Work on ScreenPlay: The Rehearsal Edition (and therefore it’s final version due out for next year) has picked up the pace. While the number of playtesters has only increased by a small amount, the amount of feedback has jumped exponentially. This means work on Version 1.3 will see a large increase in page counts as we work on not only touching up some of the existing mechanics (particularly with complications, a component always considered the trickiest piece of the puzzle) but adding on new ones. Let’s break it down with the bullet points.

• Starting off with the best news of the past week, the playtesters have unlocked the next ScreenPlay treatment. Nightfall is a modern day superhero/masked vigilante story with a twist on the standard genre: what if there was more than one person behind the mask? And what if someone learned this secret and started trying to eliminate them one-by-one? For a special preview of this second playtest adventure, check out the brand new Nightfall page and watch for it in Version 1.3.
• Speaking of unlockables, we’re now past 20 total playtest points handed out with one playtester already rocking 8 of those for himself. Our new unlocked treatment will be Escape From The X, a sci-fi/horror story set in the Mercenary Breed setting by our publisher, Mystical Throne Entertainment. You can learn more about it on our Playtest Points page.
• This past week, the very first game not played by anyone directly affiliated with Broken Ruler Games. A group of Writers and a Director took on the challenge of joining the Ironbound and the results were incredibly positive. Plus we’ve already received a Writer’s and Director’s Survey from this group with an average score of 5 out of 5.
• If you’re read through The Rehearsal Edition but haven’t joined the G+ community, you’re missing out on some vital discussions. One of them involved bringing up old ideas and breathing new life into a concept of character flaws, be they moral, social, or what have you. Thanks to this discussion, Version 1.3 will include a new section on motivations and hindrances, including mechanics on how they can bring you milestones to help move the story and your characters forward.
• Characters will be able to create advantages, special bonuses you can introduce in a scene by sacrificing Stamina to activate and applying details to maintain.
• Minor revisions have been made to resources, such as how many can be applied at a time and for which reasons.

This weekend will be dedicated to finalizing the updates to Version 1.3 of the Rehearsal Edition. Expect to see it updated to your RPGNow/DriveThruRPG account by the middle of next week.