Dawn of Madness

Current Progress and a Look at Gen Con
8 months ago – Wed, Aug 13, 2025 at 06:14:46 PM

Hey guys! Today, we have a fresh look at our current progress (if you missed the Gamefound update) and a quick glimpse at Gen Con. Enjoy!

Current Progress

Miniatures

The factory is now filled with miniatures for Wave Two expansions. They will complete this production run within two to three weeks.

Printed Materials

The printing facility is ready to start producing cards and punchboards. Our project slot is secured, and we are waiting for final order numbers.

Other Accessories

Production for accessories, including game mats, metal tokens, and more, is also ready to begin.

Summary

A good chunk of the work is already complete and progressing smoothly. Next comes the large-scale production phase, along with the manufacturing of shipping materials. This will take about 2–3 months, and we’ll share more updates as major milestones are reached.

Below is a short video from the factory, capturing the production process in action.

In case you haven't gotten your Save System, Audio Narrations, or Sins of the Lost expansion yet, we've extended the pledge manager by two more days! Check it out before time's up! Once the pledge manager closes, production moves full steam ahead toward delivery!

A Look at Gen Con

Thanks so much to everyone who made it out to visit with me and the crew at Gen Con. It was wonderful to see so many of you again and to meet others of you for the first time! In case you missed it, here are a few pictures of our booth, which we shared with our manufacturer, Top Games:

Okay, that's it for this update. Have a great day, and we'll talk with you again soon!

Into the Factory: Miniature Production & Packaging Revealed
8 months ago – Mon, Jul 21, 2025 at 07:07:22 PM

Hi there! We posted this update on Gamefound a couple of days ago, but we wanted to share it here as well, in case you missed it. 

The team visited the production facility to check on the miniatures’ production, and what they saw was awesome. It was quite a rush for them to see the Dawn of Madness miniatures actively being manufactured. Let’s take a look!

Additionally, they also reviewed the final blister packaging products for several expansions. These products were inspected in the factory’s office; please forgive the subpar lighting. Also, kindly disregard the printed components. The team was using the core game components as placeholders since the final printed components were not available yet. But don’t worry, they’re coming soon!

We’re thrilled to see everything coming together and can’t wait to show you more in the coming weeks. 

Gamefound Pledge Manager now open!

Missed the Gamefound campaign? Wanting to get the save tray system or the audio narrations? Realizing how awesome the Numinas will be, but missed them the first time? Finding yourself with a hankering for the Sins of the Lost expansion or The Chasteners? Well, you're in luck, because the Gamefound pledge manager is currently open! Check it out here:

That's it for this update. Thank you, as always, for your incredible support. You make all of this possible! Talk to you again soon!

Live Stream Rescheduled!
9 months ago – Sun, Jun 22, 2025 at 08:04:11 PM

Hey guys! Thank you for your understanding and support regarding the delay of the live stream yesterday. We ended up going to the emergency room and didn't return until the evening. However, everyone involved is doing better now and on the mend.

With us getting back so late, there wasn't time to reschedule for today. So, let's get together tomorrow. I will now host the live stream tomorrow (Monday) at 12:00 PM PDT (7:00 PM GMT). The same links will work, as I was able to reschedule the stream rather than cancel it. So, you can find the stream on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Doing it on a weekday might not be as ideal as a Saturday, but hopefully you'll still be able to come hang out with me and talk about Dawn of Madness.

Okay, that's it for this update. I hope to see you on the live stream tomorrow!

Live Stream Delayed
9 months ago – Sat, Jun 21, 2025 at 12:58:18 PM

Hey guys. I just needed to let you know the live stream will be delayed a bit. We had a family medical emergency, and I'm not yet sure when I'll be back to jump on with you guys. As soon as I know, I'll get this thing rescheduled.

If we have to delay by an hour or two, we'll still do it today. But if it gets much later than that, we'll postpone to a different day so those in Europe can still join us.

I'm really sorry to have to bounce on you guys, particularly after having just set this up officially yesterday. But we'll still make this happen shortly.

Thanks for your understanding, and I'll talk with you again soon.

A Look at the Upgrade Pack, Component Storage Box, and Save System
10 months ago – Thu, Jun 12, 2025 at 07:31:29 PM

Hi guys! I hope you've had a great couple of weeks. Today, I wanted to give you a closer look at the upgrade pack, the plastic tray save system, and the component storage box. Let's jump in!

Component Storage Box

Let's start with the component storage box, since I know many of you have been eagerly awaiting a look at this one. We originally had different art on the box, but after hearing feedback from backers, we changed it to this. Here's what the component box you'll be getting looks like, as well as the miniatures box:

Now, let's take a look at the component box's different trays, starting with layer one. This layer holds the game board, the standees, and many of the core components.

Here's a look at layer two, which holds the Wanderer dashboards and components.

And here's layer three, which holds the monsters and domain cards.

Here's layer four, which holds additional components for each wanderer, such as their world shards and card decks.

Here's layer five, which holds the storybooks, rulebooks, and additional large components.

And finally, here are all the layers stacked on top of each other. Please note that this cover features our old artwork, not the version you will receive. The first image shows the art you will get on your box if you ordered this.

We will provide a layout guide showing where everything goes in this box, so you don't need to worry about that. 

Also, if you missed your chance to get this box previously, no worries. The reopened pledge manager/new campaign is still ongoing, and you can obtain this box by clicking here.

The Plastic Tray Save System

Next, let's look at the Save System! This is a new product we've included in the reopened pledge manager/new campaign, so you don't have it yet if you haven't backed that project. However, we've tried to make it as affordable as possible for everyone who wants it. You can get this Save System for only $15 by clicking here.

Here it is:

A common question about the Save System is whether it can fit in the core box or the new component storage box. Unfortunately, it won't. However, it is the same length and width as the component and miniature storage boxes, so it will stack nicely with them. Let's see the trays in action.

The Wanderer trays allow you to store each wanderer’s current status, cards, and tokens. Even complex components, such as domain tokens, can be saved in a single, straightforward action. You’ll just place the pieces, close the lid, and you’re done.

The Monster tray works the same way: you’ll neatly slot each monster’s related tokens and cards into designated spaces, with the cards placed on top. Then, you’ll seal everything under a lid. Other essential components, such as the Domain Deck and its discard pile, Encounter Cards, Coda Cards, and Sentience Sheets, also have their own dedicated spaces.

As for the game board, you’ll place each World Shard’s components in their matching compartments. Tokens and cards go below, with the World Shard card placed on top. Then, you’ll record the current round number and each ending path’s scores. Since the save point occurs at the end of a round, there’s no need to track the mental capacity meter.

Restoring the game is just as easy. You’ll simply reverse the save process. In fact, you can even use the plastic trays during gameplay to keep everything organized, making both setup and storage faster and more efficient. The game board layer tray features several integrated elements: on the left, it includes a built-in Mental Capacity Track, and on the right, it displays symbols for all four Endings. Between them, we’ve carved a connected path of grid spaces into the tray. These features enable the tray to fully replace the game board, if desired, streamlining gameplay and significantly reducing setup time.

The Save System is perhaps the most useful and essential accessory we have for Dawn of Madness. I highly recommend you pick it up here to ensure you have the best possible DoM experience. (It's also a part of the New Essentials pledge if you want the campaign's most important new stuff.)

The Upgrade Pack

Next, let's look at the Upgrade Pack. These components replace many of the core game ones. 

We had to set the Gamefound campaign price to $1 because they wouldn't allow us to offer pledges with a price of $0. However, we also added a $1 credit in GF linked to your BackerKit email address to cover the cost. (You can also reach out to Cherry at [email protected] if you have a problem with it.) You can get yours on the GF campaign by clicking here.

The Upgrade Pack Includes:

• 1 New Rulebook with revised rules
• 1 Story Mode Book with Storybook Revisions
• 1 Wanderer Save Pad
• 1 Monster & Game Board Save Pad
• 8 Abomination Cards
• 1 Support Card
• 21 Terror Cards
• 12 Malformation Cards
• 9 Final Boss Cards
• 54 Standees
• 54 Mental Capacity Trackers
• 5 Extra Health Tokens
• 65 Domain Rift Tokens (13 per sentience)
• 52 Ending Score Tokens (13 per ending)
• 42 Reminder Tokens (8 Search, 6 Domain, 4 Trade, and 24 Reminder)
• 1 Miniature Label Sticker Sheet

We'll break out many of these components into their own sections below.

Story Mode and Storybook Revisions

This core change is simple and easy to apply: during the Event Phase at the beginning of each game round, fewer terrors will spawn. While this adjustment may appear minor, its impact is substantial.

Though technically “common” enemies, Terrors often have potent passive abilities that continuously affect the game and complicate player strategies. Their presence creates constant threats, forcing wanderers to spend valuable actions avoiding or confronting them, which in turn delays story progression and increases mechanical load. By reducing the total terrors, Story Mode enables players to focus more on the unfolding narrative, thereby shortening gameplay, lowering survival pressure, and streamlining what players need to track, all without sacrificing immersion. It’s an excellent choice for those seeking a more balanced challenge or a more narrative-focused experience.

We’ve also included a few revisions to the original storybooks in the Story Mode book’s back half, particularly regarding encounters that spawn terrors. Previously, when a terror appeared during an encounter, it would enter the board at full mental capacity, often catching players completely off guard. We have now updated this rule: terrors summoned through encounters will now appear with 0 mental capacity, meaning they won’t act until the next round. This change provides players with more room to react, resulting in a smoother experience and an overall improvement in pacing.

Finally, we’ve revised the wanderer death rule during the Wanderer Stage to improve game flow and reduce punishing chain reactions. Previously, when a wanderer died, their malformation would spawn immediately and inherit their current mental capacity, allowing it to act immediately. Now, the malformation enters play with 0 mental capacity, meaning it won’t act until the following round. This change provides players with a critical moment to regroup and respond, significantly reducing the likelihood of immediate cascading failures caused by a single death.

New Support System

The Support System is used to compensate for a lower player count when playing with 2 or 3 wanderers, enabling them to take additional strategic actions during their turns. We’ve made several key improvements to this system to enhance clarity, usability, and balance:

• All support actions are now listed on a single large card, making it easier to reference and more convenient during play.
• Each action now includes self-contained instructions, eliminating the need to check the rulebook.
• We’ve removed the rule requiring wanderers to alternate between support actions and their own, allowing players to use multiple support card actions in a row.
• A new optional rule introduces a wild action that players can use once per round for free. This rule offers great strategic potential. Furthermore, players can even use it in 4-wanderer games.
• Wanderers now gain bonus health in low-player games: +3 HP each in 2-wanderer games and +2 HP each in 3-wanderer games, helping ensure survivability and reduce early knockouts.

These adjustments enhance accessibility and tactical options in lower-player-count games while smoothing the learning curve and mitigating punishing difficulty spikes.

Revised Domain Rift Rules 

This improvement also focuses on simplifying the spawning process for terrors and malformations. Previously, whenever a terror or malformation appeared on the game board, you needed to roll three sentience dice matching the monster’s world shard’s colors. Based on the dice results, you would then find and place the matching Domain Rift tokens onto the monster’s card. These tokens determine how the monster’s special abilities activate and how wanderers can target them during an attack. This process proved to be cumbersome and time-consuming.

The new rules replace the old method with 65 revised Domain Rift tokens, divided into five sentience colors with 13 tokens per color. During setup, shuffle each color’s tokens and place them face down in separate stacks or piles.

Now, when placing Domain Rift tokens on a newly spawned terror or malformation, you simply draw one token randomly from each matching color pile and put it directly on the card, eliminating the need for rolling, checking, and token finding.

To preserve the domain rifts’ original probabilities, we carefully adjusted the combination of domain icons within each color’s 13-token set to match the corresponding sentience die’s distribution. In our testing, this system maintained the same overall difficulty and variety as the original dice-based version while significantly improving speed and ease of play.

New Monster Cards, Standees, and Mental Capacity Trackers

We designed these upgrades to make it easier for players to identify and manage components during gameplay. With clearer illustrations, uniquely shaped standees, and monster names printed directly on them, this change proves to be much faster and more intuitive, allowing for quicker recognition of which monster is which, thereby reducing downtime and keeping the experience flowing smoothly.

The Upgrade Pack also includes a sticker sheet featuring the names of every core game miniature. You can place these stickers on the miniature bases’ undersides to increase clarity and avoid confusion. We’ve already engraved every expansion miniature’s name on the bottom of their bases.

Reminder Tokens

We’ve designed these tokens to help players easily track whether specific important effects or actions have been used or triggered during a round. Actions such as Domain, Search, and Trade, which can be performed once per wanderer per round, now have dedicated tokens to mark their usage.

Additionally, we’ve included general reminder tokens to help track any other game effects with limited uses, offering a more organized and streamlined gameplay experience.

New Ending Score Trackers

We’ve designed these upgraded trackers to improve the endgame scoring accuracy. In the past, players could easily bump or misplace a single tracker as it moved along the score track, leading to errors. Now, the system uses individual score markers that you place directly on the score values instead of sliding a single piece. The reverse side of each token is marked with +10, making it easier to represent higher scores at a glance.

That's it regarding the upgrade pack. Once more, you can get yours on the GF campaign by clicking here.

Audiobook Samples Online

I realize I didn't mention this earlier, but I have one more thing to show you. The team has revealed samples of the audiobooks and how they will work. They will utilize a website where you will access your audiobooks. When you log into the portal using your personalized link, you'll see all of the audiobooks you've purchased:

Upon clicking into a book, you'll be dropped into it, where you can navigate to a specific entry, listen to and read that entry, and adjust settings such as playback speed and volume. You can even download the entry if you'd like; however, we kindly request that you not share it with anyone. An encounter's entry page will look like this:

Ready to experience some samples? Then access them below.

Pretty cool, huh? Here are some specifics about the experience:

• Entry Selection: You can directly input the desired entry number in the field at the top right and confirm to jump to that specific section.
• Integrated Text: The player will display the full text from the physical storybook.
• Story-Focused Narration: The Audio Narrative will exclusively read the story text. Game-related text and rules will be visible for reference but will not be narrated.
• Other Content: You can also select and listen to narrated versions of each Wanderer's bio and the introduction to their finale stage ending via a dropdown menu. (Please note: The game text within the finale stage itself is not included in the audio, as it often relies on visual elements and images best referenced in the physical storybook.)
• Player Controls: The player will offer controls for volume, playback speed, and a download button.

The core four wanderers' storybooks are available in a bundle for $15 right here. You can also get the complete collection of 17 storybooks for $30 right here.

Okay, that's it for this update! I hope you've enjoyed this look at some of the new stuff we've been working on. We'll be back with some more factory samples and other information soon, so stay tuned for that. And if you haven't checked out the reopened pledge manager/new campaign on Gamefound, I hope to see you over there!