Base Camp Newsletter, May 2023

We are proud to announce the launch of Dice United 2nd Edition in hard copy !  If you have seen the videos on our Gamescape (YouTube) channel, then you already know the game has been keenly improved to produce greater accuracy, particularly in bookings. Your existing sets are still compatible (with the exception of the All-Time Great National Teams for red card checks only) and many teams will perform more realistically with the new charts.

For those who have been enjoying DU for years and just want the new core print components, we have the Upgrade Pack below (image linked)

If you are new to Dice United, there's also the complete core game (image linked):

As many of you know, the Ratings Guide has already been updated and now covers BOTH versions of the game. It is really simple, since the ATK and DEF scales were the only changes for DU2.

What About PDFs?

As I have discussed in previous newsletters, online discussions, instant messages, and emails, PDFs are a lower priority.  Print and computer versions are the focus.  I expect that the DU2 PDFs will be available in 3-5 weeks.

Wonderful progress and refinements have been made in the past couple weeks! Richard has a metric ton of experience with football games and it is shining through. The play-test phase for the computer version is wrapping-up and now Richard Hanna and I will focus on the initial seasons for the launch of the computer game. The actual release date is up to Richard and our partners at ASG Games, so I can't give you an exact date, but if you are excited about this, I can assure you it is for good reason!  Here are some more screen shots to give you an idea:

First, the matchday screen showing the results of a given day.  Next, a look at a team summary page.

Below you get a partial look at the manual play match screen as Newcastle and Man City are just underway (2014/15 season)

Stone Cold Hockey Seasons: 1970/71 and 2022/23

Now that the "heavy-lifting" is done on DU2, we are turning our attention back to hockey with the recently completed NHL regular season as well as a vintage season. The 70/71 season will come first, sometime in June and the 22/23 season will follow a couple weeks later, perhaps late June/early July.  We know there are many Bruins fans out there wanting another crack at the Stanley Cup after an historically huge regular season!

Legends of Boxing 2nd Edition

I can hardly wait to get back to the ring! It's been a long time since I rated fighters and I have plenty of pent-up enthusiasm for the refinements coming to the game. As with our other 2nd editions, LOB 2 will remain compatible with previous fighter sets. Only the core fighters (125 of them) will be reviewed and potentially re-rated. Many of them will remain the same. Development of LOB2 is my top focus this summer.  October is the current target window for the launch of LOB2, which may shift - for better or for worse - due to possible synergy with the computer game (to be determined). Key changes will be coming to:

• Mode cards and Endurance costs
• Chin checks
• Core fighter ratings
• The 6-to-1 TKO point ratio is the default. Modern stoppages will be an optional chart.
• Split Action may have more Endurance impact  
• A couple of the Supplemental options will be core rules, such as  "Control 20" for example.

Kings of the Ring 2010s

Seems like forever, doesn't it?  I started on this over a year ago! At the time, I was not planning on a long intense development phase for SCH, nor the development of DU2. Well, I haven't forgotten and development of LOB2 is a great catalyst to finally get this set done. Ideally, it would be great to release with the new core game this fall, but if not, it will follow shortly thereafter.  For more details about this set, see Base Camp April 2022.  

Shrapnel & Sparks

Still in the conceptual stage, development will become a priority after LOB2 and Kings of the Ring.  The LOB engine is now the preferred chassis for this game featuring huge machines in one-on-one combat. Specific action cards (similar to Mode cards) will capture the fighting styles of various configurations and weapons arrays.  Possible options for this game include league and tournament framework and "Mech-mogul" financial boss modes.