Tony,

I just finished reading over Capes last week and I've been meaning to send you a note. Here it is: in my estimation Capes is the best-written RPG I have ever read (and that includes my own). Your style is engaging, informative, and thorough. The rules are explained clearly and concisely, and the cross-referencing you do within the text is invaluable. I wish all of the games I own were written like this. Well done!

I'll join the chorus, having just gotten my real paper copy last night. (I'd downloaded the PDF, but a book is so much easier to read during lunch... :-) )

It's interesting reading -- there's a lot that's changed since the last stage I playtested. I agree with inthisstyle that the rules explanations are wonderful... and the little bits "linking" mentions to where the more full explanations are is a great touch. I also love the quick two-page rundown of the rules before the longer explanation, and the example of play shows wonderfully how they apply to non-combat and combat situations.

Just reading through it has cleared up a lot of lingering questions for me.

I'm personally glad to see that Zip made it into the examples. :-)

More comments later, after I've gotten to finish reading through it, but so far, I love it, and I'm proud to have been a playtester!

--Travis

Well thanks, both of you!

The good feedback is very reassuring. By the point where I was publishing it, my ability to be critical in any aesthetic way was totally shot. It had become just a big pile of undifferentiated text and graphics. I had, like, the road-map of how it was supposed to look, as I'd laid it down when my artistic senses were functioning, but the last month or so was travelling by dead-reckoning. Glad I ended up somewhere near my destination!

This does look pretty cool - I checked out the lite version. I'll have to pick it up when I have the time.

I have to add a "Super-wow!" upon reading the rules. The writing style is great, and my worries of never being able to decipher the rules after reading Capes Lite were unfounded - the examples of play in the text held my hand through the rules-learning process. I'll admit that it took two reads to get everything completely down, however.

Hopefully I can get the other goobs around here to help me playtest it before an upcoming convention. I really, really want to run it.

Anyhow, I love it! It's the super-hero game I've been dreaming of. Seriously.