Broken Contract Update

Hard copy of the Broken Contract Rulebook.

The Broken Contract Rulebook is getting very close to a completed state. Pictured above is a hard copy of the current incarnation with graphic design by Sam Alcarez. He's currently working on the 3rd draft and I'm still going over the 2nd draft looking for corrections and changes that need to be made.

The new Critical Successes and Fumbles Chart.

One of the key changes from the first draft to the second was the inclusion of this chart. If you've looked at or played older incarnations then you may know that most Actions and Interruptions had special rules for Critical Successes and Failures, triggered by rolling natural 6's or 1's. Some of these had their own mini charts under their entries in the Actions and Interruptions section of the book, and this resulted in a lot of page flipping. It also chewed up a lot of space with needless repetition throughout the section. This chapter went through a complete re-write and the chart gives a concise presentation of the information so it doesn't slow down the game.

My favorite part of this chart was the opportunity to expand the Critical Success and Failure results so that the action is heightened and the dramatic moments are more varied. So far I feel like this has made games even more dynamic and interesting. Yesterday I played a game where a Character attempted to Strike one of my own Characters and I elected to Dodge as my Interruption. I got a Critical Success on my Dodge and that triggered a 2nd free Interruption, which I used to Defend and hit back at my opponent. I like this sort of interplay better than something like an Ability that allows me to always Defend after a Successful Dodge. It just feels more uncertain and interesting.

A glimpse inside the rulebook.

There's still a lot to do. For example, the sample cards and counters pictured above don't cover some key bits of information, like the Action Counter that is used as a dial during game play. So there's some stuff that is strictly graphic design oriented that needs to be done, and then there are larger sections like the Equipment and Scenario chapters at the back of the book that need to be significantly tightened up.

All said, we are getting close. I'm behind the schedule that I had intended, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Black Squadron Security models.

In other recent news, I've been busy working on a bunch of models for the three Kickstarter Backers who pledged for the custom painted models and terrain. I've been working steadily along and progress is being made. I'm spending a bit more time per model than I intended but I can't help myself. I have to put another coat of primer on the drones I'm working on so I'll wrap up here.

Thanks for reading!
-Nick