End of Year Update!
over 5 years ago – Sat, Dec 22, 2018 at 09:01:04 PM

Hello All,

I had hoped to have some interesting and exciting images to show you all in this update which is why I held it up so long.  But the truth is the "loooong" layout process continues.  Not being a layout artist myself I somewhat assumed when I got the Word document with images to the layout artist he simply had to import it into Indesign, correct a few margins and send it back to me!  Uh no.

 As he keeps reminding me the final rule book was about 700 pages long and he has had to physically edit or format each page over the last two months.  I get weekly screenshots of his progress and am very satisfied with his work to date but it is still a long process.  That being said at his current rate (not counting any time off he takes for the holidays) I expect it to be finished (first draft) by the end of January.  After that I will probably go over it and edit it down as much as possible and then forward it back to him if necessary to put everything back together for the final draft for the publisher.  

So hopefully that means the first Core Game orders and Hardcover Rule Book Upgrade orders or Hardcover only orders will go out around the end of February with the request for you to pay your shipping cost at that time.

As for the modules and supplements the only three still in writing are The Wooddam Forest which I am very pleased with the progress I have made including the cover I previewed last update, the Urban Expansion which I will be drafting over the holiday break, the Two Player Variant which I did some more work on yesterday and a few tables I still need for searching the ruins on The Unknown Islands.  Everything else is done!

As I have stated before the plan is to get the Hardcover Rule book completed and printed and then begin doing some Youtube or other videos of the game rules and new play options.  These will give everyone a feel for the revised game while the supplements and cards are being printed.  

Art is still coming in and most of what I am getting now will probably appear in the modules or future card decks.  

Well things being slow due to the holidays I thought I would just chat with you guys about my "grand plans" for the game system as the year comes to an end.

Speaking of card decks one of the main ways I am looking at supporting the game in the future will be with 'card deck' only Kickstarters with very small funding goals designed to fund the art and production of specific decks of cards.  

Along this line, I have already started work on a new card deck I am tentatively calling Encounter Deck #2.  This deck features more of what I  believe are "typical" encounters in the Journey To The Overland game world.  For example some of the encounters include:  a character called Fastolf the Mad, a Female Horse Trainer, a Bawd, a Marine, a Coachman, an Initiate Cleric, a Boatman, Jerrod 'the Silversword Assassin", the Bounty Hunter Price Bloodstone, a Hypnotist, a Dwarven robber and murderer named Dunnelin Axe Son, Footpads and an Elven Druid. This will be about a 70 card deck.

However other decks that will be featured or that will be possible to unlock might include:

• a Night Time Encounters deck (to coincide with the new Evening Actions)
• a Monster Deck (my version of a monster manual)
• Item Deck #2 (more items, magical and mundane to acquire in your games)
• Urban Encounter Deck (this deck would essentially take the encounters in the Urban Expansion and create cards for them that you could use when entering towns or castles).

One or more of which I plan on giving to my "Master Storyteller Backers" free just prior to the future Kickstarter as a personal thank you from me to them.  Actually not a lot of decks but some I think would really add to the expandability of the game.  Most would be cards only but a few like the Night Time Encounters and Urban Expansion would have a short rule sheet with them to explain how to incorporate them into your games.

Still that is a little ways off for now and is basically just a preview of my releases for next year.  As it stands when all the supplements are published I don't feel there will be a need for any other published content for at least a year.  And that would be my two final fantasy supplements:  Rise of the Yeti, where the Yeti of Yeti Mountain finally decide to challenge the decree of King Overlord relegating them to second class citizens; and Fire Castle, where Morcai finally decides to go to war with the king.  Again these would be more like 2020 Kickstarter projects with separate manuals, maps and cards.

After that I will begin work on the "space" or "sci-fi" version of Journey To The Overland.  Which still has no title. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

D.C. Ware, Overland Games

It's All About the Art in November!
over 5 years ago – Thu, Nov 15, 2018 at 12:05:02 AM

Hail Journeymen!

As we approach the holidays things inevitably slow down and so I may not have any substantive updates on the rules until the New Year.  But that doesn't mean there isn't anything to get excited about.  Case in point. Art!

I thought I would make this update all about the art.  Usually I show one or two pieces as part of the larger update but today it's just art.  

First up are some pieces from Mark De Vera whose is moving from strength to strength.  These are what I call "original" JTO artwork as they are made exclusively for JTO and I own all the rights to them unlike the 'spot art' which I use to fill gaps where my two permanent artists just can't put out images that quick.

 The next is a larger full page piece by Tenda Spencer which I simply call "Jailed!"  Since the fear of getting locked up is a big part of the JTO experience.

 Finally the last piece is a larger piece of 'spot art' that I purchased by the very talented Dean Spencer which I am trying out as a cover for the upcoming Wooddam Forest Supplement (more details on it coming in the next update).

 Feel free to let me know what you think and what cover you prefer.  You can see images of the original Wooddam Forest cover on the campaign page.  While I love that artwork by Luis Romanos in that it matches the animated style of the original cover, I am seriously thinking of using it for the cover of the 2nd Edition Rulebook instead of the supplement.  

That and the plot of The Wooddam Forest Supplement has evolved a lot from when I first commissioned it with the idea that the Wooddam Forest would simply be a larger area to roam around; to now where it is more tied into the Fey re-emerging in the Wooddam Forest and a story arc centering around the Men of Wooddam threatening to take action to deal with the increasingly more frequent sightings of Fey creatures in their forest.  Which is where you and your party come in.  Can you find out the reason for the re-emergence of the Fey before the Men of Wooddam destroy all the Fey Sites in the forest or before the Queen of the Fey and her rival, The Fool-of-the-Forth unleash a doom on the men of Wooddam and the Town of Wooddam itself that may forever remove it from your game map!

(Ok, I cheated.  That was a 'little' more than just art!)

Happy Thanksgiving to all and Salud!

D.C. Ware

Layout Work has begun!
over 5 years ago – Tue, Oct 30, 2018 at 04:57:56 PM

As Yoda would say...Very exciting times, these are

More to come soon... hopefully!

D.C. Ware, Esq.

October 2018 Update!
over 5 years ago – Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 02:20:42 AM

Hail Journeymen!

Your pleas for an update have been heard and have not went unanswered!!!!

Actually I do apologize for posting this month's update so late in the month but I was loathe to post it without being able to report that the Hardbound Rulebook is now in the hands of the layout artist!  Which it is!

The final page count in MS Word was 702 pages but I am hoping to get that down some when it is laid out in word.  Unlike the first rule book this one will be in two columns which I think looks better and will hopefully save space.

Getting the Hardcover rule book ( and essentially the 2nd Edition rule book) completed was essential to everything that follows after so I cannot state how big a hurdle this is to get over.  

I don't have a timeline from the layout artist but I will be able to get some work in progress images in the event it drags on to the next update.  

Finally, I will say I didn't shrift on the art and the final draft is LOADED with art not only for the rules sections but a lot of the paragraph scenarios as well.  

So with the rule book safely in the hands of the layout artist I will be putting some finishing details on the following:

1.  Completed Supplements:  the Overland Arena, Scenario Book One, Pre-Generated NPC Character, The Unknown Islands and Bounty Hunter supplements are finished although I do intend to go back over a few and update the art as I have purchased a lot more since I first formatted those.

2.  In Progress Supplements:  the Ghost Town of Misery Expansion is about 90% finished; I have to finish the 'boss fight' finale and will probably add more art to this as well; I have an outline done for Two Player Variant and hope to flesh that out completely by the end of next month; The Urban Expansion is still mostly in outline format as well but I have pretty much worked out what the expansion will entail which I will give more details below.

3.  New Expansions/Supplements:  The Wooddam Forest expansion is a completely new supplement exclusive to Journey To The Overland: Redux and as I showed in a previous update the map is done.  On top of that I've archived a good deal of art for the supplement while I was working on the Hardcover Rule Book.  

4.  Cards and Accessories:  other than the core set of cards which were completed for the original game, new cards for the Unknown Islands, Town of Misery and Wooddam Forest expansion had to be completed.  The cards for both the Town of Misery and Unknown Islands are done and I will probably complete the Wooddam Forest cards before I actually complete the expansion so as to allow all the expansion cards to be printed in one run.  As for other accessories, the GM Screen has to be reformatted to incorporate the 2nd Edition tables; the pre-generated character sheets are done; and the Troop Counters have been updated and completed.  And as I indicated in the last update all the STL files for the miniature figures and townscape are done.  

An Overview of the Expansions and Supplements:

So I thought I would take the time to share with you all an overview of just what the separate expansions/supplements will consist of from a game play point of view.  Now this is not what the expansions will be about from a storyline point of view but how each complements or enhances the Core Game:

A.  The Bounty Hunters - this is a pure stand alone "game within the game".  Meaning you will be able to play as a Bounty Hunter in the Overland using this supplement without regard to any of the other objectives in the game.  Obviously you will still need the map, cards and rule book from the Core Game but using this expansion you can choose from trying to collect all the bounties in the game or trying to acquire the most "Fame" as a Bounty Hunter in the Overland.

B. The Unknown Islands - this expansion is mostly just that "an expansion".  It has been designed to expand the basic game map with a full blown map of The Unknown Islands and additional encounter, event and weather cards unique to the Island.  There is no set "objective" per se in this expansion.  Instead exploring The Unknown Islands will be a way for you to either level up your character, obtain some new skills (i.e. Tracker) or simply have some different adventures/encounters.

C.  The Overland Arena - unlike The Unknown Islands which is an "expansion" the Overland Arena is a "supplement".  Meaning this supplement is identical to the Overland Arena rules in the core rule book but supplements them with a "pull out" Arena map and a stable of arena opponents to match up against in the arena.  

D.  Scenario Book One - this is a very basic book of scenarios to introduce various game mechanics to new players.  I should emphasize this is not a "campaign" even though the scenarios progress from the first to the last by building on the game mechanics introduced previously.  But its not a campaign because the scenarios are not linked and other than the last scenario nothing you gain or do in the other scenarios carries over to the next.  Instead each scenario will instruct you with what you start out with and what you have access to to complete the scenario.  So for example in one scenario you start out as a "Knight" even though you do not actually meet the requirements of being a knight and do not play out the steps to becoming a knight.  You simply start as a knight and play the scenario.

E.  The Ghost Town of Misery - this supplement is a mix of a stand alone "game within the game" like The Bounty Hunter and an "expansion" like The Unknown Islands.  This time however the supplement expands the "towns" on the map by adding the Ghost Town of Misery.  However once you meet the requirements to enter Misery it becomes a "stand alone game" like the Bounty Hunter until you manage to make your way out again.  At that point elements of your time in Misery can make their way into your standard game of JTO in the form of Encounter and Event cards that get added to the Core Game card decks.  The idea being to create a "Arkham Horror" type of experience where you are experiencing things back in the real world based on your time in Misery!

F.  Two Player Variant - as the name implies this is a "variant" of the normal solo game that will allow you and at least one other player to play together on the same game map and in the same scenario.  This is not an "expansion" that turns JTO into a two player game rather it is a one-shot "variant" designed to give an example of how you can play JTO with more than one player.  If this goes over well I may create more two player variants with different scenarios or work on a full two player expansion that would "theoretically" allow two players to play JTO at the same time.

G.  The Urban Expansion - this expansion will allow players to explore in depth the most 'urban' town in the Overland - the seaside town of Zafton!  In addition to 'exploring' the urban side of life in the Overland the expansion is intended to give players a place where they can "level up", pick up new skills and most importantly meet new NPCs to incorporate in their standard games.  It will include its own unique scenarios as well.

H.  The Wooddam Forest Expansion - I call this the Fey Expansion as I created it to introduce 'the Fey world' to the Overland.  So whereas The Urban Expansion gives you an in depth look at 'urban life' in the Overland this expansion will give you an in depth look at 'the world of the Fey' that occupies the Wooddam Forest in The Overland.  The Fey world being what it is however very little of what you learn or experience in this expansion will carry over directly into your standard games.  Rather you will either be in the Fey World or you will be back in the Overland proper!

So I hope that clarifies where each of the expansions/supplements fits into the overall game world for those of you who have made pledges that include one or more of these expansions/supplements and for those of you thinking of adding them in the Backerkit!

Master Storyteller Deadline!

Since my last update I believe we have picked up at least two new 'Master Storyteller' pledges in the Backerkit.  However I have not received any concepts for their NPC Characters yet.  As I indicated earlier these can be emailed directly to my personal email account at:  [email protected].  For more information on how submitting the concepts works please see the earlier Updates covering this subject.

If these come in I am leaning toward releasing the Master Storyteller NPC deck as a separate stand alone product which will be included with all Master Storyteller and ALL IN pledges, then be made available as a separate ADD ON for all other pledges.  

This not only works out from a manufacturing point of view where I can keep all of these cards/concepts together and not have to decide how to intersperse them throughout the rest of the game.  But it also works out from game balance point of view where I don't have to worry about a "conceptual" NPC or character unbalancing the standard game.  Meaning those who have the deck can use them if they want or not use them if they don't.

With that being said I will give all the new Master Storyteller Backers until the end of November 2018 to get me their concepts before closing that aspect of the rewards for this pledge level out and proceeding with the print run.

Town Banners/Standards

Finally, it occurred to me that I had never shown you guys the Banners and Standards I had commissioned for each of the towns and castles in the Overland.  These will appear in the 2nd Edition rule book but I wanted to give you all a sneak preview here to make up for the late update.  

 The slogans under each banner are the original slogans I came up with back in 1984 when I first designed the game and its various towns and castles so I am very pleased to be able to finally get them back into the game proper.

New Art

Finally I will conclude this "long" and awaited update with a few more images from Mark De Vera!

Salud and God Bless

D.C. Ware, Overland Games!

2nd Edition Table of Contents and 3D STL Delivery!
over 5 years ago – Thu, Sep 06, 2018 at 11:06:05 PM

Hello one and all!

Here's hoping everyone had a good, restful summer and Labor Day holiday.  I have been fortunate to get some traveling in this summer and took advantage of getting away to put the finishing touches on the 2nd Edition Rulebook which has went everywhere with me for the last six months.  That being said I am not quite done working on it as I am now filling in some parts I had put placeholders in until I finished other sections I needed to complete before finishing them.  But for the most part the Table of Contents pages you see below represent 95% of what the 2nd Edition will contain.

If you are a first time Backer this will not necessarily mean a lot to you but for those returning Backers who own the first edition you can see this version is a wholly different game.  One that I am very happy with and anxious to play through in some online videos as I expect to surprise myself with how all these different rules will interact with each other.

I have managed to do the first draft of the interior layout and feel it should pretty much stay the same when I pass the manuscript to the Layout Artist.  Before doing that however I have to insert the art.  The trick here will be retaining the original interior art while adding in the new 2nd Edition art but most of that will be up to the Layout Artist.  I will simply be putting images where I want them and then the layout artist will be responsible for making sure everything is properly formatted and within the respective margins and frames.  

Speaking of art.  It is still trickling in although a lot of the images I am getting now are 'landscape' and 'weather' images for some of the expansion decks so its not very interesting but I've included a few for those diehards among you who crave anything new.

 Wasn't sure if posting all the pages was a bit overkill but hopefully each of you will notice something that piques your interest and generates some conversation/questions in the Comments!  As I said before once I get the book sent off I will go into more detail on specific rules and updates.

Finally any Backers who pledged for the 3D Townscape files should have received emails for links to download the stl files through DriveThruRPG.  Please let me know if you backed any of the 3D Townscape and did not receive your link.  These files are currently not available to the public through DTRPG and will remain that way for the next two weeks to allow all the Backers to receive their files before they are sold through the site.  

This does not include the NPC Characters STL files yet as this is my first time using DTRPG and I would like to work out any issues before uploading all of those stl files as well.  Assuming all goes well however they will go out in two weeks to Backers when the 3D Townscape files go public with the NPC files going public two weeks after that.

Obviously this is a minor "fulfillment" but it nonetheless is coming less than five months after the Kickstarter ended which bodes well for the rest of the Kickstarter.

Well until next month or thereabouts God Bless and be well!