A cooperative game of sci-fi survival horror for 1-6 players, inspired by Lovecraft’s work and featuring amazingly detailed miniatures.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Shattered Seas, A New Epic Monster, and Another Stretch Goal Smashed!
over 5 years ago
– Mon, Nov 05, 2018 at 04:18:51 AM
Hope you all have had a great weekend! We're making good progress toward unlocking Lucas, as well as a couple more social goals. In fact, want to know something? We might have just busted through another one.
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EBOOK INCOMING!
You heard that right! We just beat another social stretch goal, so now everyone from this campaign and the first campaign will receive a free copy of the eBook for Deep Madness: Shattered Seas!
Every backer from both the first and second campaign will now receive the Novel - Deep Madness: Shattered Seas ebook.
Here's where our social goals are standing currently:
Achievement Chart.
We're also getting steadily closer to unlocking Lucas Kane! Currently we're about $15,000 away from adding him to every physical copy of the novel Shattered Seas. Think we can beat that within the next day?
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NOVEL TRANSLATIONS
Now, another thing that I know a bunch of you have been waiting for: an announcement about the novel translations. We've had a poll going on for a while that asked, if we were going to translate the novel, what languages should we translate it into? Where would we have the most interest? Now, we realized we made some mistakes with this poll which became obvious in hindsight. Specifically, we ended up with over 14,000 votes(!) for Russian - which is, obviously, 10,000 votes over the number of backers thus far in the campaign - a language that was a write-in vote. So, first of all, let's talk about that. At this time we're not able to translate into Russian, though we very much appreciate our Russian friends making their voices heard. Perhaps, further on down the road, we'll be able to offer that translation, but currently it's not one of our supported languages. And also, we're not able to know, judging by the number of votes, if it was one person or 300 people who voted for Russian. (If it was just one, we appreciate your ambition to take the time to vote so… many… times for your translation. =)
Now, how about the other languages?
Based on the current numbers, at this point we are committing for sure to translating Spanish and German. We need to hold off on French and Italian for now, though, because we're just not sure that we'll be able to meet the minimum required quantities to make those new translated products a feasibility. (Please note: this is just for now. If interest should pick up for these translations, then we'll reconsider down the road.)
For another thing, the cost of translating (and then proofreading and producing) the novel is going to be pretty steep. We're going to eat most of the cost, but we will still need to charge an additional $5 for each translated version of the novel. We're sorry for this additional expense, but, as we said, this won't be cheap. Thanks for your understanding.
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EPIC MONSTER WINNER
So, we have more exciting news! Remember that Epic Monster vote we've been doing? Well, the results are in, and the winner, by 32 votes, is… Drifter! Hail to the King, baby!
As with the Ward figure, we will be sculpting this one with you all during the campaign. You'll be able to see his yellow majesty taking form, and revel in his tattered glory. It might be most appropriate to celebrate his victory with a song. Or a dance. No, I've got it - a play! =D
Now, we've noticed a couple of complaints from people regarding the All-In pledge. Specifically, why has the price been inflated to include things people don't technically need such as the novel, the art book, extra dice, etc.? So, we broke this down for you a little bit. Here's the total if you just wanted to get the specifically game-related content for a new backer:
$120 Investigator Pledge
$50 Rise of Dagon
$50 The Oracle's Betrayal
$15 Ravenous
$18 Devourer of Worlds
$18 Spawn of the Sleeper
$18 Penitent Forsaken
$16 Insidious
$14 Dimension Rift
$35 Faces of the Sphere
Total: $354
This means that you're technically getting all that other stuff for $5 ($359 All-in). And that isn't all just throwaway, non-game related content, either: for instance, the novel already contains an exclusive new scenario, and will shortly include a new investigator, as well. We certainly don't want to tell you what to do with your money, but that's a lot of high quality products for $5 that will drastically expand the world of Deep Madness for you. Just food for thought. =)
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SHATTERED SEAS SNEAK PEEK
Now, some of you have been very patiently waiting for a look into the novel Shattered Seas. And, since this update was rather novel-focused anyway, it seemed like a good time to share a little bit of the book with you. Having said that, this is only a teaser. We will have future updates with a bit more of the novel in it, and we will get through at least all of chapter one by the end of the campaign. But, for this moment, you'll just have to hang on for more. I've recorded a video of this, as well as posted the text below. I hope you like this little sampling:
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CHAPTER ONE: SEETHING WATERS
“Initial scans following the incident at the Kadath facility have proven bewildering, fascinating, and exhilarating. I am convinced we have catalyzed something extraordinary. We are detecting particle waves surging from the anomaly at an unprecedented rate, with no immediate sign of dissipation. If I had to stake an opinion, I would say we may begin to see manifestations from these waves within a matter of weeks.”
Phillip Reed – Leng Corp. Specialist
In the depths of the seething sea, pummeled and tossed by blind, capricious currents, the drowning man felt his mind shatter. Or was it the other way around?
The man burst through the ocean surf with a gasp. Salt water stung his eyes and assaulted his cuts as he flailed in the brine, his hair and clothes adhering like papier mâché to his skin. The man jerked his head from side to side, trying to orient himself as his thoughts slid like chunks of ice amidst angry waves. How was he here? Why was he here? And where was land?
The man’s pupils were dilating and contracting at random, bringing the world in and out of focus. During a clear moment, though, he thought he could make out a white sand beach in the distance. Forcing his body to move, to comply, he started paddling toward where he hoped the shore would be. His limbs moved spastically, his muscles jittering with spasms. His stomach lurched and rolled within him, but he tried not to focus on it. Or on the streaks of fire arcing through his muscles. Or on the feeling that everything was horribly, monstrously wrong.
It was only a few seconds later that his ears popped, as if the pressure had just changed drastically. And it was after this that he began to notice the sounds. He heard the waves, of course, as they beat upon each other. But he also perceived something else. It sounded like moans. Or maybe wails. And then he heard the roar.
Panic welling within him, the man began to swim as fast as his malfunctioning limbs would take him, desperately willing his body to obey. He so hoped he had really seen the shore. The world was still reeling in and out of focus like a punch-drunk wrestler. Something splashed in the water to his left. It was close. The man made himself move faster.
The water grew warmer, and then the man felt seaweed and anemones brushing against his toes. Something smooth and fleshy slid across his shin.
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Well that's it for now! We'll have more for you in just a couple of days. And, just to whet your appetite, I will say that the next little segment is where things get really good. (Or completely, utterly messed up. Depending on your perspective.)
Oh, also, one other thing: I will be doing another Kickstarter Live chat this coming Tuesday at 3PM PST! (The only difference is we're in standard time rather than daylight savings now.) I'd love it if you'd be able to stop by and say hi! The last time was a total blast, and I have no reason to think this one won't be, either.
Until next time, friends!
Whose Face will It Be? (And Lucas Incoming!)
over 5 years ago
– Sat, Nov 03, 2018 at 09:31:18 PM
We've done it, guys! We hit $450,000! That means we have officially unlocked the next character to join The Faces of the Sphere! But who won? WHO WON?
It came down to the last few votes. The race was incredibly close the whole time. But, at last, one pulled ahead just enough to cross the finish line.
And the winner is…
(Drum roll please)
Oh, wait, I need a drink of water…
It's a beautiful day, don't you think? A crisp Autumn day, not too cold, not too warm…
Hey, a squirrel!
Oh, right. Announcing the winner.
AND THE WINNER BY 14 VOTES IS -
WARD PHILLIPS!
(Cue creepy processional victory music!)
It came right down to the line with Ward and Jacob almost constantly switching places, but at last Ward pulled into the lead. Here's the final tally:
Final Tally.
In the coming days we’ll be showing you sneak peeks as Ward is mutated into a horrific abomination. It should be a good time had by all, so keep an eye out for that.
Some of you have said we should just go ahead and make the top three contenders in the race. To this we reply… Well… There's a lot of campaign still ahead. And you just never know what's going to happen over the next 16 days. ;) (Kevin and KS Huntress, you may now officially begin the "Justice for Hannah" movement.)
But now others might be wondering what stretch goal is coming up next! Well, I'm glad you asked!
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OUR NEXT STRETCH GOAL
Some of you may have guessed from the title of this post, but our next stretch goal will officially be Lucas Kane! At $480,000 we will finally have Lucas joining the fray. He will be included with every hardcover copy of Deep Madness: Shattered Seas. We'll have more info coming shortly both about him and about the novel itself.
Unlocks at $480,000.
We are also getting closer on a couple of the next social achievements, meaning we're closing in on more cool stuff there as well, such as an eBook, an audio book, and a new scenario. Here's where we're at:
Achievement Chart.
We're also less than 400 backers away from unlocking some awesome new dice in The Faces of the Sphere!
But wait! What's that, rising out of the mists? It's starting to come into focus. It's - it's massive. And… square? No, that’s not right.
It couldn't be. What…?
I can make something out on it. A single word. It says… Profundum.
Story Time and Drowning in the Depths
over 5 years ago
– Sat, Nov 03, 2018 at 05:35:31 AM
Hi everyone! It's your daily dose of Deep Madness!
Today we're going to have Story Time with Byron. But first, here's our achievement and voting updates!
DROWNING IN THE DEPTHS UNLOCKED!
We have some pretty exciting news: we've completed three achievements! Do you know what that means? That's right - it means our intro scenario, Drowning in the Depths, has been officially unlocked!
Achievement Chart.
Drowning in the Depths was originally released at Gen Con 2017, but we are reworking it, upgrading it, adding story to it, and making it all-around better. When that's accomplished, we'll send a PDF of it to every backer from both our first and second campaigns. And you've made that all possible! Thanks for helping to spread the word about Deep Madness!
Also, for those wondering how who's winning currently in our vote for the next Sphere Face (working title), here's how our favorites are doing:
Over the next couple of weeks we'll focus on a lot of new stuff, but we also want to make sure that new backers have a good idea of what's available and why. Because of this, we'll also be taking a look at several things that were featured in the first campaign. In the coming days we'll go in-depth with Rise of Dagon and The Oracle's Betrayal (and maybe some other content as well,) but for right now we're going to take a look at The Art of Deep Madness. Why? Because I made a fancy video for you. That's why.
So, without further ado, here's Story Time with Byron. Enjoy.
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But of course, The Art of Deep Madness isn't just about some really disturbing, background-revealing stories. It's also chock-full of art. 160 pieces to be exact, crammed into 100 pages of oversized glossy goodness. Let's take a look:
The Art of Deep Madness.
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The art book is available for $20 for new backers, or $18 for returning backers. (It's also included in the All-In Pledge.) If you'd like to add The Art of Deep Madness to your pledge, just click on the "Manage your pledge" button in the upper right-hand corner of your screen on a desktop/laptop (or the "Manage pledge" button at the bottom of the screen on the initial campaign home page in the mobile Kickstarter app), then click "Change your pledge" and enter the amount of the add-on you'd like to add. Then save your changes, and you're good to go. We'll sort out what you ordered in the pledge manager later on.
Now, for those who are hoping for a glimpse into Shattered Seas, don't worry. It's coming soon. And for those who want more juicy game details, we'll have more of those for you in the next update. Stay tuned, and, in the meantime, have a great day!
Samuel and the Sphere, the QuoteStar FAQ, and a DM Discussion
over 5 years ago
– Fri, Nov 02, 2018 at 04:51:31 AM
Hi there, everyone! I hope you've been having a great day.
For those of you who haven't played Deep Madness yet, you might be wondering what makes this game different, and what all the fuss is about. Well, here's a podcast put on by our friend Mike over at One Stop Co-Op Shop. It's long, but it is a very in-depth look at Deep Madness. We recommend it, and we hope you'll enjoy it.
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QUOTESTAR'S FAQ
Also, as many of you know, our resident celebrity Maddy (otherwise known as the one and only QuoteStar) has diligently been compiling a FAQ for this campaign, just as she did for the first DM campaign. If you haven't checked out her FAQ, you really should do so. It's much more in-depth than the official one on the FAQ page of the campaign, and she updates it every time we throw a monkey wrench into what she's already written. (Which is often.) You can find it at
And last of all, we've knocked one achievement out and are getting really close on a couple of others! That intro scenario is getting so, so close! Can we do it? (Hint: absolutely we can!)
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SAMUEL AND THE SPHERE
Next, I thought we'd go over one of the Sphere Faces a little more in-depth. And, honestly, since he's the captain of the whole bunch, I thought it very appropriate to start with Samuel.
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Dry, dusty boards crunch under Samuel's feet as motes dance in the anemic light sifting down from the filthy green windows. Jagged stained glass reflects a shattered reality, twisted in the minds of some infernal fallen angel. Samuel enters the dark cathedral's sanctuary, and finds he hasn't wanted a drink this badly in years.
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Walking beside Samuel, you frown in alarm. Something is happening in the corridor up ahead. You have seen so many things in Kadath's dark labyrinth, but this seems to be new. The world is shimmering, splitting at a seam. Samuel holds you back with one hand. "Hold up," he whispers. "What in the name of. . ."
It's coming through.
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Reality twists anew. The floor is alive, wriggling with living, jeering, screeching guilt. Samuel has let so many down: His crew in the sub, this team in Kadath. His friends. His charges. He led them to their pits, and he watched as they tumbled in, helpless to save them. The squirming chaos of regret winds around him, constricts around his body.
The voices have claws and teeth. They rip at him; devour him. "Crucify the false messiah," they gurgle. "Burn his soul at the stake." It's like there's rigor mortis in his arms, pulling them taught and pinning them in place. Samuel feels his head split into a crown of thorns. Lord help him.
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The creature spills into the room before you, arms upraised, mouths churning and gnawing and slurping as tentacles whip and thrash. Samuel starts to raise his SMG, but then he freezes, his breath hissing through his teeth.
"What is it, Samuel?" you ask. "Shoot it!"
"That cross around its neck," Samuel whispers, his hand straying towards his chest. "That thing -- it's – it’s me."
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Samuel Smith Sphere Face. Sculpted by BigChild Creative.
Painted by BigChild Creative.
As mentioned in a previous update, Sphere Faces are an entirely new kind of threat. They don't exist to kill you. They aren't event particularly interested in you, to be honest. They just roam aimlessly around the board, trapped in their own personal hell, and sew chaos in their wake.
When investigators first encounter Samuel's Sphere Face, they might almost be glad for it, as investigators in the same room as him gain one extra resistance die. The problem is, if those same investigators are still there when his activation begins, then they will also take one madness token instantly. So do you chance being in his presence for the extra resistance? Or do you flee to avoid the madness? (Or do you try to kill him, removing him from the game and taking the reward on the back of his card?)
Samuel Smith Sphere Face Card.
In the end, the Sphere Faces don't just sew chaos: they also add another strategic layer to the game, offering you more choices and new paths forward.
Well that's it for this update. We'll talk to you again tomorrow with more cool stuff! Have a great day!
News, Reviews and Contests
over 5 years ago
– Thu, Nov 01, 2018 at 04:38:37 AM
CATCHING UP ON THE LASTEST
Hey there, everybody! We just have a quick update for you tonight about the state of many things Deep Madness.
First of all, it seems you were pretty excited about that last update about voting for the next Sphere Face. So far we've had 508 comments (as of this writing) come in! That is staggering, guys! Dang!
Wondering how your favorite is stacking up? Well here's a rough tally we have going on of the investigators:
Current vote tally.
As you can see, Ward Phillips and Jacob Clarke are absolutely neck and neck. They've been exchanging places for the top spot ever since we started this, and have pretty much left everyone else in the dust. In fact, really the only one who could pull out a come-from-behind victory in my opinion is… Hannah?!
That's right, apparently many of us in this community either love kids or just love to turn them into horrific slobbering monstrosities with demonic teddy bears, because Hannah, the little girl, is our third-place contender. Something that has given all of us a really good chuckle. Also of interest: while Amanda Weaver does have 54, I believe that a good half of those are actually just for Jon. We obviously have a lot of cat people in our midst, as well.
We also still have voting open on which regular monster you'd like to see become a standalone Epic Monster. Ravenous is already in the works, but you guys are going to tell us which one to do next. If you'd like to throw in your two cents on this, go to the update before last at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diemensiongames/deep-madness-second-printing/posts/2330779. We haven't kept as close of a track on these as we have on the Sphere Face because there's still a couple days before this voting ends, but from a cursory look it's seeming pretty promising for Drifter and… the Mind Eater???!! Okay, I'll admit: the more I think about an epic Mind Eater, the less it seems like a joke and the cooler the idea gets. (Especially after someone commenting that the Mind Eater is kind of like a face hugger, and that it would grow and evolve very quickly.) But I guess we'll see. And, once again, there have been a lot of votes for Jon. Because apparently we have a lot of cat people in the group.
But that's not all we've got going on, friends! Oh no! We also have a whole slew of social stretch goals that are midway to unlocking! (And many thanks to KS Huntress for continuing to bring those back to people's attention in the comment section.) Unlocking these achievements will unlock some very cool stuff, like new scenarios, an audiobook, an eBook, and likely even more that hasn't been revealed yet. So let's get cracking on those! We're getting close on many of them, so it won't take us much longer to push them over the edge and start unlocking stretch goals! Here's where we currently stand:
Achievement Chart.
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DEEP MADNESS IN THE NEWS
Deep Madness is also making the rounds on the interwebs! We were featured recently in Tabletop Tribe's "9 Spooky Board Games Perfect for Halloween" list, which you can find here:
And Rolling Solo started a new series of videos about Deep Madness, which you can find the start of (a setup video) here:
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Also, just in case you haven't read Mike's very kind review from One-Stop Co-Op Shop (you can watch the video on the campaign page), you can find that review on Board Game Geek here:
We'll keep you informed as more fun articles, reviews, and more come rolling in.
Now, in the interest of brevity I think that's where we'll stop for tonight. But we will have a bunch more really fun, cool stuff coming up shortly. Like, tomorrow. In a few hours. We'll try to cover a wide breadth of content in the coming days, including how the game works for new backers, more on how the game's evolving for our returning backers, and more story stuff for those who are interested in that. And, of course, we'll have new stretch goals and vote updates coming your way shortly as well - including a couple potential things that I think you all are really going to like. So keep it tuned to Deep Madness, and we'll be talking with you again shortly!
