The devs of Odd Gods were interviewed by Turn Based Lovers.

2nd Turn) Odd Gods comes out of the usual patterns of role-playing games, no dragons or knights, but only teenagers from the 90s who travel through time. How come to this choice? Have you been influenced by something in particular?

The best CRPGs, I think, transport you and immerse you – and the 90s was a very influential period for me – it existed at a strange point in time, caught between the end of the analogue era, and the dawn of the digital one. Music was the dominant medium – not the net. What you listened to, how it made you feel, and why – it’s more than drugs, sex & rock and roll – although the 90s had plenty of that. Music spawned subcultures, with their own myths, dialects, rituals & societies. It’s was a weird time – like a mirage world you thought you saw through a drug haze in that weird soft light that could be dawn or dusk. That anachronism is ripe for a crack at a time travel RPG if you ask me.

Music, as much as Time Bandits, influenced the space-time travel aspect of Odd Gods. Have you ever listened to a song and felt time stand still? Or heard a guitar riff and felt like you could almost travel through time to when you first heard that melody?

My first RPG – in fact, my first computer game ever – was Ultima IV Quest of the Avatar, played on an Apple ][e. That game spoiled me forever – and I compare everything else to it. Odd Gods is a kind of cultish, satirical, and wild homage to Ultima, and the culture, games, music, books and cinema I have lived & loved: Ultima, Baldurs Gate, Planescape Torment, Time Bandits, American Gods – the list goes on and on.

The combat system is a unique (as fast as I know at the time of writing) ‘Same Phase’ system – I’ll go into detail in a question or two, but its influences are: the genius in simplicity of Napoleonic era tabletop wargames, the rhythm & equipment archetypes in Dark Souls, Fallout 1 & 2, the battlefield tactics of Gold Box games and yes – X-Com/Fire Emblem/Ultima/Baldurs Gate… The adaptation of strategy games and RPG system goes back a long way, but with OG’s system, I believe we’ve found something very special.

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On Twitter one of the developers of Odd Gods showed off some new screenshots.

The developers of Odd Gods were interviewed by aussiedevs.

Aussie Devs Podcast - Episode 20 - Odd Gods

September 02, 2018

Glenn and Eric chat with Gil Maclean, Director of Inn Between Worlds and creator of the upcoming game Odd Gods.
[Play Podcast]

Indie Graze interviewed Gil Maclean about Odd Gods.

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EM: The combat system has drawn a fair amount of attention, in that characters are given orders but don’t complete those instructions until the gamers end the turn, meaning opponents and players act in a way that combines decision making and turn-based actions somewhat differently from classic isometrics (Arcanum, Fallout, etc). The results can be unexpected and crowd-pleasing, anticipating what an opponent might do, not what they have just done. A number of games currently in development are experimenting with combat (Disco Elysium uses a text/story system, while Copper Dreams has a delay effect), so when it comes to creating this aspect of the game, what do you hold as your criteria, and how do you see combat contributing to the larger project goals?

GM: Ah. Holy shit, I’m fascinated by the stuff that Studio Zaum (Za/Um?) and Whalenought Studios are doing with those games. So bloody cool to see original RPGs with non-Tolkien fantasy settings on the market of that quality. People often refer to Odd Gods in the same sentence as those two games, which is a massive compliment. Hopefully, we can live up to that comparison.

Odd Gods’ combat system is ‘phase-based’, which means that your turn and the enemy’s turn play out simultaneously. This is technically hard to achieve, which is why you don’t see it that often, but when it works.. It’s pretty damn cool.

When designing our combat system, I was a bit tired of RTWP and traditional turn-based combat and wanted to roll my own system. I grew up playing wargames with my Dad, which used a kind of simultaneous turn system to simulate 18th century warfare. The thrill of not knowing what your opponent was going to do – but crucially, having some imperfect knowledge – that’s at the heart of it. Also – the market is saturated with derivative combat systems that a lot of (very excellent) studios have mastered – Obsidian and Larian spring to mind. I don’t want to compete with them, and it’s fun to make something new.

There’s some design pillars I used.

(I) The major game systems must be in symbiosis with the game theme.

The game’s theme is interstitial spaces and cognitive dissonance – design a combat system to match.

(II) Tactical determinism, not randomisation.

Movement should be just as tactical and effective as swinging a weapon. Melee and Ranged combat should be equally deep! No Auto Attacks – every decision counts.

(III) The system must support ‘tech imbalance’ without resorting to number crunching.

A Roman Legionary should have a chance to take out a Space Marine, but an assault rifle should take down a Knight.

(IV) No RNG.

If you’re next to an enemy, and you aim a shotgun, or a blunderbuss, or swing a skateboard at their head – you hit them. Every time. If I’ve gone to the trouble of flanking an enemy, and I have the requisite skills and weaponry, that’s a flank or a backstab.

(V) Don’t use ‘RPG cliches’.

No bullet sponges. No magic. No potion-chugging. No WOW-derived MMO style combat roles. No 3 bajillion HP.

(VI) Play a role, not a spreadsheet.

Your efficacy in combat is determined by your ability to read the battlefield, your character’s equipment, and your character’s strengths and weaknesses. Character development still matters, but it’s not the primary driver of success. A neophyte can outwit a master, if they’re careful, or if the master is arrogant or distracted, or overwhelmed.

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Thanks daveyd!