Wordplay

Here is the current release plan for Wordplay.

The core game is going to be CC3.0 share attribute licence or OGL. Basically all you have to do is acknowledge how gorgeous I am somewhere prominently on your text and you can take Wordplay and off you go! Do with it as you will. Bend and warp and lift the text and invent your own work. You can even sell it if you want!

To that regard, I’m looking at something like this for Wordplay releases:

‘Beta Releases’ These will all have silly names…

June Release - Major revamp of the text, updated and reorganised with different chapter break points, more explanations and summaries. Available to the Wordplay gang - but can be shared informally.

July Release - First draft finish of the core game.  Available to the Wordplay gang - but can be shared informally.

August Release - Playtest twiddles to the core game. Fantasy Theme substantially complete. Available to the Wordplay gang - but can be shared informally.

September Release - Playtest twiddles to the core game. Fantasy Theme complete. Available to the Wordplay gang - but can be shared informally.

Additional Themes are likely to be at an advanced stage by now in anticipation of the Christmas 2008 deadline for submission

Open Wordplay
All the main text of the game plus the Fantasy theme in a non artwork basic PDF. Free and CC 3.0 licence. Available October ‘08 in time for Furnace from the Wordplay website (if I can get my act in gear!)

Final (1st Ed - Book and PDF)
Full final product with all themes, DTP, Art, available via POD and PDF via whichever channels make sense to me. Will cost to buy, the artwork would remain copyright, but the text would also be CC 3.0 and available for re-use. Available Spring 09.

Wordplay currently has an optional Fatigue and encumbrance system. It follows the standard rules with no changes, but adds another dimension and possible factor to challenges.

Question is do I actually need it? It’s not causing any harm by being in the game but is it adding sufficient value?

Food for thought…

I’m right in the midst of a big edit to Wordplay today. It should ensure that the next release of the text will be on track for early June. It’s going to be a big one. Core game is unchanged, but it will have a good reorganisation and lots of nice touches and improvements. Wordplay could well be finished in June. Although further refinement will continue throughout the year, we will have a solid base to be used for the open PDF and for next Spring’s book. Focus will switch to Themes and how we plan to release the game.

Hero Points have been included as an option in the ‘Advice for Guides’ chapter, with four suggestions on how they are awarded and managed in the game.

I’m just having my 40K word count party right now!

Here’s  something I’ve put in on Power Payback Challenges…

If Wordplay’s default payback challenge is too frequent or burdening to the game’s vision of the power being used, then only require a payback challenge if the number of successes kept is equal to or greater than the foundation trait used.

I’m moving onto Trait Morphing now and then looking at some ideas from Dom on how to factor in Scale that provides or receives support from lower scale Traits.