Show Me Your Moves!

To make them easier to understand and integrate into your games, all of the Sample Characters now have a "Combat Block" that details all the major information needed for encounters in one easy to access place. It also moves the incomprehensible block of detail that used to be under Abilities like Power Move to another section, making the Abilities list much easier to look at, too.

This is a sample of what it looks like, though the final version that appears in the book may differ slightly. So if you notice anything you'd like to see or find any of this version confusing, be sure to leave a comment saying so!

And yes, the character sheet will feature a similar block.

The Price of Game

It's been quite a few years since I first set the price on OVA, and it's hard to ignore that the economy is in a different place than it was in 2005. While the eventual price of the book will depend on many factors, ranging from decisions regarding color, binding, publisher, and countless other details, I have a lot more leeway deciding on the PDF price.

Originally, I was pretty firm on the idea that OVA would be a $20 book, and that a PDF should never retail for more than half of the print book's price. At the time, it was pretty standard for the big guys to release PDFs retailing at the print prices. This struck me as beyond ridiculous. You're not paying for paper, printing, binding, or shipping, but you're charging the same thing? Wha?

But OVA may not be $20 anymore. Books are getting more expensive to produce, especially if I make the leap to full-color and expand its page count. This isn't even mentioning that I'm spending significantly more on the art. So what is a PDF worth? I've seen similar products (of kin theme, size, and arguably production values) consistently retail for $15-16. This seems a bit stiff to me, but even the cost to produce a PDF has gone up, with most of the retail spaces taking an extra 10-15% than they did when I first made OVA. But OVA's affordability has always been one of its strengths, and it's something I'd hate to lose to satiate a bottom line.

So readers, what I'm asking here is for your honest experiences. What is the most you've paid for an RPG PDF? Did you feel cheated? Likewise, what was the biggest bargain on a PDF? What is the delicate price point that seems appropriate to you, not too little but not too much?

Of course, I realize asking the consumer what they'd like to pay is sort of a conflict of interests, but you guys are a mature bunch, right?

...right?

Rock Your Socks Off

There's quite a few changes going on with OVA, but there's quite a few things that are just new, too. OVA is stocked with even more Abilities and Weaknesses, all ready to flesh out your character – or just give you ideas while reading the book. There are Abilities that cover broad ranges of knowledge or vocation, like Performer and Con-Artist, and new background Abilities like Connected. Weaknesses have been fleshed out too, with new options, like Greedy, and opposites for current Abilities, like Dull, the missing companion for Charismatic. There's also more ways to limit other Abilities with the new Endurance Use and Limited Use Weaknesses. And that's just to name a few!

With his charm and undeniable musical talent, Daisuke is an unsurprising showcase of the Performer Ability. But that skill may be less useful now that his self-centered personality has saddled him with a rather annoying curse, turning him into a black rabbit any time a female gets near! For a rocker the girls go crazy over, this is quite the predicament.