Sanity Test for Steam Battalions

Use font size and style to clearly delineate the structure of the document. The main headers should be large and obvious. "4) Set up:" for example, blends in with the rest of the page.

I would move Objective to be right after -THE GAME-. Right now it is wedged between parts of the component list.

Some other suggestions are given below.

Given in text.

A decent background story. It would be better if it gave the players an idea of who they are, specifically, in this world and what the stakes are in this battle.

The last sentence of -THE STORY- looks odd with all the &s.

Overview is contained in -THE GAME- and Objective sections.

"as outlined in the Steam Battalions rulebook": refer to the page or section instead.

You should state that the game includes two sets of the cards.

"1 Hiddenberg:": Why the colon?

The tech cards and just a few of the unit cards are capitalized. Is there a reason? If not, make it consistent.

Apparently you need pencil and paper. This should be noted.

Good pictures of the card types. I'd like to see a one-sentence explanation of what each of the card types is for along with the name and picture.

Move the Unit diagram by the attacking rules, as that is where it needs to be referenced.

"Setup" (the noun) is preferable to "Set up" (the verb) as the section heading.

The paragraph on customizing the deck is a bit of a jumble, with an example in the middle. Give the rules clearly, preferably with bullet points, * Exactly 40 cards * No more than 1 Spyborg * No more than 5 double power cards, etc. Then give an example afterward.

The deck customization at the top of page 7 should be eliminated. Just make sure all the rules are given the first time.

"Stack the remainder of the deck face down.": This is a weird instruction. I would write, "Shuffle your deck and place it face-down on the table in front of you" in the prior instruction.

The Setup diagram should have the decks, armory cards, trench, and skirmish line/active units labeled. A straight overhead view would be better.

These are labeled on page 9, but the reader shouldn't have to flip through the book.

The labels on page 9 are hard to follow. A better angle photo would allow the labels to be placed next to each section rather than using arrows.

I see two problems with this section. First, the rules are overly verbose and note things that I don't think are necessary. For example, "You may play that card during the same turn if you wish." I don't know of any games where you draw a card but can't use it. Many of the rules are given multiple times. Search these out and eliminate the extra mentions.

Secondly, we lack context for some of the instructions. What we need to know is the process of playing, upgrading, and powering a card to attack. If you add brief summaries of the use of each card type as suggested above, this would help. Otherwise you could have a preliminary section that explains how these things interact.

The following are some specific comments/questions.

For b) could say, "Perform any or all of the following actions/effects in any order." You don't really need the "Note that playing Armory Cards..." paragraph as long as it is clear that a-c are steps to be done in order.

I would then add d) If you did not attack, draw a card. Again, the "Note" paragraph isn't really needed. "If your active unit does not have enough power to attack...": Can you just choose not to attack and draw a card?

"If the attack for your unit card says coin flip, you must flip a coin in order for your attack to hit.": Does it require a certain result?

"Now it is your opponent’s turn . They start their turn...": This paragraph should be eliminated. Rather, have a note at the end of the outline that play continues to alternate.

I would also add "e) Check for victory" to the turn outline.

It's not clear how coin flips are resolved. I assume you call heads or tails, but it could be explicitly stated.

Gameplay pictures themselves are not really needed, as long as the parts of the tabletop are clearly defined.

As noted, move the Unit diagram by the attacking rules, as that is where it needs to be referenced.

Normally, it is preferable to have a separate end game section, but since this one is very straightforward, having it inline in gameplay is ok.

The reader should be able to play without problems.

Overall, the rules are grammatical, but they could be written much more succinctly. Take Turns, for example. You don't need to say, "The first part of your turn is...", that's what the a) and b) are for.

As mentioned, look for repeated rules and state them only once.

Avoid parentheses. For example, "Every unit card has at least one attack, and some higher upgrade level unit cards have two attacks to choose from (you can pick only one attack to use per turn)." The last part should be written as a rule, not an afterthought.

Be consistent in terminology. Is it scrapyard, scrap yard, or discard pile? Similarly, mine sweeper or minesweeper.

Fine. The card images are good. The gameplay/setup pictures could be better. The overall look would be improved by making the font sizes better reflect the organizational hierarchy.

Excellent image and compelling tagline.

The backdrop is just ok. It is very busy.

The logo itself is good, but it is lost on the chaotic backdrop. Simplifying the backdrop or adding a solid background to the logo would help.

A good variety of gameplay and card images.

The pictures with the round table are not that great, both in image quality (lighting) and composition.

Good content with background and gameplay. Just a couple nit-picks.

All the &s in the first paragraph is distracting and odd.

What is "deck-diving"? It should be given a brief definition.

None.