Delvers to Grow: Get to the table fast - Page 5

DouglasCole · 07-20-2021, 09:54 AM

I've been rewatching Battlestar Galactica with my wife, so "the Final Five" is on my mind.

Final PDF Files Released
This morning, I polished up what I thought were the last errata, realized I'd missed some on Smart Delvers, fixed those up, and redistributed all of the files.

The latest, most updated versions are:

Delvers to Grow Core Book u20210720
DtG Strong Delvers u20210720
DtG Fast Delvers u20210720
DtG Smart Delvers u20210720b
Crypt of Krysuvik u20210720

That should wrap up the five books on the Delvers to Grow project, and I shall be sending the four that aren't already at my house to the printer today. Expect delivery to me in about two weeks.

Don't have them but want them: Pre-orders will remain open for a short while from this post.

Omnibus Edition
The next step is to take these and combine them into the Omnibus print-only edition. That will take one of two forms.

The first form is "just put them together into a 100-page book." That's about five minutes of work and accomplishes the goal of "one book, with a spine, to sit on a shelf." I'm going to

It's not satisfying for several reasons, though. There's some redundant content here and there that doesn't need to be repeated, and (from a practical production standpoint) a 96-page book is infinitely friendlier than a 100-page one, because when 2,000 GURPS fans finally realize this book is what they need (hey, I can dream!), a big print run is way more efficient when page counts are multiples of 16.

So below-the-waterline, I'm going to do both.

I'll spend the very short amount of time required to just make an InDesign "Book" that puts the chapters together, come up with a slightly variant page-numbering scheme so it's clear what section you're in, and that'll be that.

Then having that ready in case the more complete surgery doesn't work right, I'll try and assemble the Omnibus into a single volume, eliminating redundant content, consolidating where I can, and seeing if I can bring the thing in at 96 pages. I've mentally identified a way to get to ... 96 and a half. Drat. But we'll see!

I'm not going to spend a huge amount of time messing with it, but I want to give it the old college try, as it were.

Distribution, Fulfillment, and Locking Addresses
Once I place the print orders for the Omnibus, I shall send out the final warning to update your addresses, check your cards if you're having trouble with them, and close the pre-order store. This shall happen in a day or three. After that, the only way to get the books will be to wait until they go up on retail.

Once I DO lock the orders, I will finalize the PDF distribution lists and send out files using DriveThruRPG as promised. The Backerkit distribution is a great way to get intermediate-stage files to get eyes-on for proofing, but is terrible for future updates (something SJGames has to deal with as well). DriveThruRPG has a good system for version control on PDFs, so I'll be taking advantage of that.

So...that's where we are.

International Shipping
Also, once I lock all the orders and addresses and close pre-orders, it will be time to look hard at the international shipping status.

That means looking at orders from the UK, Australia/New Zealand, and Canada. I don't yet have a line on a short-run, low setup cost digital printer in the EU, so that won't work.

I also need to look at the inventory status and total cost of print-and-ship from my home base and from Kixto in the UK. That particular method might actually work out. The issue is unique orders: The setup cost even at Mixam is high enough to wipe out the revenue (much less the profit) on the small number of orders for each one.

Short version: I'm going to run the math and see if there is a win/win where I can print and ship locally and save us both money. If I can, booyah. If not ... I shall proceed with shipping out of the USA, probably via USPS to avoid any funky charges that I've seen with UPS. Small orders via FedEx are ridiculous so you won't see that.

You Can Still Help
I still believe that this set of products is "what the doctor ordered" to help win fans and get people playing (Powered by) GURPS games. The biggest thing you can do for me to help me out? When you get your copies, wander by your Favorite Local Game store and show them my product catalog as well as any physical copies you receive.

A decent flow of my product to retail stores will likely also pull Boxed Sets out of SJGames inventory. That's a win for both of us. And retail presence is fantastic for me in many ways. So I'd take it as a kindness to spread the word on this one. The more eyes on it, the better.

Thanks a lot for journeying with me on this one. I really think Kevin, Peter, and Marshall have done something special here, so saying nice things to them or about their books in various forums wouldn't go amiss either.

That's all for now!

Stone Dog · 07-21-2021, 02:40 PM

I believe that I am absolutely going to make use of this. Naturally the omnibus would be ideal for the shelf!

Am I missing an option to pre-order the Omnibus + PDFs?

DouglasCole · 07-21-2021, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stone Dog

I believe that I am absolutely going to make use of this. Naturally the omnibus would be ideal for the shelf!

Am I missing an option to pre-order the Omnibus + PDFs?

You have to order those separately. The Omnibus was a response to a bunch of folks saying that they wanted a single-volume, and when I looked at it, I thought I could do it as a physical-only product. But there's definitely the four PDFs and the Omnibus physical at the pre-order store, even if not as a one-click bundle.

DouglasCole · 08-04-2021, 09:34 AM

The Delvers to Grow Kickstarter produced six fantastic books. A Core book that helps you make Dungeon Fantasy RPG characters in mere minutes, three example books filled with inspiration, some new content, quirks to steal, and advice on playing your archetype, and a fantastic adventure geared to 125-point characters for the Dungeon Fantasy RPG.

Delvers brings support for 62, 125, and 187-point player characters, and does so with a very, very newcomer-friendly modular build system. A competent character can be created in moments, even with someone who has never RPG’d before.

But the campaign is coming to a close now. As noted in another thread, the final books are arriving on my doorstep around lunchtime, at about noon. Tonight and tomorrow I will start physical fulfillment … which means it’s time to print labels and start shipping books.

THAT means it’s time to lock pre-orders … but I want to give folks this day to sneak in any last-minute book-grabs.

This is possibly the best on-ramp to introducing folks to GURPS that has been formally produced. It makes character generation TFT or “First level D&D” fast, using mostly natural language concepts that are evocative enough to not need a lot of mechanical explanation. Even if you’re a GURPS expert … this is the tool to get your friends in on the system with minimal fuss. I have a Patreon subscriber and playtester who is now more than a month into running pick-up games at his Favorite Game Store, where folks with no RPG or GURPS experience walk up to his table, create a character right there, and start playing. Most return. Some leave with boxed sets.

Again: this is the easiest, fastest, most understandable on-ramp to Powered by GURPS and the Dungeon Fantasy RPG that is available.

Kickstarter Page (for info)

Pre-order page (to go get it)

Gaming Ballistic’s Discord server (for questions; this link will expire in one week on Aug 11)

…and if you feel so inspired, my Patreon to help me produce more stuff outside the bounds of crowdfunding.

(note: there are maybe 35 copies of the omnibus left; the omnibus is physical only at this time!)

DouglasCole · 09-11-2021, 10:51 AM

A lovely review by Che Webster on his blog for Delvers to Grow.

Excerpts:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Che Webster

Delvers To Grow solves the biggest problem in GURPS – namely that character creation using Character Points is time-consuming and a genuine barrier to new players – with an innovative system of interconnecting mini-templates which help you to build a character from some common Dungeon Fantasy tropes.

It’s my belief that this idea from Doug and Kevin – to break the standard GURPS template into modular pieces and help new players spend points in thematic blocks – is going to change the experience of starting to play Dungeon Fantasy (and by extension GURPS) once everyone who’s not already into GURPS catches a taste of it. It’s a step forward that is long overdue.

More at the Roleplay Rescue Blog.

DouglasCole · 09-12-2021, 02:12 PM

Delvers to Grow added to the Master Library for GURPS Character Sheet.

See the release history here.

User "Fantell" on my blog worked hard to put these together, and my Patreon Subscribers put them through some initial paces to their satisfaction.

Most of the time I spend in generating characters with Delvers to Grow is writing down the bits. This saves you from that. I have to imagine we're talking five minutes or so instead of the usual fifteen.

Armin has taken up the task himself of writing GCA (5, I think) modules for these books. My thanks to Fantell, Rich, and Armin for lower the difficulty of the on-ramp to the Dungeon Fantasy RPG and Powered by GURPS even further.

Dalin · 09-12-2021, 03:07 PM

Just built an excellent 62-point scout in 6 minutes. (Started the timer as I launched GCS, ended when I hit Save.) Another nice feature of GCS is the random name and descriptive features. If this were a PC, I might change some of it, but maybe not if it were a fast pickup game. For NPCs, the random stuff is often just what I want.

GnomesofZurich · 10-02-2021, 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dalin

Just built an excellent 62-point scout in 6 minutes. (Started the timer as I launched GCS, ended when I hit Save.) Another nice feature of GCS is the random name and descriptive features. If this were a PC, I might change some of it, but maybe not if it were a fast pickup game. For NPCs, the random stuff is often just what I want.

For the life of me, I can't figure out how to trade points for cash in GCS. Can someone point me in the right direction? I've been building a few characters from Delvers to Grow, it's been a pretty slick experience, but this is holding me back. Thanks!

Dalin · 10-04-2021, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GnomesofZurich

For the life of me, I can't figure out how to trade points for cash in GCS. Can someone point me in the right direction? I've been building a few characters from Delvers to Grow, it's been a pretty slick experience, but this is holding me back. Thanks!

I typically just put it in my notes at the bottom which will explain why my 250-point character might be only 248 points. Then I know that I've got an extra $1000 to spend on starting equipment. This is canonical because trading points for cash reduces the value of your character.

An alternative is to add a new advantage called "Points for cash" or something. It won't do anything other than show you how you spend your points and it won't reduce your CP value. A variation would be to make it a leveled advantage costing zero points per level. This way you'll have an entry in your advantages for "Points for Cash 1" or "Points for Cash 4" or whatever.

woefulhc · 10-04-2021, 12:36 PM

My preference (in both GCS and GCA) is to use a points for cash advantage. Otherwise the program tells me there are more points to spend than there are. Canon is the 250 point character that spend 3 points for cash is a 247 point character but the programs get the sums wrong is you don't use an advantage...

07-20-2021, 09:54 AM	#41
DouglasCole Doctor of *GURPS* Ballistics Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Lakeville, MN	Re: Delvers to Grow: Get to the table fast I've been rewatching Battlestar Galactica with my wife, so "the Final Five" is on my mind. Final PDF Files Released This morning, I polished up what I thought were the last errata, realized I'd missed some on Smart Delvers, fixed those up, and redistributed all of the files. The latest, most updated versions are: Delvers to Grow Core Book u20210720 DtG Strong Delvers u20210720 DtG Fast Delvers u20210720 DtG Smart Delvers u20210720b Crypt of Krysuvik u20210720 That should wrap up the five books on the Delvers to Grow project, and I shall be sending the four that aren't already at my house to the printer today. Expect delivery to me in about two weeks. Don't have them but want them: Pre-orders will remain open for a short while from this post. Omnibus Edition The next step is to take these and combine them into the Omnibus print-only edition. That will take one of two forms. The first form is "just put them together into a 100-page book." That's about five minutes of work and accomplishes the goal of "one book, with a spine, to sit on a shelf." I'm going to It's not satisfying for several reasons, though. There's some redundant content here and there that doesn't need to be repeated, and (from a practical production standpoint) a 96-page book is infinitely friendlier than a 100-page one, because when 2,000 GURPS fans finally realize this book is what they need (hey, I can dream!), a big print run is way more efficient when page counts are multiples of 16. So below-the-waterline, I'm going to do both. I'll spend the very short amount of time required to just make an InDesign "Book" that puts the chapters together, come up with a slightly variant page-numbering scheme so it's clear what section you're in, and that'll be that. Then having that ready in case the more complete surgery doesn't work right, I'll try and assemble the Omnibus into a single volume, eliminating redundant content, consolidating where I can, and seeing if I can bring the thing in at 96 pages. I've mentally identified a way to get to ... 96 and a half. Drat. But we'll see! I'm not going to spend a huge amount of time messing with it, but I want to give it the old college try, as it were. Distribution, Fulfillment, and Locking Addresses Once I place the print orders for the Omnibus, I shall send out the final warning to update your addresses, check your cards if you're having trouble with them, and close the pre-order store. This shall happen in a day or three. After that, the only way to get the books will be to wait until they go up on retail. Once I DO lock the orders, I will finalize the PDF distribution lists and send out files using DriveThruRPG as promised. The Backerkit distribution is a great way to get intermediate-stage files to get eyes-on for proofing, but is terrible for future updates (something SJGames has to deal with as well). DriveThruRPG has a good system for version control on PDFs, so I'll be taking advantage of that. So...that's where we are. International Shipping Also, once I lock all the orders and addresses and close pre-orders, it will be time to look hard at the international shipping status. That means looking at orders from the UK, Australia/New Zealand, and Canada. I don't yet have a line on a short-run, low setup cost digital printer in the EU, so that won't work. I also need to look at the inventory status and total cost of print-and-ship from my home base and from Kixto in the UK. That particular method might actually work out. The issue is unique orders: The setup cost even at Mixam is high enough to wipe out the revenue (much less the profit) on the small number of orders for each one. Short version: I'm going to run the math and see if there is a win/win where I can print and ship locally and save us both money. If I can, booyah. If not ... I shall proceed with shipping out of the USA, probably via USPS to avoid any funky charges that I've seen with UPS. Small orders via FedEx are ridiculous so you won't see that. You Can Still Help I still believe that this set of products is "what the doctor ordered" to help win fans and get people playing (Powered by) GURPS games. The biggest thing you can do for me to help me out? When you get your copies, wander by your Favorite Local Game store and show them my product catalog as well as any physical copies you receive. A decent flow of my product to retail stores will likely also pull Boxed Sets out of SJGames inventory. That's a win for both of us. And retail presence is fantastic for me in many ways. So I'd take it as a kindness to spread the word on this one. The more eyes on it, the better. Thanks a lot for journeying with me on this one. I really think Kevin, Peter, and Marshall have done something special here, so saying nice things to them or about their books in various forums wouldn't go amiss either. That's all for now! __________________ My blog:Gaming Ballistic, LLC My Store: Gaming Ballistic on Shopify My Patreon: Gaming Ballistic on Patreon

07-21-2021, 02:40 PM	#42
Stone Dog Join Date: Feb 2008	Re: Delvers to Grow: Get to the table fast I believe that I am absolutely going to make use of this. Naturally the omnibus would be ideal for the shelf! Am I missing an option to pre-order the Omnibus + PDFs?

08-04-2021, 09:34 AM	#44
DouglasCole Doctor of *GURPS* Ballistics Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Lakeville, MN	Re: Delvers to Grow: Get to the table fast The Delvers to Grow Kickstarter produced six fantastic books. A Core book that helps you make Dungeon Fantasy RPG characters in mere minutes, three example books filled with inspiration, some new content, quirks to steal, and advice on playing your archetype, and a fantastic adventure geared to 125-point characters for the Dungeon Fantasy RPG. Delvers brings support for 62, 125, and 187-point player characters, and does so with a very, very newcomer-friendly modular build system. A competent character can be created in moments, even with someone who has never RPG’d before. But the campaign is coming to a close now. As noted in another thread, the final books are arriving on my doorstep around lunchtime, at about noon. Tonight and tomorrow I will start physical fulfillment … which means it’s time to print labels and start shipping books. THAT means it’s time to lock pre-orders … but I want to give folks this day to sneak in any last-minute book-grabs. This is possibly the best on-ramp to introducing folks to GURPS that has been formally produced. It makes character generation TFT or “First level D&D” fast, using mostly natural language concepts that are evocative enough to not need a lot of mechanical explanation. Even if you’re a GURPS expert … this is the tool to get your friends in on the system with minimal fuss. I have a Patreon subscriber and playtester who is now more than a month into running pick-up games at his Favorite Game Store, where folks with no RPG or GURPS experience walk up to his table, create a character right there, and start playing. Most return. Some leave with boxed sets. Again: this is the easiest, fastest, most understandable on-ramp to Powered by GURPS and the Dungeon Fantasy RPG that is available. Kickstarter Page (for info) Pre-order page (to go get it) Gaming Ballistic’s Discord server (for questions; this link will expire in one week on Aug 11) …and if you feel so inspired, my Patreon to help me produce more stuff outside the bounds of crowdfunding. (note: there are maybe 35 copies of the omnibus left; the omnibus is physical only at this time!) __________________ My blog:Gaming Ballistic, LLC My Store: Gaming Ballistic on Shopify My Patreon: Gaming Ballistic on Patreon

09-12-2021, 02:12 PM	#46
DouglasCole Doctor of *GURPS* Ballistics Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Lakeville, MN	Re: Delvers to Grow: Get to the table fast Delvers to Grow added to the Master Library for GURPS Character Sheet. See the release history here. User "Fantell" on my blog worked hard to put these together, and my Patreon Subscribers put them through some initial paces to their satisfaction. Most of the time I spend in generating characters with Delvers to Grow is writing down the bits. This saves you from that. I have to imagine we're talking five minutes or so instead of the usual fifteen. Armin has taken up the task himself of writing GCA (5, I think) modules for these books. My thanks to Fantell, Rich, and Armin for lower the difficulty of the on-ramp to the Dungeon Fantasy RPG and Powered by GURPS even further. __________________ My blog:Gaming Ballistic, LLC My Store: Gaming Ballistic on Shopify My Patreon: Gaming Ballistic on Patreon

09-12-2021, 03:07 PM	#47
Dalin Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Saint Paul, MN	Re: Delvers to Grow: Get to the table fast Just built an excellent 62-point scout in 6 minutes. (Started the timer as I launched GCS, ended when I hit Save.) Another nice feature of GCS is the random name and descriptive features. If this were a PC, I might change some of it, but maybe not if it were a fast pickup game. For NPCs, the random stuff is often just what I want.

10-04-2021, 12:36 PM	#50
woefulhc Join Date: Jul 2017	Re: Delvers to Grow: Get to the table fast My preference (in both GCS and GCA) is to use a points for cash advantage. Otherwise the program tells me there are more points to spend than there are. Canon is the 250 point character that spend 3 points for cash is a 247 point character but the programs get the sums wrong is you don't use an advantage...