Monday, November 2, 2009

Warriors of the Red Planet - November Preview - Art!


I know what you're thinking... "Why no October Preview!?"

Well, that's because I was busy pounding out and finishing the "rough rough draft" of Warriors of the Red Planet, as well as a "spin off" of sorts, my Sword & Planet short story submission ("Exiles of the Red Planet") for the upcoming "Weird Enclaves and Black Pits". Now begins the "work" part of the project, patching the various documents together into one cohesive whole, alphabetizing the scores of monsters, items, and "spells", checking/cross-checking/re-checking rules to make sure nothing is ridiculously conflicting, redundant, or counter-intuitive...ah...fun! Actually, it has been a lot of fun, especially the playtests. Not to mention how cool its been to watch this go from "idea!" to "actual game!".

But what would be cooler than a Sword & Planet RPG with old-school rules?

How about a Sword & Planet RPG with old-school rules lavishly illustrated from cover to cover by a brilliant artist? Remember how easy it was to flip through the illustrations in the 1E Monster Manual and let your imagination run wild with the possibilities for your next game?

Well, that's what we're shooting for with this book. Not just a collection of rules, but a springboard for the imagination to keep the ideas flowing. And by "we", I mean I've teamed up with artist Thomas Denmark, who I think you'll agree has a dab handle on all this Sword & Planet stuff, and a sound appreciation for what old-school gaming is all about. I'm honored to be working with Thomas on this; he's no commissioned artist, but a full-blown partner, as committed as I am to making this book something really special. Take a look:




Stay tuned for more previews here and over at Thomas's blog as this book continues to take shape!

Past Previews.

17 comments:

  1. Very nice! I'm eager to see the finished product. It looks (and sounds) like it'll be really cool.

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  2. I'm glad for you, Al.

    His art is lovely, and if he is your partner in this enterprise, I'm certain the art will be excellent throughout and be a lure for consumers.

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  3. Fantastic work, congrats to both of you!

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  4. wow, I'm super excited!

    Gamer Dude, Rob Conley, Robert Saint John: thanks!
    Timeshadows: this was part of the reason I had to hold off committing to your project - I will be very busy as you can see!
    James Maliszewski: hah! would be more than happy to illustrate your work someday!

    Thanks all.

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  5. @Thomas: I am glad to see that reason in such beautiful and tantalising detail.
    --Your collaboration on this project doubles my interest in it and purchasing at least one copy in print. :D

    Perhaps, in the future, we will be able to work together after all.

    Best to you and Al on this work!

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  6. Al and Thomas, that looks great! I'm really looking forward to this book. Include more Red Planet Princesess!

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  7. Wow. What fantastic artwork.

    I may have to abandon my usual Canadian politeness and budge my way to the front of the line for this Sword & Planet RPG.

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  8. Now begins the "work" part of the project, patching the various documents together into one cohesive whole, alphabetizing the scores of monsters, items, and "spells"[.]

    SPELLS! I wasn't expecting that in a Sword & Planet RPG. I've been following your previews. I must have missed that bit.

    My best friend is a novelist in Young Adult publishing. He met with some success with a trilogy that has been on NY Times best seller list and demand that allowed for a forth book in the series. He has a new trilogy, the first book being released in October. The remarkable thing about it is the illustrations. The publisher was against, saying that only children's books have illustrations in today's market.

    He used his earlier success to insist that the publisher include art and went so far as to commission his own artist and collaborate with the artist on the content. The effect is wonderful. I was privileged to see some of the full size pre-publication art.

    I mention this because, we expect first rate art from the big RPG publishers. But I don't think we have noticed how it has disappeared from other literature.

    More important is to mention how great this art preview is. I was surprised by the different styles shown. Thomas is really showing his versatility. I'm very happy to see a small publisher pull out all the stops. I hope your collaboration is as successful as I believe my friends has been.

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  9. Well, that seals it - I'm turning my own sword-and-planet project into something else now, there's no point in competing with this! When's the release date? :)

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  10. Great stuff, Al. The art looks fantastic, that'll go along way to capturing the spirit of the ERB planet stories feel! Can't wait!

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