Missed the box set? Also, check out LAMPBLACK!
over 1 year ago – Fri, Feb 10, 2023 at 03:08:42 PM

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First Stretch Goal Unlocked on DAY 1! More about the Demon Lord Expansion.
over 1 year ago – Wed, Feb 08, 2023 at 08:08:14 AM

You found the second sigil!

Funding on Day 1 is fantastic, and on top of that, unlocking our first stretch, that's just wonderful!  I am grateful to be able to pay the team a bit more due to your support.  So thank you!

Campaigns typically have a lull period between the end of day 1 and the final 48 hours, but if we keep sharing this project, then we could hit another stretch goal before we get to the final rush!  I have seen so many folks sharing the Demon Lord, and I am sincerely grateful.  Thank you!

More about the Demon Lord Expansion

I am so happy to have been able to share Justine's cover art and illustration of the Demon Lord.  I can't wait to share more art as work begins.  For now, though, I'll tell you a bit more about the game.

First, the game design was wrapped up quite a while ago for this.    There will still be some design changes when we get into deeper playtesting, but we have already done a fair amount of internal playtesting to ensure that the core expansion content works great and is, above all else, fun! 

Let's talk about some of the differences from the original game:

• With a new BBEG, there is a new win condition.  You will still need to hexcrawl and delve, but finding a crown is no longer your primary mission.  That being said, a crown is a great asset to level up the party.  Instead of finding a crown, you now have two options; find all six sigils and attempt the banishing ritual, or fight and defeat the Demon Lord.  Both are a bit more dynamic than the final battle with the Lich King.
• The quest for the six sigils will bring you into the depths of a new type of dungeon, The Hellmouth.  Each Hellmouth provides at least one opportunity to find a sigil if you can survive its damned denizens or new hellacious events.  And these Hellmouths will start popping up on the map on their own.  They may even destroy the city you hail from if you can't stop all this quickly enough!
• The Demon Lord expansion creates more incentive to try to level up your party.  In Twelve Years, there was definitely some incentive to get to a higher level.  Increasing the number of adventurers was the most effective way to defeat the Lich King, and now while that is still a huge boon, level advancement will play a more critical role than it did in the core game.  This will be true both in surviving Hellmouths and for confronting the Demon Lord.
• And, of course, there are the new archetypes; the Hunter & the Sorcerer.  You always want a Fae Folk in your party to help keep you from getting lost in the Fae, but now you have more options which also means you are less likely to have a Fae Folk for the whole game.  That being said, both the Hunter and the Sorcerer bring some incredibly useful strengths and interesting weaknesses to the table.  While I absolutely encourage rolling your first party, I also would recommend that the first time you try out the Demon Lord Expansion, you go ahead and make sure you start with at least one Sorcerer or Hunter to test them out.  They are fun and a little infuriating!
• Lastly, this expansion is intended to raise the difficulty a bit and extend gameplay.  Twelve Years is fast and very easy to play.  The Demon Lord Expansion is as well, and it won't be difficult at all to jump in if you have played Twelve Years before.  That being said, if you haven't played Twelve Years before, it might feel like a bit much to track the sigils, new options, and growing Hellmouth presence on top of everything from the core game, so I would definitely recommend one playthrough of the core game first!

I also just want to say that I have been loving playing the Demon Lord Expansion.  I have come extremely close to defeating the Demon Lord, but he has killed me every damn time I get to him.  So when you finally meet him, feel free to draw a pile of toasted adventurers in the background.   

I am working on planning updates, so if there are things you hope to see discussed more in-depth during the campaign, or after, please feel free to let me know in the comments!

Thanks again for all the support.  When the end finally comes, I'll be sure to let the Demon Lord know you were on our side.

- Max Moon

More wonderful Zinequest projects!

I would like to share some zinequest projects that I am particularly interested in.  The first one I wanted to mention is Sunset Limited, an adventure for 3, 2, 1, Action from the game's creator, and one of the most wonderful podcast hosts of all time, John McGuire.  

As a kid, I had some defunct railroad tracks in the woods behind my house.  I spent a lot of ton of time dreaming about robbing trains while wandering those tracks.  I eventually found a spot where a small bridge used to cross the widest area of the creek.  It had collapsed, and there was some ancient rusted wreckage left behind in the creek.  It was mostly rust and barely recognizable as parts of a train, but it became a wonderful spot for imagined adventures and was one of my most visited places in those woods.  

So this brings me back to Sunset Limited.  Yes, I absolutely want to play out "a penny dreadful train robbery" and steal from the rich!

Check it out!

Funded in 2 hours! Stretch Goal Time! Open the Hellmouth!
over 1 year ago – Tue, Feb 07, 2023 at 10:28:20 AM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.