Ostensible Cat

Wahoo!!!! This Saturday it's game time. I finally managed to have the time, motivation, and opportunity to assemble a gaming group and play some OSRIC/AD&D this weekend! I'm testing out my adventure idea for Polstrus Lev City of Degenerates. I'm a bit nervous as its been years since I've gotten my game on. However, the good news is that none of my group is really experienced in gaming (other than a recent foray into trying out some 3.5) and extremely excited to try out Old School game play. I had them read Matt Finch's excellent Quick Primer to Old School Gaming to familiarize them with the old school gaming ethos. So Saturday it is. Here's an excerpt of my background for Polstrus Lev: Over six hundred years ago, the citizens of Dustchapel Downs established the colony of Polstrus Lev as a detention camp for the diseased, malformed, mentally infirm, and other such undesirables believing that they were the cursed of the gods and they thus sought t

I just got my Black Blade imprint of OSRIC in the mail today. I have the original version which is cool but the Black Blade version is a thing of beauty. James Smith over at The Underdark Gazette did a nice "unboxing" post on his blog with some good photos which you can see here . I did do quite a bit of artwork for OSRIC and it is interesting to see some of that work (now alomost six years on) and see how I've evolved from then to now as an artist. There's also losts of great new art by many other OSR artists in it too (so if you have the Lulu version, the new art is pretty damn keen if you're into that). I tend to vascilate between OD&D/Swords and Wizardry, BECMI/Labyrinth Lord and AD&D/OSRIC. I'll have to consult my newly forming gaming group and see what they would rather game with. I've been doing most of my adventure writing in Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition Companion format so that might be the direction we go. In any event, if you

Of all the retro-clones, it seems that OSRIC tends to get the least amount of attention in terms of the system itself. I think a lot of that is how Swords and Wizardry and Labyrinth Lord were marketed as commercial enterprises whereas OSRIC was (until very recently) a primarily hobbyist affair. I've also noted a marked interest in the OSR in a rules lite approach towards D&D so I'm sure that has some play into it. For those that aren't familiar with OSRIC, it is perhaps the first true retro-clone and emulated 1st Edition Advance Dungeons and Dragons. AD&D is probably aesthetically the version of D&D that is the most commonly thought of when brought up to someone that was around then. It is edition that I played in my youth and is also when D&D entered the public consciousness. So it perhaps seems a bit strange that OSRIC, the rule set that emulates this game is the least well known of the AD&D clones. Black Blad Publishing has recently taken up p

One of the projects that I am really proud of but felt that never really got much attention is People of the Pit, an OSRIC Adventure published by Brave Halfling. This was back before Swords and Wizardry and OSRIC was pretty much the king of the clones and Labyrinth Lord was just getting started. I really loved the atomospheric creepiness that Alphonso Warden brings to the adventure and it sure was a heck of a lot of fun to illustrate. I just read a review of it today at Dragonsfoot and was glad to see it getting some much overdue attention. I am glad that John Adams of Brave Halfling Publishing is going to be releasing a Labyrinth Lord version this summer. Here's a look at some of the art I did for this module. Oh yeah, time to interject some crass commercialism here, you can still get the OSRIC version from Lulu here . I don't make any money on further sales, but I'd like to spread the word on this one and see it get a bit more exposure. And for the curious, I act

Or to be more precise Swords and Wizardry vs. Labyrinth Lord. As I said, I've pretty much been an AD&D guy (or OSRIC). However, the simpler rulesets of Basic D&D have really been sparking my interest lately. I really, really am liking Labyrinth Lord. I want to like the simplicity of Swords and Wizardry, but there are a couple of things turning me off. one is the d6 damage. I really don't care for dragons doing only 1d6 bite damage (and only one attack per round is listed - except a breath weapon - for which no damage is listed). Now, according to the ethics of old school play that are enspoused by S&W, I as a DM can change this to suit my tastes. Which is all well and good but I'm really looking at this from the perspective of my OSR project. I want to release it at some point back to the community, but the rule sets of Labyrinth Lord appeal to me more. But if I think about it, the rule set shouldn't matter too much as a good DM should be able to e

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm working up a world map for my latest project. I've always been taken by those crazy old world maps with the sea monsters and skewed perspective. I know for some gamers, having a map that reflects actual terrain and distance is key. I can see that, but I actually enjoy the sense of wonder that these wonky maps engender. As I mentioned, the Might and Magic computer games really do a fantastic job at creating that sense of wonder. I for one would be interested in seeing more maps of that nature in gaming poducts.

I've been pretty busy with the day job lately and just haven't had much time to focus on my art. I did, however, get commissioned to do 15 interior B&W pieces for Expeditious Retreat Press and their Advanced Adventures line. I've been actively working on the first piece which is due 15 March. I have eight follow up pieces due by 15 April. And the balance are due in May and June. So looks like I'll be busy for the foreseeable future at any rate. Hopefully I'll still have time to explore my sequential art experiments.

Here's a piece that really got me started down the road of what would become known as the "Old School Renaissance" in the role playing game world. This really started as a doodle, but just kept going. I've always been a fan of 1st Edition Dungeons and Dragons (AD&D) and I think this picture captures that love (it is after all, entitled "1st Edition Dragon Hunters"). For me, comic books, role playing games and punk rock are really what fueled my teen years (and to a large extent that is still true).

I just finished placing my order for the OSRIC 2.0 hardcover and Malevolent and Benign Bestiary on Lulu. I’m pretty excited about these two works. OSRIC especially is the result of many man hours of volunteers dedicating their time to create this project. I really see this as a love letter to 1e AD&D from a core of dedicated volunteers. That at least is how I view my artistic contributions to this tome. The PDF looks great, but there is nothing quite like having a hard copy. It is quite amazing at over the past three years, how much momentum the Old School and hobbyist gaming movements have gained. There are several web sites dedicated to the movement, not to mention countless blogs. New product keeps coming out. And you know what? most of it is pretty darned good. And it probably should be since this is the work of folks who have been sharpening their craft for 30+ years in basements, garages, kitchen tables, etc. They have waited and hoped for a time that they could create and sh