If you haven’t backed THE SPARKPLUG CHRONICLES, you may be thinking everything has been in the dark, but we’ve been hard at work.
As mentioned, THE SPARKPLUG CHRONICLES is included in this crowdfunding campaign regardless if you backed that campaign or not. The project just expanded beyond my original scope.
We have a massive playtest file you can download and test…
It does not include the dozens of sidebars which go into explicit detail on the setting, so the final book will be considerably larger. But it does include the setting and the new rules. It does not carry over any rules from Ultramodern5. New races, Prestige system, backgrounds, equipment, vehicles, rewards, anomalies, and monsters will be found.
Obviously, I'm looking for feedback; you can DM me, and I will take it into account.
ART
Nick Greenwood and I have been going over the numerous commissions, both colour and B&W, required for the final book. These have and will continue to adjust details of the setting as Nick shares credit for some of the book's creative direction. The illustrations are looking cool. We are working on the B+W illustrations first before moving on to colour.
Thanks to everyone, we can finally make The Sparkplug Chronicles the production that I wanted it to be. Nick has a budget to create supremely high-quality illustrations for the expanding universe, which is likely to be one of the largest game settings Dias Ex Machina has ever produced.
The 5E campaign guide is already over 100,000 words, with another 30,000 expected before I think it will be finished. We have added organetics, giant robots, hover cruisers, new species, new weapons, and lore, continually refining this biopunk, retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic setting.
WE ARE DOWN TO OUR LAST FEW DAYS, so any pledge will help us further realize the setting's ultimate potential.
We EVEN unlocked a NEW book, offered to all pledge levels, a separate lore book that takes the setting detail of the 5E book and removes the mechanics for those wishing to know more without the distraction of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.
Like previous campaigns, backers can secure their placement in the lore, have customized illustrations of their character (s) by Nick Greenwood integrated into the setting (a recent one has actually altered a major aspect of the game mechanics), and receive personalized digital illustrations as well.
And as this is a digital and POD release, our risk is much lower, as we don't have to worry about printing, shipping, distribution, or political conflicts getting in our way.
As many of you may know, I am a big fan of Ghost in the Shell. So much so that I created a homebrew version of the game more than 20 years ago. I am happy to report that I've connected with the creator of the new TTRPG being developed by Mantic. Unlike the competitive product based on the lesser-known and honestly less popular Arise series, this one is based on the original Manga, which I very much prefer.
I really can't go into detail about my involvement with the project (if any) because an NDA binds me, but I did want to share their page to inform my supporters about this cool project.
I post these every few months so everyone knows where we are and where the company is.
THE SPARKPLUG CHRONICLES
Our newest Kickstarter, and yes, launching on Kickstarter, will be The Sparkplug Chronicles, our first new setting since 2018’s Affinity. Yes, if you backed our recent UM5 release, it is still included in the rewards. This campaign is meant to increase our art budget so we can include as many original illustrations as possible. Nick Greenwood and I are collaborating more closely than in previous projects.
This campaign is launching next week, March 17th at 9:00 am PST.
ULTRAMODERN BESTIARY
The UM5-Bestiary turned into a real hit. It’s our largest book, compiling all previous monsters under one cover. The Bestiary is one part of a series that expands on elements from the original Ultramodern5. We expanded magic with Oktober’s Arcane Almanac, followed that up with Ultramodern5 Bestiary, then with the Armoury.
The UM5 Armoury was a big hit when it launched last month. It turned out to be a much bigger project than expected, with hundreds upon hundreds of weapons, armours, and vehicles.
With monsters, magic, and weapons covered, our next expansion to UM5 will be a Player’s Guide, where we expand all the previously published classes as well as compile additional ones from other books we’ve published (mostly Amethyst Revelations). Our current priority is The Sparkplug Chronicles, so this book likely won’t be released until the summer.
OTHER POINTS
I have compiled other updates in our video, which you can find here:
Here is our state of business for the month of October 2025, which I understand is very late. I have been so deep in writing, I kind of lost track of time.
That, and I had my gallbladder removed.
I don't recommend Ozempic, BTW.
For those who know me, I lost about 120 pounds when I was younger, and I wanted to give Ozempic a try to help keep that weight off. Well, six months after trying it, I had the first of two massive gallbladder attacks, and I had to have it removed. Correlation is not causation, but there has been a link connecting the two, and I have been on the mend for the past two weeks.
With that personal stuff out of the way…
Ultramodern Bestiary
This turned out to be a huge hit. We reached our Electrum badge a couple of weeks ago. People have asked whether I plan to make an Amethyst Bestiary. No need, as all those monsters are in the UM5 book. I mean, it's our largest book at over 440 pages.
This is the project that has gripped me for two months. I suddenly had to be an expert in things I never considered. I know way too much about guns than I would like, but the end result is the addition of, and I can't believe this is accurate, over 700 FIREARMS. Everything from muskets to pop-culture icons from movies and games are in here. We had to expand the rules significantly to cover all the different configurations, from changing reloading rules in order to make them more realistic to adding more options for weapon modification. It may seem intimidating at first, but we separated the entries into time periods to ensure that you only need to reference the tables and rules that apply to you. A player is not expected to know every reloading rule, just for the weapon in their hands.
I am on vehicles now, and, as in the previous chapter, I am heavily expanding generic entries to list specific models, so that a handful of vehicle entries turns into several hundred, not just the ones collated from other DEM books. I have even commission illustrations for modern devices, as all our current illustrations are for futuristic ones. I am still hoping to have this book out by the end of the year.
The Sparkplug Chronicles
SO, the plan WAS to launch the Kickstarter for TSC this week, but alas, we have made the unfortunate decision to delay the launch until February of next year. A family crisis with someone associated with the project has compelled the postponement, but TECHNICALLY, it doesn't affect the release date.
I know that doesn't make much sense. Basically, I was partway through writing The Sparkplug Chronicles when I decided to work on the Armoury instead, as a lot of the content I was conceiving fit better in that latter book (expanding on modern firearms). I plan on resuming once the Armoury is finished. Since the Kickstarter was meant only to fund artwork, I can still continue working on the book side and get that ready. Meanwhile, I can still commission Nick Greenwood to continue the illustrations, so the project's release date wouldn't really have to change. I had misgivings about launching a campaign this close to Christmas, anyway.
And yes, I know there is still one more adventure to be released soon as well. Clonefall. I'm still waiting for my writer to finish building his house.
Retail Books on DTRPG
And finally, this became a thing today, you can now purchase retail books off DTRPG.
These are the Kickstarter editions of these books, so they'll include the KS exclusives, but they are NOT the limited-edition book. For those, you will have to go to Studio2Publishing directly.
Anyways, I'll have the November update in a couple of weeks. Have a great holiday season, and I love you all for your continued support.
Here is a video discussing everything in this update:
