Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Xerxez Draws!

Here are a few scans of some of my drawings in recent years. I am untrained and uneducated in materials and mediums so these represent only sharpie and felt tip pen drawings on bond paper--not the best effect for aging or copying but at any event, here are some pictures intended for projects I may never get to finish. I hope you like them! I am by no means a great artist but I think they are in the tradition of the old school and I would be very happy if they could inspire a DM or player with some gamey thoughts!





This is a rendering of a Baak-Suul warrior in repose with a Jashani courtesan playing upon her strings. The Baak-Suul are a reptillian race I prepared for my Rysanthis campaign--and I will admit they are heavily inspired by the Shen warriors of M.A.R. Barker's Tekumel setting. The Jashani Empire is headquartered in the great Eastern city of Jashan and Jashani merchants, traders, smugglers and warriors are very common in the coastal ports of Rysanthis.

This is a felt tip illustration of some of the principle events that transpired in my Rysanthian campaign with a very noteworthy band of heroes--my friends and fellow gamers who allowed me to DM this campaign for about one year, heaven bless them for their patience. I will probably give this one a blog post of it's own to share some of the adventures they had around the great Mistwater Lake--pictured at center is the wicked old Hag who took up residence in the lake and turned it's fey spirits inimical to the lake town people. Some well read observers may recognize the direct influences of Fritz Lieber. This drawing was water-damaged.
This is a sea-ruin I never got around to fleshing out. It's harbors are the haunt of a huge beast who guards sunken treasures, while the Carved City is now a dungeon of fearsome denizens and glorious treasures....
This is not a part of the Rysanthis campaign but a rough of a cover for a zine I once envisioned creating...who knows..perhaps it will yet come to pass!



Sunday, April 16, 2017

Kickstarter Happenings: DREAMSCAPE DESIGNS Blueholme System, Journeymanne Edition




Greetings Mazedwellers! I'm late on the ball for announcing this worthy Kickstarter that Dreamscape Designs has launched for the new Blueholme Journeymanne Edition. Last I checked,primary funding goals were reached but there are still 17 days to go! Glad to see the support and success.

The Blueholme system was created as a retro-clone for the old Eric Holmes edited Basic Dungeons and Dragons rules, a short but classic and well beloved edition of D&D that holds a special place in the reliquary of Old School D&D. 

And one thing that is special about the new Journeymanne Edition is that Dreamscape Designs guiding light Michael Thomas has commissioned some outstanding art from the son of the late Dr. Holmes, artist Chris Holmes! And let me say, he is good! 

The Journeymanne rules are special in and of themselves as they create a complete and self contained system that allows for levels of play through level 20, over 200 spells for magic using classes, 250 magic items, 120 creatures, and rules for adapting any of the creatures for a player character, as well as for making combined classes.

I own and have played with the earlier edition of Journeymanne Prentice and it is a well thought out and attractively assembled book, a very quality printing job with a sturdy cover and some great art.

Quality game for a great price and lots of love!!!

Below is a link to the Kickstarter--check it out! I only look for better things to come from Dreamscape Designs.

Journeymanne Blueholme Kick Starter Page

Dream Vigil: A Brief Digital Dream

The opening and closing image is an enhanced magazine clippings collage with video effects added and the following sequence of faces are enhanced photographs (with video effects) of a handcrafted mask. The piece was put together without story in mind, but there does seem to be an idea of a vigil kept and rewarded, a young supplicant meeting a primeval forest spirit amid magical beasts in an enchanted wood, while from round about strange faces look on either in wonder, admiration, amusement, or with cryptic intent. The music is software automusic arranged to fit the piece. I hope you enjoy a brief trip into the enchanted realm.

All rights reserved, Justin Becker. May be shared and shown for non-commercial purposes.