Updates

News about recent developments and updates will be posted here:

Update - 14/8/10 - Adventures In HTML

The last few weeks have seen a lot of tests on styling v1.45. This has been pretty time-consuming, as we've tried to avoid quick fixes with Javascript and AJAX. Instead, it's been a case of using CSS to enable 'pushbutton' autostyling, (which means getting everything right in every browser until it all gets broken by IE8). The hold-ups have now been sorted out, so v1.45 will be along shortly. We'll put it up on the Live page first while we test it.

Otherwise, the Hints page has been updated to include a few helpful options, which are sometimes overlooked 'in-game'. The recently retitled Scenarios Pack is now matched up to pull everything together alongside the forthcoming release of v1.5. It has/ is taking forever, but it's far from vapourware. As our regulars know, we get there in the end.

Update - 20/6/10 - Gallery

The SVG and PDF image downloads offer clean artwork for accurate reproduction and clear representation of each icon. This leaves them without the variety of line weights, brush strokes and textures found in natural artwork.

Update - 29/5/10 - 1.4C

The promised editing out of the remaining duplicate content, typos and other minor corrections has been completed.

Update - 15/5/10 - Update

More details on 1.5. We're going to use 'drop in' styling of fonts, images and tables to make it easy to skin or theme your rules. Possible themes that are being considered include 'the Dark Ages' and 'Fantasy Illustrators'.

Themes will be applied through a combination of overwriting files and client-side scripting. We'll be testing multiple external stylesheets and scripts on the Live page shortly. Local copies of Treasure will remain local with no need for a live Internet connection.

The PDFs for v1.5 will be available on a Book by Book basis. Groups playing with a GM will then just need copies of Book 1 and a set of Books 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 for GMs.

Update - 7/5/10 - V1.4 to 1.5

The main task of simplifying and streamlining Treasure to make it easier to use is largely done. There'll be a further tidy to remove the last traces of duplicate content and to add some extra navigation.

Moving on to v1.5 is going to involve updating the presentation with:

More easy-to-use card and label templates
Additional icons
More examples of 'quick to style' artwork
More on 'drag and drop' scenario 'sketching'/ outlining
Themes

Further details on using Shards to shape play through Constellations will be added to the rules. Other add-ons, including new Tribes, Monsters and Treasures are going to be put on to the Playtest This page and then elsewhere on the website to keep the 'core' rule set down to a manageable size.

Where's the Scenarios Pack? After disappearing to complete paid work our concept artist has finally returned. The artwork is well on the way but the maps need revised. We'll post an update when the graphics are ready.

Update - 26/4/10 - V1.4 Posted

The latest copy of Treasure has just been posted.

We've added a bit of Javascript to help with the Firefox screen reflow. A screen Refresh/ hit F5 on your keyboard usually renders any troublesome table borders correctly.

Update - 23/4/10 - More Changes

The differences between the last PDF version of Treasure and the latest HTML version are now so great that the PDFs aren't really relevant any more.  With the HTML and SVG version working on Chrome, Opera, Safari, IE8 (with Renesis for SVG interactive charts) and Firefox (almost) we're asking you to make the change/ upgrade to HTML.

However, it's not about twisting arms. PDFs will return as soon as the upgrade to 1.5 is complete. So, please get your new iPad and try out Treasure in Safari or try a short PDF print out using Chrome or Firefox extensions to select, tweak and print your own custom Treasure PDFs.

The minor, 'on screen', border-rendering, intermittent bug in Firefox 3.6+ is somewhere in the CSS. Rob is trying to track it down.

UPDATE - 18/4/10 - EASY WIN 32 Installer Added!

Just about to post an Installer for Treasure V1.39 in xhtml. The Installer version puts a TREASURE folder on your desktop, (or wherever else you choose to put it) which contains the treasure.htm file. You can also select where to put the folder, e.g. onto a USB stick.

Double-click on treasure.htm to load your local copy of Treasure to your browser of choice.

V1.4 on it's way!

UPDATE - 4/4/10 - V1.39!

Lots more changes with most gaps filled in and more tidying up done! Graphics and a further edit of the last chapter next.

Chrome, Safari, IE8 and Opera are all working fine. Firefox is still rendering table borders incorrectly on screen. A Refresh or Resize usually helps. There'll be a fix somewhere in the CSS, which we'll track down. It's just surprising that the only browser that did work is now the only browser which doesn't.

UPDATE - 1/4/10 - Update - v1.37

Just posted another update. More changes to simplify the text, everything under one core mechanic, (i.e. 2D6 +/- Modifiers), and some extra skills. There'll be another update next week.

UPDATE - 28/3/10 - Update

The first full edit is about to be posted. It's very much a work in progress. A chunky 325 page PDF is now a much leaner 220 page xHTML. It's worth downloading just because the text is far more accessible now. More to be done though!

Presentation

Corrections
Shorter rules
Streamlined text
Firefox, IE8, Opera, Safari and Chrome ready

'Rules'

Simplified and streamlined rule set with single roll 2D6 outcomes
Talismans
Quests, Shards, Constellations and Ancient Constellations
Assassin and Bard Honours
Druids and Druidic Spells

UPDATE - 25/3/10 - TEST

We're stripping unnecessary complications and inconsistencies out of the rules before adding updates/ upgrades.

Hundreds of simplifications, clarifications, repositionings, deletions and new paragraphs are being dealt with and another build has gone to the Live page. The corrections are going from front to back so expect an obviously much cleaner version by the end of the weekend. Should be posted as 1.35 if my notes are correct.

Not like us to post so frequently, but our mate over at Thistle Games has got the bit between his teeth and doesn't look like letting up until we get all the way to the planned 1.5 release. More updates over the next few days.

UPDATE - 23/3/10 - TEST ON LIVE PAGE

The first partly slimmed down xhtml version of Treasure was posted to the Live page, and as a zip file, today but there's a problem witha few cell borders in the Live version. Further edits are on-going. A completed edit, (with working tables), will be up asap.

UPDATE - 16/3/10 - MAJOR EDIT

Our artist is too busy with paid work to complete on the Scenario Pack over the next six weeks. To make up for the delay we're going ahead with a much needed revision of the rules. The current game is the result of sticking together lots of rough notes and files scribbled down over years. The whole text needs edited and streamlining.

A black marker is stripping away large chunks of unnecessary text to make it much easier to get at the gameplay. This will also make room for more illustrations and cut the document size. The xhtml version is being done first, so we'll post a few 'builds' as the work gets done.

UPDATE - 10/3/10 - Progress Report

Just posted Treasure 1.22, which updates the Quick Start section, corrects a few typos and replaces a misplaced table in the PDFs. Otherwise, there are a few minor changes to the graphics and layout as preparation for an upgrade to Treasure 1.4.

The xHTML and A4 PDF layouts contain a few more graphics than the US Letter PDF. This is a temporary change while we sort out how to fit some of the larger images onto shorter pages.

We've been having a server side problem with the Treasure Live page. It prevents the links to the SVG charts working correctly. The zipped local xHTML download works fine, so please download a copy and try out the charts.

UPDATE - 27/2/10 - Progress Report

The Playtest This page has been updated with first/ sketchy details of the Druidic Spells, which will soon make a fourth set of Spells available to all players at the start of play.

There are one or two additions to the list of planned changes to the next version of Treasure, which are shown in the post below. Changes are marked in red.

Questions of a 1000 Dreams continues to develop. Thankfully, most of the artwork has now been agreed and new examples will be posted over the next few weeks. Still no exact date for completion but our concept artist has to set aside paid work to help out, so it's a good sign when we finished artwork starts to stack up.

Looks like we may have finally cracked making high quality cards quickly and easily. Avery's 'Clean Edge' or 'Quick and Clean' business cards dispense with the rough edges on perforated card. Full details at the top of the Cards page.

Finally, the Quick Start Page is getting a shakeup with long overdue images. These will hopefully let players skip through 'the basics' at a glance. A page with screenshots on dragging and dropping images for making graphic PCs and 'frameworking' complexes is also on 'The List'.

UPDATE - 31/1/10 - Progress Report

Just updated the Playtest This page with further details about Quests, Shards and Constellations. Thought I'd seen all the planned changes for the later stages of Questions of a 1000 Dreams until Ancient Constellations turned up a few days ago. Safe to say that means the Scenarios Pack is progressing but it's looking more March than February.

We've also been discussing possible changes/ additions for the next full update to Treasure itself. This is what we've come up with so far:

Presentation

Streamlined text
Firefox, IE8, Opera and Chrome ready
Corrections
Easy-to-use card and label templates
Additional icons
PDF and xhtml versions
More examples
More artwork

'Rules'

Quests, Shards, Constellations and Ancient Constellations
'Dark' Tribes and Monsters
'Lucky Bags'/ 'Prior Experience' for new players
More about Talismans
More Gestures
More on Assassin and Bard Honour Skills
Druids and Druidic Spells
Blocking and negating Alarms
Revised rules for Altars/ Ancient Complexes
Additional or 'swap-out' feature rooms
Hidden agendas

Any suggestions or comments are very welcome!

UPDATE - 07/01/10 - New Year Update

Happy New Year!

Many thanks to all our playtesters! You didn't have to spend your whole holidays playing but we're sure glad you did. The promised, and deserved, tribute to your efforts has not been forgotten!

Thanks also to Thistle Games for putting out the PDF version! It's let us get on with the Scenarios Pack and quadrupled downloads overnight. You were right all along and sorry about the bandwidth :)

Anyone who's downloaded the PDF but hasn't had a look at the html version or the images . . . please go ahead and help yourselves. There's absolutely no need to ever use Treasure with any graphics 'switched on' but once you get started you just can't help putting a shield on your character sheet, then a few weapons and . . .

As for Questions of a 1000 Dreams. Preparations are now moving on from playtesting into finished copy and artwork. We're still aiming for the suggested end of February/ March date but we'll know a lot more about that in two or three weeks time. There are 250+ chambers/ encounters to polish up, so a little extra leeway may be necessary.

What we are sure about is that the Quests, Constellations and Shards options outlined on the Playtest This page will be making their way into the full 'rules'. These are clearly a form of 'Stunt' or 'Drama points', which have proved to work particularly well with groups of 2-5 players.

There's a bit more to Quests, Constellations and Shards than shown on the page at present. We'll post more details later this month along with another feature which we expect to put into the next upgrade to Treasure.

UPDATE - 28/12/9 - IE8 SVG Support From Renesis!

Renesis has released a version of their free SVG Plugin which supports the SVG options inside the xhtml version of Treasure. SVG files display correctly, the interactive charts work as intended and the hyperlinks are all active.

Firefox remains our browser of choice, because the charts aren't quite as quick in IE8 when clicking through to the anchors within the rules. However, we're please that one of the technologies we wanted to make available to tabletop players is now supported by Internet Explorer and Renesis.

The downloads are for Windows XP and Vista. Windows 7 seems OK but we need to try the Plugin on more systems. We also need to check the support for SVG rollovers and animation. It should be possible to distribute a copy of the Renesis Plugin with future releases of Treasure. For now there's a link from each of our download panels.

UPDATE - 12/12/9 - PDF AT LAST!

We're continuing to concentrate on the Questions of a 1000 Dreams Scenario Pack, which is going very well. Too well, as it's looking like it'll be the end of January or into February before we get everything properly tested.

Thistle Games are going to help us out before then by putting together a PDF version of Treasure. They don't have time to make it as shiny as they'd like but we're going to post a 'rough cut' as soon as they've finished.

Adding more interactivity, a complete index and more graphics will have to come later.

UPDATE - 22/11/9 - BROKEN Links Fixed!

Big thanks to David for contacting us about broken links to the interactive charts in the last copy of the Zipped download. We've fixed the links and replaced the cover image to match the image on the live version. Sorry for the inconvenience to anyone who downloaded the broken version.

UPDATE - 21/11/9 - Playtest This!

The blank web pages have finally been tidied up and we've added a 'Playtest This' page. Continued playtesting of the Scenarios Pack includes trying out a few new features/ options.

Quests and Shards are the first of these - an outline appears on the Playtest This page. They're a simple way of giving players a better chance of success, which hadn't been tested in time for Version 1.0. Until Shards were introduced our playertesters felt several of the Tribes were just too hard to take on. They're still hard to defeat but players now have an extra set of options when clusters of monsters and tribal units appear.

The Scenarios Pack is eating up time but going really well. We're starting to try out the later stages and going as quick as we can. Being a bit more cautious this time round to avoid some of the the glitches in earlier versions of the 'rules' and the Graphics Packs.

UPDATE - 25/9/9 - Questions of a 1000 Dreams

We'll be lucky to get the Scenarios Pack out before January. Doesn't mean we won't try but there's a lot to be done to get it right. We''ll begin posting extracts before then but I'll leave you with the pack's working title - Questions of a Thousand Dreams.

UPDATE - 9/9/9 - Scenarios Next

We're tidying up a few details/ missing pages on the website and there'll be a minor update to Treasure with the addition of a few more images soon. We'll post when it's done.

The SVGs all seem to be working fine and we're getting a better idea of how the Scenarios Pack, 'setting', 'mini-campaign' is going to work. We've come to an arrangement with Jenny about artwork and the first playtests of the early scenarios have been going really well.

There's been a little flak from a few players over the last six months for concentrating on sorting the SVG graphics out. Now its done we're going to find it much easier to put together a strong presentation with all of us able to use the images.

As it stands, the pack has seven linked scenarios or GM run 'modules' for mid-level players. There's a load of material to choose from and we really  want to showcase exactly how GMs can go beyond the basic layouts. At the same time, if we add much more it'll take longer to get the artwork ready.

So, the plan is to aim for a Christmas or New Year release of the 'Scenarios Pack', including at least seven fairly large complexes. More details next time.

Update - 26/08/9 -  Colour SVGs Posted

The coloured SVG icons are about to be posted. We've gone through both the B&W and colour sets. They're all grouped ready to 'drag and drop' right away. We've also tidied up the ready-to-run Layouts and recommend relying on the new SVGs for making your own designs. That includes using the new B&W SVGs, which are matched to the colour SVGs.

Update - 20/08/9 -  Coloured SVG FILES

Coloured SVG icons will be available soon. We need them ourselves for the setting/ scenarios we're working up. Playtesting the scenarios just now and we'll post more on what to expect within the next few weeks. 

Update - 16/08/9 -  Web Updates/ SVG Gallery

We've just posted new or revised content into a few of the web pages, including the Colours, Cards, Gallery and Graphics Pack pages. The Gallery now shows online copies of the B&W SVG icons to anyone with an SVG enabled web browser. The Competition and Costs pages won't be far behind.

Update - 28/07/9 -  Treasure 1.2 Uploaded!

Posted about an hour ago. It includes more SVG charts, single SVGs for ever icon and a few corrections. Just click on the text links on the SVG charts to be taken straight to more details within the rules. We've more charts and images to add but we're turn our attention to scenarios and the missing / blank web pages.

Update - 22/07/9 -  Treasure 1.2

Major update on its way within the next week. All the icons, Ready-To-Run Complexes and Design Templates have been put into single files to make the promised SVG Graphics Kit.  Just drag-and-drop the SVG images to quickly make cards, adventurers, encounters and scenarios in software like Inkscape, Illustrator or CorelDraw. Add your own colours, scale images and group images with a few mouse clicks.

The Designing Complexes Table has been given the same interactive treatment as the Order of Play Options Table, to make the rules easier to understand and navigate.

A few tiny typos and links have also been tidied up along the way. We'll double check the graphics and links over the next few days and post as soon as we've bundled everything up.

Update - 30/06/9 -  Treasure 1.13

Posted Treasure 1.13 about ten minutes ago. The Quick Start Kit has been tidied up. Missed one of the PDF files in the Graphics Kits last time and renamed a handful of files as a result.

The biggest change is to Treasure itself. The whole order of play has been put on to SVG (Scaleable Vector Graphics) and PDF charts that fit on a single page. The pages listing the order of play are gone. Instead the charts pull everything together and makes it much easier to follow play and keep track of which options are switched on or off.

The SVG copies are interactive. They link throughout Treasure to the most relevant table or explanation matching the options shown on the chart. We've kept the SVG files ready to edit in Inkscape and other SVG editors. When we get time we'll explore the filters and animation available with SVG files. The chart is scaleable, so you can easily print it to A3 or even A2 size.

We've not managed to complete the following for this version:

Individual SVGs for 'dragging and dropping' from the Graphics Kits
An interactive Designing Complexes Table
A high quality scenario for GMs
The web pages for Competitions, Links, Costs and Colours

We're all taking a holiday for a couple of weeks. Then we'll get on with the above and more . . .

Update - 17/05/9 -  Treasure 1.1

Two coloured versions of an updated Treasure Graphics Pack, a matching version of Treasure, Open Document Format (odf) copies of the Starter Kit and on-going updates to the website have all been posted. MORE SOON . . . including a media rich version of the Live copy of Treasure.

Update - 06/05/9 -  Treasure 1.04

There are new versions of the Graphics Packs and Treasure up on the front page. The coloured set will be based on the revised set included in this release. We've also cleared up a few problems with image transparency. Treasure has been updated to match the Graphics Pack. A few more images have also been included to meet requests for quick 'styling' of the 'rules' by simply renaming players' own images to match and overwrite those in the images folder.

We've had a chance to get our playtesters together again and been trying out different sets of printed coloured cards. They should be up on the site as coloured pdfs within a week.

Update - 19/04/9 -  Graphics pack 1.04

We've been working on a few updates/ improvements. The icons and images in the Graphics Pack have been reviewed to revise or replace weaker icons, to improve proportions and to help with colour matching. A full set of coloured images will follow.

There have been several suggestions on how to make the game easier to learn and use. These include more ready-to-run materials, a shortened PDF version, labelled cards and ready-to-run scenarios for DMs/ referees. Going as quick as we can on all of that.

Update - 27/03/9 -  Treasure 1.03

Treasure 1.03, the Graphics Pack 1.03 and the Quick Start Kit 1.03 are all available for immediate download from our Home page.

Update - 11/03/9 -  Terms

We have found out about a mismatch between our Terms and the promise that players can remix and share Treasure, so long as it is not for profit. A big hand to Justin for helping out here! He has been looking at trying out Treasure with Crawley Magic and Table-top Gaming in Tilgate, UK and was kind enough to point us in the right direction.

As a result, Treasure, the Treasure Graphics Pack and the Quick Start Kit are all released under a Creative Commons license. Please check out our Terms, and the links to Creative Commons found there, to see how this allows players to share and adapt Treasure under a licence that offers a great deal more freedom than any other fully-featured RPG that we've come across.

Update - 09/02/9 - Graphics Pack 1.0/ Treasure 1.02

The first version of the Graphics Kit is now only a few days away from being posted. It will be followed by a website update to the 'blank canvas' html version of Treasure that takes account of a minor changes to the graphics.

We took a late decision to make the game easier to set up by changing the Graphics Kit. We had planned on releasing an icon set including a copy of each seperate image generally used in play. However, Jenny pointed out that this still left players with quite a bit of work to do to colour designs or print sets of cards. As a result, the icon set has been placed and scaled to provide ready made sets of cards. It has also been expanded to include almost every combination of icons that occurs during play. So, instead of 200+ graphics, there are now closer to 500.

Making your own hand drawn or traced cards is still a quick way of putting an adventurer together but it is great to be able to print custom cards on demand, and pull designs and layouts together on screen.

Update - 01/01/9 -  VERSION 1.01

Version 1.01 of Treasure has been posted to enable printing by page or selection, and browsing with MS Explorer 8.

Update - 25/12/8 - Christmas

The first version of Treasure was emailed to everyone who signed-up in advance. The ZIP file came in at 700K and included a very basic selection of images that suggest how players might begin to go about customising their own copy of the rules. To try out a few of your own images simply replace the ones provided with copies of your own images that have been renamed to match the names of the files sent with Treasure.

Update - 1/12/8 - Just Before Christmas

We have emailed a group of 20 RPG clubs/ societies to ask if any of their players would like to receive a copy of Treasure (just) before Christmas. Anyone else can receive a copy at the same time by signing-up from our Contact page.

Update - 8/8/8 - TreasureRPG.com

The website made its first appearance on the Net earlier today. We'll be building the site over the next few weeks, so don't be surprised if it takes a while to get everything up and running.

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