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Photos, videos, information and news on the proof copy/sample copy of Dungeon Crusade.
almost 5 years ago
– Sun, Sep 29, 2019 at 11:36:54 PM
Hello to everyone and good day. :) Rodger here and it's nice to be here with you for our next Dungeon Crusade Kickstarter update. I first want to say I hope everyone is doing great and had a fantastic summer. I have many awesome photos to share with you and a few videos that were sent directly to me from my outstanding project manager at the manufacturer of Dungeon Crusade being put together, printed and being worked on by the engineers. I think you'll enjoy these, and see they are making great progress on finishing up the game for all of us.
The manufacturer is towards the end of the process of putting the proof copy of the game/sample copy of the game together for us. They have been working diligently on the game, while of course, they have many other projects they are tending to. My project manager informed me that everyone is busy on various projects, but they are making progress on getting Dungeon Crusade finished up to send off to us. He has told me that he has 3 or 4 other projects he is working on while keeping me informed about the game and working with the engineers on these other games and Dungeon Crusade.
In the prior update, I had put that we would have the proof copy of the game within a few weeks, as this was told to me by my project manager at the manufacturer. But it turned out to take longer than expected. I believe they thought they could get it completed in that time frame. But as I mentioned in the month of September in comments and posts, this is a massive game. If you consider just how many cards there are, the dungeon boards, the many punchboards, cardboard miniatures, etc.
So it's like this...I work directly through the project manager with any type or kind of clarifications he needs. He, in turn, must get with the engineers and relay everything to them. Then the engineers have to make it all happen, create templates for the printing process, etc. Hopefully, you see just from that all the work it is. But they are doing their best for all of us to get it completed.
The great thing is I'm always getting updates from my project manager, many photos and a few videos of how the game is shaping up as they are working on it. So within this update, you will see everything that was sent to us.
But please know, they are truly outstanding people and are working hard to get it completed. It's a pleasure & honor to be partnered with them. I fully respect them, and I try not to be so bothersome with always asking, "Is it ready yet!? Is it ready!? What's going on?!" I let them do their job, and patiently await updates from them, as they have had excellent communication throughout this process
Before we get into the full update, I'd like to share with you the manufacturer's excitement for Dungeon Crusade. They have been sharing videos on their Facebook business page, and letting everyone know they are at work on the game.
So here are a few photos from the manufacturer's business Facebook page and some kind words they said on working on Dungeon Crusade.
These last 2 images show some Dungeon Crusade content being printed off at the manufacturer. You'll be seeing these videos of the game being printed later on in the update.
So we're getting there everyone. As I said to Paulo in a comment earlier, the nice thing is when the proof copy is done, that's it for the game. Everything is set in stone, locked in and we don't have to go over this ever again, it's ready for mass production.
So let's get to the rest of the update for you! :)
Here is a link to last months Kickstarter Dungeon Crusade update for you. If you're new to the Dungeon Crusade universe or missed it, go have a look at that then come back here.
I'd like to say at this point at the end of the project, if you have not seen the mega-ultra updates #92 (part I) & #93 (part II), or if you're new to the Dungeon Crusade universe, go and take a look at those updates first.
Those 2 updates show everything that comprises the game and stands a true testament of all the hard work, creativity, determination, perseverance and passion that went into creating Dungeon Crusade for everyone to be immersed in, enjoy and be challenged by.
I want everyone to know that's reading this that if you see a delay in the updates check the comment section. I'm in there almost daily or every few days giving everyone updates on what we are doing, what we're up to, what's getting completed, news and just everything Dungeon Crusade.
In any case, I just wanted everyone to know to check the comment section to see what's going on. Plus, if you go scroll through the comment sections history, you'll see a ton of great information I provide for everyone.
On with the update!
THE DUNGEON CRUSADE VIDEOUPDATE SERIES ON THE COMPANIES YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
After update #100, I wanted to create a video series for everyone where I could pop in every 10 to 14 days and provide information, explain some of the gameplay, show the evolution of Dungeon Crusade and now of course deep within the manufacturing phase. Most of you know how passionate I am with keeping everyone in the loop constantly.
It is critically important to me that you guys and everyone pledging for the game know what's going on behind the scenes and what we're up to.
This new update series has been very well received and has exactly done what I wanted it to accomplish which is show people everything that goes on and has went on as we are wrapping up the game.
There is so much great information & gameplay explanation you'll learn about. I also fully discuss and show preparing the hundreds upon hundreds of cards for the manufacturer, the various punch-boards and all of the photos and video from the manufacturer are within this series. It would take so long to explain it all within this update. So I highly encourage you to please watch it at your convenience.
This video update series will continue for months to come with adding more videos to it as we progress further to the end of the project. I'm huge on customer service, and to me, this further reinforces my commitment to everyone looking forward to Dungeon Crusade.
I have added many videos within the month of September of everything that has been happening with the proof copy of Dungeon Crusade, so please check these out when you have a chance. I think you'll enjoy them.
Here is a link to theDungeon Crusade update video series playlist for you >>>
Let me first start by sayingthe 2 images above were sent to me by the manufacturer. Thisis the game box for Dungeon Crusadethey have put together.
I'd like to place here what my reaction and thoughts were upon receiving these images at the start of September by the manufacturer.
It was quite surreal, to be honest with you. I was feeling very euphoric, and just a blown away state of mind. But not just for me, but all of us looking forward to this game.
To be quite avowing with you, I had speeding & racing thoughts of EVERYTHING, that I went through to create this game, along with the fantastic artists that assisted me — just all of the many experiences throughout the years.
There is just so much I could say. I have said many times I could honestly write a book of everything that transpired in the creation of this game. I think many people would be quite surprised by this long journey in creating and developing Dungeon Crusade.
I said this on my Facebook page and of course on the official Dungeon Crusade page that I wanted to take the time to say a huge thank you to my extended family of backers on Kickstarter and every one of you that have pledged for Dungeon Crusade. I greatly thank you for your time, interest, patience, kindness and support with the game.
So there it is everyone. The first copy of Dungeon Crusade being put together by the fine folks at Wingo Games.
I'd like to share this photo again here of what the manufacturer said on their business Facebook page about this...
A few videos of the proof copy of Dungeon Crusade being printed by the manufacturer.
During the month of September, I got some very nice update packages with new photos and videos from my outstanding project manager of the sample copy of the game being printed out. I shared these on the companies YouTube channel, on the official Dungeon Crusade Facebook page, my Facebook page and the manufacturer shared these on their Facebook business page and said some kind words.
I took the video he sent me of the printing process they using and wrapped it into a Dungeon Crusade video format for people to check out.
Even from these small videos, you can see the game is looking incredibly good. So thank you Wingo Games. You're doing such a fantastic job, and we all greatly appreciate it. Thank you for everything! :)
As we receive more videos, I'll be share to post them for everyone to see.
Photos of much of the Dungeon Crusade gamecontent printed out by the manufacturerfor the sample copy of the game:
I would like to say again, theimages below were sent to me directlyby the manufacturer.
One thing I was very concerned/critical about was the vibrancy, brightness, and clarity of after the game content was printed. I'm happy to report all of it is looking outstanding. To me, it has that "real game look" for lack of a better term. It all looks very professional & lush.
I would like to mention here that this was one of the hold-ups of getting to publish the special update that contains the Dungeon Crusade rulebook for everyone to check out. I have mentioned on several occasions that my project manager and I had to go over every piece of content. Measurements, thickness, whether a card/board/token was double-sided printing or single side, and many other things so what you are seeing came out looking fantastic.
I was working late into the night with the manufacturer during some nights in September, as they are 12 hours ahead of us. I needed to be there if they need clarification on something, so we could get this game done. I'm going to be touching more on this below so everyone here knows exactly what was going on, and why I had to delay the update with the rulebook. I wanted to devote my time and full attention to this update and working with people on going over the rulebook.
But for now, please enjoy some of the game content printed out by the manufacturer for the sample copy of Dungeon Crusade...
The Tomb of Kaladar dungeon board
Spoiler free! ;)
Hero cards and a Battleboard from the Avalon Adventure board game
More hero cards...
I must thank my project manager and of course the amazing engineers at the manufacturer for their hard work and dedication in making the game look so awesome. We all look forward to more photos they will provide us as they work towards completing the sample copy of the game.
THE DUNGEON CRUSADE RULEBOOK:
I had mentioned in the prior update that a special update will be sent out for backers containing the link to the rulebook and discussion about the video rulebook that I will be doing using the proof copy of the game when we receive it.
I have discussed this at great length within the month of September and explained about everything I was dealing with that prevented me and others that will be joining us to devoting the time to chat with everyone about the rulebook in a professional and respectable manner.
To give you a glimpse of everything that went on and goes on with the game, there are days I'm here in my studio room for 5, 6, 7, 8+ hours straight just getting back to everyone in messages, emails, address changes for pledge manager, Kickstarter comments, working on updates, shooting videos, getting back to comments on the companies YouTube channel,
And like I mentioned, working late into the night with the manufacturer, as they are 12 hours ahead of us. I need to be there if they need clarification on something, plus a few other things. Plus I have a family I have to devote time to and things around the house I need to do and get done. I still go on about 3-5 hours of sleep a day.
I'm not complaining of course! :) It's my job, duty, and responsibility to do all of this, and I will continue to do all of this until the game is out to everyone.
My point being, from everything I aforementioned, it was not the ideal time to dispatch this special update where I didn't have the time to devote to it. If I said I was going to release it, you can count on me to do that for you. I would never go back on that.
Myself and a few very good people who assisted me in the creation and structure of the rulebook are now prepared to dispatch this update containing the Dungeon Crusade rulebook. We are shooting for tomorrow on getting this out. We are greatly looking forward to chatting with people and hearing any feedback you would like to provide us in a positive, friendly and respectful manner.
In closing, it's hard for people to see what's going on, on this side of the fence. In regards to EVERYTHING that a creator/developer has to deal with and handle. I/we try to do our best for everyone, but sometimes fall short, and we apologize.
On the horizon for Dungeon Crusade:
Upon the arrival of the proof copy of the game, (which should not be that much longer,) we have so much planned in the next few months I think that you are going to enjoy. My goal is to keep everyone engaged, having fun and getting people acclimated to the game with a few great videos series while the game is being mass-produced and shipped out.
I'd like to briefly talk about what we all have to look forward to:
UNBOXING VIDEO: I spoke about this last update. To recap a bit, I'm going to make this into a video series for everyone and make it quite entertaining.
I'm thinking the video will start with me filming outside of my home when the sample copy of the game arrives at the front door. We'll bring it in, discuss a few things and some things I would like to say. Then we'll proceed on cutting the box open. I refuse to open it until the camera is rolling. I feel we all should see it together for the first time.
From there, we will be going over every piece of content. I want you, everyone, to see all of it. Then, I'll be breaking the game down and showing some storage solutions I would recommend.
SPOTLIGHT VIDEO SERIES: I have wanted to do this for years now, and now is the time to do it. With the proof copy of the game, I want to create some fairly professional 3-4 videos where I discuss many of the unique game mechanics in the game, the 5 phases that comprise a turn, combat, the patrol route system, etc. But at the same time, teach people the game.
VIDEO RULEBOOK: I have talked about this for a while now. But with having the proof copy of the game, I will be creating a video rulebook for people where they can easily learn the game and become acclimated to it before receiving their copy of the game.
I know there are many people out there that enjoy these types of videos for learning a board game, so you can expect a very fun, entertaining and informational video on learning how to play Dungeon Crusade.
NEW PLAYTHROUGH: This is probably the biggest thing I'm looking forward to, as many people are. So yes, you can look forward to a brand new full playthrough of Dungeon Crusade. We'll be playing the very first scenario in the game, which is "Into the Depths."
So there are the 4 things we will be doing in that very order.
IN CLOSING:
Well, everyone, I do hope you enjoyed this quite awesome update. We were very happy to show you the proof copy of the game is well on its way to be completed, and the manufacturer is hard at work on it making sure it will look stunning for all of us. Another huge thank you and kudos to Wingo Games. :)
Things are going to be quite busy in the month of October, as the manufacturer will be finishing up the sample copy of the game, shipping it out, and you can count on me providing you up to date information as I receive it.
I'll, of course, be in both comment sections hanging out with you seeing what's going on and seeing how everyone has been doing.
The artists, myself and people involved with the project would like to say thank you to everyone here for your time, interest, kindness, patience and support with the game. After this particular update with actually seeing the game taking shape and become final, I felt it was very appropriate to say this now.
And please, do check out all the new videos in the video update series on the companies YouTube channel. I think you'll enjoy them and goes much more in-depth in discussion of everything.
I hope everyone has a great evening. I'll be talking to you soon...Rodger :)
A PROJECT I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH EVERYONE HERE FROM AN AWESOME FRIEND AND FELLOW GAME DESIGNER.
Years ago I met Dustin Freund, the creator of The Ghosts Betwixt. When I met Dustin, he was just talking about creating The Ghost Betwixt. He was so excited, driven and passionate about creating this game and sharing it with so many people. He told me of the plot, the survivors involved, the villains, mechanics, etc. He was just full of game creation awesomeness!
So as we got to know each other, I, of course, found out he is a major board game addict. He has such a great personality, attitude, outlook, and just an upbeat and positive person. We became very good friends quite quickly.
So as the years went on, Dustin 100% followed through with the creation of The Ghost Betwixt. First off, that is one HUGE accomplishment for one to do, as in creating a fairly huge board game. There is a lot of people who say, they are going to do this, and they're going to do that. But most just don't do it. Dustin crushed it, and accomplished it.
He was absolutely driven, determined, focused and had a ton of perseverance to follow through and create the whole game along with the artist Cole, who you may remember helped us out with Dungeon Crusade. But Dustin's drive, creativity & imagination is just awesome.
As a side note, Dustin will be joining us for the next project we will be doing. We'll be teaming up for creating content, quests, story arcs, etc. I greatly look forward to working with him in the future.
I'm just very excited and happy to share with you Dustin's game, The Ghost Betwixt. It's on Kickstarter right now and is more than half funded and I believe 25 days to go, so this thing is going to happen.
So if you like, take a spin over to Dustin's Kickstarter, and see what he, Cole and a few other artists have put together for people. I believe you'll be pleasantly surprised.
So Dustin and crew, I genuinely wish you much success with The Ghost Betwixt. You've been such a great friend to me, and we have both learned so much from each other.
LOL, and I stole a page out of your playbook, how you created those demo copies of The Ghost Betwixt that you sent out to reviewers. Brilliant. This will be on the slate for us for the next project. :)
Ok all, have a good night and do check out The Ghost Betwixt! Talk to you soon...Rodger :)
Dungeon Crusade is within the manufacturing phase! The proof copy of Dungeon Crusade will be arriving within the next few weeks from the manufacturer!
almost 5 years ago
– Sun, Sep 01, 2019 at 12:18:42 AM
A HUGE hello to everyone!!! :) Rodger here and it is incredibly nice to be here with you for this most excellent & awesome monthly Dungeon Crusade Kickstarter update, probably one of the best ever. First off, I hope everyone has been having an awesome summer and enjoy it it to its fullest.
So yes. As the heading reads, Dungeon Crusade is fully finished and has been with the manufacturer. We are currently awaiting the proof copy of the game that will be arriving within the next few weeks according to my project manager. I must say, more than ever, I'm incredibly happy, thrilled and relieved to report all of this to you.
There is much to talk about as I want to get you up to speed and in the loop on everything that has happened and transpired in July and the past month. It has been quite busy. Also, we will be discussing what we have planned as we await the games to arrive.
So on with the update!!!
Here is a link to last months Kickstarter Dungeon Crusade update for you. If you're new to the Dungeon Crusade universe, or missed it, go have a look at that then come back here.
I'd like to say at this point at the end of the project, if you have not seen the mega-ultra updates #92 (part I) & #93 (part II), or if you're new to the Dungeon Crusade universe, go and take a look at those updates first.
Those 2 updates show everything that comprises the game and stands a true testament of all the hard work, creativity, determination, perseverance and passion that went into creating Dungeon Crusade for everyone to be immersed in, enjoy and be challenged by.
I want everyone to know that's reading this that if you see a delay in the updates check the comment section. I'm in there almost daily or every few days giving everyone updates on what we are doing, what we're up to, what's getting completed, news and just everything Dungeon Crusade.
I have been in there quite a bit during July and August letting everyone know what was going on with the game, the submission process to the manufacturer and providing links to the new video update series on the companies YouTube channel which has been very well received.
In any case, I just wanted everyone to know to check the comment section to see what's going on. Plus, if you go scroll through the comment sections history, you'll see a ton of great information I provide for everyone.
On with the update!
THE DUNGEON CRUSADE VIDEOUPDATE SERIES ON THE COMPANIES YOU TUBE CHANNEL:
I would first like to start off with this...
After the last update, update #100, I wanted to create a video series for everyone where I could pop in every 10 to 14 days and provide information, explain some of the gameplay and most of all show the evolution of Dungeon Crusade as we were finishing up the last aspects of it. Most of you know how passionate I am with keeping everyone in the loop constantly.
It is critically important to me that you guys and everyone pledging for the game knows what's going on behind the scenes and what we're up to.
This new update series has been very well received and has exactly done what I wanted it to accomplish which is show people everything that goes on and has went on as we wrapped up the game.
There is so much great information & gameplay explanation you'll learn about. I also fully discuss and show preparing the hundreds upon hundreds of cards for the manufacturer and the various punch-boards. It would take so long to explain it all within this update. So I highly encourage you to please watch it at your convenience.
So consider this video series like a MEGA Dungeon Crusade update that goes along with this Kickstarter update #101 for everything that was going on in July and August.
To give you an idea, there is over 5 hours of pure Dungeon Crusade with everything from all the punchboards in the game, explaining much of the gameplay in the game, the submission process to the manufacturer and so much more. I came up with a very unique format midway through the series that shows off the game very well.
This video update series will continue for the months to come with me adding more videos to it as we progress further to the end of the project. I'm huge on customer service, and to me, this further reinforces my commitment to everyone looking forward to Dungeon Crusade.
So grab a soda, a snack, kick back and enjoy! I think you'll genuinely enjoy this new series of videos I've put together for everyone.
Here are some photos I put together with some highlights from this series...
So I hope you enjoyed these highlight pics from this series, and please do check out the playlist and enjoy :)
There are some small surprises within this video series I think you'll like the sound of. ;)
THE HEROES OF DUNGEON CRUSADE:
This is just something small I thought I'd throw into this update to show you. When we were preparing the game files for the manufacturer, the hero cards were the last set of cards I prepared. So I put all of them into a video to show everyone.
Heroes in Dungeon Crusade can level up to level 3. So this little video shows all of the heroes level 1 cards.
So have a look at the video and consider what heroes you will use when you play. Or, how I like to do it, randomly select the heroes.
During the months of July and August it was incredibly busy preparing everything for the manufacturer. Back in July, I had to convert all of the various decks of cards to the format that the manufacturer will be using for the printing process. To give you an idea, all editions of Dungeon Crusade ship with normal difficulty monsters. There are 90 minion cards, 64 champion monster cards and 32 guardian monster cards. That totals 186 cards that had to each be converted.
On top of that, consider that there is Expert and Heroic difficulty monster decks. So 186 x 3 = 558 cards. The loot deck has 193 cards.
I was working day and night on the rest of the various cards such as the The Treasure chest deck, Blessing deck, mining deck, recipe cards for power gems, Encounter cards, trap cards, Tavern task cards, all of the heroes special ability cards, and the side that reads what each ability does, the Celebration Day gift cards, Secret Room cards and the adventure cards for the Avalon Adventure board game. It took weeks to get these all finished up.
I grabbed some shots off screen if you would like to take a look at them. Please note, these are the full bleed of these cards, so basically, there is more of an edge to all of them. This is needed by the manufacturer for cutting the cards. Also, I got close to show off some of the great detail Kez & Shaun added to the loot...
Going back to the update video series, these are fully discussed in those videos.
THE VARIOUS PUNCHBOARDS FOR DUNGEON CRUSADE:
Before I get started here, I must throw an awesome friend and artist into the spotlight. Cole Murno-Chitty.
Cole is a fantastic artist and does just about everything. He is incredibly knowledgeable in preparing game files, rulebooks, boards, tokens, etc. for the manufacturing process, and he is a fellow game designer.
A very good friend of mine named Dustin Freund is a fellow game designer who created a game called The Ghost Betwixt. (Check that awesome game out when you have a chance.) I got to know Cole through Dustin because Cole worked on his game. Cole and I started talking and we hit it off very well. We have a lot of the same things in common.
I asked him if he would mind helping me prepare the tokens for manufacturing. Cole created a few punchboards I needed to get all of the tokens on, and as you will see in these photos, they look great. Plus, he knows the industry standard and the know-how to make sure all of the punchboards are right as rain.
Cole prepared all of the cardboard miniatures on a few of the punchboard sheets, prepared all of the doors in the game on a few other sheets and setup the game box for manufacturing. All of it looks very stellar. So I want to greatly thank Cole for everything he has done and continues to do. He was such a great help in getting the game ready for manufacturing. Also, he will be with us for every other project we do.
The photos I'm sharing are ones I collected throughout preparing the punchboards for the game, as I thought you guys would like to check out some of the various tokens, doors, cardboard miniatures, etc in the game. I hope you enjoy them. :)
And just like preparing the various decks of cards, the punchboard for the game took weeks to put together. But between me and Cole, we got all of it looking fantastic.
Here was a small video I put together during this time where it debuted all the quest tokens for the 60 unique quests I created for the game. So have a look at this, then feel free to check out the video from a while ago that debuted all the 60 quests for the game.
THE NEWLY REDESIGNED DUNGEON CRUSADE PLEDGE MANAGER PAGE:
I wanted to also share with you the good news and huge relief that the Dungeon Crusade pledge manager page has been fully redesigned and looks awesome. This has been on my mind for a while. If you ever saw that page before, it was a real mess. There were old images of the prototype game and nothing reflecting all of the brand new final content. The page was a complete eyesore.
We attempted to keep the game under the radar while we were working on it until it was completed, plus, that page seriously needed a facelift. If you saw the page, you know what I mean.
Well, this incredibly awesome and nice guy Chris who is one of the masterminds at pledge manager worked overtime for 3 days back in July to get that page up to snuff. You really won't believe the transformation. I supplied him with photos of the final content, created a few things for it and he worked his magic on the page.
Now that the game is done we will be running ads and promoting the game, so it was important we get that page ready and have the final game content in place for people to check out.
So feel free to take a spin over there and check it out. A huge thank you and kudos to Chris!
THE SUBMISSION PROCESS AND WORKING WITH MY PROJECT MANAGER AND THE ENGINEERS AT THE MANUFACTURERS:
Before I get started, I want to make mention again of the update video series. Some of the latest videos in the series go into the submission process in great detail and you can see and learn much more by watching them. I even show part of a spec sheet from the manufacturer and discuss what all of it means. So please, do check out these videos.
I first want to say, as I have said before, the submission process for a board game is more than it sounds, and takes some time. It's not like throwing all the game files at the manufacturer and saying, "Here ya go make the game!"
Since there is the project manager, the engineers, myself and anyone else there looking at this, all of the game files needed to be placed in different folders that are associated with the part numbers on the spec sheet. So there has to be a system in place that everyone is on board with.
Earlier in the month I took care of all of this and placed all of game files within folders that need to correspond with the part numbers on the spec sheets.
Here is a photo of what it looks like...
I wanted to make mention of this as I always want to keep you guys in the loop and let you know what's going on and let you see everything that goes on with the submission process. It's much more than you think it is.
So I had to spend some time with the manufacturer getting the spec sheet accurate, going over the sizes of every piece of content in the game, whether some content was single-sided, or double-sided and other various things. It did take some time to bring this phase to completion.
THE FINAL SIZE OF THE GAME BOX:
One revision that the manufacturer made is the size of the game box. The final box size for Dungeon Crusade will be 318mm x 318mm x 100mm. This equates out to be 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 4 inches. So it is a bit smaller now, yet a tad bit deeper.
The engineers at the manufacturer went over everything that comprises the game and came up with that size. Also, this box WILL hold all of your Crusader of the Realm and Master of the Realm content. So it's one box to rule them all.
I had to readjust the top of the game box and the side panels for the new dimensions a few weeks ago. I had to spend a few nights working on the graphic design of the back of the box to pull everything in. But now, it looks tighter and more attractive, as you'll see in the newest videos in the update series.
However, here is a quick look at it...
THE GAME FILES ARE AT THE MANUFACTURER:
Donnie, my project manager and engineer at Wingo games going over the spec sheet for Dungeon Crusade.
As the heading reads, I'm very happy to report to you that all the game files have been at the manufacturer, and they are moving quite fast with all of this. They are in the process of reviewing all of it and working towards producing the proof copy for us. My project manager told me a few days ago the engineers have already started to work on it! So hopefully it "could" (key word there) be done this coming week.
The proof copy will take them about 14 days to produce they said. But as always I will be giving you up to date information on everything going on, and I'll be asking them if they can send some photos how all of it is looking to share with you.
I want to give a massive shout out, thank you and KUDOS to my incredibly excellent project manager Donnie, for everything she is doing. I know she has a few other projects that she is tending to, but she has been simply fantastic working with us on getting everything set up for the submission process and now working with the game files.
I always try to respect her schedule and time with everything she has going on, as well as everyone at the manufacturer, but I know she has put a lot of time & effort into getting Dungeon Crusade all squared away, and I/we greatly appreciate that.
THE UNBOXING VIDEO OF THE PROOF COPY OF THE GAME:
I recently mentioned this in the comment section. For the unboxing video, I have much planned for this. I'm going to make this into a small video series for everyone and make it quite entertaining. I'm really looking forward to this. I'm going to do it up for you guys!
I'm thinking the video will start with me filming outside of my home when the box arrives at the front door. We'll bring it in, discuss a few things and some things I would like to say. Then we'll proceed on cutting the box open. I refuse to open it until the camera is rolling. I feel we all should see it together for the first time.
From there, we will be going over EVERY piece of content. I want you guys and everyone to see all of it. Then, I'll be breaking the game down and showing some storage solutions I would recommend.
I think it is going to be a great time. I'll tell you, a lot of people, I mean A LOT of people have said they will be watching this unboxing video. I believe it will be one of the biggest viewed videos on the companies YouTube channel. LOL, I'll be sure to be in my Sunday's best!
Again, I'll be letting you guys know how it is coming along with the manufacturer.
THE 3 EDITIONS OF DUNGEON CRUSADE WILL HAVE STICKERS PLACED ON THE SHRINK WRAP OFTHE BOXBY THE MANUFACTURER:
I mentioned this on the Dungeon Crusade Facebook page, so I thought I would bring it up here as well.
When I was speaking with the manufacturer, they asked if I could create some simple stickers for each edition of the game so when they are packing each edition, they can put a sticker on it so they know what edition is what.
LOL, I got a little creative for these stickers, I started out doing something very basic, then thought, nah...we have to "Crusadeify" these stickers!
So have a look. And again, these stickers will NOT be on the game box itself!!
THE DUNGEON CRUSADE RULEBOOK AND VIDEO RULEBOOK:
I had said that the rulebook would be within this update, but we will be doing a special update just for the rulebook.
I mentioned earlier that another update will be sent out for backers containing the link to the rulebook and discussion about the video rulebook that I will be doing using the proof copy of the game.
By putting all of this in this current update, the comment section may have a lot going on. So if we have an update for the backers with the rulebook, it will be much more manageable.
Also, people who went over the rulebook within the project will be able to easily view the comments and provide their feedback as well.
But as I have said, many times, I was very thorough explaining everything in the game in the rulebook. As you may know, I took a great deal of time, creating it, so it was quite solid and well structured. In the mean time, there is the development of the Dungeon Crusade rulebook to check out on the companies YouTube channel. Every page is in this video series and I fully discuss it. I'll leave a link here for it.
Truth be told, I have been busy everyday with working on the game content and conversing with the manufacturer, and getting things lined up. Now that things are sort of slowing down, I will have the time to get the rulebook into some type of viewer for you guys to check out.
Well everyone, here we are at the end of the project in a way. This truly was one massive project/game to pull off. But we did it. I can honestly say I held up on the commitment I made to always keep you guys and everyone for that matter in the loop, keep you engaged and show you the full evolution of Dungeon Crusade. I never took one day off from working on the game to bring it to completion.
All of these updates and videos I have dispatched genuinely show all the hardwork, determination, staying power and focus I had to get this game done for all of us to enjoy. My 3 priorities in life have been my family, (and 3 crazy dogs!) all of you guys and people pledging for the game and the game itself. That has always been my world.
I have mentioned this a few times that I have changed a bit doing Dungeon Crusade. While I still and will always love these games, I find great pleasure, joy, satisfaction, and sense of euphoria imagining, creating, developing and playtesting games for people to enjoy, and working with them. To me, this is the best reward to be able to do that for people.
I feel I was blessed with a fairly creative and imaginative mind and a good amount of ingenuity. For years now, I have wanted to explore new and innovative ways for people to enjoy boardgames aimed mostly at the soloist gamer, but of course, the co-op crowd. I have so many fresh & new game mechanics that I would like to implement into the next game we do together.
From the heart, I want to thank each and everyone of you for your time, interest, patience and support throughout the development of Dungeon Crusade. Anytime I'm telling people about the game, you guys are always mentioned for what all of us achieved here on Kickstarter. I'll just always be eternally grateful.
I will 100% assure you, the next project we all do will be MUCH smoother, efficient and get done much sooner. A person learns so much on their first Kickstarter and applies that experience to the following projects. It's kind of like an RPG game. You gain experience, and level up to become better. LOL, I'm a level 60 paladin BTW. ;)
I want to lay this out for all of us about what lies ahead for Dungeon Crusade...
We should have the proof copy of the game mid-September. We will take about 5 days to a week to review everything very carefully to make sure everything is looking good.
- Once we give them the green light to begin mass production, the manufacturer said it would take 30-40 days for the games to be printed.
- While the games are being printed, we'll be reaching out to many fulfillment services to get the games to everyone. We will be looking at their track record, how quickly and safely they have delivered games in the past, price point, etc.
HERE IS THE IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER:::
Now, I have said this many times, the company we partner with will be the ones who have the ultimate say when the games will reach everyone.
I will be pushing, of course for them to get the games out to everyone ASAP. But being respectful in the process. :) I know all of us want the game. I truly would love to have this right before Christmas.
Now, there have been people here who had posted in the past things like, it will take this long, and when I pledged for this game it took this long, etc.
However, every case is different. Again, once we partner with the fulfillment service, they are the ones that will say when the games will be arriving. Sure, I could say I want the games out to everyone by Christmas, someone might say the games won't be here until February. Etc.
Once again, the fulfillment company are the only ones who will be providing the exact day to all of us. As soon as I know, I will be telling everyone immediately.
OK all, I hope you enjoyed this quite girthy update. I must say again, that I feel so incredibly great that the game is FINALLY done and pretty deep within the manufacturing phase.
Make sure to check out the Dungeon Crusade update video series!
I'm sure a lot will be happening this coming week, and you know I'll be in here and on the official Dungeon Crusade Facebook page letting everyone know what is going on. The manufacturer is moving quite fast with everything, which is great.
Have a good day/night all. I'll of course be in both comment sections to see what's going on. Talk to you very soon...Rodger :)
The Dungeon Crusade rulebook is 100% complete. The game is now 100% complete. Onward to manufacturing.
about 5 years ago
– Tue, Jul 02, 2019 at 01:17:55 AM
(PLEASE NOTE: I wanted to let you know that this Kickstarter Dungeon Crusade update #100 has been done since 6 p.m. Sunday night.
Everything was going great, creating it. However, halfway through it, it wouldn't let me upload any images. There weren't that many images, but it kept giving me an error saying "upload failed."
So I finished all of the text, or what I had to say in this update, and was waiting for this issue to be resolved. Something similar happened a few months back. It seems like ever since they switched to this new format for creating updates, it has been very glitch.
So I wanted you to know why this update was delayed being posted.)
Hello all and good evening. :) Rodger here, and it is incredibly great to be here with everyone especially for this particular update. I have a lot to share with you,
And yes...you read that title of the update correctly. Dungeon Crusade Book I: Genesis of Evil has been completed. I'm incredibly thrilled, excited, happy but most of all relieved to be saying that, or rather typing that!
If you've been following the progress of the game, you know the final task or thing that I needed to complete was the rulebook for the game. But not just one rulebook, but six of them. Those being:
- Dungeon Crusade
- The Avalon Adventure board game
- The House of Chance games:
- Tower Attack!
- The Adventures of Bravely the Knight
- Skull Jack
- Heroes vs. Monsters
I'm going to be sharing much with you a bit further along in the update about the rulebook that I feel very compelled to say at this point, and I want people to know, so bear with me on this. There is also a video series I'll be sharing with you that I did on the development of the rulebook so people could watch the evolution of it and the completion.
We shall return to this!
So let's start off this update as we usually do.
Here is a link to last months Kickstarter Dungeon Crusade update for you. If you're new to the Dungeon Crusade universe, or missed it, go have a look at that then come back here.
I'd like to say more than ever now, if you have not seen the mega-ultra updates #92 (part I) & #93 (part II), or if you're new to the Dungeon Crusade universe, go and take a look at those updates first.
Those 2 updates show everything that comprises the game and stands a true testament of all the hard work, creativity, determination, perseverance and passion that went into creating Dungeon Crusade for everyone to be immersed in, enjoy and be challenged by.
I want everyone to know that's reading this that if you see a delay in the updates check the comment section. I'm in there almost daily or every few days giving everyone updates on what we are doing, what we're up to, what's getting completed, news and just everything Dungeon Crusade. For the past few months, I've been in there letting everyone know how close the rulebook is to completion.
In any case, I just wanted everyone to know to check the comment section to see what's going on. Plus, if you go scroll through the comment sections history, you'll see a ton of great information I provide for everyone.
On with the update!
The writing/structuring/creating/crafting/construction/timeline of the Dungeon Crusade rulebook...plus more.
I would like to give people some insight into what it was like and what I went through to create not 1, but the 6 rulebooks for the game. I feel this is very important for people to know because of what a time-consuming and daunting task this was to complete. Also, I want to share this with other aspiring game designers so they can see the process that I used to complete this.
1) The preliminary rulebook: If you remember, I created/wrote a preliminary rulebook at the inception of the project. It was very rough, of course, but it showed people the ebb & flow of the game so they could get an idea of what Dungeon Crusade was like and how it played.
I knew it would not be permanent, but it was a good starting point to create the final rulebook for the game. We then started working on making/creating the game. The last task, as you may know, was the creation of the final rulebook for the game.
2) Writing/creating/structuring the final rulebook for the game: If you look back at those 2 massive updates from November, (updates #92 & #93) the game was fully done.
Some people didn't quite understand what that meant. What it meant was the cards, tokens, cardboard miniatures, dungeon boards, etc....all game components were finished. All that was left was the graphic design of the box and the final rulebook. If you look back at update #94, I created the graphic design of the box in December.
At the start of January, I started the draft of the final rulebook. Creating the structure for it and what it would consist of. Every day, every night from January, February, and March, I wrote/structured/created the draft of the rulebook. I never took one day off from it to bring it to completion. By far, this was the most time-consuming and daunting task. Bottom line, it was just a lot of hard work. It took a significant amount of determination, focus, and patience to get the draft fully completed.
Something important I'd like to point out is you may or may not know is, but when you write a rulebook for a game, you don't put it on the final texture/pages. You create it on some type of editable document so you can change things, rearrange things, rewrite lines, etc. There is no images, diagrams, or illustrations. Just notes saying (image of monster tokens needed here or example of monster card need here, etc.) So it is just a black & white document you can create and work off of.
Like I said at the top of the update, it wasn't just the Dungeon Crusade rulebook, but I had to write/structure 6 different rulebooks. For...
- Dungeon Crusade (the game itself)
- The Avalon Adventure board game
- The House of Chance games which are:
- Tower Attack!
- Skull Jack
- The Adventures of Bravely the Knight
- Heroes vs. Monsters
3) Edits on the rulebook in April: During the month of April, (which I said in the April update) Charlene, (editor) and I began the edits of this rulebook, as in on the editable document of the rulebook. This was another task that took time to complete. But Charlene was absolutely amazing, a tremendous friend and was one of the biggest help on getting the rulebook ready for me to put together the final rulebook for the game.
4) Putting the final rulebook together for the game at the start of May and completed a few days ago: If you have seen the video series on the development of the rulebook I have been dispatching, you can clearly see the amount of hard work, time invested and progress I have made getting this final task for the game done. And again, I have never taken one day off from doing this. I was on it for hours a day.
What putting the final rulebook together entailed was taking chunks of text from the document that Charlene and I worked on, and applying it to the final rulebook pages/texture. Besides that, I had to do the graphic design for all of those images, illustrations, and diagrams you have seen in photos and of course in the videos.
In saying that, if you notice how some of that text is wrapped around some of those illustrations, images, and diagrams, that takes a few extra minutes to create that.
So the bottom line is, and hopefully, it's quite clear now, why this rulebook took this amount of time to complete. I genuinely worked as hard and as fast as I could to get the final rulebook completed as soon as possible.
That's why I created the development series of videos for the rulebook. So people could see exactly what is going on, the significant progress I made, and I took the time to do it right. It also was part of the commitment I made to everyone to show the full evolution of the game.
It's easy for someone to look from the outside in and not know EVERYTHING that went into a quite time-consuming and daunting task and hard work that when into it without knowing the full details. I can clearly see why some people would draw conclusions without knowing all of the facts.
I hope by breaking down everything I aforementioned this explains why the Dungeon Crusade rulebook took this long to bring to completion. I have always been open, honest, and transparent about the game.
I have also been in contact with the manufacturer and let them know the rulebook was drawing to a close, and we will be preparing the game files for them, They're very excited and have said they will work very hard to get this completed on their end and looking great.
Something else I'd like to share with you is I have worked for the county board of developmental disabilities for the past 20+ years. I work with children and adults stricken with various degrees of developmental disabilities. So simultaneously, I have worked and created/developed Dungeon Crusade. And yes, it was incredibly taxing, to say the least, but I/we did it, and now with the rulebook drawing to a close, Dungeon Crusade is 100% complete.
I took the following months of June, July and August to be fully 100% committed to Dungeon Crusade, as in 24/7, day & night preparing the game files for the manufacturer with a few of the artists and working with the manufacturer on getting the game files to them, awaiting the proof copy, then of course the mass production phase and fulfillment lined up for us.
THE DEVELOPMENT SERIES ON THE CREATION OF THE DUNGEON CRUSADE RULEBOOK:
Here is a link to the development series of the Dungeon Crusade rulebook. I believe you'll enjoy checking out the full rulebook and I think you'll learn much about the game and become more acclimated to it. Also, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how nice it came out, graphically and how comprehensive it is. I was incredibly thorough with every aspect of the game. Please listen to the introduction, as I explain much about the series and how it was filmed.
So check it out and enjoy! :)
(You really want to click this link below...trust me on this one... ;) )
During the the months of May and June, I shared some sections and short videos of sections of the rulebook I was working on with people/backers/people pledging for the game on my Facebook page and the official Dungeon Crusade Facebook page. So I thought it would be great to share these with everyone here.
Here is just quick video I did with adding a fog effect to the bottom of a page in the rulebook to make the design a bit more ominous. As important as it is to me to make the rulebook well structured and informative, I wanted to make it very thematic for the reader/player so they have a good time going through it.
This quick little video here is an idea I thought of while putting the Line of Sight (LOS) section together for the rulebook. Monsters & creatures in Dungeon Crusade can see up to 4 squares away from their current position. So the opening image for this section is a cool thematic & visual cue for a player to remember this rule.
PUTTING THE TREASURE CHEST DECK SECTION TOGETHER IN THE RULEBOOK:
A few weeks back, I was putting together the treasure chest section of the rulebook, it made me reflect back on all of the things that could happen when one of your heroes opens a treasure chest.
The treasure chest deck is the ultimate in risk & reward. When I created and developed it, I wanted it to be something very different for people to experience. A hero could simply find an empty chest, a chest full of gold, or not so much gold, gear, loot, weapons, armor, powerful artifacts, and some bad things....like really bad things.
I got very creative with some of these "things" that could transpire or happen. So prepare yourself, heroes! You'll never know what could happen opening one of these archaic chests.
Minora's Gift is...well its...see its...OK..it is pretty terrible. LOL, good luck! ;)
Here is the image for the start of the Tomb of Kaladar section in the rulebook.
THE AVALON ADVENTURE BOARD GAME SECTION OF THE RULEBOOK:
When I was working on this section of the rulebook, a put together a little sneak peek at what people could expect and some photos of it. This section of the rulebook in particular came out very nicely. I encourage you to watch this section In the development series of the rulebook and check this out. Look for part 14 in the playlist.
As you may know, this game is played prior to playing a game of Dungeon Crusade.
Here are some images from that section of the rulebook...
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Here are some photos of the table of contents from the rulebook. This turned out to be a 2 page spread, and I'm glad it turned out this way. Since these are the first pages people will see opening the rulebook, I wanted to put together a graphic design that was thematically striking and visually appealing to set the tone for the game.
On the one side there is a creepy corridor of a dungeon with 2 Blackwood Prowlers and a Succubus, while on the other side is a huge view of southeastern Avalon. Two totally different images but they go together so well. And as you can see, it's a very comprehensive table of contents.
THE INDEX FOR THE RULEBOOK:
So here is the index for the rulebook. But not just any index, oh no! I created/structured a massive, Crusader sized, comprehensive and incredibly thorough ultra index with 158 unique entries.
It is critically important to me when people/fellow gamers play Dungeon Crusade that if they need an answer to a gameplay question, they can find it very easy. So I took the time to create an ultra-informative & comprehensive index for the entire Dungeon Crusade universe for them. I found it very relaxing and a fun challenge constructing it.
At the end of it, I thought, ya know...this plain right bottom corner needs something there. It's pretty plain. Hmmmm... but what?
How about a freaking level 4 champion monster Death Knight! It seemed to fit so perfectly into that corner. Way back, I asked the awesome & creative Freddy Lopez if he would mind creating a hulking & savage looking Death Knight and gave him some features to incorporate. And in true Freddy style, he added his own personal touch to it. I'll tell you...this guy knows fantasy art to the 10th power.
I hope you enjoyed this section and checking some of this out. I wanted to do more photos for you, but as you can see, I was working very diligently on the rulebook to get it completed.
But again, I encourage you to watch that video series on the development of it, as you will see the rulebook in its entirety.
THE MAP OF AVALON WILL BE IN THE BACK OF THE RULEBOOK:
I'm very happy to report that I managed to fit the map of Avalon at the back of the rulebook. However, you'll have to tilt the rulebook. But it came up very clear and vibrant.
CHECK OVER YOUR ORDERS:
About a month ago, Pledge Manager sent out reminders for people about their orders. Some people were confused by this. What this was about was a reminder for people to check over their order, make sure they filled out the survey, make sure their address is correct, etc.
As of lately, quite a few backers and people who have pledged for the game have gotten a hold of me for confirmation of a few things and a change in their address. I then get in touch with the support team at Pledge Manager for them to implement the address change, then i send confirmation back to that person letting them know the change has been made and to please check to make sure it is correct.
So I want to take the time now to say to everyone here at some point in the near future to head into your order and make sure everything is squared away, especially your address. If you need any help in changing it, just get a hold of me and we'll work out getting the change for you. I don't handle any of that on the pledge manager side, and I'm glad, because I have plenty on my plate already! But the awesome folks at Pledge Manager will get your squared away and anything else you may need.
ONWARD TO MANUFACTURING:
So with the rulebook being completed, this fully completes Dungeon Crusade. I have already reached out to the manufacturer and let them know the good news about the game being completed. They are very excited on getting to work with us on the submission process and putting the proof-copy together.
We will be starting this week on getting everything ready for them. I have to talk with my production manager at the manufacturer and seeing the steps they would like to take for preparing the game files. This process will take a few weeks I'd imagine, but as you know, I'll be keeping in contact with you throughout all of this and letting you know play by play what's going on. LOL, can you really imagine me not doing this? ;)
Also, I'll be asking them a good guesstimate on when we can expect the proof copy to show up after successfully submitting the files. So stay tuned, I'll be providing you this information. However, if I remember correctly, it takes 14 days for them to put the proof copy together.
And as I have said, when we do receive it, I will be doing an unboxing video to share with everyone. I will not open it until the camera is rolling.
A question I got all the time is....
"When will we/I receive the game?"
And I'll say what I have said. When we partner with the fulfillment service, they will have a very accurate date. They are the pros on saying when things will show up. Now, if i had to guesstimate, "if" everything goes as planned and we get the game files to the manufacturer in a timely manner, and "if" we get the proof copy soon, we could shoot for as early as September or into November.
But I will say again. The fulfillment service will be the ones who have the most accurate date for us. But no worries, we will partner with a great company who has a excellent track record and can get games to people fast & safely.
So when the game files have been submitted, we'll be in talks with quite a few fulfillment services and lining everything up. You guys will be in the loop for all of this.
WHAT'S ON THE HORIZON FOR DUNGEON CRUSADE:
When the game files have been submitted, I have mentioned a few things we will be doing. So I think now would be a good idea to let you know what will be coming up.
THE TABLETOP SIMULATOR OF DUNGEON CRUSADE:
A few months back, we announced Dungeon Crusade is coming to Tabletop Simulator on the Steam platform. Now that the game is finished, we will be working towards this.
A very awesome friend to me and a backer here with us on Kickstarter named Joshua Hebert discussed about doing a version of Dungeon Crusade on Tabletop Simulator.
Joshua is an absolute wiz at programming/developing on that piece of software and is very acclimated to it. He will be doing 100% of the work on it . I have no knowledge how to do this, and seriously zero time to learn how. My job is to supply him with the art and assets he needs to make this happen.
I mentioned also that there will be a few different versions of the game. The first one will be a lite version.
This version of Dungeon Crusade is going to be like a demo of the game. I'll be taking the Ancient Ruins dungeon board and creating a smaller version of it. The nice thing about working with Joshua is I can create custom content for the Tabletop Simulator version and he can import it in very quickly.
People will be able to play a few level 1 quests, and a few other features of the game will be included. Then, we can introduce more versions that add more to the game.
Here are a few VERY early screenshots of Dungeon Crusade on Tabletop Simulator that Joshua took for me.
WORKSHOP VIDEOS ON HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN QUESTS & SCENARIOS:
In creating and developing Dungeon Crusade, it was paramount to me to make the game like a fantasy dungeon crawl tool box for people to create their own quests and scenarios to play and share with others.
The quest/scenario system is quite innovative in the game, and it will allow people to create a huge variety of quests and scenarios. While they are very easy to setup, it takes some explaining on how to go about creating them. Some calculations have to be made and other factors, so I need to do a few videos and show how this system works.
Also, the game comes with a huge assortment of different quest items. So people will have no shortage on items to use for their quests.
VIDEO RULEBOOK:
I have said for a while now, I feel it is my duty, job and responsibility as the creator to do a video rulebook for you guys and anyone who would like to play the game. I have a fairly unique way I will be doing this.
When we do get the proof copy of the game, I will be using that for creating the video rulebook.
So those are the things we will be focusing on during the time the game is being manufactured.
IN CLOSING:
Well, here we are. We did it. It took some time of course, but Dungeon Crusade Book I: Genesis of Evil has been completed.
I can not begin to tell you on EVERYTHING I have learned in this whole process and experience. I feel in the past few years I have genuinely "leveled up" quite a bit in so many aspects in life. Experience is the best teacher. However, writing those rulebooks, that right there I gained a ton of XP points for slaying that massive juggernaut.
I want to say more than ever now that every single aspect of this game I took my time on to make sure it was the best it could be for all of us. Every piece of game content I was very passionate about and has purpose. There was nothing just thrown in for the sake of it.
I want to say something that I have shared recently...
I never really put it like this, and it was only after looking at the rulebook while constructing the table of contents this dawned on me.
Dungeon Crusade is maybe not a board game. Yes, it is played on a board, but it's not a traditional dungeon crawl board game. What I mean is games like Heroquest, Warhammer Quest, Dungeonquest, etc. I love those games! Don't get me wrong!
But Dungeon Crusade is much more than that. Things like the House of Chance games, the village board, the Avalon Adventure board game, the 3 x 2 foot dungeons, etc., just many things that this game consists of.
But Dungeon Crusade is not a vast, massive world like D&D. That universe is completely massive, and awesome.
What I think now, seeing EVERYTHING that consists in the Dungeon Crusade universe and seeing the rulebook, this game lies directly between both of those things I aforementioned.
This game is something that has not existed before, and I think that's very exciting for all of us as gamers. And to me, now that the game has a rulebook, to me, it validates it as a real game now.
I think ALL of us...backers, the artists, myself, people pledging for the game and some people that helped along the way should be very proud of what we achieved with Dungeon Crusade. We worked together in a cooperation to create and develop something together.
Kickstarter to me will always be a cooperation of a creator or creators working together with backers on the game and listening to them on features they would like to see in the game. As you know, we did much of that early on.
I want to sincerely thank all of you here for believing in me, the game and all of the fantastic artists and giving us this incredible opportunity to create and develop this game for you. You guys were and are my best friends, and next to my family and 3 crazy dogs you were my number 1 along with the game.
I kept my promise and commitment I made back then. Every single day, I have been logged onto Kickstarter and have been there for anything someone may have needed. I always kept you informed on the game, kept you in the loop and showed you the full evolution of the game. And today, most certainly if you see the rulebook video series, that was fully accomplished.
I will apologize again for the delay. It's a classic case of, "if I knew then what I know now." I was new and had to learn, and trust me, I have learned. The next project we do, you'll see. It will be run much smoother, efficiently, and delivery will be on time, if not sooner — Mark my words on that. I'm out to prove that.
OK everyone. I hope you enjoyed this update. I know I did because this game is done! Again, you have no idea the sense of happiness and relief I have this has been completed. I truly sleep better at night and wake up feeling great.
As always, I'll be in the comment sections to see what's going on.
I hope everyone has a great Monday. I'll be talking to you soon...Rodger :)
p.s. The manufacturer got back to me in the time I was doing the update. It is 14 days for the proof copy of the game, then 30-40 days for mass production they said.
All edits have been completed on the rulebook. Putting the final rulebook for the game together has been in progress. When the rulebook is finished, Dungeon Crusade is heading into manufacturing. Plus more within update!
about 5 years ago
– Mon, May 06, 2019 at 01:07:22 AM
Hello everyone and good evening or good day depending on when you are reading this! :) Rodger here, and I am thrilled to be here with you for our monthly pow wow and to show you the evolution of the game. Truth be told, just typing that title to this update made me feel a sense of elation.
But first, I want to say I hope everyone had a great Easter with their family and friends and have been doing great. If you have been playing any new games, I hope you are enjoying them.
And yes! You read that title to the update right. Charlene and I worked very hard at the start of April to get all of the edits knocked out for the Dungeon Crusade rulebook. I have been working very hard day and night on getting the text/images/illustrations into the rulebook for the game, and it is looking fantastic. LOL, I don't know if this is a rulebook or a bible! But I'm incredibly happy with how it is looking. It's coming together very nicely. As soon as I dispatch this update, I'm getting right back to putting the rulebook together so we can get this thing done.
So right to the point, upon completion of the rulebook, (shooting this month) that is it. Dungeon Crusade is entirely 100% complete. From there, we will be preparing all of the game files for the submission to the manufacturer. And yes, like I have been saying, while we are working on that, you will be able to check out the rulebook.
But I have a lot of stuff to show you in this update that I think you will enjoy seeing and learning about. So let's get this going on!
But first as we always do...
Here is a link to last months Kickstarter Dungeon Crusade update for you. If you're new to the Dungeon Crusade universe, or missed it, go have a look at that then come back here.
I'd like to say again, if you have not seen the mega-ultra updates #92 (part I) & #93 (part II), or if you're new to the Dungeon Crusade universe, go and take a look at those updates first.
Those 2 updates show everything that comprises the game and stands a true testament of all the hard work, creativity, determination, perseverance and passion that went into creating Dungeon Crusade for everyone to be immersed in, enjoy and be challenged by.
I want everyone to know that's reading this that if you see a delay in the updates check the comment section. I'm in there almost daily or every few days giving everyone updates on what we are doing, what we're up to, what's getting completed, news and just everything Dungeon Crusade. For the past few months, I've been in there letting everyone know how close the rulebook is to completion.
In any case, I just wanted everyone to know to check the comment section to see what's going on. Plus, if you go scroll through the comment sections history, you'll see a ton of great information I provide for everyone.
On with the update!
What was going on in April and the few days into May so far:
To be quite candid, the month of April was a truly busy month with finishing up the edits with Charlene, creating the 2 quick reference cards for the game, the reference information on the very back of the rulebook and starting the process of putting the final rulebook together for the game.
I had a pretty good headstart on getting on task with putting the final rulebook together, so I'm happy to report to you I'm well into it. But let's start with the 2 quick reference cards for the game...
QUICK REFERENCE CARD:
Let's take a look at these then discuss them a bit...
While playing, a player can refer to these cards for some quick info that may be needed. Both of these quick reference cards are tarot size by the way. I came up with a perfect graphic design where all the information and icons are very well laid out for the player.
The first reference card has the following information:
1) The 5 phases that comprise a full turn and a summary of what a player will do within each phase. The 5 phases are upkeep, encounter, guardian, hero and the monster phase.
2) After that information, there are the 6 warfare types and each icon for them which are on the hero cards and the symbols for each one that will appear on the monster cards. The 6 warfare types are physical, ranged, arcane, mythical, spiritual and chaos warfare.
3) Finally, there are the 8 attribute icons and what they are that will appear on the hero cards. The 8 attributes are strength, willpower, wisdom, agility, movement, lockpicking, hide and evade.
This card looks really good, thematic and presents all of this helpful information for nicely and clearly.
The second quick reference card is an essential one and will be extremely helpful. This card lists all of the actions a hero can take on their turn, and things a hero can do that do not require an action. This card is in the next series of photos below.
Since Dungeon Crusade is an open world dungeon crawl game, you'll be referring to it a great deal while playing for all of the options and fun things to do with your hero(es) on their turn. Trust me; there is a lot you can do in this game. :)
Between these 2 cards, I truly believe it will help players greatly while playing Dungeon Crusade.
The cover for the Dungeon Crusade rulebook and the reverse side of the rulebook:
These posters show the cover of the rulebook, or rather 'Crusaders' Handbook' along with the 2 quick reference cards for the game. Like we just discussed, the one card has the 5 phases that comprise a turn, the 6 warfare types and the 8 attribute icons that are found on each of the hero cards.
The other posters show the reverse side of the 2 quick reference cards and the back of the rulebook. The back of the rulebook is where a player will find many common gameplay things that will come up during the game. I carefully created the 2 quick reference cards and the information on the back of the rulebook so a player will be well covered while playing.
As a side note, when the rulebook is done being put together, I 'll be adding page numbers to each entry found on the 2 quick reference cards and the information on the back of the rulebook so a player can turn right to that page in the rulebook for a more detailed discussion on whatever entry it may be.
THE FINAL TASK OF PUTTING THE RULEBOOK TOGETHER:
So as I aforementioned, this is what is going on right now. Before anything else, I put together a quick little video where I can chat with you and actually show you some of the pages at the start of the rulebook. So I encourage you to watch it.
So if you like, click the video and I hope you enjoy! :)
Hopefully I didn't bore you in the video and you enjoyed it. But as you can see, the rulebook is looking great and coming together very nicely. Here are some photos I took from the pages at the start of the rulebook.
How to setup the Monster area at the start of the game.
MORE IMAGES FROM THE RULEBOOK:
Please feel free to take a spin over to some past updates and check out some other pages from rulebook. I just don't want to blow this update into something HUGE. The last 3 updates have a good amount of images from the rulebook you can check out.
IN CLOSING:
I hope everyone enjoyed this latest update, and as you can see, once this rulebook is finished, we will be entering into the manufacturing aspect of the project. More than ever, as I put this rulebook together, this game is truly something highly unique. Yes, it did take awhile, but all of us genuinely accomplished something with Dungeon Crusade. We are bringing something into the fantasy adventure/dungeon crawl genre that is something so innovative, thematic, immersive, challenging and for people to enjoy.
But before I get back to work over here, let me lay out the plan for us...
I'll of course be on task with placing all the text/images/illustrations on the pages/texture for the rulebook. From there, that's it. Everything is getting prepared for submission to the manufacturer. The game will be 100% complete. The preparing/submission process will be happening in May.
- From there, we will be awaiting the proof-copy of the game from the manufacturer. Once we approve it, (I'm making an unboxing video for everyone and will be creating a special update just for this) we will give the green light to begin mass production of the game.
- Like I have mentioned in the monthly Dungeon Crusade Kickstarter updates when the game files are at the manufacturer, we will be reaching out to many fulfillment services getting prices, estimated time of arrival of the games and any other information I can pass on to everyone.
As you know, I'm continually keeping everyone in the loop for the evolution of the game, and what is going on with it. Whether it is something small or big, I'm always keeping people in the loop.
- So with all that being said, submitting the game files, waiting on the proof copy, mass production then finally fulfillment, we could guesstimate as of right now the games could arrive August to October of this year. Of course, we want it as soon as possible!
- But once we partner with the fulfillment service, we will have a very solid date when to expect Dungeon Crusade to arrive at your home, and I will be keeping you informed throughout all of this with updates. And rest assured, this will be shipping this year. This juggernaut is finally done.
Lastly, we have a lot of things planned once the game files have been submitted to the manufacturer. We have the Tabletop Simulator version of Dungeon Crusade hitting Steam. The most awesome Joshua Hebert will be working on this and developing it.
I will be shooting the video rulebook for Dungeon Crusade for people to watch prior to receiving the game and a small video series on how to create your own quest & scenarios to play in Dungeon Crusade.
OK all, back to work for a bit longer. The clock on the wall right now says 2:39 a.m., so I'm good for another hour.
So here we are, FINALLY at the end of this, and I couldn't be any happier, seriously relieved and excited. I'll be in the comment section to see what's going on.
Have a great Monday all, I'll be talking to you soon...Rodger :)
P. S.
I want to give everyone a word of caution, and please, don't be alarmed. Lyrenna Nightweave has it all under control...
Just a while ago, a Level 2 Blackwood Prowler (Elite) was spotted in the Tomb of St. Viticus (south) within the Ancient Ruins. Thanks to our Battlemage hero, Lyrenna Nightweave, she has tracked it down and will be slaying it quite soon. She is quite proficient in chaos & arcane warfare...
All sections of the rulebook are now complete, (table of contents and index being added last), edits in progress, combat examples within update, more pages from the final rulebook within update, plus more.
about 5 years ago
– Sat, Apr 06, 2019 at 09:50:04 PM
Hello all and good evening. :) Rodger here and I hope everyone is having a great Saturday night. I also want to say Happy Spring! We live in Northeastern Ohio, and this for sure has been one long cold winter. So Spring and warmer temperatures are very welcome in Northeastern Ohio.
I am incredibly happy, relieved, elated and thrilled to announce to you guys the draft of the Dungeon Crusade rulebook is now finished. So basically ALL of the sections that discuss and explain how to play Dungeon Crusade along with gameplay are complete.
I have a lot to share with you on completing this rulebook, but before we discuss this more, there are 4 small sections that need to be added which are:
1) Table of Contents
2) Index
3) The very first page with the games logo that has all of the artists names, a huge thanks to guys here, where I'm also going to write a little something from the heart about you guys, (basically a huge thank you) and some of the incredible and awesome people that were a genuine friend throughout this whole process
4) The "Book of Deeds", which is that pledge level where people could have their name added in the rulebook.
I'm working on the first page where it thanks and names all of the amazing artists and the other people for their contribution, but when we put everything together for the final rulebook, (all the final edited text and images on the rulebook pages) we'll be adding in the table of contents, index and the Book of Deeds page.
So with the index and table of contents, the list will already be created. It's a matter of just adding in the page numbers for each one of them
So let's get the usual out of the way, then discuss the rulebook and what's going on...
Here is a link to last months Kickstarter Dungeon Crusade update for you. If you're new to the Dungeon Crusade universe, or missed it, go have a look at that then come back here.
I'd like to say again, if you have not seen the mega-ultra updates #92 (part I) & #93 (part II), or if you're new to the Dungeon Crusade universe, go and take a look at those updates first.
Those 2 updates show everything that comprises the game and stands a true testament of all the hard work, creativity, determination, perseverance and passion that went into creating Dungeon Crusade for everyone to be immersed in, enjoy and be challenged by.
I want everyone to know that's reading this that if you see a delay in the updates check the comment section. I'm in there almost daily or every few days giving everyone updates on what we are doing, what we're up to, what's getting completed, news and just everything Dungeon Crusade. For the past month, I've been in there letting everyone know how close the rulebook is to completion.
In any case, I just wanted everyone to know to check the comment section to see what's going on. Plus, if you go scroll through the comment sections history, you'll see a ton of great information I provide for everyone.
OK, let's get this update going on!
THE DRAFT OF THE DUNGEON CRUSADE RULEBOOK IS NOW COMPLETE:
First, please keep in mind what I aforementioned about those 4 small sections that need to be implemented to the final version of the edited rulebook. Also, from what I'm about to explain, I'm not looking for any kind of "pat on the back" or glowing compliment, I of course appreciate that and thank you greatly. :) But I kicked butt and just got the job done.
But it is very important to me that you guys know just how time-consuming, daunting and what a massive undertaking it was to bring this to completion, and for you to know I was on this task every single day and night to get this finished up for all of us.
As you know, this is it for the game. As soon as Charlene and I finish the edits, we're putting all the final text and images on the rulebook pages, (like what I've been showing you for the past few months in the updates) and preparing the game files for submission to the manufacturer, (Wingo games) and getting this thing printed already.
AN IN DEPTH DISCUSSION ON FINISHING UP THE RULEBOOK:
Throughout the month of March, I was sharing the last sections that were getting finished up. Besides the rulebook section that breaks down in full detail the 5 phases that comprise a turn, the combat section was just as time consuming and intensive aspect of the rulebook.
I have said this section of the rulebook is what I call seriously intensive writing. Within this section I go over and explain the combat system in the game, line of sight, using special abilities and a few other things.
The combat system I created/developed for the game is truly one of the highlights. In Dungeon Crusade, a player must create small parties of heroes (up to 3 in a group) to overcome some of the monsters and creatures of the dungeon. So when you put the combat system together with building a certain group of heroes, it really adds to the fun factor and strategy/tactics of the game.
First, know the combat system in Dungeon Crusade is very easy. But trying to explain it in a rulebook with words, it could get a bit confusing.
Also know that each monster in the game is versed, or rather proficient in 3 out of the 6 warfare types in the game.
What I thought to create for the combat section of the rulebook are these "3D battlescape" images, or combat illustrations so people could see all of the aspects of combat, what tokens are used, the combat chart and dice so when they are reading about it, they have a great looking & thematic image to refer to. I rendered a few things in 3D in my program, and I think it turned out pretty awesome.
So have a look, and I hope you enjoy it. I think people could just look at these images and get the idea of how combat works. I genuinely believe people are going to dig the combat in this game, especially with how a player can build their hero(es) as they see fit.
Please remember, these images are a WIP, (work in progress) so what you see is subject to change. When I share these pages/images, it's just giving people an idea on how everything is looking and shaping up. This is not to be taken as the final look that will be within the rulebook. Also, I caught these off-screen.
Our Archer hero Ennwyn Shadowleaf combating a Shadow Dweller, a minion monster within the dungeon.
Our Barbarian hero Melhiliak, and Priestess hero Jora Oakheart combating a Keeper of the Faith, a champion monster lurking in one of the chambers of the dungeon.
Our Warlock hero Corrath Doomswood, the Cleric hero Faith Ellysia and the Knight hero Sir Brennus rallied together fighting the massive guardian monster Magmus in the halls of the dungeon.
HEROES START THE GAME VERSED IN ONE SPECIAL ABILITY CALLED COUNTERATTACK:
At the start of the game, each hero begins with the special ability Counterattack. It costs 1 essence to activate, and never needs to be channeled. Meaning, it can be used many times within a turn, as long as a hero is paying the 1 essence to activate it.
When a monster attacks a hero within the monster phase of the turn, a hero must defend in all 3 phases of combat. So a hero could take some serious damage. However, if a hero activates Counterattack, they can select one of the phases of combat to attack in, possibly slaying the monster.
Here are a few images from the combat section of the rulebook that will discuss Counterattack.
The guardian monster Banevik has attacked our Barbarian hero, Melhiliak! Notice how when a monster attacks, a hero must defend in all 3 phases of combat, however, Melhilaik will soon be activating Counterattack.
All monster are versed in 3 out of the 6 warfare types. We can see Banevik is versed in Physical warfare, Mythical warfare and Chaos warfare.
Melhiliak has activated Counterattack! Since Melhiliak is very proficient in Chaos warfare, he decides to use Counterattack in phase 2, allowing him to attack. It is likely Melhiliak will land a hit damaging Banevik.
I hope you enjoyed taking a look at some of the combat illustrations for the combat section of the game. As I said, I think these images give a great idea how combat works in the game. There are other images for this section also that shows hero cards and a few other things.
But this section alone took about 2 weeks to get finished, but I'm very content how this came out.
MORE IMAGES FROM THE RULEBOOK:
Before we get into showing some new images from another section of the rulebook, I would like to post the link for last month's Kickstarter update that shows all of the other pages from the rulebook. I just don't want to blow this update any bigger, as it would contain a massive amount of images. So feel free to take a spin over to this update and check out the other pages of the rulebook if you like
So these new photos here are various sections from a page in the rulebook that talks about the Blessings a hero can receive, the start of the Treasure Chest section and Tavern Tasks. Tavern Tasks are optional quests the heroes receive at the beginning of the game. They're not required to be completed, but offer some good rewards for the heroes.
So before closing out this section, here are a few of the last things I manged to finish up I was speaking about in the comment section earlier this week. I thought you'd like to read some of this, but most of all, keep everyone here in the loop of everything that is/was going on.
I completed the encounter deck section, a section that I had to create for the Tomb of Kaladar dungeon, the full discussion on what Celebration Day is and how it works, and the 4 House of Chance games.
THE CELEBRATION DAY SECTION:
This section I had to break down into 3 smaller sections which are:
1) What is done at the start of Celebration Day:
There are a few things a player must do each time the heroes reach the village for Celebration Day. So this section describes in good detail what must be done
2) The heroes are free to roam throughout the village:
This section discusses everything the heroes can do throughout the village. Visit the blacksmith to buy and sell gear, have power gems crafted, buy a pickaxe, resharpen a pickaxe, visit the academy for new special abilities, rent a room and sleep to fully regain their essence, visit the bazaar to restock on potions and torches, visit the temple for healing or receive a blessing or be cured of any afflictions, and of course, gamble in the House of Chance.
3) What is done after Celebration Day:
Before the heroes head back to the dungeon for a new series of quests and face off against new and tougher monsters, there are a few things a player must do. Such as create a brand new encounter deck, reset the guardian spawn track, populate the dungeon with the next level set of minions and a few other things.
But I'm very happy with how there are 3 sections for Celebration Day that explains this game mechanic very well for the player. It took a few days to get it perfect, but this section turned out great.
THE TOMB OF KALADAR:
If you remember, this is the most unique and challenging dungeon of the 4. The Tomb of Kaladar has what I call, "environmental hazards', the heroes might have to navigate through.
Oh, it's just a bunch of fun stuff for sure! The Chamber of Blades, Oscillating Pendulums, the Sanctuary of Bats, the Noxious Vapor Chamber, the Black Rock Viper pit and the Pit of Agony.
The Pit of Agony is a pretty cool but deadly environmental hazard. This part here will be in the rulebook of course, as well as the other 5 so people can refer to this while playing and see what attribute they must test and what value is associated with it.
PIT OF AGONY - Test Strength (13): The Pit of Agony is a 6-foot deep trench that spans approximately 40 feet and is filled with jagged spikes. A hero must grab onto one of the thick ropes that hang from the ceiling and swing across to the opposite side. However, the ropes are coated with some type of slick, bloody substance making it hard to hold onto. On a fail, the hero loses their grip, falls into the trench and lands on the spikes! Roll 1D4. The result is damage taken.
So within this section, I had to go over all of these environmental hazards, do some thematic writing and explain what attribute had to be tested for each one of these. Plus I had to go over some things specifically for this dungeon.
THE AVALON ADVENTURE BOARD GAME:
Earlier in the week, I finished up the very last section in the rulebook which was the Avalon Adventure board game. Here is a little about it in case you missed it or want to get up to speed on it now that the rules for it are completed.
This a game that you can play prior to playing Dungeon Crusade. I was incredibly passionate about this game for a few reasons.
I love choose your own adventure games. But after you play a game like this a few times, you sort of know the outcomes.
So when I created/developed the Avalon Adventure board game, I wanted to give people a game where they would never see the same game twice, so it always stays fresh for them and something they look forward to.
In addition, I wrote 259 unique and thematic events & encounters for people so I could immerse them in the land of Avalon and all of its lore, villagers, villages, monsters, locations, heroes, dungeons, towers, ruins, crypts and just a ton more for people to enjoy while playing.
If you like, here is a link that will lead you to that debut video of the game and a small demo I did on it. I hope you enjoy it! :)
So yes, finally, here we are at the very end of this pretty long journey with Dungeon Crusade. I mentioned this in the comment section, and would like to say it here for all of you now.
I wanted to say a huge thank you and love you guys for the patience with this rulebook. I have said many times, this thing was a real butt kicker and by far the most time-consuming thing for the game. But, it's done now, and thank GOD it is done. But on the flipside I know I have learned such a great deal in the process, and I'm very acclimated at writing a rulebook for a board game.
When I finished up that last section, something hit me. I mean, it's obvious, but I guess I just didn't process it or rather see it this way...
I pretty much wrote 6 rulebooks for 6 different games. As in..
- Dungeon Crusade
- Skull jack (House of Chance game)
- Heroes vs. Monsters (House of Chance game)
- The Adventures of Bravely the Knight ((House of Chance game)
- Tower Attack! (House of Chance game)
- The Avalon Adventure board game
The House of Chance games were a bit more than I thought they'd be, as in explaining them. Heroes vs. Monsters most certainly took the longest, and right behind that was Skull Jack. Tower Atack was the easiest, and The Adventures of Bravely the Knight was a little more than Tower Attack.
But I took my time on every one and every section to make sure they were the best they could be.
So let me lay out the game plan on these last things to finish up, then onward to preparing the game files for submission to the manufacturer...
1) Charlene and I will be starting the edits on the rulebook. Charlene and I have worked together throughout this whole project, and she is just amazing. She takes what I type, and sometimes condenses it down a bit and works her magic. I'd like to wrap up the edits within a week, respecting her busy schedule.
2) From there, I have to take the text and images and put it on the final rulebook pages. As you probably know, when you create something like a rulebook for a board game, you create it on some type of editable document to allow for edits, moving sections around, etc.
So when I grab the text from the doc, I put it into a program I have that I created a template for that automatically sets the font, size, spacing, and margin so I can take that, and apply it to the final rulebook page, and add in the images that are needed for whatever section that is.
So I'm/we're truly shooting for a few weeks from now to have the rulebook ready for people to check out. But I'll keep you informed throughout and let you know how it's coming along.
3) While you guys are looking over the rulebook, we will be preparing the game files for submission to the manufacturer, and begin sending them.
Also, a little more than a week ago I touched base with Wingo games to let them know, when this rulebook is done, we are getting to work on getting them the game files. They have always been so incredibly gracious and nice, and promised they will work very hard on getting the job done and provide many photos of their work to pass along to you guys to check out. I really can't say enough nice things about them.
OK all, I'm getting back to work tonight on these last few things to wrap up. Oh, I meant to mention also I'm putting together a tarot sized player aid card(s) with a lot of information you'll like to refer to while playing. Such as the 5 phases that comprise a turn, all of the actions a hero can take on their turn and a few other key pieces of information.
I'll be in both comment sections to say HI! to anyone if someone pops up. I hope you guys enjoyed this latest update, but to me, the best news is announcing the sections of the rulebook are finished. LOL, I will say now, after doing a task like this, I'm looking forward to a very short break. Writing/creating/structuring a rulebook for a game like Dungeon Crusade was equivalent to climbing Mount Everest with roller skates on....actually, for my small break, I think I will attempt that. ;)
LOL, have a great Saturday night guys, and an awesome weekend. Talk to you soon...Rodger :)
A COOL AND INSPIRING STORY TO SHARE WITH YOU GUYS:
I wanted to take the time to share with you something that was very awesome that happened to a fellow game designer by the name of Jack Spoerner and his game Dungeons of Infinity.
Jack is truly one heck of a nice guy, and has been VERY driven, passionate and determined in getting Dungeons of Infinity completed and onto Kickstarter to share with people. It was on Kickstarter a few weeks ago, and in the last few days was struggling quite a bit.
As you know, my head has been seriously in the Dungeon Crusade rulebook finishing it up, so I was not aware of this game until the last week it was on Kickstarter. So a bunch of us, me, another game designer and great friend to me by the name of Dustin Freund, Joshua Burall from his YouTube channel, Logan Chops and many others came together to help Jack out. As a result, Jack made his funding goal. We were all just very happy for him.
My point is, I remember way back, and even now, there were people who helped us with Dungeon Crusade and I'll always be eternally grateful for their help. So in a way, I wanted to return the favor and do something for someone else, and try to give them a helping hand.
I wanted to share this cool story here with you guys, as I share just about everything in my life with you here. I know how much this meant to Jack, as he wanted to share his unique vision of a dungeon crawler for people to enjoy and be challenged by. When finished, this is one game I would love to obtain and check out. You know my motto...."Have dungeon, will delve..."
OK all, have a great evening, and I'll be talking to you soon. :)
