This page contains a selection of resources to provide media outlets with pertinent information about Bolwerk Publishing and the Codex Carcerum Kickstarter.

If you have any questions, or if you need additional information, feel free to contact Bart via email on bw[at]bolvverk[dot]com

Kickstarter Campaign Link

Please use the following link when sharing the campaign in your newsletter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bolvverk/dungeon-domains-codex-carcerum?ref=55anli  

The Codex Carcerum Elevator Pitch

A hardcover book containing 21 unique dungeons, each lovingly detailed and described in such a way that the GM need only add monsters and treasure to cook up an adventure. The hand-drawn geomorph maps can be used for standalone delves, or combined into larger (mega)dungeons.

Codex Carcerum -- Detailed Information

The Codex Carcerum is a hardcover book that compiles and 'remasters' Bolwerk Publishing's first twelve releases in the Dungeon Domains line.

To understand the book's scope and contents, one first needs to understand the rather unique concept of Dungeon Domains. Since their creation in 2023, Dungeon Domains have provided hundreds of GMs worldwide with inspiring, flexible, and GM-friendly dungeon modules to build and expand (mega)dungeons in any fantasy system or setting on the fly. Each entry in the series presents a unique, hand-drawn dungeon geomorph measuring 24 x 24 five-foot squares accompanied by a dungeon background story and detailed system-neutral descriptions of each area. All the GM needs to add are level-appropriate monsters and treasure to build their own unique adventure, perfectly suited to their game, their players, and their style of play! In addition, each Dungeon Domain seamlessly connects with others, enabling GMs to build massive dungeons in minutes and allowing for endless expansion in all four cardinal directions.

The Codex Carcerum upgrades and expands the contents of the original 12 publications with improved layout and quality additions, bringing those releases in line with our current product standards.

Codex Contents

• 21 dungeon geomorphs, each measuring 24 x 24 squares
• Over 110 detailed areas, each with multiple interactive features
• 42 pieces of original art
• 11 myths and legends
• I-don't-know-how-many player handouts (I'm guessing 40 to 60)
• 5 major puzzles, plus several minor ones
• 100 random events, plus 100 random treasures (following the 5K stretch goal anyway)
• Innovative noise maps for each dungeon (see Key Features, below)
• VSSTM lines for each area (see Key Features, below)
• Hi-res .PNG files of each dungeon map, with layers to hide secret passages and change the dungeon environment.
• Add-ons include a limited edition cover, cardboard dungeon tiles, a booklet of one-page adventures, art prints, and individual .pdf releases.

Key Features

Here's a few things that make our products remarkable, if not outright unique:

• Written for players: The content is written with the player experience in mind. Each area contains interesting features that beg to be interacted with, offering meaningful choices which impact the encounter and adventure.
• Structured for GMs: All the information is presented clearly and concisely, following a logical structure and supported by a clean layout, making reading, understanding, and prepping (which should take only minutes) an absolute breeze.
• 100% Human-Generated: We do not use A.I. 'art' (whatever that may be), A.I.-generated drivel--ehh, writing, I mean-- or A.I. prompts. Everything we make is by humans, for humans.
• Noise Maps: A simple reference table to show how far sound carries in the dungeon. To the best of my knowledge, no other publications have these. Still, I won't pretend I invented them; they were inspired by the Alexandrian's Adversary Rosters.
• VSSTM Lines: Another innovation, which is a simple iconographic line of 'Area Stats' for lack of a better term, listing Visibility, Sound, Smell, Temperature and Movement modifiers for any given area.
• Low Cost: Our individual releases go for €2 on Kickstarter, €3 on DTRPG. This includes all of the content, all of the handouts and VTT assets, professional art and support. POD versions can be ordered at near cost. While the Codex Carcerum is obviously in a different category, we are still making an effort to keep the price as low as we can afford to, given the limited size of the print run. 

Ratings and Reviews

As a small publisher, I find it extremely hard to find people that want to review our stuff, so I don't have much to show in the way of reviews. Instead, I'll provide a brief list of what's out there (as far as I know).

• Product Ratings on DTRPG: All products* have been rated five stars across the board by (granted, a few) verified customers.
  • * One product received only 3 stars, with the comment: "It's not what I expected, but great value for money". Oh well.
  • LINK to DTRPG Page: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/20540/bolwerk-publishing 
• Review by Bryce Lynch:  In his only review of our products, Bryce from ten-foot pole once gave Dungeon Domains Riven Catacombs a 7/10. It was a fair review, praising the content while shining a light upon the flaws it had. I took it as inspiration to improve the content and quality of our later releases.
  • LINK to Bryce's review: https://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=8963 

Visuals

An example of three handouts--themed to fit the Legend of the related Dungeon Domain. We'll have 11 like these.

Some geomorphs come in multiple versions or layers. In this case, the player characters can flood or drain the map, and three different maps are provided to reflect the water level.

This is what we mean when we say the writing is optimally structured for GMs to run their games. One or two lines of flavoursome read-aloud-text, a logically structured list of features and area details, a thumbnail map for quick reference, and some sidebar text offering hints and additional inspiration. Note the Vision, Sound, Smell, Temperature, and Movement icons at the top right.

Finally, here's an example of a Noise Map.

On Bolwerk Publishing

Founded by Bart Wynants in 2022, Bolwerk Publishing creates low-cost, high-quality TTRPG products for a variety of systems and settings. They are most known for their Dungeon Domains and Renegade Realms lines. The former has been explained above, and the latter applies the same concepts and design principles to overland maps, allowing GMS to create their own campaign maps full of exciting adventure sites.

Bolwerk Publishing's business model is mainly focused on crowdfunding, offering a new campaign every two months or so, usually combined with an extremely fast delivery date (typically within two months). Provided the Codex Carcerum does well enough, Bolwerk Publishing seeks to expand its offering with full-fledged adventures, the Rasna setting guide, and a completely new project tentatively titled 'Wotan Protocol'. At the same time, they will continue supporting both the Dungeon Domains and Renegade Realms lines with regular releases.

To date, Bolwerk Publishing boasts well over 1,000 unique customers on DTRPG and has sold more than 13,600 products via their site.

The Team Behind the Codex Carcerum

Bart Wynants -- writing, design, cartography, and additional artwork

A writer, lecturer, and scholar of the strange with a beard you could lose a badger in, Bart is the creator and cartographer of the Dungeon Domains series. Outside of Bolwerk Publishing, he has written and illustrated for over 150 published works, most notably including titles for Raging Swan Press, Hansor Publishing, and Nightfall Games.

Glynn Seal-- layout

Glynn is an ENnie award-winning cartographer, artist, writer, and designer. He has worked on projects for Chaosium and Modiphius to name but a few, and is credited on over 300 products on DTRPG. Glynn’s talent is responsible for designing the improved look and layout of our Dungeon Domains.

Matt Morrow-- cover art, interior art

A professional illustrator since 1996, Matt has created thousands of illustrations for newspapers, children’s books, and RPGs (notably Shadowdark), drawing subjects from hedgehogs to zombies. You’ll come across Matt’s amazing work in the later chapters of the Codex Carcerum.

Tim Samsoen -- interior art

Born in the sign of the Pencil Eraser many moons ago and stuck with a marker pen in the brain ever since, Tim forever languishes under the geas of drawing cool fantasy stuff, lest the world itself come unravelled… Tim illustrated our first Dungeon Domains, and we have summoned him up for more!

Igor Mugerza -- interior art

Hailing from Biscay, Spain, Igor is fond of drawing that which has fascinated him since his early childhood: dark, epic fantasy themes! In 2002, he began collaborating with music bands, creating over a hundred metal and dungeon synth covers. Igor’s talent graces our later releases.

Maria Gatta -- additional writing

A package deal of biologist, game designer, and TTRPG writer, all in one. As a biologist, Maria is fascinated with predators, and she loves adding them to her adventures! Having designed and written multiple third-party PF1e and D&D modules, Maria is the perfect fit for tackling the Adventure Notes of our Dungeon Domains line.

Chris 'Shep' Shepperson-- campaign manager

Shep is a writer, designer, and project manager of tabletop games, having worked on the likes of Conan, Dune, SLA Industries, and a whole host more. A grizzled industry veteran with years of hands-on experience, Shep is the best campaign manager we could ever wish for!

Useful Links & Social Media Channels

Product Catalogue (DriveThruRPG): https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/20540/bolwerk-publishing 

Website: https://www.bolvverk.com/publishing (I realise we have a shitty-looking website; I simply haven't found the time to update it).

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/profile/bolvverk

Discord: https://discord.gg/rqQQefUWKK 

Social Media:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bolvverkpublishing 
• X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/BolwerkPublish 
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bolwerk_publishing 

End of Press Kit contents