Introduction

Hey, Jeffrey Ballard (C_Q) here; I just wanted to clarify and disclose a few things for the launch of CLOSEQUARTERS.

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Anticipating Reactions

While I am no visionary, here is the initial reactions I am anticipating from those who check out CLOSEQUARTERS:

1. "Wait, why does this book look so ugly?"

2. "I don't want to read all of this." / " I can't understand any of this."

3. "This took 3 years to make, and this is how far along it is?"

While this may just be my self doubt taking over, allow me to shed some light on your potential reactions.

1. This book looks ugly now due to a number of reasons:

-My uncertainty if this is a project people will get behind.

-I wanted to get all the rules done before I ordered a bunch of art and assets to be made, only to have them changed later down the road.

-Budgeting and time dedicated to the project is very limited in my current position.

Believe me, I really want this book to look nice, but right now playtesting and functionality takes my top priority.  Once I can get all the rules cleaned up, It will be easier for me to find ways to make it more presentable.

2. This is what I think will be the biggest hurdle for people to get into CLOSEQUARTERS. With already established TTRPGs, it's easier for people to get in due to large quantities of video tutorials and experienced players to ask.  I can understand that reading and trying to understand all the rules of CLOSEQUARTERS is very demanding on the reader and new players. I would like to make CLOSEQUARTERS more accessible, but at the moment I don't know how to make that reality without paying somebody a large amount of money to explain the rules.  

For now, contact me directly and I will try to explain the rules to the best of my ability. I want to lower this barrier of entry as low as I can.

-You can use the contact info on the CLOSEQUARTERS Homepage to contact me!-

3. Yes, this project has taken me about 3 1/2 years to create up until this point. I am unable to work on this content full time, so production has been really slow. A good portion of these 3 years have been dedicated to fine tuning rules and balancing the game to the best of my ability; the rules have been rewritten approximately 3 times now. Luckily, I think the hardest part of development is behind me: the foundation has been laid out and just needs to be refined! Right now, all funding is coming out my own pocket, so the content I can commission and the tools at my disposal is very limited.

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Future Updates

While the book is more or less finished and playable, I have withheld some elements of the game for the Beta. You may notice that this book is lacking in a variety of Playable Species, Types, and monsters and enemies in the books. This was an intentional decision, I didn't want to overwhelm players and readers with a lot of "unnecessary" content. Readers already have a lot of content that they need to read and understand, all of this extra content would just make the process of learning the rules all the more complicated and overwhelming.

Every month or so, we will tease new content for CLOSEQUARTERS. As for when this content will be implemented, I am estimating around every 2 months we will put a new version of the game. This new version will include the new content as well as any rule changes or clarifications.

Rules that make the game unplayable will take first priority, and will be updated hopefully within the week it was addressed.

You may also notice that the CLOSEQUARTERS Bestiary Guide is missing. I wanted to do another once over before I made it available.  The things included in that book need to be updated to match the present day content!

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Addressing Errors

As you are probably well aware, this game is rather...messy:

-Paragraphs Spanning Multiple Pages

-Weird Sentence Structure

-Spelling Errors

-Etc. 

I was hesitant about releasing the game without making sure it was 100% presentable, but I have recently decided to release it in its current state. I have read each book cover to cover about 10 times now, and with every read through I find myself finding some sort of mistake or error that needs to be fixed. 

These errors probably originate from burnout, exhaustion, and the fact that I am already well aware of the rules of the game. While I would prefer to release a polished product, I don't think I can catch all the errors on my own. With that in mind, if you find an error or potential error, please reach out and let me know!

In addition to errors, there may be some rules that sound confusing or aren't explained in a coherent fashion. If you find one of these types of rules, please reach out so that I can clarify them either directly or in the book.

As time passes and people play and provide feedback on CLOSEQUARTERS, I am confident that we can overcome and rid this book of errors.

-You can use the contact info on the CLOSEQUARTERS Homepage to contact me!-

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Conclusion

I am looking forward to hearing your feedback and thoughts and opinions on the game! I don't only want this game to only be fun and enjoyable, but I want to have it help people too.  I will be hard at work to make this aspiration into a reality, and am excited for this game's future. The start of the climb may be rocky, but I know it will be well worth the view in the end!

~Question yourself, don't doubt yourself!