Loot Drop RPG Kickstarter Campaign Update #6, $222,000 and Counting

With the availability of a sixth update to the game's Kickstarter campaign, we're really starting to get a good handle on the design tenets Loot Drop has for "Shaker: An Old-School RPG". The mockup of six party characters facing off against four enemies of varying distances alongside some new combat details really drives the message home, too:
Combat: Steel and Spells

Combat in the world of Antera is full of swords and sorcery! Outside of combat, you have free movement about the world of Antera, but once you have an encounter with the not-so-friendly residents of this medieval world, it's old-school, turn-based combat.

Before the Encounter

Your party has six characters in total (your four characters and two local NPC recruits). Before combat, you are free to arrange your party as you wish in front and back ranks. The further back your characters are, the safer they will be. The closer they are to the action, the more brute-force damage they can do. Back-rank characters must have spells, long-range attacks or weapons, or special skills. All weapons and spells have specific ranges.

Entering Combat

Combat occurs when you near an enemy, and you enter combat mode. Before you, you see the creatures in the world, and combat proceeds in turn-based rounds. In traditional RPG fashion, you choose each character's action. The NPCs are, at first, autonomous, but you can choose their actions once they fully trust you. Once everyone determines their course, the game determines who goes first based on everyone's quickness (plus or minus any modifiers). Combat then plays out in front of you with each party member or enemy taking turns in order of their Initiative. Combat ends when you defeat the enemy or they run away, knowing what's good for them.

Combat Rounds

During combat, your characters have several options to choose from depending on their available weapon, profession and location in the party. You may choose from: Attack using your current weapon, select a Spell/Special using your profession's unique powers, or use an Item. You can also get the hell out of dodge or skip your turn.

Combat continues round after round until there's a victor. Hopefully, you're the one looking down on the bodies of your foes! :)