A co-operative game for 1-6 players with amazingly detailed miniatures, depicting a sci-fi horror world inspired by Lovecraft's work.
Dear backers,
We have received several finalized stretch goal miniatures from our manufacturer today. They are exactly the same as the figures you will get in your package. We are very excited to reveal them to you.
That's all for today. More minis to come shortly. :)
Dear Backers,
So, we are officially just over a year out from the end of the Deep Madness Kickstarter campaign. How about that, huh? Time flies when you’re racing as fast as you can to get a game made! (And crawls when you’re waiting for said game to be delivered to your door.)
Some of you have noticed we’ve been a bit quiet recently. We’re sorry about that. Things have been so hectic as we’ve been working to get the game finished that we’ve certainly lapsed on our communication. Please accept our sincere apologies.
The slowdown was caused by a few different things. First of all, the development and testing process for the expansions and stretch goals got bogged down a bit. (This has now been resolved and things are moving forward steadily.) Second, we had to do some extra lobbying with our manufacturer. A lot of game companies (many of them bigger and more influential than us) were pushing to have production samples for Essen Spiel. This then put our stuff on the manufacturer’s back burner. We have talked with the factory in depth, though, and things are back on track there. Third, some of the expansion minis had issues in the finalizing process. That has (thus far) been resolved as well, though we still could run into hiccups there.
So those are some of the problems we’ve run into. But how’s progress looking now? Let’s dive in!
But what’s an update without a few pictures? So, without further ado, here are some of the finished minis and the core game cards for you to feast your eyes on!
Core Game Cards (these may be a little bit brighter than the actual printed cards):
Reference Card:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NvKLAC81_qnSDklKGNWJVl27DyBzpb5M
Investigator Cards:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1c0BL6lyd1eqAgE1eccPu1LtjW9ihBVMf
Activation Cards:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1S8R-edK1mOIYhufmeV_da7YkgQqk9iKM
Monster Cards:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1s9wB5O94JAwmz95tfveLsESdsrBqWnNd
Spawn Cards:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Wy_EMa9FvhgEn6juGaZkqX8fvFbm23GP
Room Cards:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1s0smmoQC5dLnH7lR0oFtGFdTinRhfTLo
Search Cards:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1I3W1pogTSBCqvbcRVtFTanbwZg8eJ0m9
Madness Cards:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1e4a2S4sFL080IFpPfNP9OOzijH45Z1vD
Consciousness Cards:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1B9TYsnrWRgrQRRordXRpJtB7g7S-vRK1
Scenario Cards:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1dbA4w1OHN5KnAELHYGnKulAdAoaQ7-mz
As we mentioned before, we are finalizing the rulebook layout, with completion expected within 1-2 weeks. Which is why you’re not seeing it in the pictures and files here.
Once again, we want to apologize to our backers for the hiccup in communication. We’ve had a lot of irons in the fire recently (as well as fires to put out, such as our manufacturer pipeline problems.) All of us at Diemension Games are working around the clock to get this game done and shipped to you. We’re very sorry we can’t honor our promise of delivery in November. Our goal is to have everything out before Chinese New Year to keep from being further stalled by that, but at this time we can’t guarantee we’ll be able to complete the production for shipment before the Spring Festival. We’re going to do our absolute best, though, and we’ll keep you updated on everything that’s going on. Thanks again for believing in us, and for your continued support. You guys are the best!
Until next time, keep it deep and maddening!
Dear backers,
After the long wait, we start to receive the final production samples from time to time. Today, we are excited to share the first group of them, the six core game investigators. The final version of investigator figures will be brown colored. The miniatures shown in the pictures in this update are exactly what you will get in your package.
But before we introduce them, let's get into the right mood of Kadath deep-sea mining facility, following our lead writer Byron Leavitt.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” David announces, “May I be the first to introduce you to the Kadath deep-sea mining facility.”
You peer through the viewport at the sprawling underwater metropolis as it crouches in the crags of the sea floor under a thick blanket of ethereal lights. You’ve always wondered what it would be like to visit Atlantis, but you never imagined it would be so surreal.
“Take us in nice and easy, David,” the captain, Samuel Smith, says. “No need to rush.”
“Of course, sir,” David says. Samuel pats David’s shoulder then turns his attention once again to communications. “Kadath Station, this is Leng Corporation submersible Enlightened Day on a docking course for pad one. Please acknowledge. Over.” He is greeted only by static.
Feeling a presence to your right, you turn to see Randi Carter staring out at the cyclopean facility beside you. She shivers. “There’s something… kind of creepy about it, isn’t there?”
“You’re not wrong,” you reply with a chuckle.
“Kadath Station, this is submersible Enlightened Day on a docking course for pad one,” Samuel says again. “Please acknowledge. Over.”
The com crackles. Samuel looks at it, his eyes widening in surprise, as a voice rises above the static. “It’s happening again, Samuel.”
The submersible shakes violently, sending you and Randi sprawling.
“Please take your seats, everybody!” David commands. “We seem to be experiencing some unexpected turbulence!”
You help Randi back to her seat, and the two of you snap in your safety harnesses as the sub moans around you.
“What’s our status, David?” Samuel barks.
“I’m… frankly not sure, sir,” David says. The submersible shudders again as warning klaxons blare. The hull groans, then screeches. A spray of water erupts in the middle of the submersible. “Sensors are presenting some very strange readings. It seems we are being crushed.”
Samuel dons a headset. He frowns. “What in the name of –”
Then he gasps.
“Dock us, David!” Samuel cries. “Dock us now, or we’re not going to make it! There’s… something on us!”
The hull screams again. Looking up, you see it shifting above your head.
David slams down on the propulsion nub, sending the sub rocketing toward the station. A cacophony of shrieks reverberates throughout the sub. Another jet of water spurts through a seam as the hull visibly crumples inward.
You’re all going to die in here –
The submersible plows into the docking pad, spinning as metal is mangled and structures squeal. Something smacks into your head, and your world turns black…
That's all for today. More exciting news is coming soon. Have a nice day.
Hi Backers:
Finally, we came back from Gen Con, some of yours might see us and play Deep Madness demo, but others don’t. So we post this Update to bring you some views of Gen Con.
First, this is our first Gen Con, thanks to them, they are supposed to provide new comer 10*10 inch booth, but they give us a 10*20 one. So two demo plays could under going at same time.
Then, great appreciations to our volunteers, especially to QuoteStar. We do need volunteers, so why don’t ask her? She knows Deep Madness well. Her effect helps a lot. We filmed a video, and she’ll share some of her opinions .
Last but not the least, we brought two prototypes: Dawn of Madness, and Celestial. Dawn of Madness is a prequel of Deep Madness, they are under the same story pattern. Celestial is a joint project that we work with another studio. It has amazing design and minis.
Project Deep Madness is coming to an end, so we build up new team to bring you new projects. We are promising here, Dawn of Madness will be on KS right after Deep Madness delivered.
Follow us on facebook @Deep Madness and @Celestial to keep up with latest progress of these fantastic projects.
Dear backers,
Lately we've been very busy preparing for Gen Con 50, including the Deep Madness Core Game sample we are going to show you during the convention. Today, we just received the sample, so we decided to post this update right away. Please note that the components shown in the pictures below are still test shot, we will continue to make adjustments on them.
The production of the steel molds has been finished, including the Core Game, Stretch Goals, and Add-ons. We are currently in the casting test stage, which is expected to have 4 to 5 tests in total. The Core Game miniatures shown in the pictures are the third test samples. There will be 1 or 2 adjustments later to make sure that you could get the best in hand.
The miniatures of the Stretch Goals and Add-ons are respectively in the first or second test stage. We are expecting to finish all the tests and start the final miniature production in early October.
The text part of the Core Game rulebook has been finished, we are at the proofreading stage at the moment. Since there are a lot of pictures and examples in the rulebook, the editing work has not been finished yet, and we will not see the rulebook component in the Core Game sample unfortunately.
The development of all the scenarios in the Core Game has been finished. We are testing them for 4-5 investigators situations. Based on the progress above, Core Game rulebook and storybook will be finalized by the end of September.
We have finished the first draft of the rules and the scenarios of the Stretch Goals and Expansions. Since the scenarios are still being tested, the rules may be changed at any moment. We are expecting to need another two or three months to complete the testing and finalize them.
All of the room tile arts have been finished (41 in total, 30 in Core Game, 5 in Rise of Dagon, 5 in The Oracle's Betrayal and 1 for Uncounted Horrors). The tiles shown in the pictures are not the final version since we must submit the material for the Core Game sample to the manufacturer before June 15th to catch up with Gen Con:
You may also notice that there is no devoured effect printed on the devoured room tile. We finally decide to keep that random feature for more interesting gameplay.
All the Core Game cards and punch boards have been finalized (except the scenario cards, since the scenarios are still being tested), but some of the components shown in the pictures are not the final version because of the same material submitting time reason:
Please note: We have cancelled the scenario sheet component. Now the information of the scenarios will be printed on the storybook. And we add a new set of punch board components, the "devouring track", which consists of track blocks and track markers. Players can assemble a variety of tracks using these components. But we will not see them in the Core Game sample this time.
The arts and graphic designs of the cards and punch boards of the other products are almost finished. The text parts are waiting to be finalized according to the final version of the rules.
We encountered some problems in the dice production process. The lines in the first design are too thin to be produced, so we have made some adjustments. But we are still dissatisfied with the result of the first proofing. We will continue to optimize the designs of the dice. The second proofing will be arranged soon. We are expecting to take pictures and show you the result by the end of this month.
The pictures show the assembling plan for the final product. The transparent blister could protect the miniatures, separate the accessories from the box to avoid hitting the box and causing damage. We have done several drop tests and the result is excellent.
We maintain the steady cooperation with the translators of the four languages. This is how we work together, we send the text to them in batches, and then they will finish all the translation and proofreading work in a month. So, according to our current schedule, after we send the last batch of the text to them at the end of October, we will receive all the content at the end of November. The good news is that the translation packs will be separately packed up. And they only involve paper printing and simple packaging. Their production process won’t take too much time.
Finally we come to this. We spend more time than we expected on development and testing. After all, Deep Madness has 17 scenarios, more than 40 monsters, over 20 investigators and more than 100K words in text. We hope it would be a game to bring you fun, rather than a dusty box.
As a result of all the factors, the final production period that the manufacturer has set aside for Deep Madness is from this October to January of the next year. We are very sorry for the delay. And we hope you could understand. Please be assured that all the waiting is well worth it.
At last, if you want to experience Deep Madness demo game in advance, please find Booth #2765 at Gen Con 50.
Thanks again for your great support.
Kind regards, Deep Madness Team