Thank You, and Welcome! (And a Secret Stretch Goal...)
over 1 year ago – Sat, Nov 05, 2022 at 08:58:25 PM

Hi guys! Welcome to the first day of the new Deep Madness campaign! We're so glad you're here and so grateful you're jumping in with us. First, the biggest news:

We're Funded!

WOOHOO!!! Thanks for making this possible, my friends. We're off to a great start! And, once again, we're so thankful you're a part of it. 

For those of you who are new and don't know me, I'm Byron Leavitt, Diemension Games' lead writer and editor. You'll be hearing quite a bit from me during this campaign. If you're a returning backer, it's wonderful to have you back! And if this is your first DG campaign, welcome! We're honored to have you aboard. 

I know there are a lot of questions regarding this campaign, and we'll get to them in the coming days. So, if you have a question not answered here, don't worry. Now, let's start with something fun.

A Secret Stretch Goal

For many years, there has been one card for Deep Madness that has eluded many gamers. It's become something like DM's holy grail or Maltese falcon: rumored to exist, suspected to be real, sought to be acquired, but also seemingly unattainable. (Heck, I didn't even have one until about a month ago, and that was just because I found one in a bin at Gen Con.) That was the magnetic saw gun card. 

The magnetic saw gun started life as a promo card for the Dice Tower's campaign, but many of us weren't able to get it then. And since that time, it has existed in a strange limbo realm. Well, we have a surprise for all of you. A secret stretch goal, if you will. 

As of today, the magnetic saw gun will be coming with every pledge level from Crawling Core up. So, if you have a pledge level in this campaign, you will get the card.  

I hope you like this little treat. =)

Now, how will stretch goals work in this campaign? Honestly, we're not entirely sure. It won't be like some campaigns where we have rapid-fire stretch goals one after another. Having said that, we're open to suggestions. What would you like to see in this campaign? I will preface this by saying that we can't do much that is too time intensive, as we still have to focus most of our efforts on our game Dawn of Madness. But let us know if you have some awesome ideas, and we'll consider them. 

Madness Reborn

Next, let's take a look at Madness Reborn. There have already been a lot of questions swirling about this expansion, so let's cover it. (We'll also get into deeper detail on it in the coming days.) 

The Monsters

Madness Reborn features eight epic monsters based on our original standalone epics. We always liked our epics, but as time passed, we started to think we could do better. So, we did. These minis are around 100mm tall (some are even bigger), and they are awesome. 

Having said that, these were not necessarily meant to replace the previous epic monsters. Instead, they are revised monsters specifically for this expansion, and the entire thing is built around them. For example, they include new cards with new mechanics that will be used exclusively when playing in this expansion. (In fact, the original cards aren't even included in this expansion.) They also have new tokens designed explicitly for them (which we'll get to more of in a moment.)

The Scenarios

This also brings us to the scenarios. Phil Blake is deeper into Deep Madness than just about anyone else, and a while back, he decided that he wanted to start making his own scenarios. So, he gathered a team together, and they started doing just that - and the first scenarios they began to create were based around the standalone epic monsters. We love our backer community, and we wanted to honor them for all the hard work they've been doing. So, we decided to include their scenarios in this expansion. 

Having said that, we aren't just leaving these scenarios alone. We're souping them up, refining them, and taking them to the next level while still honoring the team that brought them to life and their intentions toward them. This expansion then will be the best of both worlds: polished, refined, and scary Deep Madness scenarios birthed by our backers.

The Tokens

Back to those tokens for a minute, though. I've noticed some people thinking these are replacing the core game tokens in Deep Madness. They are not. These are tokens made specifically for the Madness Reborn expansion and do not replace any of the core game tokens. Just like in Rise of Dagon or Oracle's Betrayal, these will be used for mechanics in this new expansion. 

We'll have more about Madness Reborn in the future, including comparisons between the original and new monsters and diving deeper into the expansion's depths. But, for now, at least you hopefully have a better idea of what to expect from this expansion. 

Changes to the Core Game

Let's also go over some changes we've made to the core game since that will impact new backers and returning backers at many pledge levels. 

Profundum and the Investigator Pledge

First of all, let's talk about Profundum and the investigator pledge. In our last campaign, we put several things into the Profundum box, including a couple of scenarios, a couple of cards, and some variants to the game. In this campaign, we've removed all gameplay materials from Profundum, so new backers don't have to get the box to have all of the gameplay materials. But where did they go? 

The intro scenario in Profundum has moved to the core game, as have all of the rule variants. They will be included in the revised rulebook, along with all other tweaks and changes we're making. This scenario will essentially become the first mission people play in the game, rather than the infamous one that has been with the game since the start. (It's still in there, of course. It's just now scenario two rather than scenario one.)  

Meanwhile, "The Faces of the Sphere" scenario, Evil Jon (both miniature and card), and the two statue cards have moved into their new home in Uncounted Horrors, once again ensuring everyone can get them in this campaign. (These changes will also be reflected in the update kit, so returning backers will see these tweaks as well if they get it.)

This means that Profundum now only contains its layout instructions and nothing else. It is now just a handy storage box.

The Core Game

But what other changes are there? Well, in the core game, we've actually gotten rid of something. Previously, we had black bases that would go on the bottoms of the monsters. These were tricky to get on the miniatures, not all that useful, and took up a lot of space in the box. Furthermore, we have rarely heard of anyone using them, meaning they were not only using space but wasting it. So, we have removed those from the core game. 

Of course, those aren't the only changes.  As mentioned on the campaign page and elsewhere, we have changed all the printed components in the game (which are included in the upgrade kits as well.) Additionally, we have obviously changed the core game's box, but we have also color-corrected the other boxes, making them more vibrant and sharper. 

We'll go over the revised materials in depth in a future update. However, I think this update has gone on long enough, and plenty of days are left in this campaign. So, I think we'll wrap up this one for today. 

Spreading the Word

Oh, one last thing. This looks like it will be a slow-burn campaign, which is perfectly fine. Considering a lot of factors, that was honestly likely. (For instance, there was no early bird offer which means there's no real rush to get into the campaign, and we weren't able to get the word out about this nearly as soon as I would have liked.) 

Having said that, we have a request for you: would you mind helping us spread the word about this game? 

Here are a few things you can do:

• Share the campaign on social media. Share it on the platform of your choice and help spread the word. This is really simple to do. Just scroll up to the top of the page, and click on one of the sharing links there under the total.

• Visit the project on Kicktraq. You can find the page here. Then, once you're there, click on the Visit Project page. This helps us get onto the Kicktraq top ten. (You can also just go to the main site and then search for Deep Madness. Both of those things help.)

• Engage with the game on BGG. You can find the Board Game Geek page here.

We'll have more options for social sharing soon. But, in the meantime, these are a few options that we'd really appreciate if you would do. (And let us know if you have additional things you think would be a good idea. We're always open to suggestions!)

New Pledge Levels

Okay, there's one more thing. (LOL!) I wanted to let you guys know about a couple of new pledge levels we've put up. These pledge levels were created directly from your feedback (as was the Kadath Pledge, but that was before the campaign launched), and as such, they weren't there when some of you were likely backing the campaign. These are called the Returning to Madness pledges, and they're for returning backers. There are two of them (one for the Investigator pledge and one for the All-In), and they bundle the upgrade kits together with Madness Reborn and offer a discount for them. Here's a look at the new pledge levels:

And here's the All-In:

If you need a translation of the game, you can still add the Madness Reborn translation add-on to your pledge. However, you will choose the upgrade kit's language in the pledge manager after the campaign.  

Whoo! Well, that was quite an update! I think I'll call it quits before this becomes a full-length novel. Have a great day, guys, and thanks again for being a part of this campaign from the very beginning! We really do appreciate your support!

The Epic Investigator Comes (New Stretch Goal!)
over 1 year ago – Sat, Nov 05, 2022 at 08:58:07 PM

Hey guys! We may have been quiet for a couple of days, but we have not been inactive. We promised in our last update that we have some cool stretch goals coming up, and now we're ready to unveil the first one. 

When we were trying to come up with this stretch goal, we decided we wanted to riff on a couple of things. First, it's tradition for us to have two investigators in each of our major expansions - something Madness Reborn is currently lacking. But this expansion isn't a normal one, either: it's one where everything is bigger and better, so an ordinary investigator wouldn't do. Enter the epic investigators.

Several main characters in the game had storylines left unresolved. Actually, all of them did, but many of them at least got visages to hint where their stories went. However, two of the most critical characters did not - until now. One of those two characters is Dr. William West. So let's fix that, shall we?

Introducing Epic Investigators

Epic investigators are not like their standard brethren. For starters, they're bigger. Less human. More powerful and simultaneously more volatile. They have two different modes they can enter: a Mortal mode and an Enlightened mode. When Enlightened, they will be able to do impressive feats beyond any mortal - but at a price. 

Having fused with and been changed by the sphere, these beings are now far from normal humans - and it shows. As mentioned, they are bigger than a typical investigator's sculpt, and each figure reveals pieces of what they're currently experiencing. This brings us to our first epic investigator, Dr. William West.

Dr. William West

When we saw Dr. William West last, he was set adrift in the roiling madness of the sphere, no longer human, but also not the formidable force he had sought to forge himself into that could defeat the sphere's power. But what happened to him after that? Now we know. And, at $400,000, he will be reborn.  

At $400,000, Dr. West will join Madness Reborn as our first epic investigator. As you can see by these images, he is quite a bit different than your standard player figure. The top image reflects a concept of his front side, while the bottom one reflects his back. His fractured body is being pushed through the sphere's surface, reemerging into the physical world - or some version of it.

Now, please note that these are just concept images. We will likely have something closer to the finalized work by Friday, which should give everyone a better idea of where we're going with him. Having said that, this should still give you a taste of what's to come. Now, let's see where William has been.

William's World

I drift through eternal oblivion, a place filled with mad terrors which would destroy my mind if I was sure I still had one. Who was I before this? What was I? What am I now? I still think, obviously. Do I dream? Am I dreaming right now?

Another entity approaches. It reminds me of... someone I used to know. Was that me? Who is this? It enters me; melds with me. We become one, and I remember: My name was Dr. William West. This other being was also me, and yet it wasn't. Perhaps he was another version from some other place. Are there more? I set out through the maddening maelstrom, ravenous. Finally, I find one and then another. We feast like amoebas, becoming one, and in so doing, we regain pieces of our unified self. 

We - I - must escape this realm. I repurpose pieces of the technology that somehow entered this place, adding them to myself. (I seem to remember a time when I did this before.) There are other hands around me now. Where did they come from? What are they? Are they echoing my will, or are they trying to dispose of me? Are they also me or something else? 

The hands push against me, propelling me toward something. Is it a membrane? Is it a machine? It doesn't matter. I press through it, shrieking in pain as I take on physical flesh once more. The agony is unlike anything I've ever felt. It means that I am once again truly alive.

I emerge through the sphere. How ironic, the very foe I aimed to best now offers me a second birth. Is this my old world? Or is it somewhere different? And what, now, am I?

About This Stretch Goal

One thing I should stress is that this is a true stretch goal. It isn't something we prepared beforehand, and it's not something we can pull off no matter what happens with this campaign. We still have to illustrate it, sculpt it, make the molds, etc., most of which we can't do at our current funding level. So, if we can't meet its funding goal by the end of the campaign, we will make it a paid add-on in the pledge manager. However, if we can (and I think we can), William will join every copy of Madness Reborn at no additional cost.

Now, you might have noticed that I mentioned stretch goals at the top of the update. I can confirm that there is another who is even more critical to the overall Deep Madness story than William - and who we will reveal at a later date. Can you guess who she is?

Digging into Madness Reborn with Phil
over 1 year ago – Sat, Nov 05, 2022 at 08:57:58 PM

Hey guys! We have less than 48 hours left in the campaign! I'm still confident we'll make that stretch goal, so let's see if we can chip it away! 

I thought we'd talk today with Phil Blake, who designed the seven scenarios in Madness Reborn. I wanted to pick his brain on the different scenarios and give him a chance to discuss his original intentions with the expansion. So, with that said, let's hear from Phil!

Phil's Musings on Madness Reborn

What were your initial goals when designing these scenarios, Phil?

When putting these scenarios together, the central premise was always to look at what made each epic monster uniquely interesting and tap into that theme, putting them at the center of everything. They went through several layers of playtesting to get that all-important tension and balance right, factoring in all the potential monster groups and investigators that someone could use. This work hopefully resulted in a series of distinct and varied scenarios, as you'll see below.

Dimension Sickness
In this scenario, a Dimension Breach has occurred, acting like a whirlpool or black hole constantly dragging investigators towards itself - and, ultimately, their doom. However, unlike most scenarios, the struggle is not to spread out and fulfill various objectives but instead to try hunkering down in the one safe room and operate remote-controlled trap mines straight into the breach, weakening it enough so you can finish off the creature causing it.  
 

Wisdom of the Mad King
Dr. William West has installed a psychic lock on one of the facility's doors. Unfortunately, the only way to open it lies in another realm entirely. The premise of this one is quite simple: survive long enough until the door opens and then leave. Unfortunately, the Drifter Lord does not look kindly on interlopers in his realm. The only way you can survive the hordes of relentless monsters is to learn how to embrace madness - which unlocks the ability to trade damage received for madness tokens on a 1-1 basis. While this means your body might survive well beyond its normal limits, it comes at a most terrible cost.  

Hunger Pains
Based loosely on the cafeteria scene in Shattered Seas, this is a race against time for the investigators to satisfy their own appetites by finding enough food before succumbing to their urges and turning on each other. To make matters worse, the whole map is crawling with Ravenous and Cannibals also trying to satisfy their growing hunger - all under the command of Alpha Ravenous.

Devoured
This scenario explores a desperate struggle to return to the correct reality after the Devourer of Realms swallows the entire shuttle holding the investigators. To do this, you need to track down fragments of your own reality and rebuild them. Unfortunately, the longer they spend in this realm, the more powerful the Devourer becomes. If trying to evade a more powerful and faster Devourer was not bad enough, Despairs litter the map, their grasping hands trying to latch on and hold you in place as easy prey.  

Infected Memories
Here you need to fight back against the corruption infesting Kadath. You have discovered a way to restore devoured rooms, and you win if no rooms are in a devoured state and Insidious is killed. Restoring the first couple of rooms may be quite easy, but then you realize all the monsters will now only spawn in the few remaining rooms, making those last couple very difficult indeed as they become choked with monsters - even before factoring in Insidious moving from egg to egg to hamper your progress.  

The Dreamlands  
This is the only stealth scenario for Deep Madness, as you need to complete the objectives while making as little noise as possible. The Sleeper hunts by noise alone, and once it has you in its grasp, there is no escape. Thus, you will need to think twice before firing that pistol or running full speed down the corridors and weigh up the risks in this push-your-luck scenario.  

Purgatory
Forsaken Rage has come and seeks the destruction of all, but Penitent Sorrow has shown herself an unlikely ally, and the two are destined for a cataclysmic fight of titans. The scenario has two parts: not only do you need to protect Penitent Sorrow from harm by escorting her safely, but you also need to cleanse the seven blasphemous tomes powering Forsaken Rage so it can be weakened for the fight ahead.  
 

Thanks for those insights into the scenarios in Madness Reborn, Phil. And thanks so much to the entire team that has brought them to life: Seth, Oscar, Fabio, and Sam! You guys are all incredible, and we so appreciate your dedication to expanding this game and its universe. Also, I want to give a shout-out to our entire amazing Deep Madness Universe community. You guys are the best, whether you just learned about us yesterday or you've been with us since the very start. 

That's all for this update, but we'll be back again soon!  

Stretch Goal Unlocked! (And More to Come!)
over 1 year ago – Sat, Nov 05, 2022 at 08:57:50 PM

We did it! In the final hours of the campaign, we pulled it off: the epic investigator Dr. William West is coming to Madness Reborn! Thank you so much for making this happen. We so appreciate you believing in this game and campaign. You're amazing. 

At $400,000, we have officially unlocked:

We'll have updates on his concept and sculpt as those things progress. In the meantime, though, there is a glaring omission: we had talked about two investigators, but William is only one. Every other major Deep Madness expansion has two investigators, so will this one really be different?

Nope.

Previously, we had said that we would add the epic investigators as add-ons if we didn't unlock them. But now that William is unlocked, that just feels kind of weird. So, we're going to have one final stretch goal, and we're going to keep working toward it in the pledge manager. I don't have all the details yet (I don't even have the graphic, as our graphic designer is currently asleep), but I can promise it's happening: Enlightened Regan Waite will be joining Madness Reborn, and there will be more details on how we'll unlock her when we open the pledge manager.

Thanks again for being with us, my friend. Onward!