number of stats, this makes player strategy and planning important. On top of that, Camelot Unchained won’t be putting stat bonuses on equipment, which makes both stat progression and crafting far more important. Stats will also be capped at three different levels that essentially slow progression as you gain more of a particular stat.

We’re a little skeptical of this system, as is some of the community: on paper, usage-based stats appear to cater to Elder Scrolls-style stat grinding with bots. However, CSE promises that bot-grinding will not be an option, indicating that stats will not be increased by weak or mundane actions. With the progression system that’s been revealed (discussed later in this recap), they might be right. There is also uncertainty as to how this system will work with crafter classes, both in terms of stat impact and progression. Ultimately, the stats system seems to be aiming to a classic pen-and-paper style system with a few modern implementations, while taking a few moderate risks.