Howdy Folks!

You'll be excited to know that v1.0 of Drier Deserts, Hotter Suns is nearing completion and will be ready for liftoff soon!

For the past couple of years, I've been hard at working, playesting, tweaking rules, and refining the gameplay. The result is a game that delivers on the ideals of the first playtest version released all the way back in 2020. Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with how it has turned out. There's still a few kinks to iron out, a handful of pages left to write, and the book needs some heavy editing, but as far as the content, it's complete (save some possible future balancing changes).

What's in these new rules?

• An entirely new advancement system.
• Greatly expanded roles
• Updated character and ship sheets
• More, better gear
• Fully reworked and improved ship combat
• More Referee tools
• Clearer and more complete rules.

What's the timeline for v1 Release?

• Beta Reading (August)
• Editing and implementing feedback (September)
• Finalizing text (early October)
• Release v1 (late October)

There's still work to be done on the v1 rules though, and that's where you come in: I have a few remaining slots available for Beta Readers. If you want to take a closer look at the pre-release rules and give some early feedback (for some compensation) please contact me at: robotopologist [at] gmail.com

With the new version firmly on the way and over a hundred hours of playtesting, I'm wrapping up playtesting and with that, the existing version of the game. The playtest version is officially outdated and I won't be supporting it any longer. You will still be able to download the playtest rules, but once the new version is out, I'll be taking them down for good. With playtesting officially wrapped up, If you have played/ran DD/HS, I am very interested to hear from you! There's still time to get your feedback heard and suggestions implemented in the final book.

What's next for DD/HS?

The main goal of DD/HS has always been to get something out there for people to play Sci-Fi RPGs. Once the rules are done, edited, and released, I'll be starting on the final phase of development: making DD/HS beautiful and cool. Layout and art are the final components and will do a lot to reinforce the themes. I'm aiming for a professionally laid out, well edited, and art-filled book. I've got some really cool ideas and am very, very excited to make DD/HS as cool as possible. If you are interested in helping DD/HS reach its full potential, hit me up!

Aside from looks, getting the game properly laid out and edited will require some writing work on my end. I'm contemplating compiling a proper SRD for DD/HS. In the future, it will be the SRD that's free, and the book will be a paid product.

What's new for Robotic Topologist?

I posted an update over on the Surface Level blog going into more detail about my recent releases and project updates. Check it out if you have a minute!

Also, in case you missed it, there is now a Robotic Topologist Mailing List. If you want to be notified about when the new version of DD/HS is out, you should be subscribed.

That's all for now! I hope you are as excited about the future of DD/HS as I am!

Thanks,
- Dan