RADIANT TACTICS

2025 was the year Radiant Tactics evolved from concept to playable reality. As the designer behind this project, I’ve been working to create something missing, something ambitious—a tactics system that’s as flexible as it is deep, that let’s group continue playing together more easily across the full variety of experiences they love. 

This has largely been a passion project, one I’m building toward sustainability through community support and Patreonage. Below is what we accomplished together this year, broken down by quarter and theme.

Q1: Showing the World of Phoibos

The first quarter focused on bringing Phoibos—the setting behind Radiant Tactics—into sharper focus.

World and Lore

• Rex Sanguines Faction Lore – We dove deep into the genetics obsessed Rex Sanguines, exploring their blood-soaked hierarchy and the fragile alliances that keep their underdeep empire from imploding.
• Political Map – Released the first political map of Phoibos, showing how factions stake their claims across a world still scarred by ancient conflicts.
• Faction Abouts and Banner Art – Each major faction received visual identity work and introductory lore, giving players a sense of who they might align with.

Game Systems and Modules

• Alpha Exploration Rules – These rules introduce puzzle-solving and environmental interaction that feel like Zelda dungeons or D&D skill challenges, expanding Radiant beyond pure combat.
• Exploration Screen Play Aid – A screen designed specifically for running exploration scenarios more smoothly, keeping critical rules and procedures at your fingertips.

WiP Art and Design

• Battle Role Art and Design – Visual development for the core battle roles (defender, flanker, support, etc.), establishing the aesthetic language of combat units.
• Spell Art and Character Scale Design – Early concept work showing how magic and characters interact at different scale of combat.

Behind the Scenes Development

• Playtesting of exploration rules ,with iteration on play aids
• Designed and drafted the Gauntlet Arena campaign to teach core combat systems and let players see how building classes feels in Radiant.

Q2: Answering ‘Why Radiant Tactics?’ Better

Spring was about articulation. Helping people understand what makes Radiant Tactics distinct and whether it’s for them.

Events

• Boulder Start Up Week Expo – I showcased Radiant to the local community, gathering invaluable feedback and making connections.

Community

• Website FAQ and Quickstart – Built out resources to help newcomers jump in without overwhelming them.
• In-depth FAQ: How is Radiant Tactics like D&D? – Explored the narrative flexibility, character progression, and cooperative problem-solving that Radiant shares with tabletop RPGs.
• In-depth FAQ: How is Radiant Tactics like Warhammer 40k? – Broke down the tactical positioning, army composition, and strategic depth borrowed from miniatures wargaming.

Behind the Scenes Development

• Designed and drafted “Sanitized Secrets,” a one-off exploration scenario
• Developed narrative and campaign systems that tie individual scenarios into longer arcs
• Wrote “Signal and Silence,” a short story set in Phoibos (for future release)

Q3: Letting Supporters Play the Systems

Summer delivered on the promise: actual playable content testing progression, combat, and exploration.

Game Systems and Modules

• “Sanitized Secrets” one-off released – A complete exploration scenario featuring environmental puzzles, social encounters, and optional combat—showing how Radiant handles more than just battles.
• “Arena Gauntlet” released – A pure combat campaign for players wanting to master tactical fundamentals through escalating challenge matches.

Behind the Scenes Development

• Completed “Signal and Silence” short story (polishing for future release)
• Drafted additional “Tales from Phoibos” stories to bring the world’s cultures and conflicts to life
• Pushed monster library artwork to 90% completion
• Redesigned “Battle Role Blitz” campaign to achieve “Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion” quality—a structured, introductory experience that teaches core systems through play

Q4: Refining Player Experience

The final quarter focused on polish and accessibility, making sure new players could get into Radiant smoothly.

Game Systems and Modules

• Streamlined and Print-Friendly Combat Rules Booklet – Condensed combat rules into a cleaner, more table-friendly format that’s easier to reference mid-game.
• Free Demo “Training Scenarios” improved and updated – Revised the intro scenarios based on playtester feedback to better teach fundamentals.
• Battle Role Blitz Campaign released – The full introductory campaign went live, guiding players from basics through advanced tactics across multiple linked scenarios.

New Channel

• Piloted Patreon’s new “quips” (bite-sized content), including the “Faction Skirmisher” giveaway for supporters. Saw increased awareness of Radiant, but frequency of posting needed a challenge currently.

Behind the Scenes Development

• Refined strategic map-scale combat, survival, and maneuver systems for larger operational play
• Made the “Power Level” tiering system more granular, giving scenario designers better tools for balancing encounters
• Designed MVP for Norn Army Codex (future release)
• Created squad card play aids (future release)
• Developed monster family packs organized by battle role with new artwork (future release)

What’s Next?

• Showcase unique interoperability – I’m working on a suite of CCG-style experiences where you can export and import cards to expand and customize gameplay. This interoperability is core to Radiant’s design philosophy.
  
• Build community – I’m committed to making Radiant Tactics a reality, but more feedback and playtesting would accelerate development significantly. If you’re intrigued, join the conversation.
  

Finalize and share more lore – We’ve focused heavily on delivering functional game systems, but Phoibos has rich stories to tell. Expect more world-building content as we move forward.

Your suggestions? – If Radiant’s vision or the Phoibos setting resonates with you, please let me know what you’d be excited to see more of. This project grows stronger with community input.