Base Camp: April 2023

Preview of Dice United 2nd Edition

In the 13-minute video below you will find me proudly monologuing about the development and new features in DU2. Check it out!

And yes, the game is still compatible with your existing sets.

DU2 Release Dates:

Pre-Orders for Print Edition Now Open

• Closing Monday, April 17th: Pre-orders will be shipped by May 8th.
  
  You get the game early and we can use pre-orders to gauge demand for the print run and reduce overstock. Any additional items ordered along with DU2 will be shipped at the same time.

• Print Edition released May 22nd.
• PDF release to be determined. It will be announced when ready.

Update: Dice United 2 for Windows is in Crunch Time!

Richard Hanna continues his mark of excellence in bringing DU to the computer!  We are targeting release of the Windows version by the end of May - just as the European competitions are wrapping up.

Below is a screen shot of the match screen. Man United gets a "double time" attack, leading to a corner kick chance.

Bel0w, notice how the attack chart changes for the ATK rating of a different team (Heracles Almelo of the Dutch Eredivisie), combining columns B and C with the Column A.  This clearly illustrates the quality of scoring chances.

We plan to share more screen shots of the Windows game on the SMP website as things develop over the next few weeks.

New Release! 1993/94 NHL for Stone Cold Hockey!

New Release! World Cup 2022 for Dice United

Compatible with DU2.

Where Did the PDFs Go?

About three years ago, I succumbed to the idea of selling PDF versions of SMP games and international customers were the primary reason. The PDF products were intended for commercial printing overseas. In other words, the files were not optimized for printing at home on 8.5 x 11.  Initially, the experiment worked well, however, along with downloadable products comes a variety of other issues, including technical support, file formats,  file-sharing, and other security concerns.

In the 3rd quarter of 2022, I had a crisis regarding the paper/card stock supply chain stuff and steep price hikes. It looked as if we would have to embrace PDF as the primary offering for our games. We tried a variety of things to streamline the production of PDF versions in hopes of transitioning the business model. In short, it just didn't work. Quality and demand dropped and frustration increased for both the customers and myself.

Fortunately, over the past six months, my local print partners were able to switch their wholesale supplier and now hard copy is more viable again. Yes, print prices have creeped up (about 10-15%), but not the 50% body-slam that was anticipated (Note: other components such as boxes and dice have gone "through the roof"). Nonetheless, hard copy looked even better when our print shop upgraded their equipment early this year, and now they are producing the best quality of SMP products to date. So I am excited about print editions once again. This is the aspect of the business that I know and enjoy and it should be my primary focus. The only downside is the limited shelf space for keeping stock.

PDFs are not going away. They will be created and released as time and energy allow. In fact, I've learned that certain things are well-suited as PDF offerings. The Dice United Ratings Guide is a good example, also league sets which are more obscure or lower-demand.  Things of that nature may or may not see a print run, but they are fun to have available.

Dice United 2nd Edition and DU for Windows

The table top game is complete and we are just doing a final editing phase. Meanwhile, play-testing of the Windows game is expected to begin April 21st. If you are interested in testing the computer version, email me.

SCH Season Sets

Next up are a couple more seasons from the 70s, perhaps including a WHA season, maybe 73/74.  And now we'll be looking at the latest NHL season as well. Looking forward to these playoffs!

Dice United Season Sets

Annual EPL and EFL Championship 2022/23 are always on the annual to-do list and we try to get those out in June or July. Other seasons will depend on synergy with the computer game.

LOB 2nd Edition (20th Anniversay Project)

Work resumes when the dust settles from Dice United 2. This will be the focus of the summer. Development and release may depend on the computer game also.

LOB: Kings of the Ring: 2010s

Work will resume once LOB 2nd Edition is locked-in.  Target: August 2023

Shrapnel & Sparks: Robot Battle Game

Another working title for this project... I've pretty much decided to use the LOB system as the framework for this game. Fighting robots offensive effects and styles will be represented on mode cards. The robots themselves could be rated on 8.5 x 5.5 card stock with base ratings and specific strengths and complications. Still in the conceptual stage.