On the official Incredible Dream YouTube channel, you can find “Kinfire Playthrough,” a series of six 20-odd-minute videos where well-known internet personalities learn the game with you by playing the first several quests.
If you haven’t watched the series yet, or you want a refresher, here’s what’s been happening on “Kinfire Playthrough”:
Episode 1: Surprise monsters and the bag of Destiny
Episode 1 begins a trilogy of videos with our first party of Seekers:
- Chrissy Costanza (Twitch, Against the Current lead singer).
- Brian David Gilbert (Polygon, The Altogether).
- Krystina Arielle (Star Wars: The High Republic, Dimension 20).
- Ryan Verniere (Blackbirds TTRPG, Riot Games).
Chrissy, Krystina, Brian, and Ryan. Got it? Good. Not confusing at all.
Our heroes begin the game’s first quest. Their mission is to escort a caravan of settlers and priests to Vinna, a small village just inside the effective range of Din’Lux’s kinfire lighthouse.
A wyvern immediately attacks. That’s a good omen, certainly.
The Seekers quickly familiarize themselves with the combat system. Turn order is dynamic and semi-random: at the beginning of each turn, a chit is drawn from the velvet Destiny bag. These chits come in several flavors:
- Twelve chits are numbered (1-12) and when drawn cause the enemy to use one of its three attacks.
- Twelve bear the likeness of one of the Seekers (three chits per Seeker) and allow that Seeker to use an Action card from their hand.
- Three chits with heart symbols allow the party to select one of their members to take a turn.
- Two Darkness chits cause the enemy to act (much like the numbered chits).
Chits removed from the Destiny bag remain visible on the table until four Darkness and/or heart chits in total have been drawn. When this happens, all chits are returned to the bag, and the bag is shaken.
With this system determining turn order, Brian draws several painful turns for the wyvern, but then redeems himself.
He draws a heart chit (which, with the party’s go-ahead, he uses to wound and kite the beast) followed by a pivotal Feyn chit. Krystina, playing Feyn the human bard, then slays the enemy with an epic guitar solo.