The Deep Dice

Murder in Arabel: Play With Me

Added 2025-03-19 00:00:39 +0000 UTC

I aim to release the 320-page adventure in September 2025 on Dungeon Masters Guild in three versions: hardcover print-on-demand, e-book, and Roll20. I currently have two-thirds of the adventure written, along with 62 gorgeous illustrations and ten maps I’ve commissioned from talented artists. All that is needed to start playtesting!

The playtest roadmap is the following:

· May 2025: Alpha Test

· Jun 2025: Beta & Gamma Tests

· Jul 2025: Early Access (Chapters A to C)

· Aug 2025: Early Access (Chapters D to E)

· Sep 2025: Full Release

Alpha Test

For the Alpha Test, I will personally DM my new campaign for four groups of six players each. I will run the campaign via Discord to support voice and video, using Roll20 as a virtual tabletop. I expect to run the entire campaign in 12 three-hour game sessions every two weeks for six months. I will record the game sessions and make them available for the players and the remaining members of the playtest.

That way, I can get direct feedback from players from four different environments since every group always has very particular dynamics.

Beta and Gamma Tests

These tests will give a few DMs the opportunity to be the first to read through and play the Early Access using the e-book or Roll20 versions. On the one hand, I’ll support them in running outstanding game sessions; on the other, I’ll collect their feedback about the adventure.

Beta Test. Every two weeks, I will host a live 90-minute video meeting via Discord for a group of six DMs to answer their questions, help them prepare sessions, and discuss situations that have arisen in their games. I will record and make the talks available for all Beta Testers on the Discord Channel.

Gamma Test. I will set up a Discord Channel for all DMs who join the Gamma Test, where I will answer their questions about the campaign and their sessions. They will also have exclusive access to all videos of Alpha Test sessions and Beta Test discussions for inspiration, which will be available on the Discord Channel.

Early Access

After running the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Tests for a couple of months, I will publish the Early Access with the initial three chapters of the campaign on Dungeon Masters Guild in its e-book and Roll20 versions in May 2025. The Early Access will be updated with the last two chapters of the campaign in June and July, respectively, before the full release in August 2025–including its print-on-demand hardcover version.

That will allow me to incorporate all feedback from a wider audience and fine-tune the campaign before its release. Those who wish will also be able to join the Insider tier.

Insider. The Insider tier will allow DMs to join the Discord Channel and discuss their questions and insights about the campaign with me and fellow DMs. By signing, they will also contribute to commissioning additional art for the full release of the campaign (and be the first to receive the new digital art files to use in their game sessions).