Pledge Manager Questions Answered
over 7 years ago – Sun, Dec 30, 2018 at 10:40:44 PM

Since launching the pledge manager we have had a number of questions, comments and concerns from backers, so we thought we'd take a moment to try to alleviate some of the biggest concerns and answer some of the most common questions. Here we go.

1. Why are shipping costs so high/why are they higher than was shown on the campaign page?

I'm sorry some of you have been disappointed with the shipping costs for this campaign. However, just to put things in perspective, we lost approximately $50,000 on shipping in the first campaign. (And that figure might be low.) We almost ran out of money because of shipping. We simply couldn't do that again. (Plus, costs have not gone down in the last couple of years. They have risen. Significantly.)

The honest truth is, international shipping is outlandishly expensive. (Heck, I've sent packages myself about the size of a Deep Madness all-in pledge that cost $100s of dollars - and that was in my own country.) Your prices are still subsidized by us, but we could not leave prices the same as they were for the first campaign and risk not being able to deliver.

The prices you are seeing in the cart should be identical to the prices we showed before the campaign even launched on the campaign page, with the only difference being the cost to ship Profundum. (You can test this by removing the Profundum box from your order - you can always put it back if you still want it.) I'm sorry some of you are disappointed that shipping costs rose because of Profundum, and I understand that some feel we should just eat that cost. We thought we had made it clear during the campaign that Profundum would have an additional shipping cost, but if we didn't then we are truly sorry about that.

Having said that, I sincerely doubt Profundum only costs approximately $10 to ship to most countries. But even if it did, that's conservatively an additional $57,960 in costs which, on a project with already low profit margins (and on an extremely expensive stretch goal to produce in the first place), would mean we shouldn't have offered it as a stretch goal to begin with. (Even at $29 plus shipping, it honestly would have been a bargain compared to many alternative solutions.)

Now, I realize that in some countries the costs for Profundum are significantly higher. We're extremely sorry about that, but there is nothing we can do about this. These are usually cases where the cost is based not just on weight, but on volume weight, which is significantly higher and much more expensive. But that's why we also added the option to remove Profundum so you won't have to pay those shipping costs. Which brings us to question number two:

2. Why will I lose some stretch goals if I remove Profundum? What stretch goals will I lose?

If you choose not to take Profundum, you will lose the printed versions of the two PDF scenarios. You WILL still receive these scenarios as PDFs. The printed scenarios were made as a stretch goal for Profundum during the campaign (as you can see from the graphic on the campaign page, as well as from update #29: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diemensiongames/deep-madness-second-printing/posts/2348792), just like Hannah, Jacob, and Ward were included with The Faces of the Sphere, and Lucas Kane and the third scenario were included with Shattered Seas.

We were not clear enough in our last PM update that this would be the only stretch goal you would not receive by declining Profundum, which we apologize for. But it is the only one you will miss out on should you not want the storage box.

3. Why is the pledge manager closing earlier than originally stated?

In talking with our manufacturer after the campaign, they made it crystal clear to us that, if we wanted to make our August shipping deadline, we would need to have the order totals from the pledge manager to them by February 11th. Like, literally, that exact day. It's unfortunate that this information was not relayed to us before the campaign ended, but it wasn't.

Some of you probably know that Deep Madness was late. Some of you might even know that many could consider Deep Madness very late. And it is extremely important to us that this campaign be as close to the target delivery date as we can possibly make it. Can we absolutely promise August? Of course not. But we CAN do everything in our power to remove as many potential problems and pitfalls before they come up as we can. And this was a potential problem/pitfall. (In fact, it was almost a guaranteed problem/pitfall.) Another thing to consider is that our factory is busy. They have a lot of projects coming down the pipeline, and they are only growing in popularity. As such, they could very well be telling us this because they know a two-week delay in the pledge manager's end date could lead to a significantly bigger delay on their end.

Having said that, if it's a big problem for enough of you, then we could extend the pledge manager's end date to the end of February and just send in rough estimates to the manufacturer. This would only work if a majority of orders were already placed by that date (currently about 53% are ready to be locked down), and it would require a bit of luck and some guesstimation on our part. As such, we are personally not huge fans of this option (guessing and luck are fun in games, but significantly less so in manufacturing.) But you guys are important to us, and we want to make sure we do what's right by you. So, vote at this link to let us know what you think: https://goo.gl/forms/ikY6Jnzoq8vioXUi1 (Please only vote once so that we can keep this as accurate as possible. Also please include your Kickstarter email so that we can validate you as a backer.)

4. I'm a returning Canadian backer, and I was promised a free Epic Ravenous in the first campaign. How should I go about getting that?

We tried to cover everything in our last update, but this completely slipped our minds. Sorry, guys. The answer is, you don't need to do anything. We will add the Epic Ravenous to your pledge when we close the pledge manager. If you've added Epic Ravenous to your pledge, remove it unless you want to get a second one.

Furthermore, just to clarify this, too, when we originally made the offer on the original campaign Epic Ravenous was going to be just a reworked resin Ravenous. However, hours before we announced it on the second campaign the decision was made that we would make it a playable plastic Epic rather than just a resin collector's figure. So you will be receiving the new plastic Epic Ravenous with the game content instead of the resin Collector's Series Ravenous that was cancelled.

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These seem to be the main problems people have had since we launched the pledge manager. For more info on the pledge manager, be sure to check out our last PM update at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diemensiongames/deep-madness-second-printing/posts/2372893. And, if we missed your question/concern in both of these updates, feel free to let us know.

Regardless, hopefully this update has made sense and has proven that we are absolutely NOT trying to rob you, nor are we skimming ANY off the top of the shipping costs. (I assure you, we will still lose money on shipping. Probably a lot.) I also hope it's shown that we are definitively NOT trying to pull a fast one on you or anyone else. We strive to always do the best we can for our backers, and we also try to be as transparent as possible at all times. I hope that is very evident as well.

Have a great day and a Happy New Year, friends, and thanks again for being with us on Deep Madness! We'll be back to talk with you again soon!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
over 7 years ago – Tue, Dec 25, 2018 at 01:51:13 AM

Hey everyone! We'll be back later in the week with another update going over some questions and concerns with the pledge manager and shipping, but for today we just wanted to take a minute to say Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays from all of us at Diemension Games! We hope you have a great Christmas and holiday season, and we can't wait for the year ahead!

Now you better watch out...

It's okay to cry...

Because Batha Claus is coming to town!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the entire Diemension Games team!

The Pledge Manager Opens
over 7 years ago – Thu, Dec 20, 2018 at 01:05:35 AM

You'll never guess what this update's about.

Whoa… You did…

That's right, the pledge manager is opening for business! We have received the funds from Kickstarter, and we are now ready to unveil the shiny Backerkit survey that you will use to finalize your pledge!

But first, the news. Sorry, guys. Old habits die hard I guess, and these two mentions for Deep Madness were too cool not to share with you. First, Zee Garcia from The Dice Tower named Deep Madness his number 4 biggest surprise of 2018! Check it out at

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Next of all, a couple backers pointed out that we were named one of the best tabletop and board game gifts for analog gamers by CNET! How cool is that? You can find the link here:

https://www.cnet.com/news/the-best-tabletop-and-board-game-gifts-for-analog-gamers/

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PLEDGE MANAGER

You should receive an email at some point over the next week or so from Backerkit that will give you access to the pledge manager. Once in there you will be able to pay for shipping, tell us what extras you pledged for, add more add-ons if you desire, and change your pledge level.

Backerkit will start the process by sending out a "smoke test" to 5% of backers. This is to make sure everything is working properly and to stop major problems before they have a chance to start. Once it's confirmed that everything is working as it should, then all of the remaining surveys will be sent out shortly thereafter.

If you don’t receive an email from Backerkit within the next week or two then first check to make sure that the email didn't go into your spam folder. If it's not there, though, you can go to https://www.backerkit.com/backer_accounts/sign_in and either log in or create a backer account (be sure to use the same email as the one you use on Kickstarter), which should automatically populate your account with Deep Madness and any other projects you have backed that have utilized Backerkit. Should this fail, you can also go to https://www.backerkit.com/are_you_a_backer and look up Deep Madness (Second Printing) to gain access to your pledge survey.

The pledge manager will be open until February 11th. We know this end date is a little earlier than we were initially stating, but we realized we needed to bump up our timeline slightly in order to make sure we can make our August deadline. Having said that, there's still almost two full months for you to finalize your pledge.

If you use the standard Backerkit payment method then your credit card will not be charged for shipping, add-ons, and adjustments until we close the pledge manager. However, we have also enabled the PayPal option. PayPal charges your account/card instantly, so if you'd like to pay bit by bit between now and February 11th rather than in one big lump (or if you'd just like to get the payment out of the way while you know you have the funds available) then PayPal will facilitate that for you.

After we have locked down orders, though, you will still be able to edit your shipping address right up until the shipping process begins. (Probably mid-June.) As we have previously stated, we are currently estimating delivery to your door in August for everything except the novel Deep Madness: Shattered Seas.

Now, some of you might have some questions, so we thought we'd give you a few preemptive answers. If one doesn't apply to you, feel free to skip over it.

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· 1. I made a pledge without a reward level. What should I do?

You will now want to change your pledge level to the Crawling Core, Investigator or All-In level (or one of the returning backer levels if you already own the game.) We are not offering any purchasable items if you don't select a pledge level. To change your pledge level, follow these steps:

1 - Click "switch your pledge level."

2 - Select the pledge level you'd like to change to.

3 - Click the "Switch" button.

You may now proceed with the pledge manager as normal.

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· 2. I pledged for the Investigator Early-Bird, and now I want to switch to the All-In Early Bird. What should I do?

This is unfortunately not something you can do yourself. (We weren't able to figure out how to make that work in the pledge manager.) HOWEVER, never fear! Send us an email to [email protected] and we'll get your pledge level switched for you at the reduced early-bird rate!

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· 3. I pledged $1 for the Waves of Madness pledge level, but I don't want to buy anything this time and it still wants me to pay shipping. What should I do?

Because the Waves of Madness level was designed for returning backers who just wanted to buy a few add-ons, there is still a shipping fee attached to it. To complete your survey without paying any shipping fee, switch your pledge level to "$0 - Chose not to receive reward." Then you won't have any shipping fee and can still complete your survey. (Which we appreciate, by the way.)

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· 4. How do I validate that I'm a returning backer?

If you're a returning backer from the first campaign, then you won't have to do a thing. We will double-check your information against the first campaign, and you'll be good to go. And if you bought the game after-market or got it from a friend, you won't have to do anything - yet. When we lock down the pledge manager and double-check backers against those from the first campaign, then we will contact you to obtain proof that you do indeed own the game. If we can't obtain proof from you at that point, then we will need to switch you to a different pledge level.

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· 5. I decided Deep Madness isn't for me and I want a refund. What should I do?

You can contact us via [email protected]. We will not be able to refund you for the amount of the Kickstarter fees charged on your pledge, but we will be happy to take care of the rest.

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· 6. How much will Profundum cost me for shipping?

Profundum is really big and kind of heavy, even if it is largely empty. The weight for the box alone will be 2kg (approximately 4.4lbs), and its volume weight will be 4kg (approximately 8.8lbs - carriers will calculate volume weight when air transportation is involved.) For much of the world Profundum will cost an extra $8-$12 for shipping, but there are some locations which will be much more. You can find a shipping chart that lists what shipping charges will be with or without Profundum at https://drive.google.com/open?id=14xkhr30F8ZZQhxRCFSOyk7Q5_lxVhO9e.

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· 7. Yikes! I don't want to pay that much to ship Profundum! Can I get rid of it?

Yes you can. If your pledge level includes Profundum, you can click the "add-on" that says "I don't need the Profundum Storage Box" and add it to your cart. This will automatically decrease your shipping cost. Please be aware, though, that doing so will also eliminate some of the other stretch goals we unlocked during the campaign which are being shipped in the Profundum box, such as the printed scenarios.

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· 8. Do I really need translation packs?

During the first campaign, a number of backers who preferred one of the alternate languages for Deep Madness forgot to add the translation packs to their orders or didn’t realize they weren't automatically included. If you chose the all-in pledge level for non-English backers then these packs are included (though we still need to know what language you prefer, which is the first question asked in your survey,) but if you haven't chosen this pledge level then it is absolutely essential that you add the pack(s) you'll need. So please don't forget to add the translation packs to your order if you want the printed materials in anything but English.

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· 9. How can someone late pledge?

If you or your friends missed the Kickstarter campaign, you (or they) can now late pledge in our online pre-order store: https://deep-madness-second-printing.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders. After you get into the store, you will first want to choose your pledge level. You can only choose ONE of the six displayed pledge levels. (Note: While it may appear that shipping is cheaper for late pledgers, this is because there are actually two parts to the shipping fees for pre-orders/late pledges. The total shipping fee will work out to be the same as for backers.) There is also a returning backer add-on section at the bottom of the pre-order page for returning backers who missed the most recent Kickstarter campaign. These are only available for returning backers, just like the Deeper Terrors and Waves of Madness pledge levels.

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That's it for this update! I'll be back soon for the next Choose Your Own Terror installment, but in the meantime have a great holiday season and keep an eye out for your pledge manager invite! Talk to you soon, friends!

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Choose Your Own Terror 5
over 7 years ago – Wed, Dec 05, 2018 at 01:17:32 AM

Well you all have been very patient for the next installment of our little story, and it has finally arrived. I hope you'll find it was worth the wait. =D

First, I won't say too much about the campaign here, but since it'll likely be another couple of days before the next official update I'll just give you a small one. We're still waiting for the Kickstarter funds to deposit, which hopefully should happen in the next few days. We're also hard at work on the pledge manager, which should open for sure some time next week. We'll let you know more as we figure it out ourselves. =)

Now, for those who are only interested in the news, you may officially stop reading this update. For the rest of you, though, let's get into the story!

First, my entirely questionable counting practices found the following:

A - 34 votes

B - 71 votes

C - 54 votes

Man, I gotta say, I am really glad the voting turned out the way it did. Remember when I said that one option would lead to certain death and one would lead to something kind of interesting? Well, Option A was certain death. And Option B was the interesting one. =D So let's see what was so interesting about it! (Oh, and if you haven't read the previous ones, part one is here, part two is here, part three is here, and part four is here.)

Part Five: Option B

“Please!” Persephone calls to you, and that finally gets you moving. Persephone’s right: Thomas is likely already dead. Chances are there’s nothing you can do to help him, while Persephone and Diane are here right now. And, besides, after working so hard to keep these two safe it would seem almost hypocritical to abandon them now. 

Bursting into the med-bay’s main patient ward, you follow Persephone in undertaking a desperate search for Diane. The floor is starting to squirm with its own strange life, becoming curiously, horrifically organic as it squelches under your feet. Everyone who can walk is scrambling to escape the med-bay, bumping into and trampling on each other as they race for the only easily accessible exit. The patients' rooms are quickly becoming individual boxes of terror as they fill with bizarre, malignant things that thrash and mewl.

 “Diane!” you and Persephone cry, dodging from room to room. You don’t find Diane, but you do discover other patients who are trapped, fighting against straps and tubes and equipment as living, throbbing madness shimmies closer inch by inch. You jump in to free as many of the abandoned patients as you can, though you quickly realize that there are so many of them and your time is very, very short.

 “I found her!” Persephone shouts. “Diane!” And then Persephone screams.

Turning, you race after Persephone’s voice. You enter a short corridor. On the left it says “Surgery” and on the right you see “Recovery.” You run into the room on the right. There are several beds in here, separated by thick white sheets. Persephone is standing there, frozen in shock, as Diane advances toward her.

“I can finally feel my legs,” Diane says. "It’s wonderful, Persephone.”

Diane is probably ten or twelve feet tall now, though that is not because her body has suddenly grown significantly over the last few minutes. Long, spiny tentacles have sprouted out of her midsection, which is what she now half-walks, half-slithers forward on. Her legs dangle uselessly beneath her, and you watch in horror as at last they fall off, her waist dissolving as more horrific appendages (some barbed tendrils, some long, beetle-black insect legs) push free of her abdomen. There’s something else, too. Is that… a beak? 

“The pain is gone,” Diane says, her voice dropping into a droning bass. “Those doctors really know their stuff.” 

“Persephone,” you say. “It’s time to go. Now.”

Persephone is fixed to the spot, though, her mouth dangling open in shock. Diane scuttles toward her, a maniacal grin splitting her increasingly unnatural face. Her pupils are stretching and elongating, until at last both of her eyeballs are entirely black. 

Racing forward, you roughly grab Persephone and pull her backward. “Persephone!” you shout. “NOW!”

That finally jars Persephone out of her stupor. Turning, the two of you run as fast as your legs can take you.

“Where are you going?” Diane asks. “You two have done so much for me. Now it’s my turn to repay the favor!”

You race through the hatch marked “Recovery” and slam the control to seal it. Diane rips right through the metal of the hatch as if it were cardboard, shredding it with her newly minted appendages.

Grabbing Persephone’s arm, you almost drag her along with you as your legs propel you forward at a nearly dizzying speed. You hear Diane pouring into the corridor behind you. What if you can’t outrun her?

You bump into a tray littered with medical equipment and almost send the scalpel clattering to the floor. Grabbing up the instrument, you appraise it quickly. This is an automated device for large-scale incisions and amputations. It reminds you a bit of a small, very precise chainsaw. It certainly looks more intimidating than your utility knife. Gripping it, you keep running. 

A patient who didn’t make it out reaches for you imploringly as a malignant fungal mass entwines tighter around his body and forces its way into his mouth. Another one twitches on the ground as viscous tentacles burst out of her stomach. Things are reaching for you from the ceiling and groping at your feet on the ground. You need to escape this place, and quickly. Even if Diane wasn’t thundering after you, it’s almost like this med-bay has been devoured by something dark and malevolent: something that now wants to consume you as well. 

You make it back into the waiting room, Persephone still at your side, slipping and sliding across the blood and slime that now seem to be coating the floor in a slick layer. At last you make it to the hatch and race through its opening. Persephone punches the control behind you, but you doubt that will do any more to hinder Diane than the last one did. You hear the metal shredding and realize your assumption was absolutely correct. 

Persephone screams beside you, and then she isn’t beside you anymore. Turning around, you watch as Diane’s unbelievably long, muscular tentacle drags Persephone back toward the seething accretions where Diane’s legs used to be. Persephone’s eyes are wide in abject terror, her fingers scrabbling for purchase on the corridor’s floor to no avail as she is relentlessly reeled in like a doomed trout. She reaches one hand up toward you, and once again screams, “Please!”

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

A. Try to save Persephone from Diane.

B. Abandon Persephone and use her death to buy you a few extra seconds.

So was I right in calling that interesting? I hope I was. 

But now, will we work to save Persephone from the thing that used to be Diane? Or will we use her gruesome, painful death to buy us a few (potentially life-saving) seconds? Take to the comments and get voting!

Choose Your Own Terror 4
over 7 years ago – Sat, Nov 24, 2018 at 01:30:48 AM

Hey friends! 

In the US we just celebrated our Thanksgiving holiday. It's a day reflected by two things: eating copious amounts of food and reflecting on the things you're thankful for. Can you guess what we were thankful for? 

Oh, you got us. It's YOU, of course! We are so grateful you decided to join us in this project and in investing in Deep Madness and Diemension Games. We've said it before, I'm sure we'll say it again, but I feel it's very appropriate that, on this weekend, we would once again say that we are thankful for you, and each and every one of your fellow backers. 

But today we'll express our gratitude by giving you a little something to take your mind off of the Black Friday madness that always follows Thanksgiving: a little Choose Your Own Terror story that'll impart an entirely different kind of madness! Yep, it took me a couple (more) days longer than anticipated, but here is part four of the Choose Your Own Terror story. If you missed part one then go here, part two then go here, or part three then go here. 

Now, as I've said before, there is nothing campaign-related in the post that follows, so if you're only looking for news then stop reading now. And for those wondering which path we decided to take, here is my (entirely unscientific and potentially unreliable) tally of where we landed:

Option A - 68 votes

Option B - 42 votes

Option C - 64 votes

Dang! This one was SO CLOSE - especially between option C and option A! But, in the end, Option A did, once again, prevail. This makes this a truly AAA story thus far (snicker) and proves that Deep Madness backers are, by-and-large, a very altruistic and big-hearted lot - even if they would not necessarily be the most likely to survive the zombie apocalypse.

But what's going to happen next? Let's find out!

Part Four: Option A

You feel like you’re being torn in pieces as so many radically different directions wrench at you. Your sense of honor is telling you to finish what you’ve started with Diane and make sure she gets to the med-bay okay. But you’re also feeling a nearly desperate urge to make sure Cynthia is all right. 

“What is it?” Persephone asks. 

“My wife,” you say. “She’s that way.” 

“You won’t do her any good if you bleed to death,” Persephone murmurs, clutching your shoulder. Looking down, you see that your sleeve is dark red with blood.

“Oh,” you say, feeling suddenly light-headed. 

“Let’s get you two patched up,” Persephone says. “Then we’ll see about getting you to Cynthia.” 

“Okay,” you say. “Let’s do it.” 

Thomas’s mouth is set in a grim line. “I’ll try to get back to you,” he says. “When I have weapons.” 

You nod, trying to force a smile onto your face. “Be safe, Thomas,” you say. 

“You, too, you heroic madman,” Thomas says. Then he runs off down the corridor. 

“Emergency lockdown in D Wing,” a calm female voice announces over the intercoms. “All affected personnel, please retreat to the nearest safe zone.” 

Turning toward the med-bay, you help Persephone push Diane on the flat cargo bed. You have just made it down the corridor when the hatches behind you whir closed, the emergency lockdown in effect. You grit your teeth, hoping Cynthia is okay. 

“Call her,” Persephone says. “On your node.” 

Oh. You really must be in shock, because that hadn’t even crossed your mind. Tapping your node, you call Cynthia. 

“Hello?” Cynthia’s voice fills your ear. 

“Cynthia, it’s me,” you say. “Are you okay?” 

“Oh, you’re all right!” Cynthia cries. “I was so worried when they said where the attack was! Yes, I’m fine. What’s happening? Where are you?” 

“I’m on my way to med-bay. Long story. Are you safe? Have you seen anything strange?” 

“You’re on your way to the med-bay? Are you all right? What’s going on?” 

“I’ll explain later,” you say. “Are you okay, though? Are you with people? I need to know.” 

“We’re fine for now,” Cynthia says. “But –” 

“Okay,” you say, sighing with relief. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you back soon.” 

“All right,” Cynthia says. “Please, take care of yourself.” “You too,” you say. “Stay safe. I’m coming for you.” 

Diane moans on her makeshift stretcher as you and Persephone hurry it down the hall. She shifts listlessly on her platform, her eyes fluttering open and closed. 

At last, you reach the entrance to the med-bay. A med-tech hurries over to you as you roll in. There are other new arrivals you see, moaning from the wounds inflicted by these newest manifestations. This must have been a bad one. Much more widespread than the previous incidents you’ve heard of. 

“What happened to her?” the med-tech asks. 

“Something knocked her through a hatch,” you say. 

“And what happened to you?” the med-tech asks. 

“They… saved my life…” Diane manages. Looking at her, you smile. She offers a weak one back. 

“Okay,” the med-tech says. “I’ll take her in to get scanned right away. You two wait here. Someone will look at you in just a moment.” 

You and Persephone find seats and wait. Eventually, another med-tech comes over and examines you. “It’s good you came in when you did,” he says. “It looks like you’ve lost a lot of blood from your lacerations, and this one on your arm is particularly deep. It’s good you came when you did, or you might have had permanent damage done to your arm. I’m going to inject some nanobots into the deep wound, and then seal the others with regen foam.” 

The med-tech gets to work quietly. Within a couple of minutes, though, he says, “Right. That should do it for now. You’ll be sore for a few days, but hopefully that’ll take care of the worst of it.” 

Then the first med-tech emerges. “Your friend is sleeping,” she says. “Her spine was fractured, and she had major internal damage and bleeding throughout her body. We’re hopeful the nanobots will be able to repair a lot of the damage. We’re also almost done inserting a brace now to hopefully repair some of the damage to her spine. It’s a miracle she’s alive. If you two had been just a few minutes later…” 

Persephone nods. “Well luckily we weren’t –” 

Kadath shakes violently. Klaxons sound as red lights flash. 

“Repair crews to security block, D Wing,” the calm female voice says over the intercoms. “Adjacent security personnel to security block, D Wing. Explosion detected. Structural damage detected. Possible flooding detected.” 

You gasp and jump to your feet. “Thomas!” 

“Whoa, whoa!” Persephone says, grabbing your good arm. “Where do you think you’re going?” 

“My friend! He was heading to security!” 

Persephone stands to look you in the eye. “I’m sorry,” she says. “You heard what they said, though. He’s probably already gone. If you go back there then you’ll only get yourself killed, too.” 

You push Persephone away. She could very well be right. Thomas could already be dead. But what if he’s not? 

One thing's for sure, though. You need to get to Cynthia and then leave Kadath before it's too late. The shortest route is still back the way you came – though that could be flooded now. You do know another way, but it is significantly longer. 

Someone screams in the med-bay’s depths. You think it's Diane. Persephone whips her head toward the sound, and you follow suit just in time to see tentacles blooming across the ceiling. Something like lichen or coral sprouts in the corners, filled with teeth and eyes. The walls are beginning to pulse with their own strange life. 

“Diane!” Persephone cries, tearing off into the med-bay. She glances back at you to see if you’re following, but you’re momentarily glued to the spot. 

You know time is incredibly short, and no matter what you do you have a feeling someone is about to die. The main question is, who are you going to try to save? 

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO? 

A. Try to save Thomas, then attempt to take the potentially flooded shortcut to Cynthia. 

B. Try to save Persephone and Diane, then head for Cynthia.

C. Leave them all and take the long way around to get to Cynthia. 

So a couple commentaries on this one. First, you might wonder, did I know ahead of time that Option B the last time would have led to our deaths with the security block exploding? Yep. I did. So this could very easily have been the final entry if B had been chosen. I'm also pretty sure one of these options I've listed above will lead to our death now should it be chosen, and one will lead to something VERY INTERESTING. So choose carefully. =D 

Second of all, I was telling my wife a bit about the story, and she said, "Doesn't anyone have a phone? Hasn't anyone mentioned calling the hero's wife?" To which I blinked, and then said, "Nope. I don't think anyone's thought of that." So that section is in honor of my wife. ;D

Okay, but that's enough talk! It's time to get deciding, folks! What is it going to be? Are we going to try to save one of our friends? Or are we just going to book it and see what happens when we're alone? To the comments!