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Dawn of Madness

Created by Diemension Games

A mind-shattering story-driven cooperative board game for 1-4 players that is a true horror experience.

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Shipping Costs Broken Down
about 4 years ago – Fri, Feb 14, 2020 at 12:37:35 AM

Hi guys! After the last update we received a lot of feedback and questions regarding shipping prices. So, I wanted to take a couple of minutes and go into why prices are what they are. This will be kind of a nuts-and-bolts update and not the most fun, but it is something that certainly effects you if you want to get Dawn of Madness.

Looking back, my greatest regret regarding this matter is that I didn't push harder to get at least a rough estimate for the all-in shipping during the campaign. We were told that we wouldn't have the quotes in time, and, in the heat of everything, maybe we didn't try hard enough to get them. (Of course, if the quote was wrong,  we would then have an entirely different problem on our hands... LOL!) The closest we got was telling people it would likely be comparable to Deep Madness, which wasn't good enough. We should have gotten the estimates sooner, and I apologize about that. 

Otherworld Shipping

As for the shipping cost for the Otherworld level, it did rise when we added in the stretch goal content. Some could argue (and have argued) that we should have included potential stretch goals in our initial shipping estimate. The biggest problem with this is, there was no guarantee we would unlock everything. There is never a guarantee that a Kickstarter is going to be a success. And, honestly, I have seen Kickstarter projects that failed in large part (not in entirety, but in large part) because they estimated their shipping based on what they expected to unlock through stretch goals. As such, the message above our shipping estimates, which read (in short), "The following estimated shipping prices are based solely on the Dawn of Madness Core and Miniature Box, and may vary after any unlocked stretch goals and optional buys are factored in" was about as close as we could get. I realize there is a case that can be made the other way, too, and for those who are upset by this, I apologize. You could also say that we knew that we would unlock everything because of daily unlocks and the like. But the thing is, we didn't. Daily unlocks were not our original plan. Unlocking giant parts of the campaign sans stretch goals on the last day were also not our plan. The circumstances during the campaign forced us (or at least we felt they did) to take drastic action, and that action completely changed and reshaped the entire structure of the campaign - from our most controversial moves to our most popular ones. Our plan originally was to advance entirely through stretch goals.

Now, why not just eat that additional cost for the unlocked goals? They were, after all, supposed to be free added content. The reason for this is that, if we were to subsidize that additional cost (we will estimate it to be $15 per backer), then, just from our Otherworld backers during the campaign, the cost would be over $40,000. We are trying to be financially wise, and to ensure that we are able to deliver your game to you without using any shady tactics such as funding this game by running another Kickstarter. (A practice that seems to be becoming more common.) As such, this was a cost we couldn't absorb.

Core Shipping

Some have wondered, too, why the core game isn't cheaper, or the Echoes in the Mist expansion. After all, they don't have any miniatures in them. Well, they may not have miniatures, but they are loaded with tokens and books, both of which are heavy. In fact, much heavier than plastic. So, while we do save on space, we do not save on weight. Dawn of Madness will be heavier than many games on the market today, and it is because of all those books (and tokens) it will contain.

Two-Wave Shipping

It has also been postulated that the shipping is significantly more because we are doing two-wave shipping on this campaign. Honestly, I kind of thought this myself. But it's been brought to my attention that doing a single-wave shipment for an Otherworld pledge would save a - wait for it - whopping $5-7. (Unleash the fanfare of kazoos!)

Having said that, we realize this is an important issue for some people. As such, we are going to add a 1-wave option to the pledge manager. There is a bigger difference when it comes to the All-In pledge in some countries, which is the biggest reason we have decided to do this. 

Here is a breakdown of the difference between 1- and 2-wave shipping, to see if it's worth it for you:

The 1-wave shipping option will now be available in the add-ons section of the pledge manager. You can add it to your pledge if you would like.  Just keep in mind, this means your core game will arrive at least one year later.

Why the bigger difference between the All-In and the Otherworld? There are a few reasons. One big one is because at a certain weight it's cheaper to ship one giant box as opposed to two smaller boxes. For the biggest decreases (such as Russia and Mexico) it's because those countries will spend more time in air freight. 

But a bigger question might be, why such a small difference between one-wave and two-wave shipping for most countries? Once again, there are a few reasons. For countries that are mainly ground freight, the difference is extremely small. As mentioned above, the biggest decreases come when the weight goes up and air freight is involved. Another reason for the lower costs is because of our next point:

Subsidized Shipping

Believe it or not, we actually are still subsidizing shipping costs. We are not making money on shipping, even with these (frankly horrific) prices.  We are still eating part of the cost on basically every single shipment we will make. And, to be perfectly honest, by the end of this process we will probably eat more. On every campaign we have run, we have encountered enormous shipping snafus completely out of our control that have cost us a lot. (In our first campaign it nearly ended us.) I don't say any of this to make you feel bad (or to make you think you will suddenly get charged even more later on in the campaign - that has never happened on one of our campaigns, and we don't ever intend to start it), but just to be completely up-front with you. 

Another reason that the difference between the one- versus two-wave shipping is negligible is because a good chunk of that subsidizing is going into the second wave of shipments. However, if switching to one shipment, we would then have to pay to store the items from wave 1, which eats into our ability to subsidize the total shipping cost. 

Shipping Cost Breakdown

So if split-shipping isn't the problem, what is? Weight and size, but several other things as well. The truth is out: you're not just paying for shipping. There are a lot of other factors that go into that price as well. 

The shipping fee you pay is mainly composed of three parts: the sea freight and land freight from the factory to the overseas warehouse, the packing fee for the warehouse to process the order, and the express shipping from the warehouse to your house. It's not just from point-A to point-B: we pay more for the whole transportation process. In order to prevent any accident at sea, we get insurance for every container. For backers in the EU, UK, US, Canada, and Australia, we pay in advance for all of the relevant taxes, including VAT and tariffs, for the goods entering the local area to ensure you don't get hit with the charge at your door. In addition, we need to pay the management fee and storage fee to the fulfillment partners, as well as funding for potential mishaps that may occur along the way. We promise that the shipping fee we charge is to ensure that the game is delivered to you, rather than profiting from it. Actually, we pay more than the fee charged to you. As noted above, we are also subsidizing a portion of the first three parts mentioned at the beginning.

Many countries, unfortunately, have additional fees that must be taken into account, including air freight. These countries include some Asian countries, South America, Africa, and some island countries. These, tragically, are the countries where the shipping costs are truly exorbitant. In previous campaigns we heavily subsidized backers from these countries. This time, however, we haven't been able to subsidize them as much as we have in the past, because it's simply not feasible anymore. Having said that, they are still subsidized more than any other countries. In fact, in some cases we would save more by cancelling the order. But we don't want to limit the spread of our game, and we don't want to tell people that they can't buy it if they really want it. Some publishers have completely stopped selling to these countries. We don't want to do that. It doesn't seem right to us. But that is why the shipping charges to these countries are so utterly abysmal. We looked into other methods as well, but due to the limited number of copies we have going to each country the costs would, in the end, actually be more than the current ones.

Some Comparisons

We realize it seems absolutely outrageous to be paying $50 for a $139 game. We completely understand how ludicrous it sounds. But the thing is, you are really getting a ton of stuff for $139.  And a lot of it is heavy.  As noted before, we estimate that an Otherworld pledge will weigh approximately 12kg or 27 pounds, with 4 big boxes. The estimated value of these boxes would be approximately $278 if they were being sold in retail outlets. For reference, in the Deep Madness reprint campaign an Investigator pledge cost $40 to ship. (This was with Profundum, which was heavily subsidized.) Dawn of Madness weighs significantly more than Deep Madness, though: Dawn of Madness will be 12kg/27lbs, while Deep Madness weighed 9kg/20lbs with Profundum. Shipping prices, meanwhile, have gone up quite significantly even since we priced out that campaign, and are most certainly not expected to go down before we actually ship this one. 

An All-In for Deep Madness, meanwhile, cost $60 to most countries in the reprint. In Dawn of Madness the price is $66, and it's still heavier. Deep Madness All-In was 14kg/31lbs, while Dawn of Madness will be 18kg/40lbs. (The reason the prices are comparable is because Deep Madness had a lot more SKUs, and every SKU costs an extra pick-and-pack fee in the warehouses. )

I personally have also backed several large campaigns in the last few months that were comparably priced when the total shipment weight was factored in. Why? Is it because we board game companies are all out to gouge backers, or skim some off the top? Absolutely not. Is it because this is all a racket? Well - actually, yes. I believe that one is true. But it's not the board game companies who are the racketeers. I think people would be shocked if they learned how much their shipments actually cost because, despite we backers longing for the days when shipments were subsidized and everything was reasonable, I firmly believe most of our shipments still are subsidized, whether from CMON or Awaken Realms or pretty much anyone else. It just doesn't seem like it because the cost is so hellishly high. This is a problem with the international shipping industry as a whole. And everyone is paying these outlandish, unholy costs. Maybe the bigger companies do get a bigger discount, but I also believe that they are just better at hiding it than smaller, less established companies, because they have more funds to cover more of the cost. But I realize I'm creeping onto my soap box now, so I'm going to force myself back down. I have said before that shipping is my least favorite part of every Kickstarter, and that ranges from the cost to the delivery and everything in-between. Shipping sucks. I've said it before, and I'll likely say it again. But our company (and many others) wouldn't exist without it, so it's a necessary evil. I just wish it was less damaging to everyone involved.

Listen, guys, I wish something could be done about these shipping costs. I hate them as much as you. (Actually, probably more. I really hate shipping, not just because the costs are high but because it damages the relationships we have built together as a community.) But there's nothing I can do about them. Having said that, you're not stuck in this. If you can't afford the shipping or just don't want to pay it, no worries. I completely understand. Send an email to [email protected] and we'll refund you (minus Kickstarter fees.) We're not going to force you to buy our game or support this project, and we're not going to strong arm you or make you feel like the wool was pulled over your eyes. For those who feel that way, we apologize. It was never our intention. But I hope that, even if you decide to go, we can still be friends. 

Hopefully this has, at the very least, given you a little insight into the horrible, nightmarish world of Kickstarter shipping, and into our thought process. Sorry it was so dang long. We will talk to you again very soon.

Pledge Manager Opens Today! All (Or at Least Many of) Your Questions Answered!
about 4 years ago – Thu, Feb 13, 2020 at 02:57:54 AM

Hey there, friend! We have some pretty big news: the pledge manager is beginning to roll out to people as of today! It may take a little while for you to get your survey, but don't worry - it's on the way.

We will start with what's called a "smoke test." Basically this is where 5% of the surveys are sent out to folks to make sure there are no issues with the pledge manager. Then, not long after that, we will be able to send out the remaining surveys. Once these start going out it can take 24-48 hours for your survey to arrive to you. If you don't see your survey link, be sure to check your junk mail folder. 

Still haven't gotten your link? Then go to dawn-of-madness.backerkit.com/ to have it resent to you by entering the exact email address you used to back this project. (If you have a Backerkit account, it will also show up in your list of projects.) If those methods still aren't working for you, though, you can send an email to [email protected] and we'll help you get squared away.

Navigating the Pledge Manager

While some of you likely know pledge managers like the back of your hand, we thought it might be helpful to have a few pictures of how to navigate the pledge manager for those who may not have done this very often. As mentioned before, we will be using Backerkit for this campaign. You will receive an email with the link to your survey in it. When you click on that link, you will be taken to a page that looks like this: 

Click "Get Started!" to do just that, or click "switch your pledge level" to change to a different pledge level.

Click the "Get Started!" button to do just that, or click "switch your pledge level" if you would prefer to move to a different pledge level.  (If you're a $1 backer, you will have to switch your pledge level if you would like to get any rewards.) 

 If you choose to change your pledge level, you will see a menu appear like this. Just click on the level and then scroll down to the "Switch" button. (Not pictured. Sorry.) Click on that and you'll be good to go.

If you choose to change your pledge level, you will see a list of the pledges like this.

Next, you'll be directed to a series of questions. One of these questions will be where you select your preferred language, so obviously that one's pretty important. =) Most of them are just informative, but you'll want to read them all so that you get a good idea of what is where and why. 

Next, you'll have to answer a few questions - including what language you want.

After the questions, you'll be able to choose any add-ons you would like to add to your order. The biggest expansions will ask you what language you would prefer, while the smaller ones will have all languages bundled inside. You will see a running total along the right-hand side of what add-ons you've added, as well as the items included in your pledge level and the total for shipping. Once you're done here, click "Next".

After the questions, you'll be able to choose your add-ons.

On the next screen you'll be able to put in your address information.

On the next screen you'll enter your address information.

And, finally, on this screen you'll see your total (1) and the items in your order (2) as well as your address. You'll then pay for everything on the right. You can pay through Backerkit's method (3), or through PayPal (4). If you pay through Backerkit, then your payment will not be processed until we close the pledge manager. However, if you pay using PayPal then your payment will process immediately. Up until we close the pledge manager, you will still be able to add items to your order. This makes PayPal a very convenient method to pay over time by adding one or two items to your order whenever you have funds and then using PayPal to pay for it.

Here is where you will pay for your shipping and add-ons, as well as place your order.

Last of all, finalize everything by clicking "Place My Order" (5). (This is important regardless of which payment method you choose.)

Frequently Asked Questions (Or At Least Fervently Anticipated Questions)

Below we have assembled a few of the questions we anticipate being the most pressing ones people will be asking, as well as some (hopefully) helpful answers. If we didn't cover your question, though, let us know and we'll get back to you. 

Q: How can I pay for shipping and add-ons?

There will be two methods available inside the pledge manager. First of all, you can pay with a credit card through Backerkit itself. If you decide to use this method, then your card will not be charged until the pledge manager closes. Alternatively, you can use PayPal to pay for items. If you use PayPal, then your card will be charged immediately.  

Q: When will the pledge manager close?

The pledge manager is currently scheduled to close on May 31st. After the PM closes, your order will be locked, and your card will be charged (assuming you used the Backerkit payment method.)

Q: Can I edit my address after the PM closes?

Yes, you can. Your address will be locked right before the shipping process begins. Since we will do two waves of shipping, you will also be able to edit your address before each shipping wave begins.

Q: How much will the packages weigh, and how will the weight effect the shipping cost?

For the Core Experience pledge level (before any add-ons), the package will be about 6.5kg (15 pounds). The shipping fee will be roughly the same as the estimate shown on the campaign page.

For the Otherworld Experience pledge level (before any add-ons): The packages over the 2 waves will total about 12kg (27 pounds) together. Because we unlocked a ton of new items during the campaign (a lot more items in the core box and miniature box, as well as the two new big box expansions), the shipping fee will be about $10-$20 higher than the estimate shown on the campaign page for most countries.

For some countries (Mexico, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Malta, Iceland, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, and countries from South America and Africa), however, there's a relatively big jump on shipping because of the goals we unlocked during the campaign. Tragically, the cost for international shipping has only continued to rise in recent years - and even in recent months. We actually ate a lot of the cost for the packages shipped to the countries mentioned above in our previous campaign. Sadly, this time we can't eat as big of a part of the cost for the sake of this project's healthy financial outlook, based on our shipping partners' quotations. We are unfortunately still a very small team, so we don't have the wiggle room on this that some larger companies may have and can't currently take a big loss on shipping fees. Thank you for your understanding about this. We know this sucks. If you are from one of the countries mentioned above and have any questions about your order (including if this is no longer doable for you), then please feel free to contact us at [email protected].

For the Gameplay All-in Pledge Level: The packages across the 2 shipping waves will total around 18kg (40 pounds) altogether.

Q: Can I use PayPal?

Yes, we accept PayPal in the PM.

Q: I'm currently at the $1 pledge level. What should I do?

There are no rewards available at the $1 pledge level. If you would like to participate in Dawn of Madness, then please switch your pledge level after you enter the PM. (See the pictures above to see how to do this.)

Q: How do you know I'm a Deep Madness returning backer? How do I get the free DM crossover packs?

If you participated in either of our Deep Madness campaigns (even as a late backer), then you basically shouldn't need to do anything. We have created special DM returning backer pledge levels for several existing pledge levels (specifically the Otherworld and all of the Gameplay All-In levels) and have already moved our returning backers into the new pledge levels based on the Backerkit pledge records.

In the $139 Otherworld DM returning backer pledge level, a free DM Crossover Pack 1 has already been added.

In the $288/$303/$313 Gameplay All-In DM returning backer pledge levels, both DM Crossover Pack 1 and 2 have already been added.

If you purchased Deep Madness outside of KS, we still consider you a returning DM backer. However, we cannot automatically move you into one of the DM returning backers pledge levels, because we have no record of your purchase in Backerkit. Having said that, if you are at either the $139 Otherworld or the $313 Gameplay All-In level, you can manually switch to the returning backer levels yourself. If you are at either the $288 or $303 level, though, then please contact us via email at [email protected] and we will switch you over on our end.  (These pledge levels are not visible to people wanting to switch pledge levels.)

Q: I purchased The Faces of the Sphere expansion during the DM reprint campaign. How do I get the free crossover pack for this expansion?

We have prepared a free add-on for The Faces of the Sphere expansion crossover pack in the DM returning backer pledge levels. You can manually add it into your order in the PM. If you have multiple copies of The Faces of the Sphere expansion, you can add 1 crossover pack for each copy of the expansion you own.

Q: Which products are in the 1st shipping wave, and which are in the 2nd shipping wave?

Products that will be delivered in the 1st shipping wave:

· Dawn of Madness Core Box (with applicable unlocked goals)

· The Otherworld Miniature Box (with applicable unlocked goals)

· The Faces of the Sphere Expansion and its Crossover Pack

· Deep Madness Crossover Pack I

· Neoprene Game Mat

· Sentience Dice Pack

· Metal Sentience Token Pack (80 tokens version)

· Metal Sentience Token Pack (120 tokens version)

Products that will be delivered in the 2nd shipping wave:

· The Written Rift Expansion (The Author)

· The Ticking Heart Expansion (The Clockmaker)

· The Forgotten Void Expansion (The Anthropologist)

· Of Art and Oblivion Expansion (The Actor)

· The Numina Abomination Pack

· The Executioners Abomination Pack

· The Depressions Terror Pack

· The Watchers Terror Pack

· Echoes in the Mist Standee Expansion Collection

· Deep Madness Crossover Pack II

· The Art of Dawn of Madness

· Component Storage Box

· Miniature Storage Box

Q: Which gameplay items are not included in the Gameplay All-in Pledge? Why?

The Watchers Terror Pack is not included in the Gameplay All-In pledge level because the early-bird backers will already receive it as a free reward.

The Faces of the Sphere expansion is not included in this pledge level because many of our Deep Madness returning backers already purchased it during the DM Second Printing KS campaign.

If you wish to purchase these two expansions to complete your gameplay collection, don't forget to manually add them into your pledge in the pledge manager.

Q: How do I know if I'm an early-bird backer? And if I am, how do I get the free early-bird reward The Watchers Terror Pack?

Backers numbered from #1 - #6170 are early-bird backers. To find your backer number, click on your profile picture in the upper right-hand corner of Kickstarter, then view your backed projects. Scroll down to Dawn of Madness, and then click the blue circle with the plus symbol in it. This will open your backer information. From there, scroll down to the very bottom of this screen and you'll see your backer number. 

Your backer number is down at the very bottom.

If you are one of the early-bird backers (#1 - #6170), we will add a free The Watchers Terror Pack early-bird reward into your order for each Otherworld Experience and/or Gameplay All-In pledge you have once the Pledge Manager is closed and your pledge is locked. You don't need to add it into your order yourself.

Q. Will the Pledge Manager open again once Wave 1 ships? 

We're not sure yet, to be honest. We know a number of other campaigns have done this, but we're not sure if we can swing it yet or not. If we do, it will only be for Wave 2 items. Wave 1 items will not be purchasable through the pledge manager at that point. 

Q. Is single-wave shipping available?

Unfortunately we are not able to offer single-wave shipping with this campaign. We don't have much in the way of storage/warehouse space at this time, which makes single-wave shipping untenable. In addition, once the wave 1 items are created they will not be produced again in this campaign. Because of these two factors, we aren't able to offer single-wave shipping for this campaign. We apologize if this is an inconvenience for you.

Q: What about the storage boxes? Did they end up making it into the pledge manager?

As a matter of fact, yes, they did. We have prepared these two add-ons in the pledge manager.

The Component storage box can hold all of the components except the miniatures from the Dawn of Madness core box, as well as all of the expansions.

The Dawn of Madness Components box

The Miniature storage box can hold all of the miniatures from the Dawn of Madness Otherworld box and all of the expansions. It contains several levels of foam inserts.

The Dawn of Madness Miniatures box

Our returning backers will no doubt notice from the render above that we're experimenting a bit with the Miniatures box. Some people had problems with their Deep Madness Monstrum box, so we're exploring other possible designs to maximize durability and ease-of-access. This may not be what we land on finally, but it's where we're at currently in our process. (No matter what, we will do what's best for this box when it comes to durability and design.)

These two boxes are pretty big, so their shipping fees are definitely high. However, we were able to keep them at about the same levels as the Profundum and Monstrum boxes from the DM reprinting campaign.

Okay, I think that's it for this update. Whew! That was a lot of information... Have a great day, my friend, we'll talk with you again soon, and may the pledge manager be ever in your favor!

Pledge Manager Coming February 11th, A Progress Update, and Help Me Write a Story!
about 4 years ago – Thu, Feb 06, 2020 at 01:31:42 AM

Hey guys! Long time no talk!

I'm sorry for the relative radio silence. (I've been popping by the comments, but obviously you haven't gotten any regular updates for a while, which I apologize for.) I've been working to finish up a novel that was in the last Deep Madness campaign, and it's taken up a lot of my time. Anyway, onto the update!

First, this isn't really anything new or different, but if you'd like to hear a podcast I was on recently discussing Dawn of Madness, you can check it out here! (It's only half an hour long, so not a huge time commitment. We talk about Dawn of Madness mainly in the first half, and then other stuff in the second half.) 

(NOTE: I've been informed that the podcast doesn't play in the EU for some reason. If that's the case for you, then give this link a try.)

 Having said that, let's get into the good stuff!

Pledge Manager Opens February 11th!

You guys have been waiting so patiently for the pledge manager to open, and we can finally announce that it will be coming on February 11th! We'll have more details on it very shortly, but wanted to give you all a heads up. We also might have a few surprises, but no promises (or hints) on that quite yet. ;) This will also be when late pledges will go live, so be sure to let your friends who missed the campaign know!

We'll have more on this as we come up on February 11th!

Progress Update

Now we wanted to give you a quick rundown on what's been happening since the campaign ended. Mountains haven't moved yet, but we're laying the dynamite!

(1) Miniatures - We have already submitted 90% of the miniature sculptures to the factory. Before the Chinese New Year, guys from the factory were hard at work making the masters for the tooling process. They will continue this process after they return to work after the CNY, but because of the new coronavirus outbreak in China it will be a bit later this month than it otherwise would have been. The rest of the miniatures' 3D renders are being polished right now to ensure that the maximum amount of detail is captured in the sturdiest miniature possible. We will have more pictures of the revised minis (and the various stages they go through before arriving at your doorstep) in a future update.

(2) Game Design - As I mentioned above, I've been working almost exclusively on the novel Shattered Seas from the Deep Madness reprint campaign and hope to have it finished before too much longer. After that, I'll be right back into writing more delightfully macabre stories for DoM. However, that doesn't mean that the rest of the team has been waiting on me to get moving. The game design process has been ongoing throughout January. We don't have much new gameplay goodness to show you yet, but we will update you as soon as we have something major to show you.

(3) Art - We don't have much more art to show you yet, but that doesn't mean that we won't. We will have a lot more art coming both as we continue with the design process and also as I come up with more awful creepy crawly things for them to draw in the stories. We're currently working on finding the perfect artist/designer for the new game board, so we'll update you all when we have some concepts that we're happy with. 

Let's Write a Story!

So, I've just had a crazy idea. Roger, our lead game designer, creative director, and all-around fearless leader, told me, "We should put a really scary story in this update." But, as you probably know from this campaign, I love making stuff interactive with you guys. So, as I was thinking up what to write or put in here, (actually, right as I got to this part in the update), a wild, crazy idea occurred to me: what if we wrote it together? 

So here's what's going to happen. I'm going to write a few paragraphs, and then we're going to put our heads together and figure out what comes next. Sometimes this will be in the form of a "Choose Your Own Terror" as we've done before with a multiple choice question, and sometimes I'll just straight up ask you, what do you think will happen next? Obviously I'm going to keep complete reins on this thing, and I'll take it where I think is best. (I already have a couple REALLY COOL ideas for this. =D) Having said that, the very scariest idea may well be yours. 

But here's the thing: this is going to be a story (or at least one path in a story) that is used in Dawn of Madness. So this is your chance to be a part of writing a story for Dawn! I know a lot of you are as messed up as I am (I mean, otherwise why would you be here?) so what do you say we see where this goes! (And, as with all of my hair-brained schemes, this may be an awful idea and we may all lose interest in it, or maybe no one will be interested from the get-go and won't submit any ideas. As such, I reserve the right to kill this thing if it doesn't go anywhere. I also don't guarantee how far we'll take it. But right now let's get to writing!)

Oh, and by the by - this is a story that will be in Catherine Little's story book. (If you need a refresher on Catherine's rough backstory, click here.)

The Forest of Teeth

The Forest of Teeth

The sunlight drowns behind the green canopy as you step between the trees, their branches strangling the day as they seem to lean hungrily, greedily, down toward you. You advance deeper into the forest's belly, your gaze flicking left and right as you scan the undergrowth for movement. You used to know this place like the back of your hand. At least, you think you did. Even now you feel the pulse of its power as the emerald life radiates around you, but it's stranger somehow. More feral. Perhaps that's not a bad thing.

Eyes follow you in the gathering gloom, marking your progress deeper into the forest's belly. This place is alive in more ways than one, and it is as watchful as ever. Looking over, you catch one of the eyes looking at you. Picking up a stick, you stab the thing out. The branch squeals in pain and alarm as it is blinded. The other eyes blink in surprise, their lids cracked and rough. 

Something shifts in the forest behind you. Sticks snap under the feet of whatever is back there. It is tracking you. Stalking you. You can almost smell its faintly sweet aroma.

Up ahead is a fork in the path. There appears to be a clearing down the left-hand route, while you think that the way to the right may take you to the network of caves that run beneath the hills of this place. You could very easily take either one, but a third option is also presenting itself to you: in front of you is a fallen log, and below that is a small hollow. You know someone is coming after you. Perhaps you should hide there and try to catch your pursuer unawares. 

--

All right, it's choice time. What do we want to do?

  •  A - Go to the clearing.
  •  B - See if the caves lie to the right.
  •  C - Try to ambush our pursuer.

Now, you can just answer with your letter of choice, or you can take it a step further and tell me: What will we find down the path you've chosen? One of these I have a very clear idea for, and two I do not. So here's your chance to make a difference to the story!

We'll have more info for you guys very shortly! Thanks again for your patience during January, and talk with you again soon!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
over 4 years ago – Wed, Dec 25, 2019 at 01:34:30 AM

Hey there, friend!

No news today, but I just wanted to take a second to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. 

We hope you have a great holiday season, and a wonderful time with friends, family, and board games. 

Ah, but what's that sound? Is there someone coming down your chimney? Why, yes, I believe there is! But I have a feeling it's not Santa Claus this year...

That sound up your chimney isn't Santa this year.

So, once again, Merry Christmas! (As well as Happy Hanukah and Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever your holiday of choice is!) We are so grateful to have you with us on this crazy journey, and we hope you sleep well tonight! =D 

Talk to you again soon!

Dawn of Madness is Funded! Thank You So Much!
over 4 years ago – Wed, Dec 18, 2019 at 11:24:21 PM

Well it's official, guys! Dawn of Madness is funded! And what a wild rollercoaster ride it has been!

If you've been with the campaign for any length of time, I think you may be able to agree with me that this Kickstarter campaign has been just a little bit different than many others you've been a part of. (At least it certainly as been for me, and I've backed a LOT of Kickstarters as well as run several! LOL!) There have been some wild highs (as well as several lows), and all through it I think the only thing that could be said for sure is that we certainly didn't play it safe and pretty much always shot for the fences. I'll admit, there is a (fairly large) part of me that feels a little bit like Russel Crowe near the end of Gladiator right now, roaring, "ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!"

My Russell Crowe Moment

But I digress. =D 

Thank you so much for believing in this game, and for sticking with us. You are the reason we exist, and we are so incredibly, overwhelmingly grateful for each and every one of you. Whether you came in at the very first day or the very last hour, this game would not exist without you. Thank you for dropping money on this game during the most expensive and busy time of the year, even if you're just in for $1 right now. I completely understand how tough this time of year can be, and the fact that you put your money down on this game is humbling and wondrous to us. Thank you for working with us to refine this game and giving us your invaluable feedback. Thank you for all of the comments. Thank you for hanging out with me on the live streams. (And bearing with me through the technical difficulties.) Thank you for being here with us. You are Diemension Games just as much as me or Roger or Cherry. 

(Speaking of live streams, if you missed the finale live stream and want to check it out, here it is:) 

Next Steps

So what's going to happen next? Kickstarter will collect funds from all of you over the next day or so. If there is a problem with your payment/card/etc., then Kickstarter will contact you and you will have seven days to fix your payment. (And if there are problems you can't fix in time, don't worry. You'll still get access to the pledge manager.)

We will receive the money within two weeks (probably around the first of the year.) From there, we will import all of the information into our pledge manager (we will be using Backerkit again like we did for Deep Madness) and get that all set up. Then, we will open the pledge manager in late January or early February. It will be open for a minimum of several months, and once in there you will be able to upgrade your pledge level, add any add-ons you want (or assign funds to add-ons you've already pledged for), and pay for shipping. We will have two different ways to pay: PayPal, and credit cards processed through Backerkit itself. With PayPal you will be able to pay bit by bit as you go (thus being able to slowly add more to your pledge if you so choose), and if you use your credit card through Backerkit then your card will not be charged until we decide to close the pledge manager. 

We will have much more info on all of this as we reach the point where we're ready to open the pledge manager. We will also have gameplay updates as we move forward, keeping you informed on the newest developments and likely asking for more input from you guys. (After all, why stop the interactive element of this campaign now?) And through it all we will be working our hardest to ensure that this game is the absolute best game we can make it. 

Once More, Thank You

I know I've said this many times by this point, but I just wanted to say it once more: thank you. Thanks for embracing Dawn of Madness. Thanks for believing in this horror experience. Thanks for being awesome. 

Thank you for joining the madness!

From all of us at Diemension Games - from Roger, Cherry, Chauncey, Yichuan, and me (Byron) - please accept our sincere appreciation. We are so grateful for you. Happy holidays, and Merry Christmas!

Oh, and One More Thing.

What's a post like this without a spoiler or two? With that spirit in mind, here's a bit of what's coming up at some point in the future from us:

Queen of the Void
Twilight
Ji
Nüwa

Oh, and also:

Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Alice.

Interested in either of these projects? Then be sure to like and follow us on Facebook (and also like and follow the Celestial Facebook page and join the Facebook group) to stay up-to-date on what's going on with them.

Talk to you all again very soon! Have a great week, my friends!