Yes, there is still time to get your free copy of Delving Deeper: Perilous Mazes

Copyright Mark Allen 2011

I am getting an excellent response from our announcement a few days ago that I will be shipping a free copy of Delving Deeper: Perilous Mazes (Holmes clone) book to everyone who has pre-ordered a Delving Deeper RPG Boxed Set (a few weeks after the boxed sets ship).

As a result, I am getting lots of inquires from folks asking if they can still pre-order a Delving Deeper Boxed set. The answer is YES. Until the boxed sets start shipping (it is in sight now), I consider all orders pre-orders.


Delving Deeper Boxed Sets are available here: http://bravehalfling.com/page6.html

May Delving Deeper Update

It's later than we planned in May and we're overdue for our next Delving Deeper update.  My, how time does fly by in this busy life!

While it may seem that we haven't got very far in the last few weeks, in truth we have made some major decisions behind the scenes.

The bulk of our time has been given over to testing layouts. Dozens of them you might think, but in truth they are fiddly, time consuming things, and we have probably tried half a or so dozen variations.  The challenge before us is getting all the good stuff into a format that can actually be produced.  With our present equipment we have an absolute ceiling of 48 pages per booklet, and it turns out that just isn't enough room for 40 or so pages of text and all the beautiful illustrations John has procured and would dearly love to share.

So the upshot of it all is that DD will come in variations!

Firstly, there will be three lightly illustrated volumes.  PDF versions of these will be available for download free of charge pretty much forever, with those who have already purchased a boxed set getting their copies before it is publicly available.  Printed copies of the lightly illustrated three volumes will also ship in the boxed set along with dice, three starter adventures, a sample setting, and character sheets.

Secondly, there will also be a letter-sized, gloriously illustrated, single volume revision of Delving Deeper called, “Delving Deeper: Perilous Mazes.”  This version of Delving Deeper will be a Holmes clone and provides an expansion for folks who prefer those rules. While it may not ship with the boxed sets, a copy of it will ship to everyone who has pre-ordered (purchased) a Delving Deeper Boxed set a few weeks after and will then be available as a free pdf and in inexpensive perfect-bound and hard cover versions.

But WHEN will all this goodness happen?! you scream.

Soon. we calmly reply.

Now that the hard decisions have been made, the wheels are in motion again.  John has handed layout of the three digest volumes to me, while he focuses on the heavily illustrated Delving Deeper: Perilous Mazes  version.  We've recruited the highly respected Zenopus into the proofing squad and Volume I is already in their hands.  I expect the other volumes to follow neatly thereafter...

(If only I would hold myself back from those epic discussions on the odd74 board, I might get this thing out sooner!)

So, all up it is pretty exciting times for Delving Deeper  

Simon & John

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Delving Deeper RPG Update!

Two more weeks have passed, and as promised it's update time...

John has the lion's share of remaining responsibilities, and despite his having various real life emergencies to deal with, the layout is progressing steadily.

We've now seen several trial layouts of a volume 1, and have been giving particular attention to how the spells section is presented. Personally, I am extremely pleased with what we've arrived at: all the 1st level cleric spells are one page, all the second level spells on the next, and so on. The magic-user spells are dealt with similarly, with all the 1st level spells on two facing pages, all the 2nd level spells on the next pair of facing pages, and so on. It's a beautifully illustrated triumph of utility.

And although Volume I contains considerably more spells than does the original, it looks like we will be able to get the whole of it into a single volume less than 50 pages long (exact page count is still to be determined -- but I'm telling myself 48 would be ideal).

The rest of the team continues to support John with fiddly tasks around the edges; the final arrangement of the Volume 1 text is settling into place and all the tables and illustrations are there. Additionally, we now have a Delving Deeper player character sheet, we're working on an example of play (which there may not be room for!), and proofing has commenced in earnest.

All in all, it's busy times at DD, and I can imagine that a pre-press Volume 1 is just around the corner!

- Simon

Back with rest of the boxes

I spent the last two days fetching the last half of my Old-School gaming box order from my box-maker. I saved a bunch of money making two trips - one six weeks ago where I got most of the Erol Otus cover boxes and then this trip where I picked up mostly boxes with the Pete Mullen cover. I spent almost five days making the two trips.

I have a number of orders from the last ten days or so I will be shipping out today and tomorrow.

And I will give a full "state of BHP" report later this week.

Old-School Game Boxes Headed to Game Stores!

I recently got the okay from my distributor to put my Old-School Game boxes (Pete Mullen cover) into game stores! My stock of Erol Otus boxes is nearly sold out, so I do not think they will make it into distribution.

On Monday, I am off to pick up the last half of these Old-School Game boxes (Pete Mullen cover) at my box maker and then drop off a big bunch of them at my distributor's warehouse.

Maybe I will pocket one of those Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcerers of Hyperborea boxes while I am there? Jeff has great taste in box-makers. ;)

I will be listening to Jack Vance's, "Eyes of the Underworld."

Delving Deeper Revision is ALL DONE!

Copyright 2010-11 Mark Allen

From Simon:

The month of March has passed us by, and so too has the due date for my next Delving Deeper update.

The great news on the project is that we are officially ALL DONE with revising the text! Oh yes, that almighty behemoth of a task has been put to the sword -- in the nicest possible way of course

Now the great task of laying it all out falls on John's very capable shoulders. The Delving Deeper team have already seen a couple of working drafts from the opening sections, and they are looking great. There's still a lot to do, but I'm beginning to sense that it is "all coming together".

In the meanwhile, a lot of folks have been asking me about the particulars of how Delving Deeper will differ from the original game. Perhaps, as I wile away the moments 'til a completed volume 1 appears magically in my in box, now might be a good time to reflect on that very question...

Everybody knows it isn't possible for us to make a verbatim copy of the original; that wouldn't be legal.  But we've gone to considerable trouble to make Delving Deeper as true to the spirit of the original as possible.

You'll notice right away that most of the tables of figures aren't exactly as in the 3LBBs; most of them can't be (it's called plagiarism, Jim). Each table is soundly recognizable for what it is, however. 

The player classes are detailed explicitly up to level 12 with headroom for further advancement if that's your thing. You'll find an old school thief option standing among the classes. The fighter's prowess is made apparent. Elves are clarified. And clerics are dramatically either for law or for chaos (anti-clerics are a power to be reckoned with).

The three volumes have new names (of course), and there are a smattering of additional monsters, treasures and spells therein from original sources. Attention is given to creating campaigns and dungeons, as in the original, and the "alternative combat system" is made clear. In fact, it's the combat system in Delving Deeper.  

Where the original references Chainmail or Outdoor Survival (neither of which are part of the SRD) Delving Depper instead explains in its own words. There are, for that matter, whole sections of the 3LBBs which don't appear in the SRD. The mini naval and aerial war games that appear in volume 3, for example, have by necessity been replaced with a few pages on naval and aerial exploration.  

There are a hundred other minor details that differ, I'm sure. But in short, Delving Deeper is as authentic as we could make it.  And boy, is it going to be grand!  

I for one can hardly wait to get my paws on it.

Simon

Delving Deeper Boxed Set Pre-Orders are available here.