well im about to play my first game and had some questions for the players/staff

1. i really love the story behind this game and would like to know more about the factions. is there anywhere to find more info besides genesis?

2. is there a map of known world available anywhere?

3. i dont want anyone who works for dark age to get mad when i ask this, im just curious. ive played many games and some do a great job with release dates, and updates and others not so much. my initial impression from reading forum posts is that dates are not firm and updates are talked about but nothing solid exists. i guess a specific example of this is what is the actual release date for the forsaken boxes and the second book exodus. i mostly ask because it seems as a new forsaken player it may be smart to wait for some of the box sets, but i would like to know a date for release except "january". and on the topic of the book i ask because my friend and regular opponent has bought skarrd with the hopes the book is going to be released soon. anyways i realise that with the reworking of the game its in its infancy i just wondered if i missed dates that were posted somewhere?

4. is there any demo team for this game and where could i find a listing of people who do that in my area? this is usually a good way to meet new players ive found.

5. lastly thanks for any help anyone can give and i look forward to playing this game!