Update: we ran a second playtest last week, with the same Taker crew as the first session, plus one new player (a stealthy archer!). It seemed to go very well! There was a greater emphasis on combat and Humanity damage this time around.
A few changes:
1. I've renamed the points system for Reputations, with Minor and Major points. Five Minor points earn you one Major point, wich is what you can roll for reputational interactions. I'm really liking how this system is working.
2. Archery is effective in combat, and definitely provides tactical options that melee combat doesn't. I'm thinking the particular weapon upgrades might still need a bit of balance, as fully upgraded swords and warhammers are still *crazy* good.
3. Armor seems to be worth buying and maintaining. Still needs some playtesting to dial in the exact amount of benefit and upkeep
4. We had some use of leeches, and split infection rolls. I really liked the tension and uncertainly that the split rolls added to the game, and the players said they loved the idea.
5. More of a general Red Markets note, but this game we found out what it looks like when the Market secretly rolls just a single round on Negotiations! Fortunately it worked out well enough for our poor Takers, thanks to good rolls and good tactical choices.