Artana's Echo System Announced

Artana Games has announced a new series of games that expands on Rob Daviau's Legacy mechanic to allow player decisions in one session to impact gameplay not just in a later session of the same game, but in subsequent titles in the series, as well. For those unfamiliar with the premise, the Legacy titles (so far comprised of Risk: Legacy, Pandemic: Legacy, and Seafall) change permanently from one play to the next, altering the board and card decks in such a way as to give permanent consequences to players' tactical choices. Daviau himself has partnered with Artana's Dirk Knemeyer to help design the Echoes games, which extend this idea further to make consequences stretch across an entire series of games released years apart. Chronicles 1: Origins, is the first in this line, and is predicted to debut at Gen Con 2016 (US) and SPIEL 2016 (worldwide).

“With the Echo System, players build history, persistence, and meaning into their play,” said Artana creative director, Dirk Knemeyer. “Within one box, one purchase, there are two levels of engagement: each single game session you play has things going on and can be won. But, based on those various game sessions, the world within that box also changes and builds persistently toward even grander goals and outcomes. Finally, on top of that, via the Echo System, the world you build in that game, the actions you took, the characters you created, will translate uniquely and directly into the next boxed game in the series. The result is an unparalleled degree of immersion and consequence."

Those attending Gen Con 2015 will have an opportunity to learn more at a registration-only Q&A at 9:00 PM on Saturday, 8/1. Those of us who will be unable to attend that event will have to content ourselves for now with the video trailer on YouTube and the opportunity to sign up for Artana's newsletter about the series.