Dyson's Delves

So +Lulu.com Self-Publishing is doing another sale. Something like 30% off till April 12th with the code APRIL30.

I just received some goods from the last sale they had. Thought I'd ping a review of Dyson's Delves I and II so people who were interested or sitting on the fence have an idea of what the product is.

I ordered the hardcovers from Lulu. They are very professional looking with a nice shine to them. Each book is 152 pages long. They are written under the OGL and include the license.

Dyson's books are roughly broken in two parts. The first part is a map with appropriate level information and monsters located in that map. The delves often includes entrances and exits, wandering monsters, and game mechanics. 

The mechanics are minimal. For example, looking at Dyson's Delve Level 9, an open room is home to four giant scorpions stated out in the following manner: AC: 2, HD: 4*, hp: 20, 18, 20, 19, ATT: 1d10/1d10/1d4+poison, Mv: 150 (50), Sv: F2, M: 11). That is old school for sure!

I enjoy +Dyson Logos work. I enjoy it on his G+ page. When the opportunity came to get a good sale, I took it. For me, this is map porn. That might not be for everyone.

For those who aren't interested in the adventures but are in maps, good news. the second part of Dyson's Delves has maps with lined blank pages opposite them so that you can customize them. For an example, check out his work with a preview page over here: https://rpgcharacters.wordpress.com/zerobarrier/dysons-delves/

One of the things I love about his maps, are the names. Hard to beat Oubliette of the Laughting Knight or The Ruins of Corvel on the Mount. They tickle my brain and make me ponder where I could put them in my own setting. In an era choking on mega dungeons and adventure paths, these are a true return to form. 

My only problem, is that because I love maps, the small size of the books, which come in at 6 by 9, is not appealing. I personally would love it if he took a cue from Marvel or DC comics and did something like an Omnibus or Absolute edition with larger books, perhaps oversized, and added some art and other bits like larger random tables of weird things (but then again, there's the Fourthcore Alphabet for that). That's not a strike against it, just my own personal wish list.

The maps are available from here: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/dysonlogos

If you can afford it, the hardcovers looks slick and I recommend them.