MEST 1.4 Beta - preview cover

Side-note: Another Human Enters the Fray!

Yah, it's true. I've been sort of out of it for the past month or so because I've been doing the new dad thing again.  I's gots me a new baby girl and wow I forgot how much effort that is even for a dad.  You can see the pics and blurbs on my other blog. =)

1.4 Overview

MEST Basic Game rules version 1.4 Beta are almost ready.  I'm awaiting aggro84's input on some details, but this next iteration has lots of small tweaks for typos, grammar, and some paragraph positioning. I intend to have this next version published by the end of this weekend; 2012.06.03 at the latest.

The biggest change is that I've made the PDF become printer-ready.  The booklet is no longer 8.5"x11.0"; it is instead 9.0"x11.5" with 0.25" bleed on all sides.  What this means is that if the document is to be printed out, be sure to set the option for "Auto-rotate and center" is checked; this will allow the bleed settings to be properly considered and the document will center and crop accordingly.  Why all this fuss?  Well, I've determined that a small print-run is fairly affordable and when the time comes I can generate that set and make them available at the various cons and local gaming stores to any takers.  Sort of like the "free RPG day" thing.

Changes

Here's a synopsis of the major changes that I remembered to document since 2012.05.01: 

• CRITICAL FIX: Armor charts is too high by 1 BP
• Added two more basic game genres "Retropocalypse" and "Inner City Jive".
• Lightened background artwork near the center to allow text to have more contrast.
• Altered page 11 to show the options on how to spend Initiative Points more clearly.
• Increased by +3 BP any weapons in the sample assemblies which have the Modern trait.
• Spray is now -1 Base die per OR Multiple.
• Corrected price for Musketeer Leader.
• Changed several assemblies to utilize more shotguns instead of pistols.
• Wait is now 2 AP.
• Updated Actions tables to show in big numbers how many AP for each action.
• Musket is 5 + 2b at 26 BP, and Blunderbuss is OR 8" for 19 BP.  Adjusted sample assemblies accordingly.
• Made all pages even brighter than before, tweaked colors in boxes and tables to better fit the brighter pages.
• Emphasized the Initiative Points [ IP ] options by bringing it into a small boxed-out area on the same page.
• Re-added Stun to Dynamite.  Corrected various assemblies.
• Re-phrased Shoot X to "Ignore X penality dice for Attacker Range Combat Hit test".
• Re-factored Fight X to include a similar clause, and removed the last rule providing for multiple Bonus actions.
• Re-factored Passive Player Options; essentially allow Bonus actions, Counter-strike, or Negate if also in Wait.
• Changed layout to 9.0"x11.5" with 0.25" bleed
• Moved Assembly Record Sheet and the Reference chart to the inner covers of the booklet.
• Added some decorative colors to many sections.

Cover Art

And ... here's the revised cover.  I altered the basic texture a bit and set the front-cover's tentacles to be more suggestive.  The back cover I'm still undecided and so I just threw in a big MEST logo at the center.  I'll need to work with aggro84 to get some enticing blurbs or bullet points for the rear-cover. 

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