'We needed a potentially infinite resource of party members so that we could then kill them:' Entropy dev James Wragg explains how you fit permadeath in a party RPG

Entropy is a very cool, very funky RPG you can play in early access right now. It's a turn-based ode to the likes of Final Fantasy 10 or Lost Odyssey, but it's also got some PC flair—lead developer James Wragg cites Fallout 1 and Games Workshop's tabletop Mordheim as major inspirations as well. I asked Wragg about the game's mercenary hiring and ambitious permadeath system in a conversation this past summer.

In addition to the injury system, Wragg was clear that you can get through Entropy with zero casualties via skilled play. But even then, the possibility of permadeath is still there, adding an edge to the proceedings.

I felt that acutely in this year's Star Wars Zero Company, which has a similar mix of authored snowflake squadmates and procgen mercenaries. I managed to get through that game without losing anyone, but the fact that they could have died lent the story and my achievement more weight.

I've loved what …