by Steven K. Roberts
updated: January 20, 2024

Latest updates: A stunning performance of the Velvet Vanguard battle ballet by Abyss Knights, Gabriel does an IDU run with a smuggled VR headset, and we chat with Salvo the Unmerciful (the author of Brutal Arrows, modeling his formal robes in the photo above). The full collection of 28 pieces is in the timeline below.

In the virtual world of In Death: Unchained, there is a huge amount of information from the perspectives of the characters. Monks, knights, abominations, cupids, banshees, skeleton archers, ghosts, incubi, orphans, and bosses… all have stories to tell. I decided to start acquiring their writings and sharing them with humanity. It is risky, crossing reality boundaries, but the lasting friendships I have developed with some of them have dramatically changed the IDU experience.

This is a collection of reviews, videos, magazine excerpts, mini-features, encounters, and artworks. In the process, we have come to know relationships, IDUniverse technology, and cultural shifts caused by human presence. The directory below contains thumbnail images and titles, and every piece has its own page with a return link here.

Dedicated to Superbright, with thanks for creating such an engaging virtual-reality experience!

IDU: Literature Received

We are working to assemble a complete library of books and other materials (monographs, conference proceedings, leaflets, and zines) published by IDU characters, and will periodically update the collection as I work my way through this list. There is a pervasive “publish or perish” ethos in their community that mirrors earth’s academia, so a surprising number of books have been written over the centuries. Our current list of titles awaiting review follows:

  • Field Manual of Battle Technique, by Sir Armond the Exalted
  • The Death of Anguish by Anonymous Ghost
  • So You Have Become an Abomination! Now what?
  • Strategic Teleportation by Conrad the Relentless
  • After We Die: The Mystery of Dematerialization
  • Is IDU a Simulation? (conference proceedings)
  • Tragedy of the Golden Child by F. Crittenton
  • Surviving in the Pits – how to spawn where humans fear to tread
IDU Anonymous meetings are held in the Sanctuary practice area every afternoon, and there is a bulletin board where you can find a sponsor. Join IDUA to become a Friend of Asmo, and work on getting back to human relationships, those other VR games you bought, and all the things on your to-do list…

(“Hi, my name is Steve. I’ve been clean for almost a day now, but I have to jump back in for just one more run because there’s an orphan in the Pit and I think I can beat my 2.3 million this time…”)

Author’s note: this is completely outside the context of my normal work in nautical adventures, technomadic bicycle narratives, and digitizing… but even paleogeeks need a little virtual reality now and then! This collection of IDU literature is completely non-commercial, and sharing it with the community is an expression of my love for the game.

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