It’s been a moment since we last checked-in with you all, but that doesn’t mean things haven’t been busy behind the scenes. We are solidly in the editing stage for the four core books that make up each version of the Castle Whiterock boxed set. Conversions are still underway, but mostly on the ancillary material from previous Organized Play adventures, Free RPG Day releases, and so forth, meaning this is a much shorter and simpler task than getting the massive contents of the main boxed set books into shape.
While the writers and editors are getting things wrapped up, the artists are hard at work bringing the maps and interior art to life. We hope to be able to show off some of those shortly.
And since I know people are going to ask, we’re in talks with printers about the Big Ass GM's Screen and what it would take to do the clear inserts the majority of folks have expressed interest in. Fingers crossed we’ll have more concrete details in the near future.
The Book of Funnels Coming Next Month
While I have your attention, I’d also like to mention the upcoming DCC #115 The Book of Funnels crowdfunding project here on Backerkit. This book includes 12+ brand-new 0-level funnels for all three of our “Crawl Classics” product lines (DCC, MCC, and XCC), plus add-ons and bonus content for crowdfunding backers, including the return of the beloved DCC 0-Level Scratch Off Character Sheets! Need a new funnel to kick off your next campaign? Then head on over to the Backerkit teaser page to sign up and be one of the first to back it when it launches in the weeks ahead.
Shortly after midnight this morning, Mega Dungeon Month and the Castle Whiterock Backerkit campaign finally came to an end. After three days of Overtime Mode, the gates to the castle swung shut, but not before achieving the penultimate stretch goal of Mike’s Big Ass GM’s Screen. Congratulations and a sincere thank you to all our backers for making this crowdfunding campaign a stellar success. Not only did we fund Castle Whiterock, but also more than a dozen other Castle Whiterock-themed game releases achieved their goals. As I’ve said before, we couldn’t do it without your faith in us.
Things are going to be a little quiet for awhile around these parts as we recover from Dungeon Con 2 and focus on getting the Castle Whiterock sets and their associated stretch goals and add-ons finalized. But we will keep you updated regularly with their progress.
I can, however, reveal that Joseph Goodman is talking with the printer about the possibility of including clear packets for the BAGS, which so many of you requested. If that proves feasible, it will make the BAGS completely customizable, allowing you to use whatever tables and charts you might need for your game system of choice. We’ll update you with more once we have an answer.
Until then, let me extend the thanks of the entire Goodman Games gang for making Castle Whiterock our third most successful crowdfunding campaign even and for your ongoing trust and fanaticism when it comes to making great gaming products for your home tables. We often say our fans are the best simply because you prove it again and again. Castle Whiterock was no exception.
As most of you undoubtedly know by now, our $550K stretch goal, Mike's Big Ass GM's Screen. unlocked sometime Sunday and is now available as an add-on for backers. BAGS (as we've come to refer to it) is a huge GM screen suitable for protecting yourself, your game notes, and several medium-sized personal belongings from the prying eyes and other threats of your players. This massive GM screen may be the first of its type in the game industry, so not only have you all unlocked the screen, but you've helped us make history.
So now that it's unlocked, we just need to figure out what we can cram onto it! Cool art on the player-facing side is a no-brainer, but what should we fill the GM's side with? We're still trying to decide that now that people are returning home from Dungeon Con, so it's not too late for you, the backers who made it happen, to help us figure out the best content we can. Let us know in the comments what you think would be most helpful to GMs of all ilks. We're shooting to make this as useful as possible to all and I'm sure it will be a topic of discussion at internal meetings this week.
Remember that we still have one more stretch goal remaining--the Castle Whiterock Reference Guide--if we hit $600K. Each BAGS added to your pledge moves the needle ever closer to that stretch goal, so don't be shy about pledging for one. With Overtime Mode being anyone's guess when it and Mega Dungeon Month might end, 600K is entirely achievable.
Thanks to all you backers who made this happen. I'm looking forward to being able to dominate any table with this massive GM's screen!
All good things must come to an end, and Castle Whiterock is no exception. Alas, faithful backers, today is the final day of Castle Whiterock and Mega Dungeon Month. What a heck of a trip it’s been!
But wait, what’s that I see? Another stretch goal has appeared! If we hit $600k before the final pledge of Mega Dungeon Month is made, backers will get a free Castle Whiterock Reference Book in handy digest size for fast reference of the various factions, NPCs, monsters, etc. to help you run the megadungeon at your own table. Who couldn't use one of those?!
Thanks to your support, Castle Whiterock has grown beyond its humble origins to become a truly castle-sized project. In addition to the crowdfunding-exclusive Castle Whiterock clamshell set with more poster maps and handout, we’ve maxed out the Book of Bonus Adventures with eight full adventures and two interludes, unlocked another set of add-on dice in addition to the gemstone versions, upgraded the paper stock, increased the number of poster maps and handouts, included a custom GM screen, added foil accents to the cover, and unlocked the tarot deck add-on. That’s on top of the retail version of the Castle Whiterock boxed set, four sets of gemstone dice in two beautiful colors, DCC #114 Mermaid of the Cursed Sands, t-shirt, and campaign journal. Plus, thanks to some cross-market synergy, backers will receive a pdf version of the Castles & Crusades rulebook from our friends, the Troll Lords. Will we unlock Mike’s Big Ass GM’s Screen before it all ends? That’s up to our backers, but that stretch goal gets closer with every passing hour!
In addition to all that neat stuff we’re producing, remember that there are numerous Castle Whiterock and Mega Dungeon Month participants and publishers, and backing more than one project gets you even more gaming content like the Lost Level of Castle Whiterock with rooms designed the other independent publishers creating Castle Whiterock-theme game products and/or the Mega Dungeon Month pdf from Backerkit featuring content for both Castle Whiterock and the other Mega Dungeon Month participants. It has truly been a monumental month-long campaign.
We’d like to once again thank all your wonderful backers. You’re truly a unique bunch who gets the Goodman Games’ vibe. Not a backer yet? There’s still time to climb over the castle wall and join all the cool kids/weirdos (I’m the latter) who made this project a success and get some outstanding gaming goodness for your next campaign, whether it be Dungeon Crawl Classics or 5e.
Remember that today at 4 PM Eastern we’ll be kicking off the Castle Whiterock Countdown Show in the Goodman Games’ YouTube channel. Join Joe Goodman, myself, and whomever else we can wrangle away from the kickoff of Dungeon Con 2 to spend some time with us as we tick off the final official moments of Mega Dungeon Month and—I suspect—go into overtime mode.
Hello again, fans and followers of Castle Whiterock! Incredible! We broke $500k and backers are now getting more player handouts! Not to mention the tarot cards that were unlocked rat $450k! We're just checking in to share some amazing illustrations that our artists and cartographers have turned in recently. Feast your eyes on the fantastic art below.
But first! Don't forget there are other creative publishers making great Castle Whiterock content as part of Mega Dungeon Month. Check out When Dying Unicorns Dream + Whiterock Adventurer's Journal, a project by Marz Press. This one looks great -- a new adventure for both DCC and 5e, and a system neutral player companion.
Now it's time for more artwork. Feel free to comment and shower the artists with love!
