Nova Aetas Renaissance - Catacombs: a new journey into the deep
about 1 year ago
– Fri, Feb 28, 2025 at 09:48:45 AM
Hello guys!
We’re thrilled to kick off a series of updates to introduce Catacombs, the final expansion in Nova Aetas Renaissance’s Wave 2.
We know how eagerly you’ve been waiting for the expansions, and we want to once again thank you for your patience and unwavering support. Developing, testing, and producing a game of this scale takes time, but we can assure you that the expansions will be the next products to leave the factory in mid-2025.
Now, let’s dive into what awaits you in Catacombs.
Just like we did with Under Siege, we made the bold decision to increase the amount of content in this expansion without raising the price. One of the most noticeable improvements is the new double-sided tiles, which have been expanded to 18 tiles in total, divided into two main categories: rooms and corridors (including traps).
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Rooms: Available in four different sizes, these are the battlegrounds where you’ll face the creatures lurking in the catacombs. There are 12 unique room illustrations, each with special rules that determine their interactions.
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Corridors: Featuring five distinct shapes and 23 unique illustrations (including the starting tile), these pathways connect the dungeon’s chambers, adding new strategic elements and hazards.
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Connecting Doors: To link rooms and corridors, Catacombs now includes 8 Ruined Doors instead of the 7 initially planned. These doors are also larger than before.
A Dynamic Dungeon System
The dungeon’s layout will be determined by Catacomb Cards, ensuring a randomized map every time you play. Currently, the expansion includes 9 different dungeon types, significantly increasing replayability since an average campaign will explore only about 6 of them. In the future, we’ll introduce even more dungeons through expansions and exclusive content in our Ashes magazine, continuously expanding your experience.
A New Mini-Campaign
Beyond its procedurally generated dungeons, Catacombs also features a brand-new three-mission side campaign, similar to the expansions Draco and Hyperion. This mini-campaign is fully set in the mysterious catacombs of Rome, taking you on a journey through legendary locations such as the Domus Aurea, where you’ll hunt down a new enigmatic villain whose name we will reveal today: Magister Carnis.
What’s Next?
In the upcoming updates, we’ll dive deeper into some of Catacombs’ key features, including:
- The new enemies lurking beneath Rome
- The traps and the mechanics for disarming them
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Luca, the new hero joining the game
- The underground crafting system, which will introduce new ways to interact with your surroundings
Keeping You Updated
From now on, each update will include a progress tracker for the project, so you’ll always have full visibility on its status until fulfillment begins.
The wait is nearly over! Thank you again for your continued support—we can’t wait for you to explore the depths of Catacombs!
See you next month with a new update!
Living Under Siege
about 1 year ago
– Mon, Jan 27, 2025 at 09:42:13 AM
Hello, guys!
Welcome back to the world of Nova Aetas Renaissance!
This month’s update is the final one dedicated to the Under Siege expansion and will focus on some exciting new rules introduced in the narrative campaign. In this campaign, you’ll navigate the streets of the Eternal City in a desperate attempt to repel the ferocious assault of the Imperial troops!
As we’ve mentioned in previous updates, this campaign will test your Heroes not only against a new faction of enemies—the Empire—but also against a much more insidious and equally lethal foe: Hunger.
To capture the harsh realities of life in a besieged Renaissance city, every Hero will need to secure food during the Rest Phase to avoid severe penalties to their stats in the following Mission.
Recipes and Cooking
To stave off Hunger penalties, Heroes must gather food and cook it using Recipes. The menu included in the expansion offers a variety of dishes, ranging from simple fare to more elaborate meals inspired by traditional Roman cuisine.
At first, only the simplest Recipes will be available. These dishes can stave off Hunger, but their poor quality might introduce minor drawbacks.
However, as your Heroes acquire Cooking Skills, they’ll unlock access to better Recipes that not only eliminate Hunger but also grant useful bonuses in the next Mission.
Cibus
To prepare any Recipe, you’ll need a new type of Reagent: Cibus.
Cibus joins the three existing types of reagents you’re already familiar with and can be looted from defeated Imperial enemies. It ranges from unappetizing rat meat to rare and precious spices from the Far East.
Recipes work similar to standard Formulae, but with a twist: once prepared, they provide either a positive or negative effect for your Hero in the next Mission, alongside eliminating Hunger penalties.
This system adds an extra layer of strategy to the Rest Phase, forcing players to manage resources carefully to keep their Heroes well-fed and battle-ready.
Cooking Skills
What are Cooking Skills? These are a set of 10 new "common" skills, which means any Hero can acquire them. They’re designed to help your group manage Hunger during the Rest Phase.
Unlike regular Class Skills, Cooking Skills don’t need to be equipped. Once purchased with XP, they’re always available during the Rest Phase.
Cooking Skills allow Heroes to:
- Access better Recipes.
- Optimize reagent usage.
- Enhance the effects of the Recipes they prepare.
These skills give players more options for character progression, offering a strategic choice between investing XP in traditional Class Skills or these vital survival abilities.
And with these spoilers, we close this chapter on Under Siege! This expansion is packed with content, fresh mechanics, and hours of exciting gameplay to keep you immersed in the world of Nova Aetas Renaissance!
Before saying goodbye, we’d like to share some stunning images of the Playmat painted entirely by Moreno Paissan, featuring a breathtaking map of Renaissance Italy.
This masterpiece will be part of Wave 2, and we’re sure you’ll love it as much as we do!
We’ll see you in February for the first update dedicated to Catacombs!
The Girl from the North
over 1 year ago
– Fri, Dec 20, 2024 at 05:45:01 AM
Hello, guys!
Welcome back to the Renaissance! Today we welcome you with a special Christmas update dedicated to the new hero—or heroine—included in the Under Siege expansion!
Adding a new hero to the already rich cast of Nova Aetas Renaissance is always an exciting occasion. For us, it means taking on a creative challenge—bringing to life a unique character with innovative mechanics that will entice you to pick up the game and experiment with new strategies. But it also means finding the right balance to make the hero special without unbalancing the gameplay.
And so, we present Brynhldr, the deadly lancer from the North!
A “Unique” Mechanic
Brynhldr stands out for taking advantage of a mechanic that has been rarely explored by other heroes (except in some Advanced Classes): Class Points, which in her case become Glory Points.
Unlike other heroes, Brynhldr can use Class Points both in her Basic Class and in both of her Advanced Classes. These points are essential to activate her Glory Cards, a new type of card exclusive to her.
Her deck of 8 Glory Cards always comes with the first card discovered, referred to as the Active Glory Card. During her activation, Brynhldr can spend Glory Points to activate the effect of the Active Glory Card. Once used, the card is discarded and the next card is revealed, which becomes the new Active Glory Card.
This mechanic allows her to take advantage of extremely useful one-shot effects, especially when used at the right time. Many of her skills and equipment are designed to manipulate the Glory Card deck and gain Glory Points, maximizing the potential of this mechanic.
Classes and Roles
Brynhldr's Basic Class is that of the Lancer, a hybrid class capable of adapting to different roles on the battlefield. With the right skills and equipment, she can be an effective Damage Dealer, an Off-Tank, and above all a valuable Support Hero. How you use her Glory Cards will play a key role in defining her style of play.
With her Advanced Classes, Brynhldr becomes even more specific and lethal:
Valkyrie: In this Class, Brynhldr transforms into an all-around support hero. She can cast Prayers, heal, and empower herself and her companions. If you want an alternative to dear Vincenzo, the Valkyrie is an ideal choice to add valuable support to your team.
Dragoon: On the contrary, this Class turns Brynhldr into a war machine. Thanks to her connection with the mythological Wyvern, she can inflict negative statuses on enemies and unleash devastating attacks, moving with agility across the battlefield. If you enjoy battering Enemies in imaginative ways, the Dragoon is for you.
From the North to Renaissance Italy
Brynhldr will also bring with her an exclusive set of Destiny Cards and unique items that will tell you her story: from the icy lands of the North to her mission in Italy. What is her connection to ancient Norse lore and the mysterious Sisterhood led by the legendary Silver Maiden? We don't want to reveal too much—but know that this heroine has a lot to tell!
What do you think of Brynhldr? Does she tickle your fancy to try her out in your next runs? Let us know, and as always, tell us about your adventures in the world of Nova Aetas Renaissance!
You can also share your experiences on our Discord, where the community awaits you.
That's all for today! We'll see you again in January for the latest update dedicated to Under Siege content. In the meantime, the whole LMS team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Wave 2 is back!
over 1 year ago
– Mon, Dec 02, 2024 at 08:30:58 AM
Hello guys!
First of all, we want to apologize. We know it’s been months since our last update and we’re sorry for any concerns this may have caused.
We want to reassure you: while things may have seemed quiet on the outside, we’ve been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring NAR Wave 2 closer to completion. Progress has continued steadily, and we’re excited to share that we’re nearing the final stages of the project.
Immediately after the summer, we focused on the development work of Under Siege and Catacombs, the two major expansions of wave 2. We subjected both expansions to a strong review to improve them in some areas that we felt were lacking compared to the core game and the other expansion, Vesuvio (which, as you may remember, has been completed for some time already).
Now we will resume the normal monthly schedule of updates, to keep you company until the fulfillment of wave 2 and tell you a little at a time about the features of these two great expansions!
We also want to reassure you that the delivery of wave 2 is currently still scheduled for mid-2025.
But now let's start talking about Under Siege!
DEFENDERS OF THE ETERNAL CITY
Under Siege is set during one of the most traumatic events of the 16th century, namely the sack of Rome by Charles V's imperial army, sent by the emperor to capture the Pope himself.
The story begins with our heroes a few years after the events of the core game (which you all more or less should be familiar with by now), somewhat aged but still facing dangerous adventures. News of the approaching imperial army will cause your heroes to return to action to save the Eternal City, first to slow the arrival of the invaders and then to defend Rome and its people during the terrible days of the siege.
But the world of Nova Aetas as you know, is not exactly like our own, and many things may change from the history we studied in school, many dark forces are moving in the background of the story and monstrous creatures are arriving along with the German mercenaries.
The Imperials are the new Faction of Enemies that will oppose the Heroes, and among their ranks, you will find the ruthless landsknechts but also the ferocious Jaeger, a being from the depths of the Black Forest who will spread the disease of lycanthropy even among the ranks of your mercenary company.
Fortunately for you, you will also have a valuable ally by your side, the legendary mercenary captain Giovanni dalle Bande Nere. If you can change his fate by saving him from death, you will find him at your side as an Ally during the siege!
Under Siege's campaign consists of 12 missions, with a non-linear structure exactly like that of the core box but the nature of the events will mean that there are some differences from what you already know.
First of all, the beautiful map of Renaissance Italy from the core game will be replaced by an equally spectacular map of historically accurate Rome, where the towns and villages will be replaced by the Districts of Rome. Each District will allow you to perform a Rest Phase between missions by making the various services you already know available to the Heroes.
Given the hectic pace of events and the fact that everything takes place within the city walls, it won't be necessary to perform a Travel Phase, but the Heroes will face other types of challenges.
Living in a city under siege is not an easy thing to do, especially when the food begins to run out, so sooner or later you will have to deal with an enemy that is as devious as it is deadly—Hunger.
Heroes will therefore also have to get food in good quantities to feed themselves and avoid incurring the new Debilitation rule, which will inflict heavy maluses if the Heroes fail to feed themselves sufficiently between missions.
In Under Siege, a new type of Reagent is then introduced, the Cibus, whose deck will provide various ingredients with which to cook precious food... and here comes one of the other new features of this expansion—the art of Cooking!
Thanks to the new reagents, you will be able to cook a variety of Recipes (in much the same way as you normally create new equipment) to cook dishes that not only prevent you from suffering from Hunger but also gain valuable bonuses!
This will also be possible thanks to a new set of generic skills (acquirable by all Heroes), which will increase your chances of avoiding Hunger maluses and gaining valuable bonuses at the beginning of each mission.
In the next few Updates, we will explain this new crafting and Skill system in more detail, to introduce you to this new level of depth we have implemented in Under Siege!
Unlike Vesuvio, Under Siege also introduces a spectacular new Hero for your mercenary company. A warrior from the North, the Lancer Brynildhr. We will also talk about her in one of the upcoming updates to go over her skills and her truly original play style!
Under Siege will bring lots of new features and a challenging new campaign where we have raised the bar (already high actually) of the difficulty of Nova Aetas and worked even more carefully on the plot and narrative part!
That's all for today, see you with a second December update before Christmas!
See you soon!
Wave 2 Spotlight #1
over 1 year ago
– Thu, Aug 01, 2024 at 05:03:57 AM
Hello guys!
As promised, we continue our journey through Wave 2 with a closer look at what's in store!
With the opening of the Wave 2 pre-order, many of you have written to us asking for more information about the Ashes issues available, so today we're going to take a look at the Nova Aetas Renaissance content you'll find inside!
With issue #6 of Ashes, you can add a new Enemy to the Myths faction, The Cryomacer, a powerful Shaman Jotun from the far north!
You'll be able to add the Cryomancer to the ranks of Enemies with whom you can compose Enemy Draft Decks for Exploration Missions, and deal with his ice-based powers.
The Cryomancer can be a tricky enemy, having two attacks at his disposal. His Ranged Attack is a psychic attack that will unleash an icy wind, aiming to hit as many heroes as possible with his Cross Area, inflicting damage and slowing them down thanks to the Hinder trait. Being an 'Eclectic' enemy, the Cryomancer also has a dangerous melee attack that in addition to 'freezing' Heroes can inflict many wounds!
Fortunately, his defense values are not exceptional and Heroes will be able to focus on him to quickly eliminate him from the battlefield, and secure his rich loot.
On top of all this, you can also use his fantastic resin miniature in Black Rose Wars: Rebirth and Runar!
In the Ashes issue dedicated to Requiem: Downfall of Magic, the guest of honor is Cosma, the game's main Villain, with a spectacular two-tone PVC miniature!
In NAR, Cosma will be the protagonist of a new Hunt Mission, which will confront the Heroes with this powerful necromancer! Fortunately, in the years in which NAR is set, Cosma is still a young apprentice, and his magic is still unripe, though already very powerful!
The hunt mission will be full of twists and turns that we won't reveal to you, and in case of success, it will award the heroes with a new unique Reward and give you some background and anecdotes from the main Requiem plot!
A super miniature and a fun hunt mission make this rich issue of Ashes unmissable for NAR fans, Cosma can be used as a Mage in Black Rose Wars: Rebirth thanks to his Mage card and Personal Spell Card!
This time we have outdone ourselves! In this issue of Ashes, you will even find a new playable Hero: Fabio the Architect!
Fabio is a truly atypical hero, as early as his Basic Class he will be able to use special tokens representing his Automatons, small war machines of his invention that will help him in battle. Fabio can also rely on his deadly Flintlock and a range of skills to control the field and support his comrades.
Fabio's Advanced classes are the Engineer and the Antiquary, and both offer interesting choices for this Hero's development!
The Engineer focuses on using Automatons, upgrading them, and making them even more deadly to Enemies! You will be able to heal them or detonate them amid a group of enemies, and you will also improve your mastery of the gun. If you like characters that control "pets," the Engineer will blow your mind.
The Antiquary, while not abandoning the use of Automatons, bases his mechanics on the use of Relic cards. These cards form a small deck from which Fabio will be able to draw very powerful "disposable" items, with varied effects ranging from inflicting damage to increasing the movement of Fabio and his companions, and more! His skills, in addition to helping him to drow and use relics, will also improve his gun skills.
Fabio is thus one of NAR's most original Heroes and comes with all the material needed to be played in any NAR campaign, including of course a fantastic resin miniature that can also be used In Black Rose Wars: Rebirth as a new Avatar, and in Requiem: Downfall of Magic as a new Companion!
In addition, attached to the magazine you will find issue #0 of the comic Nova Aetas Lux et Umbra, written by Massimiliano Grotti and drawn by Pasquale Marco Capobianco, soon to be published! We also take this opportunity to give you a little spoiler: Massimiliano Grotti is also the author of the missions of the new Pope & Doge Expansion and of the 3 missions that make up the side mission mini-campaign included in Catacombs!
This is probably the richest Ashes issue for NAR! Let's break it down!
Straight from Transylvania, you will find the spectacular two-tone PVC miniature of Razvan, one of the fantastic bosses from Blood, our last game was released a few weeks ago on Gamefound!
Razvan will be a new Enemy of the Myths faction and can be included in any Exploration Mission! Also inside the magazine, you will find a special Exploration Mission (equipped with all its cards) dedicated to him and all the Enemies of the Myths faction. With this mission, you will play a Boss Battle in a reduced, but fun format!
Razvan can also be used in Black Rose Wars: Rebirth as a Servant of the Black Rose!
In addition, inside the magazine, you will also find the background to issue #1 of the Nova Aetas Lux et Umbra comic book. A short but spectacular teaser that will give you a glimpse of the story and the quality of the final product!
Finally a small treat for RPG lovers, a rulebook with quickstart rules to play an adventure of the most famous role-playing game in the world, in the fascinating and dangerous world of Nova Aetas Stories! In this rulebook, you will find an adventure divided into 3 acts, 4 new classes for your characters, and a set of rules to immerse you in this setting in the best possible way!
In short, issue #9 of Ashes is not to be missed if you love Nova Aetas and its setting!
So these are the contents of the 4 issues of Ashes available in NAR's wave 2 pre-order, but we also take advantage of this update to show you the final version of NAR's fantastic Playmat.
The map of Renaissance Italy is now complete in all its glory and is truly a small masterpiece of handmade design. In addition, the playmat will help you place the main game elements optimally with their positions highlighted.
Finally, we can show you the first sneak peek of the NAR Artbook, in which we are pouring years of work on miniature designs, stories, and backgrounds so you can love Nova Aetas and its fantastic setting even more!
That's all for today! We'll see you again in late August with a new spotlight on Wave 2!
