PRE-NTRPG SALE at the NBD Storefront. Get 10% off with the code NTRPG!
People asked that I run one of these sales at the beginning of the month (when they have more disposable income), and I wanted to do something to coincide with next week's North Texas RPG Con, so here you go. This weekend, get 10% off your order at the New Big Dragon Storefront (where you already save over Lulu pricing, and save even more on bundles). Just enter the code NTRPG at checkout (or the savings won't be applied). Get your order in by Monday, and I'll get it shipped before the con starts. Offer ends Monday, June 2, 2014 at 11:59 p.m.
And don't forget, once your order comes in with your email address, I'll send out links to RPGNow for complimentary PDFs for each title you order!
THIS IS NOT A PRINTED POSTER!!!
THIS IS AN ORIGINAL PIECE OF ART!!!
There seemed to be a lot going on in the DFW area this weekend... a HUGE gun show, a well-known food fest, and the biggest every Dallas Comic Con. So the vendors at the Cotton Bowl Trade Days (a flea market-y kind of event) were a little more than upset with the WEAK turnout for the weekend. My wife and I went Sunday (yesterday) after having spent Saturday Estate Sailing (sic). This beautiful piece (though it has a couple of blemishes here and there, but nothing I can't photoshop easily) cost me a sum total of $40. YES! JUST FORTY DOLLARS!
The name of the artist who signed it doesn't seem to produce any answers for me as to its origins after some Google searching. But a little digging did give me one theory on who it might be. If it's who I think it is, it was most likely done in the late 70s/early 80s as a student or portfolio piece before he embarked upon a 25-year stint as an industrial stylist/concept artist. I'm going to reach out today and see if he can confirm my theory.
UPDATE (05.19.14; 10:15 CST): Just received an email and confirmed my theory. The artist is Steve Ferrerio and it was done while he was studying at the Art Center of Pasadena in the late 70s. Ferrerio went on to become a stylist for Chrysler for 25 years, and did the exterior design for the "star car" of the TV series Viper. Ferrerio is now an independent artist in the Detroit area.
Came across this big orange beauty at an estate sale yesterday. The smaller red one is from a big haul a while back. The red one is about the appropriate height for a smallish hill giant. But the new orange one, though it looks like a hill giant, is more the height of a cloud giant or storm giant.
I also picked up, at the same sale, several copies of Galaxy and Astounding Science Fiction magazines. I only bought a few copies, but the ones I bought have super cool interior artwork. I will probably share some of it later this week.
Welbo and I spent a good hour last night thinking and re-thinking the encounter table. We've been re-thinking it off-an-on for a few months now. The encounter table is critical. It drives the rhythm of the game. What works in theory (based on percentages and law-of-averages) doesn't always work in practice. There's a subtle shift that comes into play when you look at the dice combinations that will yield certain results. Theoretically, that shouldn't matter... but it does (or at least it seemed like it did). I think what was really happening was that even a few percent difference in one result coming up over an another made a huge difference on the game flow. So, after an hour, I think we landed on a table that felt like it yielded the results we wanted it to. Now we just have to get through the big hurdle of how encounters with Special NPCs play out and we should be in the home stretch toward the beta round of playtesting.
There's still a lot to do on issue #2 of The Dragon Horde zine (e.g., a couple of rounds or proofing, some illustrations yet to be done, a couple of run-throughs on the adventure), but the pages are there. Here's a sneak-preview of what turned out to be a "Special Nordic-themed Issue."
BTW, issue #2 will be available in print (as will issue #1), and they will be exclusively available through the New Big Dragon storefront.