Hello,
I was looking for some feedback on the layout, readability & organization of the rulebook I've written. I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to skim through the PDF.
Looking for a review & criticism of my early-draft rulebook
Tue, 11/25/2014 - 19:49
Tue, 11/25/2014 - 20:07
#1
Took a *quick* look
Hi the only comment I have is that there is no game "TITLE"! What is the game called??? I haven't read the entire document, just a quick look.
Mon, 12/01/2014 - 17:30
#3
Thoughts
The actual game play material seemed sound. I did not have time for an in depth reading now. Good use of photos.
From a general layout perspective. I found the theme kind of confusion. I like fluff, but I did not quite understand the theme. I also think moving the convoy construction to the end of the rule book and putting a first game convoy at the start would be good.
As for players first go they do not want to read that many pages before actually getting to any gameplay.
Headers are good. Your word choice seems consistent. I suggest adding some summarized material to be able to start quickly without getting bogged down to much in details.
Mon, 12/01/2014 - 12:35
#4
Rules Feedback
From the looks of things, a *huge* amount of effort went into this. Things look great.
When it comes to clarity of rules, I noticed that there's no one location that summarizes a player turn. It's okay to have sub-steps, but as this would be a play aid frequently referenced, then it could have cross-references to certain pages in the manual instead. I don't recommend you bog down this play aid with text explaining every exception or special case, as that's what the rulebook itself will clarify.
I also could not find a clear explanation of success or failure in one place. Page 6 comes closest to this, but success and failure conditions are still vague.
In other words, create a single page that:
- Describes the objective and success/win condition
- Describes the failure condition(s)
- Shows a gameplay summary of steps the player must take from beginning to end
As a lower priority, I would find a way to list all components on a single page as well. Perhaps the entire list of components could be shown on a "cover page" for all the print-and-play materials, while the different decks are simply referenced in the rules, instead of itemized in the front of the rulebook.
In my opinion, information overload starts early with this title, since you've spent so much time and effort establishing the theme and flavor. Move the components listing out of the way so the player comes to the rules immediately after seeing your flavor and theme text/photos.
The game's title is Mud Eagle One.
I haven't quite settled on a cover yet, which is why it wasn't included.