Hey everyone!
Here is our state of business for the month of October 2025, which I understand is very late. I have been so deep in writing, I kind of lost track of time.
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Dias Ex Machina
6 months ago
The Sparkplug Chronicles Coming Soon from Dias Ex Machina
THE SPARKPLUG CHRONICLES
We are finally returning to Kickstarter with our next campaign setting.
RETRO, ALTERNATE-REALITY, DYSTOPIAN BIOPUNK
https://www.kickstarter....
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Dias Ex Machina
7 months ago
AUGUST UPDATE from Dias Ex Machina
HEY EVERYONE
It's been a hectic month.
I wanted to get this update out before going on vacation, even though I'm taking my archaic laptop with me. So, what's new for Aug...
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Dias Ex Machina
8 months ago
July Update
HEY EVERYONE
It’s been a while since I last updated, but things have been moving in the background.
POD
I FINALLY got approval from DriveThruRPG for print-on-demand vers...
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Dias Ex Machina
9 months ago
This is (NOT) The End
HEY EVERYONE
I admit part of me has been dreading this message. I posted a video three weeks ago detailing the situation, but it took me this long to build the courage to m...
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Dias Ex Machina
12 months ago
Unfortunate News
Hey everyone:
While I understand these things happen, it still depressing to hear.
One of our supporters has passed away.
I was informed by his family that J R Housto...
Here is our state of business for the month of October 2025, which I understand is very late. I have been so deep in writing, I kind of lost track of time.
That, and I had my gallbladder removed.
I don't recommend Ozempic, BTW.
For those who know me, I lost about 120 pounds when I was younger, and I wanted to give Ozempic a try to help keep that weight off. Well, six months after trying it, I had the first of two massive gallbladder attacks, and I had to have it removed. Correlation is not causation, but there has been a link connecting the two, and I have been on the mend for the past two weeks.
With that personal stuff out of the way…
Ultramodern Bestiary
This turned out to be a huge hit. We reached our Electrum badge a couple of weeks ago. People have asked whether I plan to make an Amethyst Bestiary. No need, as all those monsters are in the UM5 book. I mean, it's our largest book at over 440 pages.
This is the project that has gripped me for two months. I suddenly had to be an expert in things I never considered. I know way too much about guns than I would like, but the end result is the addition of, and I can't believe this is accurate, over 700 FIREARMS. Everything from muskets to pop-culture icons from movies and games are in here. We had to expand the rules significantly to cover all the different configurations, from changing reloading rules in order to make them more realistic to adding more options for weapon modification. It may seem intimidating at first, but we separated the entries into time periods to ensure that you only need to reference the tables and rules that apply to you. A player is not expected to know every reloading rule, just for the weapon in their hands.
I am on vehicles now, and, as in the previous chapter, I am heavily expanding generic entries to list specific models, so that a handful of vehicle entries turns into several hundred, not just the ones collated from other DEM books. I have even commission illustrations for modern devices, as all our current illustrations are for futuristic ones. I am still hoping to have this book out by the end of the year.
The Sparkplug Chronicles
SO, the plan WAS to launch the Kickstarter for TSC this week, but alas, we have made the unfortunate decision to delay the launch until February of next year. A family crisis with someone associated with the project has compelled the postponement, but TECHNICALLY, it doesn't affect the release date.
I know that doesn't make much sense. Basically, I was partway through writing The Sparkplug Chronicles when I decided to work on the Armoury instead, as a lot of the content I was conceiving fit better in that latter book (expanding on modern firearms). I plan on resuming once the Armoury is finished. Since the Kickstarter was meant only to fund artwork, I can still continue working on the book side and get that ready. Meanwhile, I can still commission Nick Greenwood to continue the illustrations, so the project's release date wouldn't really have to change. I had misgivings about launching a campaign this close to Christmas, anyway.
And yes, I know there is still one more adventure to be released soon as well. Clonefall. I'm still waiting for my writer to finish building his house.
Retail Books on DTRPG
And finally, this became a thing today, you can now purchase retail books off DTRPG.
These are the Kickstarter editions of these books, so they'll include the KS exclusives, but they are NOT the limited-edition book. For those, you will have to go to Studio2Publishing directly.
Anyways, I'll have the November update in a couple of weeks. Have a great holiday season, and I love you all for your continued support.
Here is a video discussing everything in this update:
This will be two releases in one: an illustrated novel and a 5e RPG Campaign setting.
For those who backed the previous Ultramodern5 that is owed the Campaign setting, you are still owed this reward. This crowdfunding project is meant to help increase the project's scope, elevating it from a small-scale adventure which recycles most of its illustrations from other DEM publications (like Threshold) to our first full-scale release since Affinity, featuring exclusively all new artwork from Nick Greenwood (except for two images which provided the original inspiration carried over from UM5).
You can back just the novel, just the RPG, or both.
The illustrated novel follows artist William Truth from his normal life in 1984 Earth to the alternative "Verth", a biopunk dystopia where the inclusion of alien devices known as sparkplugs almost a century prior has radically altered the past, leading to a crumbling postwar planet.
Intertwined with William's journey are explorations of this alternate world, where biological machines and genetically engineered life forms have replaced modern technological advances. With the help of the seraph Kex, whose love for him may or may not be programmed, William must navigate mutated wastelands, sentient vehicles, and biomechanical horrors to save two worlds from annihilation.
The 5E Campaign Guide opens the world to players of 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. Characters assume the roles of reapers--scavengers/mercenaries tasked with entering contaminated Black Zones to forage for priceless alien warborn, retrieve lost technology, or escort personnel.
FEATURES OF THE 5E GUIDE
Seven new species, including genetically modified humans.
Six new backgrounds.
Prestige rules offering an alternate path to character progression.
Revised and expanded firearms, including specific models from the past century.
Organetic body modifications.
Rules regarding "warborn".
Biomechanical "trophon" vehicles.
New monsters.
BUT WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
In this alternate reality, humanity's destiny was forever altered on April 17, 1897, when a mysterious alien device was recovered from a UFO crash in Aurora, Texas.
This sparkplug implanted itself into Johann Friedrich Wagner, gifting him not only advanced knowledge but an irrepressible drive to replicate it. Thus began the age of spark technology—biomechanical wonders decades ahead of their time, from self-repairing trophon engines to genetically engineered life forms (GELFs).
But progress came at a cataclysmic cost. The very machines designed to uplift humanity soon turned against it. Thanatic Reflux—a toxic blight emitted by damaged trophons—poisoned continents, rendered fertile lands barren, and suppressed human reproduction.
World War II ended not with a nuclear bang but with a biological whimper, leaving Europe a desolate wasteland. Later, the North American War fractured countries into ideological factions: the Maritime Coalition, which outlawed GELF slavery but embraced trophons, and the Heartland, which opposed with contrary values.
Vast Black Zones—toxic wastelands crawling with rogue trophons and mutated horrors—offer peril and promise. Within these zones, warborn form, rare compounds invaluable to surviving governments, corporations, and even parallel worlds connected through slippates.
You are a reaper: a scavenger, survivor, or outsider brave enough to enter these lethal landscapes. Whether you're a spark gifted with alien knowledge, a GELF fighting for personhood, or a backdoor from another reality, your choices will shape the fate of worlds. Employ hollows—remote-controlled simulacra—to explore without risking your life, or venture forth in person to confront biomechanical abominations, corporate conspiracies, and ecological decay.
The Sparkplug Chronicles is a multiversal extraction shooter RPG wrapped in a rich, narrative-driven setting, blending biopunk horror, retro-futurism, and existential dread, with lore spanning a century of divergent history.
PRINT ON DEMAND
By shifting back to a POD format, we hope to avoid the delays and complications which accompany offset printing. In the current unstable political environment, costs are very much in flux, with unpredictable tariffs and production surges along with constantly changing shipping prices.
DriveThruRPG's Print-On-Demand infrastructure allows for rapid production and distribution from several different facilities worldwide, reducing the chances of VAT and import fees. We won't accidentally overcharge shipping, and it also dramatically reduces intermediate fees regarding facilitation and distribution. It also significantly reduces our funding goal, enabling us to concentrate on what truly matters: the book's content.
The release of the Ultramodern5 Bestiary was truly impressive. I admit being worried about future 5E releases, but the Bestiary was our best release since that last Ultramodern5, hitting number 1 on the D&D list on DTRPG. As such, I have decided to accelerate progress on the Ultramodern5 Armoury.
Admittedly, the reason was connected to The Sparkplug Chronicles. I decided to create authentic branding for firearms, given the setting's retro-alternate format. After creating a hundred new entries, I realized they should be in their own book. Since I had already considered doing an Armoury release, it made sense to create entries for that book instead.
Unlike the Bestiary, which drew 50% of its content from other DEM publications, after a single chapter on basic gear, it became clear that the Armoury would essentially be a page 1 rewrite of all previously created entries. There will be some carry over but to give you an example, in Ultramodern5, we listed about 100 pieces of non-fantasy gear.
The Armoury lists 400, and I haven't even gotten to firearms yet. I still plan to have this book finished this year, so it will not conflict with any work on The Sparkplug Chronicles.
CLONEFALL
As I might have mentioned, the writer of this book just had a kid, and he is building a house. So, I am keeping the pressure off as he addresses these obvious priorities. I apologize for the lateness, and he has given assurances that this final adventure will be completed before the end of this year.
That's it for now, thank you to everyone for your support.
I wanted to get this update out before going on vacation, even though I'm taking my archaic laptop with me. So, what's new for August?
THE SPARKPLUG CHRONICLES
"A dying world of living machines, slave races, and alien blight, where scavengers brave toxic wastelands to loot the ruins of a future that never should have been."
To say this has taken a life of its own is an understatement. At 42,000 words so far, this is likely going to be a full-fledged campaign setting like Amethyst, and not a smaller one like Threshold. This post-apocalyptic, retro, alternative reality biopunk extraction shooter RPG already features seven new species, six new backgrounds, and I've started the new equipment chapter, where I have decided, for the first time in eight years, to finally deconstruct ULTRAMODERN5's weapon listings. Instead of using generic terms for firearms, where one entry represents dozens of different guns, actual, real weapons are being listed with UM5 stats.
Using UM5 jargon, this is limited to TL0 and TL1, but there are already fifty new entries just for those. If we decide to release a UM5 Armoury, I may continue this pattern and expand the rest.
As mentioned previously, we are going to announce a Kickstarter just to fund the additional artwork required. This would be similar to our first KS, where it will be a PDF/POD with a very low goal. Those receiving it as part of a reward need not back, but it would go a long way to helping us get this book to where we would like it.
ULTRAMODERN BESTIARY
By now, many of you have seen the postings about our Ultramodern Bestiary. We collected nearly every monster Dias Ex Machina has created over its 5E history and put them all under one roof. Then we added about a hundred more.
It’s been a while since I last updated, but things have been moving in the background.
POD
I FINALLY got approval from DriveThruRPG for print-on-demand versions of October’s Arcane Almanac and Threshold. I ordered proofs of both (as well as another book that was previously deactivated), and when they arrive, backers will be able to order physical copies of those.
NOW, I know I said earlier that DTRPG could not handle the large, square format of Threshold’s artbook. It’s been a hell of a journey trying to make that work. I considered reducing its 10” x 10” format to 8” x 8”, but I felt that was too small. I considered using an external POD service like Lulu or Blurb, but while they offer large-format square books, the costs were astronomical. No joke, both were in excess of $100.
Ultimately, I decided to return to DTRPG and reformatted the entire book to accommodate the standard 8.5” x 11” format. That meant a nearly page-one redo of the whole book. It’s now 10 pages longer, features a few more repurposed illustrations and a handful of additional bits of lore. Once the book arrives, I’ll be uploading the “Standard” format PDF alongside the existing 10” square format PDF as an extra bonus.
Just to be clear, only the artbook will be in a POD print. The 5E campaign module is still only in PDF.
THE BESTIARY
We are only two illustrations away from finishing the Ultramodern Bestiary. I am really hoping it’ll be released in July.
SPARK PLUG CHRONICLES
Going forward, DEM will attempt smaller crowdfunding projects that won’t rely on expensive and risky offset print runs. Our first Kickstarter was digital and POD only, and we’ll be returning to that with The Spark Plug Chronicles. It will essentially reserve all funds for art and layout, allowing for pure creativity without a specific allotment for printing, distribution, or tariffs. Expect a launch in September.
GETTING MY GROOVE BACK
I won’t lie, I haven’t written much for almost two months. It’s been difficult as I have been trying to get my groove back. Mounting bills forced me to prioritize non-creative ventures, and, being me, it had to be another entrepreneurial business that required a lot of energy. This involved numerous business trips, bills, and time investment. I managed to squeeze in a short horror film script and an animated comedy proof of concept. We’ll see if anything comes of those. But I am looking to return to game design next week.
I admit part of me has been dreading this message. I posted a video three weeks ago detailing the situation, but it took me this long to build the courage to make this broader post. By the way, you can watch said video here:
However, let’s review the key points.
The distribution of Amethyst and Ultramodern5 proved far more expensive than we had previously expected. It was twice our estimate.
With financial and geopolitical discord running rampant globally and a particular focus between China, Canada, and the United States, I have been forced to postpone, if not altogether cancel, all future print production.
Thankfully, all Amethyst and Ultramodern5 stock is still available from Studio2Publishing, although replenishment, as well as a second Affinity print run, are currently stalled, likely indefinitely.
Dias Ex Machina is shifting back to digital and print-on-demand publishing. We prospered for ten years, focusing on digital and POD products, and we hope to continue producing content in this manner. Our recent Oktober’s Arcane Almanac has proven to be a surprise success for us.
Upcoming products include…
Clonefall – The last 3rd-party adventure included in the 2023 UM5 Campaign. This book is in final playtesting with an expected summer release.
The Sparkplug Chronicles – The artbook / RPG included in the 2023 UM5 Campaign. Nick and I are currently working on preliminary designs, with a planned release in late 2025
Amethyst: Revelations (Savage Worlds) – As part of the Amethyst Kickstarter, we only need to adapt the monsters, which will be ready for release. All other writing and layout is done.
Amethyst: Revelations (Fate) – Part of the Amethyst Kickstarter, we plan to tackle this after the release of the SW edition.
Threshold POD – A Print-on-Demand version of the artbook is currently being developed, although it will be offered outside of DTRPG due to its unique 12” x 12” format.
Affinity Audiobook – This long-suffering project refuses to die. We have 80% of the audio recorded, with only one character being nearly impossible to cast, apparently. I have found a new engineer and will likely assume the role of the narrator myself. We still plan on releasing it episodically.
UM5 Bestiary – A new book including over 400 5E monsters derived from the past 15 years of DEM publications.
UM5 – Armoury – A new book encompassing all the 5E technology derived from the past 15 years of DEM publications.
Affinity Book 2 / Amethyst Book 4 – One of my priorities remains my attention on literary works. I promised myself I would start another novel this year, but I haven't yet decided which one.
The Dream & The Tempest – Another artbook/RPG meant as a spiritual follow-up to The Sparkplug Chronicles.
Heavenfall – a LONG-planned and likely controversial RPG we still hope to release in 2026.
While we have not eliminated offset print production, we have yet to decide how to facilitate it. We’ll be returning to Kickstarter rather than the abysmal Backerkit for crowdfunding, but may shift distribution to Europe and Canada instead of the US. This will mean that European and Canadian shipping prices will decrease while American prices may increase. This is entirely based on assumptions and estimations, as predicting what will happen geopolitically in the next four years is nearly impossible.
Currently, DEM is working in debt. I am using my secondary business to try to keep aspects afloat and to fund future products. Outside of my release schedule mentioned above, I’ll do my best to compensate backers with unfulfilled rewards. This can come in the form of future PDFs or POD coupons, but my options are currently limited beyond this.
It’s been a rough year, folks. I always strive for transparency and communication, even when the news is not the best. DEM isn’t going anywhere, but I apologize for the situation and hope we can recover over the next few months.
