A solo/cooperative, narrative dungeon-crawl that turns your dice into doomed heroes!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
AN APPLE-SHAPED DOOR NEARLY RATTLES OFF ITS HINGES. Last day of the campaign!
about 1 month ago
– Fri, Nov 08, 2024 at 02:01:57 PM
Greetings, Dungenerators!
First off, $50k is insane to me. There's no way for me to summon the appropriate words, but thank you for making this (already) the most successful project I've ever done!
Just to reiterate and soothe any anxiety over the shipping unlock: I'll make sure to only put a responsible amount of my profits past the $50k point towards subsidizing physical backer shipping. I'll still save some to pay my landlord rent and my body food, as per usual!
But hey: The further past $50k we can go, the more I can chip in for folks in far away lands to afford getting my art in their hands, which is really, really neat (and kind of the whole point for me). And we still have a day left to do that!
LET'S ALL FLY TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN:
Can we make it this far? It seemed highly unlikely to me when I launched that I would actually have to concern myself with opening this demon-door. Just to be clear, this isn't one of those situations where I'm gonna chip in the last $1k myself just to reach this goal, because I know the horrors that await us were we to cross this terrible threshold. So if we get close, I hope you've got a cool grand lying around, my friend Greg.
While I consider the fact that only someone deep into the KS updates lore will remember what I'm going on about with the Greg thing, let me mention something that I really should have and completely forgot to on the main project page: All the stuff you get when you buy a DUNGENERATOR deck!
DUNGENERATOR Series 1 and Series 2 digital versions each include:
PNG versions of each room card, for Virtual TableTop play
PDF print-and-play versions of the deck, in both black-and-white and color
1" square gridded battlemaps of each room, in both black-and-white and color (so you can zoom in and use your standard-based miniatures)
A table of 2d6 room detail prompts for each card / dungeon room in the deck
A Roll20-native version of the deck (with built-in room detail prompt tables)
That is indeed a ton of stuff, and most of the reward tiers include it!
Many thanks to those backers who helped me realize that I should have mentioned it all (by being surprised and excited by it in the comments and on the discord). I had a lot to mention about the game, and kind of forgot to devote space to the decks!
I DID, IN FACT, FIND EVEN MORE COOL STUFF:
And I will now present it to you as a friendly penguin would present a pebble.
Continuing the grand tradition of showing you Kickstarters that truly do not need my help:
Illustrator Wizard of Barge has a new set of Magic: the Gathering token cards out! I love his art and hope to include a few of these in my collection of goblins. That's all! It's just neat!
Also, there's a Discworld TTRPG currently making more money than all the gods combined! It's pretty pricey, but it's an easy sell if you're a silly fantasy geek like me.
Okay! Last day!Woooooo!
Take it easy, Dungenerators!
-Rollin
YOUR BLADE GLOWS HOT. EVIL LOOMS. Secret stretch goal unlocked!
about 2 months ago
– Wed, Nov 06, 2024 at 04:19:53 PM
Greetings, Dungenerators!
Though my own enthusiasm for this project is nigh-unlimited, sometimes current events can make it difficult to imagine putting fingers to keys to talk about my silly games and pictures. (I fear it might come across a bit tone-deaf.)
However, I have chosen my purpose in life: to be a salve for weary brains, bring a bit of joy, do no harm, and thus leave the world a bit cheerier than I found it. And so: be silly I shall!
First, to business:
SECRET STRETCH GOAL: UNLOCKED!
The last of our secret stretch goals is, I think, quite cool:
Once Series 3 is ready, I'll incorporate it into the digital DIE in a Dungeon (with its own, unique, grim-fantasy-city-themed digital playmat and unique mechanics), and everyone that owns the digital DIE in a Dungeon will get that expansion for free. (That includes all physical and digital backers of the game!)
It'll be another (rather different-feeling, I imagine) way to play DIE in a Dungeon, where your party is trudging through foggy city streets, and you'll just get to have that for free when it's done!
Your support and enthusiasm for this weird thing fills my heart and pushes me to press on. I can't make any of this stuff without you, and I'm so happy that I'm going to get to make it absolutely worth it for you.
I can't say it enough: Thank you!
Here's how the Stretch Goal Dungeon is looking now:
HEY, DON'T WORRY, THE CHEAPER SHIPPING WILL BE SUSTAINABLE
We're pretty close to unlocking Cheaper Shipping, and a few folks have expressed concerns about it. So here's a clarification on how it'll work:
Once we hit $50k, I'll be in a pretty good place. I'll definitely have enough to print DIE in a Dungeon (and any DUNGENERATOR reprints we need) in a large enough amount to be cost effective; I'll be able to pay for rent and food to get through the next project, and I should even have a little cushion in case anything catastrophic happens (as it always does).
But: I don't like how much it costs to ship my silly dungeon pictures and games overseas, and I want as many folks as possible to be able to afford to access them. So! I'll be taking a responsible percentage of my profits from the $50k point onwards and applying that to subsidizing shipping, with the goal of making it affordable for everyone that's interested in the physical version.
That means the further over $50k we get, the more I can apply to this goal. If you have someone to share this project with in the last 48 hours of the campaign, please do!
And now, to lighten the mood with a word about mortality! Feel free to skim this next bit:
WHY MAKE GAMES ABOUT DEATH?
Working as an independent artist in the tabletop space (besides the poverty) means that I get to be a bit self-indulgent and make my games be about stuff. Whatever I like, really!
"So then," I am sometimes asked, "why are all your games about death?"
FRAGNAROK is about laser-Vikings seeking glorious deaths.
ORC BORG is about big, beefy, cyborg bastards shouting jubilantly while eagerly crashing themselves into a planet.
ODD GOBS, while largely demise-free, is about the crushing heel of capitalism, cyber-culture, and the gig economy.
Even the room prompts included in the DUNGENERATOR PDFs are full of grim-dark subject matter.
And, of course, DIE in a Dungeon is a game that involves plenty of death as a matter of course.
On the surface, one might look at my illustration (all of it gritty, shadowy, and dark) and the deathly thematic through-line of these games and come to the conclusion that I'm glorifying death, or minimizing it, or taking away its "teeth."
Actually, though, there's a considered reason why each of these games (even the ones I didn't write) have a strong streak of humor throughout. Why my grotesque drawings are juxtaposed with Grant or John's wacky premises:
"The world is dark sometimes," I want these games to say, "but there is still beauty and humor and hope."
That's what I want DIE in a Dungeon to mean. It's a challenging game, but not a punishing one; it encourages you to continue on, gently and joyfully. It is a game about overcoming adversity with cleverness and grit; about falling and getting back up.
(And now, to climb back out of my own highfalutin butthole.)
SOME FOLKS I THINK ARE COOL LIKE MY GAME, AND I'M HAPPY ABOUT IT:
One of my favorite tabletop-centric magazines is Wyrd Science, and I'm quite pleased with the lovely write-up DIE in a Dungeon was given in this recent newsletter.
If ever I could say I was "chuffed," it is now!
Also, DIAD does have a little mention in the latest Questing Beast video! Now, I realize I did have to pay for this one, but I'm honored to have a tiny corner of a review of Josh McCrowell's His Majesty the Worm, a game and creator who I much admire.
I ACTUALLY DIDN'T FIND ANY NEW STUFF THIS TIME (SORRY):
Usually I try to find another cool crowdfunding project to shout out down here, but it just hasn't been a very long time since you busted down the previous stretch goal. Maybe share one in the comments, if you've found one?
I think that's all for now, Dungenerators! Keep your boots dry and your wits sharp, and I'll talk to you again soon. - Rollin
A GRIM SKYLINE LOOMS THROUGH THE FOG. Series 3 unlocked!
about 2 months ago
– Sat, Nov 02, 2024 at 04:06:38 PM
Greetings, Dungenerators!
No, this weekend update is not meant to poke wry fun at current events; it is instead to jubilantly declare that you have unlocked Series 3 and another secret stretch goal!
As a token (see what I did there?) of my appreciation, all backers will receive a digital pack of VTT tokens made of the various DIE in a Dungeon monsters' art, for free!
This will pair nicely with the hero tokens. You can run a whole little DIAD-themed campaign in the TTRPG system(s) of your choice!
Perhaps more excitingly, all backers will also receive the digital version of The DUNGENERATOR: Series 3 as soon as it's ready!
It's already planned out, it's going to have a "dark fantasy city" theme (thanks to the suggestions and votes of the Series 2 backers), and I'm going to start on the illustration for it as soon as I have a break from producing and fulfilling the DIE in a Dungeon campaign!
And if you liked that, I have a feeling you're going to enjoy what's hiding behind our last secret room:
You've almost already uncovered the whole dang dungeon! That's wild, honestly. You folks are crazy
YES, I DID INDEED FIND MORE COOL STUFF:
Philip Reed has been producing a heroic amount of cool tabletop RPG supplements and putting them up on KS for extremely reasonable prices. His FATHOMLESS DESPAIR module for MÖRK BORG was printed on a double-sided travel map (like those ones you definitely used to be able to get at interstate visitor rest-stops here in the US, but cool because it's for a TTRPG) and was one of the direct inspirations for ODD GOBS!
I don't have a personal connection to MÖRK ORG, but you know I love a wild MÖRK BORGian swing and a killer graphic design sensibility and a silly premise, and MÖRK ORG seems to have all that and then some!
It's kind of got "The Office" meets "The end of the world" vibes. I can't wait to run my table through a goblin-y corporate takeover. :D
Okay. Enough of all that! Enjoy your weekends, and hopefully I'll talk to you again very soon!
Remember to sharpen your axes, Dungenerators! - Rollin
YOUR BLADE HACKS THROUGH THICK VINES. THEY WEEP A PUNGENT ACID. Welcome to the Jungle!
about 2 months ago
– Wed, Oct 30, 2024 at 04:27:25 PM
Greetings, Dungenerators!
The general consensus seemed to be that more updates are better, so I felt empowered to let you know you've smashed through another stretch goal!
DUST OFF YOUR BOOTS AND PULL UP YOUR KNEE-HIGHS:
I'm going to fully incorporate the Series 2 deck into the digital DIE in a Dungeon, creating a whole new digital playmat (forest/jungle-themed, of course) and tinkering with the automation to make that deck feel good in (as I call it) the Web Zone.
Essentially: You get a whole new, substantially different way to play the digital version, for free!
We're also a mere kobold's sneeze away from the $38k mark, which will unlock another secret room in the Stretch Goal Dungeon:
FAQ: WHAT'S UP WITH ADD-ONS?
So! I'm getting a fair amount of questions about how to add things to one's pledge (more decks, the digital rewards, etc.). Kickstarter actually has a built-in system for adding extra rewards to your base pledge piecemeal, but it's not super intuitive:
On the main campaign page, just under the top video, there should be a blue button labeled "Manage your pledge." (Click that!)
On the next screen, click the blue button that says "Change your pledge." (Don't worry, you won't lose your Early Bird slot, and nothing is finalized until you confirm it!)
On the third screen, you can either click the button on the reward tier you've already selected or select a different tier. (It'll say "Pledge $[whatever amount you've pledged]")
The fourth screen is the Add-ons screen! It will list all of the available add-ons. To add one to your pledge, just click the "Add" button below it. (Note: To add physical items, you may need to have selected a physical reward tier.)
It's kind of a whole thing, I know. Sorry about that. But the good news is: I should have the BackerKit pledge manager set up so that you can tweak and confirm your goodies one last time before paying for shipping, and BackerKit has a more intuitive user interface!
BY THE WAY:
If you ever have any questions (about how the campaign works, how the game works... anything, really), please don't hesitate to ask me! I'm friendly and more than happy to talk about all of this stuff. This project is really important to me, and also- it's just nice to chat! I've been spending a lot of time in my art dungeon this year. :D
EVEN MORE COOL STUFF FROM THE WEB ZONE:
You're reading this, so I know you're into card-based roguelike RPGs, and One Last Fight is a really stylish one from Hit Point Press (the Humblewood folks!) that's just about to finish its campaign.
It includes some choose-your-own-adventure style story decision cards, which is a different sort of narrative generation that I'm excited to see if I can combine with DIE in a Dungeon!
There's (as of this writing) a little over 18 hours left to back it, so if you've got a little extra left in the bank, go check it out!
Plunderlust is another solo/co-op card-based crawl that's from a (similarly to me!) tiny publisher, but is no less stylish and badass. Feast your eyes upon that lovely art!
If you (like me) are a Vast Grimm and MÖRK BORG fan, you might be intrigued to know that these decks are full of MB-compatible stuff! So you can use their system to do some space pirate crawls, and then drop a weird sci-fi gadget into a room and see if your ORC BORG players can figure out its proper use (or if they'll once again attempt to "install" it into their skull slot).
Okay, that's all for now! Do you like these shorter, more-often updates? Let me know!
And keep your boots dry, Dungenerators!
Until next time, - Rollin
YOU STUB YOUR TOE ON AN ORNATE TOME. Rulebook beautified! More stretch goals! We are Loved!
about 2 months ago
– Mon, Oct 28, 2024 at 06:08:38 PM
Greetings, Dungenerators!
I'm trying to contain myself to an update every few days to a week at most, but you keep pouring fuel on this lovely bonfire! I can barely hold back!
Am I updating too often? Too sporadically? Let me know.
KICKSTARTER LOVES US BACK
Last Tuesday, Kickstarter awarded DIE in a Dungeon a "Project We Love" designation!
Sure, maybe we're all swimmin' in the shallows around the mega-corporations' feet, but it's nice to feel seen. So: thanks, Poppa Kickstarter! :D
SUCH STRETCH! MORE GOAL!
You unlocked some new stretch goals over the weekend!
PHYSICAL UPGRADE: UNLOCKED!
This is the one you were probably excited about: I get to spend extra time making the printed quick-start rulebook into a true work of art (and pay myself for it!), and I get to upgrade the materials that it's printed on to the finest that my manufacturer can provide.
This feels awesome. I'm excited to go nuts on this booklet!
DIGITAL REWARD: UNLOCKED!
This one you probably weren't excited about, because it was secret and you didn't even know about it! Why would I put a secret stretch goal into the dungeon that can therefore have no effect on whether anyone backs or shares this thing? The real answer is that you unlocked it before I had a chance to reveal it. So I've gone ahead and at least shown you where the other secret rooms are on the Stretch Goal Dungeon Map, above.
Anyway, as a thank you for helping spread the word, I'm going to make all the Hero art into digital tokens that you can use for VTTs and the like! It'll be in a nice little digital art pack, and all backers will get it for free.
DARE YE STRETCH EVEN FURTHER?
I'm going to go ahead and say a little bit about the remaining stretch goals I haven't yet mentioned:
PHYSICAL REWARD:
Shipping's expensive, especially to other countries, and that's a bummer. I love to see the list of all the different places around the world my art travels! (If I can't manage to get to all those places, maybe a little piece of myself can?)
Anyway, if we can hit this level of funding, I'm going to start putting whatever my spreadsheets tell me is the reasonably responsible percentage of my profits (from this level on) straight into subsidizing shipping for physical backers. I'm thinking half?
Your shipping costs will decrease, starting from the folks that are shelling out the most. I think technically we could make shipping free for everyone, but only if the campaign goes really crazy towards the end. I haven't mathed it out. We'll see!
METAPHYSICAL REWARD:
Applesaucerer FAQ:
Isn't $60k kind of a reach? Absolutely! This last stretch goal is a victory lap to celebrate and reward an amount of funding I don't really fathom us reaching, so I've made the reward something I maybe don't even really want to do. (Mostly for my buddy Greg, who said he wouldn't back if I didn't put it on here. Everyone say Hi to Greg!)
What exactly is a "metaphysical reward?" I'm not telling!
Okay, so, backers of The DUNGENERATOR: Series 1 might remember The Banana Suit. That's a clue as to what this reward might possibly be, but I'll let you do the sleuthing if you want to.
Will it be ridiculous and potentially humiliating? Likely!
Will you (I?) do it anyway? Happily, and without a moment's hesitation!
OTHER COOL STUFF I FOUND ON INTER-NET:
If you've managed to find my little corner of Kickstarter, it's pretty likely you already know about Root's new expansion. But Root is one of my favorite tabletop games, so I'm gonna give it a shout-out anyway!
They absolutely don't need my help funding, but it's a brilliantly designed, sandboxy experience, and they're adding cute frogs and bats and a new way to play Vagabonds as a different faction. Check it out!
THANKS AGAIN!
You keep surprising me with your generosity and your enthusiasm, and that makes all the work worth it! You freakin' rule.
