Development Update: State of V0.4 and beyond!

Wanted to give a quick update on the status of Version 0.4! 

No need to fear: things are progressing smoothly! I've made several adjustments to the main rules document, including clarifying some of the finer points such as what happens when a character is removed from combat, what happens when stats are reduced to zero, revised a few reaction moves and added some others, and added a section on Momentum being used outside of combat scenarios. 

Based on your feedback I'm going to be revisiting how Team Attacks function and probably rework that entire section, as it was one of the first things I designed for this system and it feels like it needs a little more finesse. I'm also going to do another pass to make sure I do away with any full success mechanics, as the Full Success Paradox continues to be a thorn in my side. 

The big-ticket item for this update is the Grimm Bestiary, which I've been hard at work on and features 100 individual Grimm species (but I'll be reducing this number ever so slightly; you'll see why momentarily). I hashed out the stat blocks for all of these Grimm back in June and have been filling out the finer details for each of them a little at a time, and should be done by mid-August if I can knuckle down and finish them off.  To give you a sense of what these profiles will look like, here's a sneak preview of perhaps the most ubiquitous Grimm, the Beowolf:

While I would have liked to get everything that's been featured in the show into the book, I recently decided it would be better to trim the number of Grimm in my initial list down in preparation for an eventual expansion, which I'm tentatively titling Agents of Salem. This will feature a lot of the Grimm and opponents that are closely tied to the plot of the RWBY in later seasons, such as the Seers, Monstra, the Hound, and several custom Grimm which seem better suited for a more intense experience. This expansion will also include stat blocks for antagonistic characters featured in the show that might make cameo appearances in your games, as well as the details of some plot-relevant Relics you might be familiar with. As many of these elements have spoilers attached to them I reasoned having a purely Salem War-based expansion would make it easier on my workload now, keep new players from being spoiled on some of the finer points of post-Season 4 RWBY, and provide room to grow later on. There will still be plenty to sink your teeth into when V 0.4 releases!

On that same note: based on the trailers I'm fairly confident the upcoming season 9 will provide a new location and new enemies for your games, should your characters somehow find your way to the Ever-After. My goals currently are to put out V 0.4 in mid to late August, continue refining the core systems and do any balancing required for the Grimm Bestiary during the fall based on playtesting and feedback (in smaller and more frequent releases), and prepare to release Agents of Salem by the end of the year. When season 9 starts airing I will begin aggregating information on the Ever-After and release the second expansion, The Ever-After, shortly after the season concludes.

The last bit of big news on the horizon: Character Sheets! It's been something I've wanted to do for a while, but I'm going to put my design cap on and get something serviceable together, to be released along with V 0.4 or shortly after. 

That's where we're at! I'm very excited to see what you make of the next release, because I've had a lot of fun putting it together!