The Final Draft is Nearly Complete!

With only a couple of chapters to go, I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!  The latest revision has definitely been the most challenging.  In addition to many of the revisions in the rules from play testing, I'm also trying to edit things down in order to be as concise as possible.

I also have more artwork as well, so I'm very excited about that!

One last update; I've begun pre-production planning on a series of videos that will teach new players how to play Blood, Sweat & Steel.  In addition to the tutorials, I'm hoping my face-to-face group will volunteer to provide some "actual play" videos as well!

Here's a laundry list of the most recent revisions:

• Character Templates have been reduced from 3 to 2.  Instead of having 3 character templates (Whelp, Adventurer & Legend), there are now 2 (One-Shot & Campaign).  This should make character creation a bit easier, and I think it makes more sense to have the templates apply to the style of the game being played, rather than the character's relative "power".
• Skills have been streamlined.  There are now just 18 Skills, which can all be further detailed by adding Talents.  Here is the Skill List:
• Athletics
• Contacts
• Craft
• Cunning
• Fists
• Horsemanship
• Insight
• Intimidate
• Investigate
• Lore
• Magic
• Melee Weapons
• Provoke
• Ranged Weapons
• Rapport
• Stealth
• Survival
• Thieving
• Using Boons/Flaws instead of Qualities.  I was really hoping that Qualities would have "stuck", but the overwhelming result of play testing gave the nod to Boons/Flaws instead.  While I think most players appreciated the elegance and duality of Qualities, Boons/Flaws are straightforward, which I believe makes them easier to use in play.  I think they are easier for GM's as well as Players.
• An optional Alternating Exchange combat system has been added.  It's based on a brilliant approach I found on an RPG.net discussion.  It's a simple, but intuitive system that adds a level of strategy to the game that I think many players will find enjoyable.  This system adds a new Attribute, called Quickness.  Quickness is the sum of the Agility, Awareness and Brains Attributes.  In this system, everyone who wishes to act in a given Exchange will have the opportunity to do so.   Everyone who wishes to do something in a given Exchange makes a Quickness Check, which is (Quickness + Skill + Fudge roll).  Everyone is sorted from slowest to quickest, so the slowest get to try and act first.  If no quicker combatants wish to interrupt the slower combatant, their action is resolved. However, any quicker combatant can "interrupt" a slower combatant's turn and take their turn first.  This gives quicker combatants a strategic advantage.  GM's can use this system to run a more "traditional" game by having everyone make a Quickness check at the start, as it's pretty much an initiative roll.  You can also use it as a hybrid system, after you've broken the scene up into groups.
• The Magic System has been streamlined.  While it still uses the 4x5 approach, the parameters have been simplified to make it easier to use the system.  There is still some play testing to do to the system to make sure that there is a distinction between Spells and Rituals, and that the system adds to the game without overpowering it.
• I spent a good portion of the book explaining my "5 D's" approach to roleplaying.  It's a simple way to organize the flow of the game.  The "5 D's" are:
• Describe Intent - The player describes what their character intends to do.  The GM should encourage the player to speak from the character's point of view, and not worry about using game stats or game mechanics in their description. (Player: "I've had enough of this monster's taunting!  I'm going to charge the beast with my axe, and try to separate its head from its body!")
• Determine Resolution - Now that the GM knows what the character wants to do, it's time to figure out how to resolve the action.  Is it a Check or a Challenge?  Are there any Conditions that need to be applied?  This is where the GM takes everything into consideration, to determine the difficulty of succeeding with the action, what, if anything is opposing it, and any other Conditions that may affect the outcome.  (GM: "Okay!  You'll be using your Melee Weapons Skill, plus any Talents that apply.  Don't forget that you're moving 1 Zone away, so you'll get a -1 to your Action.  The monster will be trying to attack you with its claws.")
• Dice - Once you know what the opposing sides want to do, and you have added all relevant modifiers, it's time to throw the dice to find out who won their Action, and what happened! (GM: "Alright, the monster has a Fair [0] Skill, and it rolls Good [+1], for a Total of Good [+1].  You have Great [+2] Skill with your axe, but you are charging into another Zone, so that will lower your Skill to Good [+1].  You Rolled Great [+2], for a Superb [+3] Total.")
• Determine Results- Once everyone has calculated their Actions and rolled their dice, it's time for the GM to see who won their Action, and what happened. ( GM, to the Player: "The Monster has a Good [+1] Total, and you have a Superb [+3] Total, which means you have won your Action with 2 Successes.  Since you're attacking the monster, that is 2 points of Harm, which is a Minor Wound.  The monster will be at a -1 to its Action on the next Exchange.")
• Describe Outcome -  Both sides have acted, and one side has won.  The winner now knows their relative degree of success, so it's time for them to describe their Action (The winner of the Action always describes the Exchange). (Player: "I charge the beast, unleashing my war cry, axe held high.  The monster tries to pummel me into the ground with one of its massive paws, but I dive out of the way, rolling directly under the beast, slashing its front leg and positioning myself directly beneath it!"
• The character development chapter has also been updated.  The system is largely based on the Fudge objective character development system.  Progression is slower than many games, due to Fudge's granularity, but there are many ways in which a player can make changes to their character over time.
• I'm adding 2 new chapters; "Player Tips" and a "GM Tips".  I want to provide some tips on getting the most out of the game, and I also want to include some tips to give it that Sword & Sorcery "feel".  There are a lot of different playing styles out there, so these chapters serve as a guide to play.  Some groups will find the tips useful, and I'm hoping that even for those who don't find them useful, it will stoke their creativity to help define their own approach to the game.

I'm hoping to have all of this finished in the next couple of weeks, but based on progress so far, I'm sure it will take a bit longer.