This update pushed some significant gameplay changes. The whole quest and rumor system has been overhauled. You can now collect rumors by talking to and trading with local folk. On the map you can spend these rumors to get leads for specific locations or learn about new locations by getting leads for a region.

What’s more, you can now leave the Staff in Haven. In fact, the Loremaster will probably like it best if you do, because if you lose the Staff on your journey, the world is lost.

Although previously generated world’s still function as normal, all these changes are best experienced with new worlds. The game tries to convert much of the old info you collected to the new rumor system, the conversion cannot be 1 on 1. You’ll probably find you miss some leads you had previously. But you’ll also likely find some new ones on your map.

Making this update proved to be an undertaking worthy of Moobak… The rumor and quest system had its tentacles spread wide like the roots of an inspirited thicket. It is still a little rough around the edges. But the feedback from the players testing it out was positive so we saw little reason to withhold the other players from enjoying the much improved game.

The next couple of weeks we’ll be picking up the other bug reports again, and make sure we’ll polish away the remaining roughness of these new systems.

The most important gameplay changes:
- Taking the Staff is optional: you can leave it in Haven. If you do bring the Staff, the world is lost if you die.
- Spellcraft skills now allow you to use magic from sources without using the staff.
- You can leave the First Valley after you’ve entered.
- Knowledge points have been removed: returning books gives you sparks, and researching a topic costs 5 sparks before the test.
- If you have little or no information about a destination it’s nature isn’t revealed until you go there.
- You can gain ‘rumors’ from talking to and trading with folk.
- Rumors can be used to gain leads on specific destinations.
- Rumors can be used to learn about new destinations in a region.