ABOUT D-VERSE PUBLISHING, LLC.
D-Verse Publishing, LLC was founded by Jason Goike and J. Scott Rumptz in 2017 with the intention of creating high quality games with nostalgic roots. They began work on “NEXUS”, their debut title, as childhood friends in the late 80’s. Growing up in Detroit on a steady diet of RPGs and board games, Jay and Scott are now bringing talented artists together from across the globe to create vibrant, immersive, and imagination-driven game worlds. With expansions already in the works, NEXUS is the first of many planned titles.
THE MAKING OF THE D-VERSE
Our Story.
GROWING UP IN DETROIT (1976-1995)
Jay and Scott met in the 5th Grade, much to the dismay of their elementary school’s teaching staff. They became fast friends, often seen playing Dungeons and Dragons together during recess, and have never looked back. The two of them spent their formative years reading comics, playing Blood Bowl, and watching “Roadhouse” and “Robocop” far too many times. This instilled them with an insatiable appetite for fantasy, creativity, and violence.
TTRPGs like Marvel Super Heroes, James Bond 007, and of course Dungeons & Dragons were all in heavy play rotation. However, growing up in Detroit, Jay and Scott also had front row seats to the work of Kevin Siembieda and his company Palladium Books. The endless possibilities and intricate systems of games like RIFTS and TMNT and Other Strangeness were deeply inspiring to their young imaginations. These games had a profound impact on the work Jay and Scott would later do with NEXUS.
The earliest version of NEXUS started in Jay’s basement all those years ago. Without a large friend group interested in TTRPGs, the boys would be forced to alternate between each other as player and game master for their adventures. While they still derived thousands of hours of enjoyment from this, it eventually got a bit stale and predictable without the randomness of third-party involvement. This inspired them to come up with their own unique brand of RPG. It was a gladiatorial arena fighting game, complete with a leveling system, equipment book, body locations, and random narrative events. They called it Epic Warlords of Bloodshed, or something similar, and it scratched an itch that their other games didn’t quite reach.
LET'S DO LUNCH (2016-2017)
Fast forward 20 years. Jay and Scott are still best friends, married to amazing wives, enjoying successful careers, and each is a father of three. Along the way, work brought Scott to Memphis, TN and he convinced Jay to come along with him. It was there in Memphis that Jay asked Scott to lunch and started talking about that old game they worked on as kids and how cool would it be to develop it now. Scott thought, “That would be cool…” He also felt they had the time and resources to really do something special and it was there at a little Mexican restaurant in Memphis that idea of D-Verse Publishing was born.
The boys hit the ground running, meeting daily to brainstorm setting ideas and work on gameplay. Scott purchased a 3D Printer and began reaching out to artists to help illustrate the wacky world they were developing. Things moved fast. Before they knew it, they had a team of incredible illustrators, a top-notch sculptor, and a 200-page rules manual. They had been developing everything in a vacuum, but they felt like it was ready for a coming out party. So, now what?
Jay and Scott packed up their prototype and headed to the GAMA trade show in Reno, NV. They spent the week in seminars learning about all aspects of the gaming industry from distribution to game design to promotion. They also met some amazing tutors, mentors, and friends. The game was well received, and Jay and Scott were filled with encouragement and hope. They rode this momentum all the way to the Origins Game Fair, their first gaming convention.
Jay and Scott made a big splash at Origins. Their booth was an attention grabber, and the demos were loud, full of cheering and laughter. Other people in the industry were noticing these two novices and their interesting little game. More praise and attention emboldened them to take their next steps. Things in the industry seemed to be transforming, if you had a hot game and wanted to get it out there, you put it on Kickstarter. And after creating their own video and marketing campaign, that’s just what they were about to do.
LEARNING THE HARD WAY (2018-2020)
Creating a game and funding a Kickstarter are two completely different things.
After being accepted to Entrepreneurs' Avenue at Gen Con, Scott thought that would be the perfect time and opportunity to launch a Kickstarter. Here at the biggest gaming convention in the US, he’d do his best to make sure all eyes were on them. D-Verse took out ads, sponsored the convention, got prototypes to influencers for review, and coordinated everything around that first week of August. It was going to be amazing, until it wasn’t.
Despite raising almost 50k the first day, the campaign fizzled out. It was the kiss of death to not meet your funding goal in the first 24 hours. Despite all the hype and advice, they boys were left with an unfunded Kickstarter and a lot of re-evaluating to do. This began an unnecessary shift in goals, from creating board games to figuring out Kickstarter.
Jay, Scott and the artists shifted gears into developing a more traditional TTRPG set in the world of NEXUS. They brought in some of the most amazing talent from around the globe to develop and flesh out their infinite dimensions. They travelled to cons with their artists and writers, met fans, and even got to meet GWAR! Printing and distributing copies of their new Trait Dice System themselves, they generated a lot of interest in their TTRPG NEXUS: Redemption. So, they put it up on Kickstarter, using all their newfound knowledge on how the platform worked! Strike two.
Outside pressure forced their hand to launch a bit prematurely. While the campaign would have funded, it wasn’t the response they were looking for. So, after just 24 hours, they took it down. Back to the drawing board. It was time to take another look at the boardgame. Then the pandemic hit. Maybe it was desperation, or just stubbornness, but they released another Kickstarter in October of 2020. Strike three. They were out.
A NEW HOPE (2021-2022)
After that Kickstarter and in the wake of 2020, life, time, and financial constraints forced Jay and Scott to step away from D-Verse Publishing for a time. This was the first time in almost 3 years that they weren’t stressing about some upcoming Kickstarter campaign or the trends on that platform. They just let it go, and that felt amazing.
Never one to miss out on a deal, Scott always booked his space at Gen Con onsite for the following year. He did the same at Adepticon. So, having paid for the spots in 2019 they rolled over into 2021 and 2022 respectively. And when Gen Con was upon him in 2021, he hadn’t even thought about NEXUS for almost a year. Jay was out, life had forced him to move on. So, Scott figured he’d make a family vacation out of it. Take the kids, set up the booth, and wander around the convention and downtown Indy. He hadn’t posted anything on social media for almost a year and didn’t even tell anyone D-Verse was going to be there. He'd have a lot of free time. He was wrong.
Turns out, all those people that demoed NEXUS over the years hadn’t forgotten about it. And people walking by watching those people play, also wanted to play. Oh yea! He had forgotten that the game is fucking fun! All the rule revisions, component changes, and streamlined play were taking it to the next level. He couldn’t walk away from the booth for 4-days straight. What the hell just happened?
Adepticon in 2022 was more of the same and Scott was really enjoying this time with his son, who was now old enough to be a part of it with him. After returning home, and with his wife’s blessing, he decided, “Fuck it, I’ll pay for it myself.” And that is just what he did.
A HUMBLE SUCCESS STORY (2022-)
The manufacturing process went smoothly, the game looked amazing, and the component quality was on point. Scott took advantage of the manufacturing time to record tutorials to accompany the QR codes he had placed in the rules manual, he wanted NEXUS: ACS to hit tables and was doing everything he could think of to make that happen. He also ventured once again into crowdfunding.
This time he decided to give Gamefound a try. Along with the base that had been growing over the years, he had found more misfits that shared the grand vision of “Dice Fueled Violence.” He did a simple pre-order campaign, and in early 2023 NEXUS: ACS started shipping to fans around the globe.
Today, NEXUS: ACS is a symbol of perseverance and creativity. It's a reminder of how a simple idea between friends can grow into something that resonates with a wider community. NEXUS: Arena Combat System invites players into a world crafted with care, passion, and a touch of nostalgia. It's a game that celebrates the unpredictable twists of fate and strategy, all wrapped up in a story that began decades ago in a Detroit basement.
NEXUS is not just a game; it's an invitation to join in on a journey of imagination and camaraderie.
The NEXUS: Arena Combat System is now available in the US!
