Copying the rulebook from Google Docs into Affinity Publisher has turned out to be a slower process than I expected. Part of that is layout, and my perfectionism. But, a big delay is probably that I was a bit too eager when I first said the rules were done.
Every time I format a section properly, I end up noticing things… not really any major flaws; Just places where the design could be tighter.
The latest change is a good example; I’ve removed every reference to Court Cards being “Activated” and replaced it with the term “Rotated”. Rotation already existed in the rules for Nobles, so the language is now consistent across the system. But once I made that change, I started seeing opportunities I’d previously missed. Like the Queen Consort Bonus used to require a Guild or Magnate aligned with the Queen. Now she simply needs to be in a Rotated state to perform that task. Which improves things considerably, as It creates a stronger reason to rotate the Queen in the first place. Once that clicked, I noticed a few more areas where Rotated Court Cards could meaningfully matter.
This is the awkward part of late development. I want to lock things down. But when I see a clear improvement, it feels wrong to ignore it just because I already announced the rules are complete. So I’ve paused the layout process. I’m doing another proper pass over the rulebook. Some of these refinements may require additional playtesting. The rule set is tight, and even small wording shifts can have ripple effects.
Maybe I was keen to call it done. But, perhaps it needs more polish than I thought. Either way, I’d rather take the time now than wish I had later.
