Rummage through our bags

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A glance at the resources, crafting and other goods one may find inside the Project as well as out in the Wastelands.

The slightly levitatiing Fiat 126p a staple of Slavyan transportation, well known for its tardis-like ability to carry people and resources beyond reason. Here The Fiat is seen approaching two resource points – a poli-cabbage patch and a stash of goods, on its left and right respectively.

Report Index: RM8927B
Date: Year 6 AA (After Awakening)
Authorised Submission: Council Member Ratuus Von Whiskersky

In accordance with the reactivation protocols outlined in the Pre-Fall A.I. manual, Project operations have continued with the phased awakening of critical personnel. The process, while procedurally sound, has encountered increasing delays.

Ongoing structural damage to the facility, compounded by an unregulated influx of Wasteland refugees, has placed significant strain on logistics and pushed us behind schedule.

Population and Resource Status
Population growth remains a pressing concern. While additional labour is essential to maintain operational output, our current resource stockpiles are insufficient to support large-scale integration. The ongoing energy deficit remains a limiting factor.
(Refer to Report CG27893K: Core Generator—Stability Forecast.)

Production Overview
Internal focus remains fixed on the fabrication of Standard Supply Units. The 3MD Printforge is currently operational and performing within acceptable tolerances. However, expansion of manufacturing capacity is strongly advised to avoid future shortfalls.

Supply Composition Update
S.T.O.R.K. Labs has finalised the latest iteration of the Supply Unit, now featuring:

  • A regulated dose of magimmuno-suppressants
  • Anti-void radiation medication
  • Chemically enhanced dietary supplements
  • The All-You-Need Nutrition Paste
    (Contents may include synthetic nut derivative, E-chems, gene-modified flavouring, traces of pseudo-dairy and non-egg compounds, polymer-binding agents, and void-sealant residues. Consumer discretion is advised. Liability remains with end user.)

Also included: updated survival kits with vac-sealed habitation tents, mobile crafting and cooking units, and collapsible field medical beds and basic luxury items for small-scale goods exchange and bribery. Be advised: depletion of Supplies in the field will result in medical complications within hours!

Expeditionary Status
The Alloy Expedition is cleared for deployment. Survival depends on issued Supplies—return to base immediately when reserves run low. Prolonged exposure without resupply is fatal.

Recommendations and Plan of Action

Resource Acquisition Protocols and Westland Materials Report

In order to meet ongoing operational demands and support projected expansion—per Directive 12A of the Recovery Plan—Energy Shards must be collected regularly by active Twin-Alloy Expeditions.

Westland Materials Report: Preliminary Findings

While the Project continues to produce standard-issue equipment sufficient for daily survival and basic combat readiness, field scouts have confirmed that salvaged pre-Fall gear and rare post-Fall materials can significantly enhance expedition efficiency.

A preliminary catalogue of recovered items is as follows:

HEAD GEAR

Proper headwear has been observed to offer both defensive benefits and utility in social encounters. Examples include:

  • Mohair Beret
    Worn and weathered, yet still radiating old-world charm. In a land of rust and ruin, a little flair can go a long way—particularly when it looks this good.
  • Babushka
    Soft, durable, and no longer exclusive to ancestral wardrobes. Effective against wind, dust, and possibly imbued with residual superstitions.
  • Karaboshki Mask
    Once worn by Zhrets and Zerca in arcane rituals. Its full function remains unclear, but it may still carry metaphysical significance—or at least make others think it does.

BODY ARMOUR

While Project-engineered dermal grafts provide a baseline of protection, recovered armour offers enhanced defence and thematic distinction:

Hazmat Suit
Provides limited protection against environmental hazards. Useful in contaminated zones, though structural integrity is time-sensitive.
Food Resources

Tracksuit
Lightweight and agile. Once for sport, now ideal for pursuit or escape. A cultural staple turned survival standard.

Police Uniform
Durable, recognisable, and evocative of pre-Fall authority. May offer psychological leverage—or provoke hostility.

A.I. HUD Inserts
Exclusive to the Twin Alloy operatives, these pre-Fall interface modules may include: Smart Watches, Holo Projectors, and legacy entertainment devices (e.g. Gameboys). Functional integrity varies.

GADGETS (Field-Crafted)


Reverse-engineered and suitable for rapid deployment, Gadgets offer temporary boosts. Though low in durability, they remain effective when produced on demand. Examples include:

  • Multifunction Wrench
    Hefty and versatile. Can repair equipment or persuade hostile entities—mechanical or otherwise.
  • Walkie-Talkie
    Facilitates short-range communication. Occasionally emits unexplained signals, likely electromagnetic residue… likely.
  • Fireworks
    Visually and audibly disruptive. Useful for distraction or attracting attention—intended or not.

Material Sources and Collection Protocols

Crafting these items requires rare and varied resources, including:
Runic Prisms, Circuit Boards, Void Adhesives, Divine Hearts, Plastic, Cogs, and Hex Chems.

These materials are typically scavenged from abandoned structures, ruined facilities, or unguarded stash points. Per operational guidelines, expeditions are to prioritise non-hostile acquisition (salvage or barter) before engaging in conflict.

Nutritional Resource Briefing

While the All-You-Need Nutrition Paste meets minimum dietary requirements, field studies suggest that freshly sourced and prepared food has a measurable positive effect on morale, physical resilience, and overall expedition productivity.

At present, large-scale food production remains unviable for the Project population. However, expeditions are encouraged to locate edible resources and explore localised cooking as a supplementary measure. A portable cooking kit, complete with approved recipes, is included in the standard Supply Pack.

Documented Edible Resources

NearMilk
Synth-printed, chemically stabilised, and white when mixed with water. While it bears no resemblance to traditional milk in taste or texture, no animals were involved in its production. Suitable for use in recipes requiring “a milk-like fluid.”

Blightberries
Hardy and highly adaptive, these berries have withstood the environmental collapse. Their irregular shapes and questionable growth patterns are offset by moderate nutritional value. Largely edible.

LikeSPAM
A processed protein blend combining synth-pork and nearly-ham byproducts. Contains salt, radgrain starch, sweeteners, sodium nitrite, and approximately 15% almost-meat content. Shelf-stable and legally classified as ‘food.’

NoHen Eggs
A powdered egg substitute developed after the global redundancy of poultry. Mimics key properties of real eggs with minimal toxicity. Officially rated as “sufficiently egg-like.”

Sigil-Transfer Lattice Files (STLs)

STL files contain blueprint data for specialised Project structures compatible with the 3MD Printforge. Once a sufficient number of matching files are collected, the associated design becomes available for field printing.

There are currently four identified STL types, each aligned with one of the recognised Domains (refer to State of the World Report SOW25389L): Magic, Technology, Divine, and Darkness. Each type encodes unique structural data, magi-coded into the lattice circuits, enabling the Prinforge to construct advanced facilities originally designed by the Great A.I.

These Domain-aligned structures offer distinct functions and benefits, and their deployment is central to long-term Project recovery strategy.

Equipment and Ability Upgrades (The Deck System)

The final item on record pertains to the broad category of equipment and ability upgrades. Colloquially referred to as the Deck, this system represents the collection of abilities possessed by the Expedition. These abilities can be enhanced or expanded through experience gained in the field, as well as via scavenged resources and recovered technologies.

Improvements—commonly known as Cards—derive their name from the standardised card-shaped digital storage devices, where operatives must record their current skills and equipement. This process is mandated for all active Project operatives. Cards function as modular skill inserts and are particularly effective in combat scenarios.

Abilities vary in application and may include:

  • Field medical aid
  • Regenerative protocols
  • Enhanced shielding
  • Emergency energy reserves
  • Offensive techniques targeting enemy vulnerabilities
  • Disruptive effects to impair hostile entities

Beyond combat, Cards may also provide critical situational advantages, such as scientific data retrieval, environmental analysis, or advanced operational insight. As such, the Deck is a core component in determining overall group efficacy.

Conclusion

In summary, the Slavyan Wastelands contain a range of salvaged materials and technologies that offer considerable benefit to Project operations. Some are useful; others are vital. Continued exploration and recovery are essential to long-term survival and reconstruction.

Fighting for Sentientkind!

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Today’s dev diary focuses on one of our core conflict resolution mechanics: the Card Battle.

If you’ve been following our progress, you’ll recognise this as our ‘old’ battleground.


Now, we’re not saying there was anything especially wrong with it, but… Once we implemented enough of the card game to actually test it out, we started having doubts. Apart from the visuals, the mechanics we used back then were—well, there’s no professional way to say this—they just didn’t feel or play right to us. So, we went back to the drawing board and reworked the entire battle system.

For those who played Thea games, the layout resembles T2.

In short, we returned to the idea of showing the hand on a ‘table’—or in this case, a Twin-HUD style display (a motif that will become common in the game). First off, it offered more clarity, more space to play with, and a better visualisation of the battlefield. And it also gave us the freedom to fully display the characters, rather than just showing their heads as we did before. The characters on the cards also have some animations, so visually, we feel this made a big difference.

In terms of the mechanics, the character and card placement is no longer fixed, but a tactical choice for the player. In the earlier version, the Main, Experts, and Minions were locked into their respective rows. Now, much like in Thea 2, you can play the cards however you like—and that choice matters, as the placement will determine who is attacked.

A wonderfully hand-crafted diagram of the important stuff…

So how does it work?

One notable difference from Thea 2 is that you now place a character on the table once—that’s their position in the fight. They come with their own damage and health stats and will attack enemies and take hits directly.

Then there are the cards in your hand. These aren’t characters but actions—boosters, debuffs or special attacks—that affect a chosen ally or enemy. They aren’t placed on the battlefield; instead, they target specific characters and apply their effects instantly.

For example, in the image above, we’re using booster cards. All three will affect our characters. The red markers on the cards at the bottom show that the selected Bio-stabiliser card can be applied to any of them, providing a healing buff. Alternatively, you could use a card that deals direct damage to an enemy, and so on.

One to rule them all

The main rule to remember in battle is that the Main—marked by the crown icon on the table—is the key character for both you and the enemy. If the Main on either side is defeated (i.e., their HP drops to 0), the battle ends immediately.

Characters removed from the table during combat do not automatically die. However, depending on their rank (e.g., Expert, Minion) and the severity of their wounds, there is a chance they may suffer critical injuries or even death.

Battles are resolved each round, from left to right. Characters attack opponents in the same column on the opposite row. If no such target is available, they will strike the enemy Main instead—so it’s wise to place cannon fodder in front of your Main to protect them!

Colours Matter

Finally, there are the Domains, each marked by a distinct colour in-game for quick reference. I won’t resist sharing a bit of flavour here.

The four Domains are:

  • Technology (Control)
  • Magic (Uncanny / Mystical)
  • Darkness (Destruction / Corruption)
  • Divine (Fate / Providence)

These Domains are intertwined—co-dependent yet in constant conflict:

Control seeks to stifle the Uncanny with its rigid rules. The Uncanny can enter the realm of Destruction and fight it. Destruction, with its corrupting force, can twist Fate. And Divine Fate, in turn, can subvert Control by invoking destiny. Thus, the cycle turns.

Domains play a key role in the game and have a direct impact on combat mechanics. As shown in the image above, each Domain is strong against one other and weak against another. Having a diverse mix of cards and/or characters in your deck may be a wise tactical choice, as facing an opposing Domain can prove particularly challenging.

The camping screen (WIP) shows one of our people is badly wounded and has a chance to develop a major wound, while our Main was lucky and will simply need time and resources to heal.

That’s it for now, folks! We hope this gives you a better sense of how battles and Domains work in Project Thea—and why mixing brains with brute force might just save your Main.

More exciting news coming your way soon™—including details on the first closed Beta tests for a demo! Stay tuned, and thanks for being part of the journey!

Why Project Thea?

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In this dev diary, we’ll talk a little more about how Project Thea came to life, why it’s not Thea 3, and why we chose to go down the path of a spin-off. We’ll also explore some key differences and similarities between Project Thea and the previous Thea games.

The Inception

We began thinking about our own, new project a few years ago. As always, it all started with casual chats about where we wanted to go next. The initial idea was for a smaller game—a quick project. At the time, we knew almost immediately that it would be tied to Thea; it just felt like the right time to return to our roots. But, since we wanted a smaller scope and the opportunity to try new things that deviated from Thea, we also knew it wouldn’t be a direct continuation but rather a spin-off.

The genre, as always with our games, was the more complex part. We knew it was going to be story-rich. We knew we wanted to keep the survival tone with post-apocalyptic themes. We also had a clear idea that there would once again be a single settlement struggling to survive against the world’s difficulties. And, of course, the card battles—by now, we feel they’re our signature feature.

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Project Thea Begins

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While this isn’t the big reveal—that’s coming next month—it’s what I’d call a soft reveal, a nod to our loyal fans who deserve the first look at what we’re building.

First, the title: Project Thea. After much debate, we settled on a name that bridges the past and future. While this game takes bold steps away from the original Thea series, it remains deeply rooted in its world’s rich history and dark lore—a fresh start that honors its legacy.

In this first dev blog, I’ll give an overview of the game, so those outside our awesome Discord community (join us by clicking the icon on top of the page!) can catch up on what we’ve been working on.

The Genre

As always with Thea, this is a problematic topic to pin down! But here it goes, our short description – A dark strategy-survival RPG blending retro-futuristic urban fantasy with Slavic folklore. Rebuild your colony, explore the wastelands and engage in strategic card-based combat in this story-rich, roguelite adventure. Featuring branching narratives, character progression, single player or co-op for 2 players.

The Story

You awaken from magi-cryo sleep to a world in ruins. They call you one of the Alloy Twins, but your memories are shattered. Who is this twin of yours, and why do you not remember them? How did you end up in the cryo-pod? One thing is clear—the colony’s generator is failing, and you’re one of the few capable of retrieving the energy shards to keep it alive. Failure is not an option.

As you journey through this retro-futuristic urban-fantasy world, your choices will shape the story. From reimagined Slavic folklore creatures like Baba Yaga—now an entrepreneur running an ice cream van—to the Tooth Fairy pivoting to dentistry, and Woj-Tec 001, the cybernetic bear founder of UBear courier services, Project Thea is a world brimming with danger, humor, and mystery.

Your story is just beginning. Are you ready to uncover the secrets of Thea?

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Secret Project Underway…

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This post will be short and sweet, but our page was looking sad and empty and some folks could think we’re gone or something!

After the great work on MoM, we had no time to rest, as well, you know how it goes, no rest for the wicked! We are very much alive and well and working hard on a secret, secret project that we hope to reveal this year.

We can spill a few beans here to keep your appetites going. Our new game is going to be set in the universe of Thea, but with a twist. This new adventure is set centuries in the world’s future, an urban, post-apocalyptic world that will once more throw you into the many mysteries of the Slavic inspired myth and folklore.

An urban version of a czort, they’ve of course become lawyers now…
A fan favourite also returns, the Rusalka, looking all modern and ready to kick some butts when drowning fails…

To stay up to date with MuHa news, check out our Discord channel, we’re always there and happy to chat!

That’s all for now, stay tuned!

Free DLC for Thea 2: The Shattering Arriving May 2023

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Thea 2: The Shattering – Rat Tales and More…

Rat Tales and More… is free DLC update, featuring:

  • New events: Including a rat-centred tale, a Thea dating game, and an invasion of foreign wizards and their flock.
  • New Human class: The Berserker, is a wild warrior whose power is gained from Destiny.
  • New Rat classes: Just when you thought there’s enough rattyness in Thea, we give you the Tsarat, the Warrant, the Healrat, the Mystrat, and a cute little baby rat!
  • New Dwarven class: Ever wondered what dwarven women do in the depths of their underground kingdoms? The Matrioshka answer that question and show just how powerful they are.
  • New characters that can join your group: Gnolls, Polar Bears, old magicians…
  • New pets to discover: eight new additions to our Thea menagerie.
  • The Graveyard: Finally, the many deaths of Thea’s heroes are now recorded for posterity.
  • Also included in the update is an important fix to the multiplayer mode, so now you can enjoy Thea 2 with friends again!

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Master of Magic Dev Diary #13, October 2022

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Release date announced

So, here we are, the official date of release has been announced, and it is December 13th 2022!

For those of you who have not yet had a chance to look, here are some links to a few press previews of the game. 

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1620576107

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1618520202

https://www.pcgamer.com/i-played-this-spellbindingly-complex-4x-classic-and-all-i-got-was-a-lot-of-dead-halflings/

Working towards the Gold.

Now that the date is settled, we are hard at work to complete the Gold version of the game, which means that we are feature and content complete (admittedly, some of the features seem to be cursed and need fixing!) and trying to finalise the game’s stability. This in turn signifies that in the weeks to come, we’ll be bug fixing like crazy, polishing till our elbows hurt and putting in those finishing touches on the AI.

What does it mean for the Beta?

We will have the Beta up and running for a few more weeks, but then we do plan to close it for a bit before release, so that even our faithful Beta testers can perhaps enjoy one or two new things on release. 

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Master of Magic Dev Diary #12, July 2022

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Busy beta times continued.

Our improved battle maps are now less flat and have the location models in for more flavour.

So, we’re at the end of July now, and I am sure you’re all wondering how things are progressing, right? Well, things are going well. We are producing regular patches/updates (8 big ones so far) to catch bugs as well as modify features due to feedback and/or add new ones. 

Our biggest hurdle remains firmly in the AI behaviours. While the AI at the moment is learning more and more complex tasks and combinations, and in the weeks to come, we will hopefully have it become more and more aggressive and proactive towards the player.

But for now, we come across such odd diplomatic conversations:

I mean, I did not declare war on him, and I certainly did not refuse any offers, maybe I accidentally said no to a date, or something, and he’s upset now? Don’t know, but he is angry…

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MoM Dev Diary #11, June 2022

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Busy beta times.

Last month we officially entered into closed beta and now, together with the first wave of testers, we are working hard at bug hunting and monitoring player feedback. As such, this month I am only going to quickly say that we are alive, we are working hard to make that announced early Autumn deadline!

Here is a link to the Home of Wargames video, where you can finally see some gameplay and myself…

And here are a few screenshots of things we improved via feedback (we did a lot more, but those are a few visual bits I can share.

Locations no longer have the additional red markers under them, to allow for better immersion. And units also have a less obtrusive bottom marker.
And as part of a larger design progress of monster lairs, we now also show the more difficult lairs with the red light.
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Dev Diary #10 April 2022

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Personal log: How are we doing so far?

We’ve had a pleasantly surprising response to the beta announcement, and also just to us working on the remake. As such, we have seen a lot of new ‘faces’ on our community sites. With that in mind, I decided that this month’s dev diary will take a look at the team and try to give you an insight on how we’ve been doing thus far.

So, for those of you who are new here, our team is made up of six people:

A’vee – CEO’s Boss, UI master, creative director, sound designer.

Khash – ‘The Programmer’ aka grandmaster of all MuHa code!, CEO

SirPi – Lead Game Designer 

Yuuki – Writer/Quest designer/Community manager

Obi – Programmer

Shell – Lead QA and everything else we might need of him…

In addition to the fantastic six, we work with freelance artists and composers and the wonderful Andy, a programmer who worked with us on the UI code. 

Team Q&A

We will start with a few questions I actually asked the team myself:

What is so far, your favourite part of working on Master of Magic? 

Khash: Modability is by far the most interesting part for me, as this opens the possibility for players to make the game truly their own, something that a team of any size won’t be able to achieve.

A’vee: I had a lot of fun creating those tiny animations for the 2d town map – things like little characters debating in front of the university building or a tiny wizard atop the Wizards’ Guild. I feel these have really added life into that map, I wish I could spend some more time on this task.

SirPi: For me, the joy and tribulations come together in the complexity of the original game’s rules. There are just so many little exceptions and quirks. And then you try to capture them, and recreate them, but also keeping in mind we want new players to discover this magic too. If we had more than six people and our resources, I think there could easily be a whole team with me working on how to approach this. So yes, I love doing it, but it is also tough.

Obi: It’s probably been said before by someone, but the spells and working on them. The key role spells play in the game and their versatility are the true selling point and the thing that makes Master of Magic stand out. And so working on recreating and implementing those spells, so that they continue to give the player that sense of magic and power has been really interesting and inspiring.

Shell: Working on an existing and classic IP, or more specifically, attempting to recreate the old magic while bringing it into the current game market. I spent a lot of time playing and researching classic MoM in preparation for this, so seeing our version and how the two work together is what I enjoy.

Me (Yuuki): Delving into a wonderful, magical world that has meant so much for the history of gaming. Interacting with the awesome fanbase, even when they are critical, I just like the fact that we’re talking and resolving stuff. I also really liked adding some background story/lore to wizards and heroes and races, although I will say that also goes into the ‘stressful category’. I loved doing it, but I didn’t always get it right, and I hate it when my recreation causes disappointment for the core fans. Still, MoM is such a rich game, it is a blast to work with its many, magical possibilities. 

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