While I am planning out the revised Players' Manual for Urutsk: World of Mystery, I thought I would give you folks another chance to provide input on what you want to see, and in the basic order it ought to appear.
As it stands, I am reworking the distribution of the background material (keeping the initial description in front, but pushing the timeline after the rules); unifying the Character Generation process (while still maintaining the Point-Design system as optional); and making certain that explanations appear in their proper and logical spots (the effects of a Sever result appearing in Combat, rather than in the weapons section, for instance). Die Rolling Conventions; Basics of RolePlaying (perhaps three pages); Glossary.
--Is there anything else I ought to know/do?
Currently, I have eight really wonderful line drawings from Peter, and I've hired him to produce about three times more than that number. I am concerned that, due to his immense popularity in the field, the whole body of work won't make it on time for my layout schedule, and there will need to be some sort of concession:
1). I wait longer than I had hoped,
2). I produce an art-light version and then re-release it once all of the art is in.
--Thoughts on that?
After my initial good reviews of Mutant Scavengers..., I am thinking about producing an UWoM-centric version as a quick-play version of the rules for pick-up/one-off games, and releasing this separately and before the PM goes 'live' for .pdf and PoD sales.
--Thoughts?
Anything else?
I would wait for the art, release UWoM in it's full glory )rather than as incomplete) after an artless quickplay version has paved the way.
ReplyDeleteSean,
ReplyDelete--Thanks. I think you've convinced me. ;)
I agree with Sean - don't dilute your brand. A quick play Urutsk would be a brilliant intro - you just have to be careful that a short format version maintains enough of what makes Urutsk unique - the atmosphere!
ReplyDeleteAlso, waiting for the art gives you time to further refine and polish.
groakes,
ReplyDelete--Alright then. :)
Chances are you'll still be editing when the art does roll around, after all. :D
ReplyDeleteSince I don't know where else to send it, I'll put my comments here (finally got around to downloading the PM).
FORMATTING
Consider increasing the paragraph indent to about twice what it is now. Also, the very second paragraph isn't indented.
I would also give a little more margin between the columns, potentially at the expense of the page edge margins.
Also - page numbers! And a table of contents. Please.
Spelling - "actual mater from" (character creation section).
EDITORIAL
Not sure you needed to abandon STR and CON, since you kept all the others. Physique is a good word, but Power just makes me think of magic.
Experience has shown that it is always better to be more stringent at the beginning of a campaign and then gradually ease restrictions as the pace and dynamics of the game become better known.
Now that's a gem. :)
Ethical Humanism
Finally we SecHums get a decent shake in an RPG! :D I loved your descriptive text.
Yahzi,
ReplyDeleteThanks.
--Exactly the sort of input I'm looking for.
---Cannot guarantee everything will be exactly as offered, but it all goes into the soup-stock.
Best, :D
I think making a quick-play guide would be a great exercise - even if you never released it. I was a little lost at where/how to start creating a character and playing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, where are the guns? You said everybody could have firearms after year 500, but you didn't put any guns in. I want guns! :D
Thanks.
ReplyDelete* I fully intend the Quick-play
* The Players' Manual is being extensively re-written.
* I've been playtesting them for several sessions, lately. -- They'll appear here, firs, before the revised Manual.
:)