🏗 March 2026 – Development Update
March has been a month of focus, correction, and forward momentum for Seven Castles Games.
Not just progress, precision.

⚖️ Steam Cities – Balance First
One of the most important developments this month has been addressing balance within Steam Cities.

We identified that the Steam City had a structural advantage particularly when combined with certain card interactions allowing it to accelerate too quickly and create an uneven playing field. This affected overall game fairness and strategic diversity.

Actions taken:

• Reduced movement speed to better align with other cities
• Adjusted key interactions to prevent runaway advantages
• Rebalanced pacing to maintain competitiveness across all play styles

The result is a more controlled, fair, and strategically rich experience. The identity of the city remains intact but now it competes, rather than dominates.

🧪 Approaching 90 Playtests
We are now closing in on 90 playtests.

This volume is not just a number it represents consistent iteration, feedback loops, and validation across different player profiles. Each session continues to refine balance, improve clarity, and stress-test the system under real conditions.

At this stage, the game is no longer being “tested” it is being tuned.

🤝 Key Creative Leadership Secured
March also marks a major milestone in building the team behind Steam Cities.

We have officially signed:

• Rob Ingle — Lead Designer
  A seasoned tabletop designer with a strong track record in developing engaging and commercially viable game systems, Rob brings deep expertise in mechanics, balance, and player experience.
• Piya Dechchareon — Lead Illustrator
  A talented visual artist known for rich, immersive illustration work, Piya brings a distinctive artistic vision that will define the visual identity of Steam Cities.

You can learn more about both on our team page:
https://sevencastles.games/our-team/

With leadership now in place across both design and art, the project moves forward with stronger direction and cohesion.

🎨 Initial Drafts in Progress
With the creative team onboard, work has begun on the first visual and design drafts.

This includes:

• Early illustration concepts defining the world and tone
• Visual exploration of cities, components, and cards
• Alignment between gameplay mechanics and artistic expression

We are moving from abstract systems to a living, breathing world.

⚙ Where We Stand

• Core balance improvements implemented
• Nearly 90 playtests completed
• Lead Designer and Lead Illustrator secured
• Initial creative drafts underway

Steam Cities continues to evolve more balanced, more defined, and closer to its final form.
Seven Castles Games continues to grow not just building a game, but building it properly.

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📣 Stay Connected

🌐 sevencastles.games
🛍 Support us in our online store
🎮 Join our Discord for playtests and updates
💬 Patreon WhatsApp Channel
💖 Join the Realm | 💼 Investor Page

Thank you for being part of this journey.

— The Seven Castles Games Team

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