Hello, and welcome to the first Drop Duchy devlog!
This series of articles will share more information about the game and what’s going on behind the curtain at Sleepy Mill Studio.
First, thank you tremendously for the warm reception of the announcement. We have reached 10,000 wishlists already, had tons of positive comments, and the trailer got well over 100,000 views on YouTube. For the first game of a new studio, that’s outstanding, so thanks a lot!
We’re working hard on the demo, ironing out the bugs and tweaking the last details. In this upcoming demo, you’ll discover the beginning of the game, strategize around resources, and experience the first faction, The Duchy. Let’s see what awaits!
Resources and Exploration
Resources are at the heart of the game: you need them to increase the strength of your cards and have a chance of defeating the most dangerous opponents.
The first way to collect resources is called "exploration," which triggers every time you complete a row.
Each natural terrain explored grants resources: wood for forests, food for plains, and gold for rivers. Buildings don’t give resources when explored, but rest assured they have much more potent effects, as we’ll see in the next part.
To increase your exploration gains, try to play smart: completing several rows simultaneously gives a significant bonus.
Exploration is crucial when you don’t have too many cards at the beginning of each run. As you progress, you can enrich your options by selecting cards that improve exploration, such as the technology Optimizer, which increases multi-row bonuses, or the Town, a convenient line-shaped building that's perfectly suited to a super-powerful exploration combo.
Fields and The Duchy
When you play the demo (and the final game), the first card in your starting deck is the Farm, a building with the power to turn surrounding plains into fields.
The starting faction, called The Duchy, are farming specialists, with several exclusive cards themed around fields.
Fields provide 10 food when explored, a massive upgrade over the 3 food earned when exploring a basic plain. Several cards also benefit from fields, such as the Windmill (even more food!) or the Watchtower, which recruits three times more units from fields than plains.
Food production shouldn’t be a significant concern when playing The Duchy but don’t forget to collect wood. The best option to do so is the Wood Clearer, a building that turns forests into plains—ideal for creating even more fields!
Finding and mastering synergies between your cards and the terrain is the key to success in Drop Duchy (and combos are a ton of fun, trust me)!
Wrap-up
That’s it for today; thanks for reading me, and let me know in the comments if you’ve got any questions or topics you’d like to read about in future devlogs.
Next time, I’ll discuss the map, deck-building mechanics, and the combat system. If you don’t want to miss out, follow us on Twitter or subscribe to the studio newsletter to receive updates directly in your inbox.
JB Oger - Game Director
