Lucifuge Dragon has posted an update to the Sixth Circle website, in which he responds to some questions he has received and gives details about possible methods by which his board game adaptation of Ultima 7: The Black Gate might one day be distributed.

Print and play has been the common suggestion for distribution and it does seem like a realistic option. My main concern is primarily the tokens. There are a fair amount of them and these are something I would probably like to distribute myself (along with the character miniatures) as they are very unique and critical to the game. Paper cutouts of these are just not plausible.

Next concern are the decks as there are a lot of cards in The Black Gate. There are some companies out there which print quality game cards front and back. I may build the required templates myself that the company requires and make them available for download. People would then be able to upload these to the print company website and pay to have them printed.

As for the game board, I’ve had a couple printed up at Staples on their glossy poster paper, it seems somewhat durable as long as you keep it rolled up when not in use. It does tend to get some scratches on it over time but not a big deal. The more ambitious people will find a way to mount it onto a rigid material.

This is all still a little ways off, the game isn’t even technically complete and still requires a marathon of game testing, more artwork and further polish before I’m satisfied calling it done. As I said before, The Black Gate will never be for sale. There will never be a price tag on it because I have no right to sell it, but I will certainly make it possible for you to somehow get your hands on.

I should note that there will be an uber-deluxe version of The Black Gate with a wood box, cloth map and painted miniatures but it will be reserved for our favorite astronaut.

I’m sure some of you out there must have some knowledge as to what printing game boards, cards, and other gameplay pieces might cost. If so, feel free to drop a comment to give us all an idea as to what printing a game of this complexity might cost!