[/caption]Hey guys!
It has been a couple of weeks since my last Development Blog – real life and working on Delving Deeper RPG has kept me mighty busy lately. Besides, I did not want to post another entry until I had finalized the physical form the game is going to take. All those decisions have now been made, so I can share them with you.
Let me summarize them and then explain them.
- Rather than being a boxed set, Delving Deeper will be released as three 6” x 9” volumes.
- We will be (after all pre-orders are filled) transforming the Boxed Set into a Starter Set to go into retail distribution.
Delving Deeper as Three 6” x 9” Volumes
While we really had our hearts set on Delving Deeper RPG being a boxed set, we found this goal to be nearly impossible for two reasons: First, since Delving Deeper is a complete game (and not just a toolbox for building other games upon – although you can and are encouraged to do that), the text has turned out to be quite a bit longer that we had originally assumed. Indeed, the final form of Delving Deeper will be around 245 pages (6” x 9”), which makes it longer than the game it emulates. This is because we have tried to explain things in a more complete way and because Delving Deeper is lavishly illustrated. Second, my new position as pastor of the Christ Alive! Community Church is going so well (and the church is growing rapidly), I no longer have the time to create, pack and ship each boxed set myself.
Here are the three volumes that make up the game:
Volume I: Heroes (which has everything one needs to role up and play a character)
Volume II: Villains (which details many monsters and treasures)
Volume III: Delving Deeper and Blazing the Trail (which offers all kinds of information on gaming in dungeon and wilderness areas)
Only Referee's will “need” all three Volumes.
Each volume will be available as:
FREE PDF (no art)
PDF - $4.95
Soft Cover (includes free pdf) - $9.95
Hard Cover (includes free pdf) - $14.95
We will begin by releasing Volume I the first week of April with each of the other two volumes in turn a few weeks apart as they are completed. I have chosen to release Delving Deeper in this way because I think it will meet the varied needs of gamers. Plus, we are very excited about the game and want to push up the quality level as high as we can. And as you can see, one will be able to play Delving Deeper without paying a dime, or they can just purchase a pdf or softcover or hard cover of whatever books they want. I do not know about you, but money is mighty tight at my house and I would rather have the choice of buying only what I want and downloading for free anything else I need in order to play the game.
Another reason why we have decided to divide Delving Deeper up this way is to open the door for many options. We had intended to put two extra optional tracks right into the core text of Delving Deeper, but we chose to remove it because because we wanted to keep the game as true to the one it emulates as possible. Now BHP and publishers can develop and release (the trademark license will allow and encourage it) completely optional booklets to support the game. For example, optional booklets to take the place of Vol. I: Heroes can be created for Blue-Book Basic, Swords & Wizardry: WhiteBox, etc. This way, options can be provided without filling the core text with too many extras and options. Indeed, I am already putting together a S&W:WhiteBox Companion for Delving Deeper.
Delving Deeper Boxed Set Pre-Orders
Back to the box. Of course we are going to honor all of the pre-orders by shipping them as soon as possible with soft cover versions (perfect bound) of each of the three volumes. Plus, I am going to place a special sticker on the inside cover of the top box of each pre-orderd boxed set, numbering them from 1-125 (according to the order they were purchased), since they will be the only fully complete boxed set created for Delving Deeper. I still have around twenty of these pre-order boxed sets left and they will remain available until they are sold out.
Delving Deeper Starter Boxed Set
The new, Starter Set Boxed Set will go into game stores in June and consist of character sheets, a set of dice, a Player's Book, a Referee's Book and a book of 3-4 adventures with extra details, suggestions and ideas for beginning referees. It will cover levels 1-5 and retail for $24.95.
By Fall, we should have a full-color slip case to offer folks who want to house all three Delving Deeper hard covers together.
I will be attending a clergy training conference and Gary Con next week, so I will have a preview of Delving Deeper: Volume I in two weeks.
Thanks!
Pre-Orders for the Delving Deeper RPG Boxed Set can be found here.
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