Warrior

You are a combat specialist. With weapon in hand you are a terrible force of nature cutting through opponents like a farmer harvesting wheat.

You show great vigor, courage, and competence in battle. You are the first line of defense in your party. You can deal out immense damage and absorb wounds that would kill an ordinary man. You protect the weaker members of the party, giving wizards time to cast their spells, afford paladins enough time to call on their gods, and provide cover for the scouts to do their handiwork.

While your melee aptitude is second to none, you are inexperienced in the forces of magic and have the least magic ability of all classes. But you more than make up for this lack of mystical knowledge with your powerful sword arm and raging bloodlust. As you gain experience the other party members will learn powerful spells and gain various strange special abilities, but you will only get better at fighting. You will deal more damage, aim more accurately, and hit more foes than anyone else.Melee aptitude: pay any # of Glory, add this # to your next Melee attack.
Rapid strike: on a Melee hit you inflict 2 wounds, and hit in the case of a tie.
War cry: you and your allies gain +2 Melee for the duration of this encounter. This ability may be used once per encounter and uses 1 Melee attack.
Stronghold: you establish a stronghold to begin ruling your kingdom from, gathering peasants and warriors to your banner.

Hope this provides some idea of what a character class write up will look like in the Dungeoneer RPG. Wonder if anyone can guess what the mysterious acronyms QP is?

I know it must seem like I've abandoned this project, but I assure you it is still in development. There have been some major impediments I'll write about some day.

RPG Card Face Improvement

On the left is the classic Demonic Adder from the Tomb of the Lich Lord set, on the right is the RPG version. Making revisions is always hard, in particular something as important as an established interface design. But the classic card face design has been needing an overhaul for some time.

When I first designed the card face my main concern was showing art much larger than your typical fantasy card game had. In this end I bled the art behind the text. While I thought I was being clever, it made creating the art extremely challenging. Every composition had to have an enormous "dead space" that didn't compete with the text. In addition that space had to be dark, since the text was always white. This has hung on my neck like an albatross through the various sets.

Since the RPG is such a radical departure, I wanted to make the cards distinctive as well. This is an RPG that uses cards - not just another Dungeoneer XCG set. So I took the opportunity to redesign the face. I've posted earlier versions of this design, but this has been polished even more. The mechanical information is all grouped together now and there is more detail. This time I show it side by side with it's XCG counterpart so that you can see the RPG is 100% compatible.

I'm not saying this is the final design - I may play with the art to text ratio a bit more, there probably is room for larger art, the text hear is still a bit large. But I like the legibility.

One improvement you may notice is the text stating "inflicts 1 wound" is gone. It has been replaced with a little "hit" symbol next to the stat. This cleans up the card as well as providing better information. The other thing you may notice is that I've been enhancing the melee/magic/speed symbols. These are still being worked on, but I feel these are more contemporary in their quality.

Here is another classic card, Spell Focus:


In this one you may notice the border is green instead of blue. This is because we found that generally the Boon/Bane/Encounter/Treasure identification was clear enough by the symbol placed next to the playtime - duration - category text, and that the Peril/Glory identification was critical on first glance.

What is a roleplaying game?

Just about every RPG ever written has tried to answer this question. Usually devolving into discussions of childhood cops & robbers games. I don't know that anyone has written the perfect answer. I'm working on that section of the Dungeoneer RPG, and I've borrowed from various sources to come up with this:

A Roleplaying Game is a game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters and are rewarded for making choices that are consistent with the character's motivations or further the plot of the story. Participants collaboratively create stories by determining the actions of their characters, and these actions succeed or fail according to the rules and guidelines. Within the rules, players can improvise freely; their choices shape the direction and outcome of the game.

I don't know if I've succeeded, in fact posting it here has made me aware of how esoteric this sounds. Your thoughts?

Dungeoneer RPG mock-up

I was doing some graphic design work on the Dungeoneer RPG product and wanted to visualize how all the stuff would look together. So I came up with this mock-up. The latest content list looks something like this:

1 32-page Hero's Guide booklet
1 32-page Dungeonlord's Guide booklet
1 32-page World Guide booklet
1 4-page Quick Start Guide fold-out
2 6-sided dice
16 tokens (various Glory, Peril, etc.)
4 Hero Sheets
1 11"x17" poster map of Tarniss
220 cards


Whether this will be the final list I don't know yet, but it is where the product is currently at. It was so much work I had to enlist the help of my friend Ed Baraf to help with the editing. He is one of the best, detail oriented producers I've ever worked with and this project couldn't have been done without his help. (note that in this mock-up image I'm using parts from the Polish Tomb of the Lich Lord set, of course the actual cards and parts will differ)

First peek! Dungeoneer RPG card face

Here it is! I've been holding off showing what the card faces will look like in the Dungeoneer RPG. The main reason being they were not finished yet. Well, this is still a work in progress, there is much more finessing to be done - but it gives a clear indication of the improvements in the design, legibility, and most importantly playability of the new card faces. I will refrain from describing the new features because I want to hear what you think first.

Enjoy! Happy Dungeoneering.

Character sheets 3

I have neglected posting here far too long. Things have been moving slowly and I even had to set aside working on the Dungeoneer RPG for a time to regather my thoughts.

The goal has been to create an RPG that can be played out of the box, with minimum set-up time, and accommodate an evening quick play or an extended campaign. Which by campaign I mean a game where the players take their heroes from lowly adventurers to legendary heroes over the span of about 3 game sessions each lasting 4-8 hours.

One of the biggest challenges has been the character sheets. Our editor wanted large full-color sheets, lavishly illustrated, easy to read and dynamic. I have posted earlier attempts that had various levels of success. This is the latest, and best I think. It has really been streamlined! Now all stats are tracked on one bar for instead read - no searching around to find the stat you are looking for.

I really liked the earlier sheets that were in "landscape" orientation, because it maximized the play area for where the cards go. But I didn't like how the information on the sheet looked. In this "portrait" version I looks dramatic as well as being well organized. Form and function as they say. I'll be curious to here your reaction. Until then, happy Dungeoneering!

Hero sheets continue to evolve

First I must apologize for the time between posts. Even though things have been quiet here work does continue on the Dungeoneer RPG. The Hero sheet has been refined, and while the changes may seem minor, they are important and reflect the level of polish we are putting into this deluxe box set.

Also, to the left, you can see the cover image for the Dungeoneer RPG has been updated. This is the latest version of the cover, but it does not mean it is the final version. Though that is almost certainly the illustration that will be on it. You can look forward to meeting the Dragon Queen's pet in the Dungeoneer RPG...

On a final note, I have been getting a LOT of emails about Dungeoneer Scenarios. I want to assure everyone that it is still in development. And while it has taken a back seat to the Dungeoneer RPG, I do continue writing every week on it. I was hoping to have it done in time for Gen Con, which I will be at, but that is looking like an impossibility.

Until next time, Happy Dungeoneering!

Character sheets 2

Here is a revised version of the character sheets. After much feedback we've adjusted some of the positioning. Below you can see it in action with tokens that indicate your latest peril, glory, melee, magic, speed, and life scores. Yet to be revealed are the calling and culture cards, which is how you customize your base Hero!

Dungeoneer RPG Hero sheets

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. We have been working hard on the Dungeoneer RPG! As a just reward for your patience I present a work in progress Hero sheet for your review. This is where you can track your character's progress from lowly novice to Legendary Hero!

We are trying hard to eliminate the need for a pencil and scrap paper. The number slots are for tokens that are provided to track your current Melee, Magic, Speed, Life, Peril, and Glory scores. The rest of your character is tracked with cards, such as Treasures, Skills, and Spells.

The card slots you see are for character creation. You select a Calling (kinda-sorta like "alignment" in classic fantasy RPG's), a Culture (kinda-sorta like "race") and baked into the sheet will be the Heroic level card represented by the Hero sheet. This hero card is printed on the right edge so that just like in the Dungeoneer card game you can slide the Epic and Legendary level cards underneath to reveal your progression by level. For this example I just plopped in the classic Paladin from the original Dungeoneer: Tomb of the Lich Lord set - so you can see just how compatible the RPG is to the card game. But of course we will have unique Heroes and their "race" will not be printed there, since that is determined by the Culture card you choose.

Culture determines where you hero was raised and to what race. Such as a woodland gnome or a savage human or an imperial elf. These provide basic stats for your hero which modifies your total stats. Such as +1 Magic for an imperial elf.

Calling determines the reason your hero is, well, a Hero. Is he out for Justice? Revenge? Honor? These are just a few of the callings. These give your hero bonuses when performing certain actions in the game, and especially for the types of Quests he chooses to complete.

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek. I'll try to post more frequently - the time is getting short when this goes to press!

Dungeoneer RPG Player's Guide cover sketch

Lately I've been doing a lot of my work in pen & ink. The new Dungeoneer RPG covers are being sketched out this way before getting transferred to a canvas and getting painted in acrylics.

It seems a long time in development, but the Dungeoneer RPG books are finally taking shape as they are being edited and I'm making illustrations for them.

Dungeoneer RPG update

The Dungeoneer RPG is 3 books in 1 box: Hero's Guide, Dungeonlord's Guide, and World Guide.

The Hero's Guide is completed and in layout.
The Dungeonlord's Guide is nearing completion and I expect to get the final revised document for layout at any time now.
The World Guide is even further along than the Dungeonlord's Guide.

The set looks to include 220 cards, over half the cards are done. It will also include tokens and dice.

I am currently working on finishing the covers for the 3 books. To the right you can see the sketch for the Dungeonlord's Guide. The high priestess of Nakari, who rules Ilbor Paiden with an iron fist, has a problem knight executed for his transgressions against the holy state (or as some would see it, the un-holy state).

As I've stated many times, this project has been a labor of love, not just some corporate product. Richard (the co-designer) and I have taken are time to make something we consider to be special. We hope that you will enjoy the Dungeoneer RPG as much as we have enjoyed creating it.

By all measures it looks like the Dungeoneer RPG is on track to be published in early 2008.

Dungeoneer Miniatures release date?

Dungeoneer minis have been awaiting the release of the Dungeoneer RPG. The Dungeoneer RPG has been held up by design and playtest.

Basically the goal for the Dungeoneer RPG was to not create just another "fantasy heartbreaker" but to genuinely bring something new and successful to the field. One crucial component has been to utilize Dungeoneer cards in the RPG. This has advantages and drawbacks. I am quite happy with the design, and the local playtests have been highly successful. But we have had a lot of bugs to stomp out in the system, and it has been a challenge to reduce complexity. It is really meant to be a newbie friendly game system. It is RPG lite.

We are a week away from getting the final documents ready for edit, then they will go to layout. This means our hope is for a Q1 release for the RPG (March 2008). Since this product has been a labor of love we have been more concerned with quality than with release dates. Sorry, I know those interested only have so much capacity for anticipation before other things fill the gap. There are so many good games and competition for gamer's time.

Dungeoneer RPG layout test

I've been going over the first pass documents of the 3 books in the Dungeoneer RPG and preparing some preliminary layout designs. My goals in the layout are 1. Legibility and 2. Cool Looking. I want to avoid wall to wall block of texts with no space to breathe, but I don't want so much graphics that the book is illegible and unusable during game play. The approach I'm experimenting with here is a double-page spread that introduces a major chapter, which you can see in this example from the world guide. This spread introduces the major nation of Ilbor Paidan. The rest of the chapter will be more functional and less graphic intensive. I'll put up an example of that when I get one I kind of like. For now enjoy this sneak peek.

Dungeoneer RPG documents have been delivered

Richard Plockington, the primary author of the Dungeoneer role-playing game has delivered the next-to final documents. He recently ran a playtest at the local Gamescape in San Rafael California, which went quite well. Fun was had by all! (you can see some of Richard's design work on such excellent Dungeon Crawl Classics as The Sunken Ziggarat )

I'm in the process of doing a final review, making sure game terminology is used consistently and some minor organizational changes. The document will then go to Goodman Games for a final edit, which is due in mid-November. After that I'll take the final edited document and lay them out with art and graphics for the boxed set.

Currently the contents are looking something like this:

• 3 booklets
• 220 cards
• 100 peril/glory tokens
• dice
• character sheets

The booklets are: player's guide, dungeonlord's guide, and world guide.

Note this is not final and it is possible the exact contents may change a bit, but this is pretty close to what it will be. We are working hard to have it to you early next year!

Dungeoneer Adventures: the roleplaying game

An update on Dungeoneer products in development:

We have been working on the Dungeoneer roleplaying game for a couple of years now. Hopes were that we'd have it in time for the Gencon game convention this year. That won't happen. Simply put I am far more concerned with quality than with a deadline at this point.

Currently Dungeoneer is being developed into a line of miniatures by Aberrant Games (I've seen the early casts, they look very cool), a roleplaying game by Goodman Games, as well as the Dungeoneer Scenarios book by my own Studio Denmark to support the card game. So my hands are quite full at the moment.

If you haven't been following the designer blogs by Richard Plockington, who is writing and co-designing the RPG, I recommend you take a gander. They are quite interesting and I'm enjoying seeing Dungeoneer through another designer's eyes.

Here is a very rough, very unreliable schedule for these various Dungeoneer products:

• Dungeoneer Scenarios: Gencon 2007
• Dungeoneer Miniatures: Gencon 2007
• Dungeoneer Adventures RPG: next year sometime...

Talk atchya later!

Dungeoneer Adventures sale final week!

This is the final week for the Dungeoneer Adventures sale. This is the essential resource guide for the Dungeoneer expandable card game and it is also a complete role-playing game and Dungeoneer world guide. Sunday at midnight we are removing it from our store.

Price is marked down 10%. (regularly $20.01, now just $18.01)!

Click here now to get your copy! http://www.lulu.com/content/89797

Old Dungeoneer RPG "Beta Edition" being discontinued

The "beta" edition of the Dungeoneer RPG has been available for a couple of years now. It is a guide that fleshes out the world of Dungeoneer, includes extensive card lists, and some cool optional rules for the card game. It is also an RPG. A very, um, unusual RPG. This is a book that has been far more popular than I expected, selling at least a dozen copies or so every month.

Goodman Games in conjunction with Studio Denmark has been developing a retail version of the RPG for about a year now, and it is coming along far better than I imagined.

This means it is coming time to discontinue this version of the RPG. It is still a fine product, but we can't have two competing products that are so similar.

Some of the content of this "beta" RPG will find its way into a new book we are working on called "Dungeoneer Scenarios" and some of it will go into the new RPG by Goodman Games. But this unique product will cease to be available. This is an announcement that if you have ever thought of getting it now is the time.

To celebrate this moment I've reduced the price by 10%. (regularly $20.01, now just $18.01) After this sale it will be removed from our store!

Click here now to get your copy! http://www.lulu.com/content/89797

Dungeoneer RPG design blog

Richard Plockington, the primary writer on the Dungeoneer RPG being published by Goodman Games has started a design blog where you can see some of the ideas and process going into the creation of this exciting new product. Richard is known for his excellent Dungeon Crawl Classics he has written. In particular I thought The Sunken Ziggurat was very fun.