Crash Site Dev Update – One Year Later

It’s been over a year since I last wrote here—and for good reason. Between designing Crash Site, demoing it in-person, testing in Tabletop Simulator, and managing business ops behind the scenes, there just wasn’t time left to sit down and write a thoughtful post. For the few folks still checking in: thanks for your patience, and thanks for caring.

So, what’s been going on?

A lot. First, I completed a full narrative outline for the game, broken into three Acts. Act I is now fully drafted and in active testing. But writing a story for a game isn’t the same as writing one for a book. Every story beat had to feel meaningful in play—tied to real mechanics, real consequences, and clear, intuitive player decisions.

In tandem, I built four distinct core characters—each with their own voice, stats, and strategic identity. They’re balanced for solo and group play alike, scaling dynamically based on the number of players. Each Operative rolls their own unique character die (D4, D6, D8, or a D10), unlocking push-your-luck skills and strategic builds while forcing players to adapt when rolls go sideways.

Alongside that came a true open-world framework: a branching world map, distinct locations, and replayable missions. Each spot on the map either leads to a dynamic story segment (with branching decisions and consequences), a mechanical minigame (e.g., stealth on a multi-page map, or blind tile-based exploration), and/or a tactical combat mission that varies from assassination to extraction to all-out siege warfare. Even revisiting old locations introduces variations depending on your past choices, so the game remembers your decisions in a meaningful way.

But writing and designing Crash Site was only half the battle. I also spent the past year juggling the business side—tracking finances, prepping for the Gamefound campaign, managing production assets, onboarding and working with freelancers, and attending conventions. Highlights include lending a hand to Shadowborne Games at GenCon (an incredible learning experience) and, more importantly, running tests and gathering feedback at smaller local conventions where Crash Site really shines face-to-face.

TTS Demo Update + Feedback Summary

The latest Crash Site demo is now live on Tabletop Simulator! I’m actively updating components, rules, and balance every 1–2 weeks based on internal playtesting and community feedback.

With all that said, I wanted to share a sneak peek at some tweaks or rulebook clarifications that will be implemented in an updated TTS link within the next two weeks (no spoilers!):

• AP does not carry over turn-to-turn

• AP tokens are limited and must be used wisely

• Solo players can now spend 2 AP to recover from Ensnare using "Revive"

• "Revive" always requires 1 AP (you can’t just heal back up)

• Deployable allies (like drones or bots) follow the turn rules of their owner

• Crits only chain if the target survives the first hit

• Character pad + skill card abilities will have cooldowns using cubes

• Invisibility avoids enemy targeting but doesn't prevent AoE splash DMG

• Attacks can’t split damage between enemies unless specifically stated on the DMG source

• Skills are modular—MVE and ATK elements are optional in each Skill

• Crit chaining capped at 3 additional dice per crit (e.g., if someone rolls two "2*" crits on white dice, they can roll up to two more crits for each white die they originally rolled crits on)

• Loot has been rebalanced to feel scarcer and more rewarding

• Revisions to targeting arcs and aid graphics are in the works

• Lots of quality-of-life clarifications on rules, allies, and assets

• Enemies are getting minor DMG boosts for better early pressure

• Narrative tweaks ongoing to make mission endings more punchy

Expect more changes as I continue testing and refining the game. If you’ve played the demo, thank you. If you haven’t—now’s a great time to jump in and share any feedback that comes to mind!

More soon.—Matt