Wednesday, December 31, 2014

This is me... begging for art... for Expanded Petty Gods.

Now that the base layout for the "petty gods" and "minions" sections of Expanded Petty Gods is done, I'm going to beg profusely to the OSR community for art help. (This is a community project and I am seeking donated contributions.)

There are currently 60+ gods entries and 30+ minions entries that have not yet been assigned to artists (in addition to the 2 dozen things which are currently assigned and still in-progress).

New to Expanded Petty Gods? Check out these links:
- Original Petty Gods
Expanded Petty Gods

If by some stroke of luck I could get 90 volunteers to each contribute 1 piece of grayscale or line art (or 45 artists to each contribute 2 pieces, or 30 to contribute 3 pieces) in the next couple of weeks, then 97% of the art for the entire Expanded Petty Gods book would be complete (and the book would be weeks away from being complete)! [All interior art for this book is B&W/grayscale.]

I do have a list of art needs, which are mostly single-figure images (but see below). As artists volunteer their services, I'm asking their preferences as to content type (e.g., odd/weird, dark or humorous, no females, prefer animals, etc.), then I'm going through the needs list with an editor's eye on tone of entry vs. artist's prefs, then throwing out 3 or 4 possibilities, and the artist can choose from those (or pass, if they prefer). Generally, unless I describe the image need otherwise in the offerings, the format for each piece is an individual w/out a background (this allows me to make the image as large as possible in the limited space the layout offers; putting backgrounds on these figures severely limits how large I can make them). Additionally, I'm trying to keep these on 2-week turnaround before considering re-assigning them. I know people have other jobs and/or commissions, but I also know that this stage is the pitfall that could force this project into eternal 'languishment'.

If you have existing illustrations that could be used as a minion, I'll consider accepting those. These are being used as "filler" to assist page breaks, so there are limitations as to what this kind of minion will be named, and how long the copy for that minion will be (at editor's discretion).

The only other "open" submissions I'm taking right now are cult images. (You can provide any input you want for the cult image you provide, even going as far as to write it up, or you can just send a pic and I'll find a writer to create a cult around the image.)

Anyone kind enough to offer up their talents for this daunting project can email pgart(at)newbigdragon(dot)com with their preferences and links to samples (as a reference for what fits your personal style).

This is a great opportunity for people who are trying out new styles or working on spec stuff for themselves as experiments. (E.g., I noticed Jez Gordon was trying to find a new personal style that wouldn't be so labor/time/computer-intensive; this is a great opportunity for everyone to try something out for themselves while simultaneously contributing to a community project.) This is also a great opportunity for people who are trying to expand their profiles as artists and illustrators (e.g., many of you may know Josephe Vandel as a kick-ass map-maker, but the image above is his illustration (and a very cool one, at that).

Any writers that have contributed to this project who would prefer their entry not appear with a blank space next to it, please add your begs and pleads in the comments section below. [Cue Sarah McLachlan music along with pictures of writers in cages, staring up at the camera with puppy-dog eyes.]

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

d30 Sandbox Companion 1-year Anniversary

It was 1 year ago today that I released the d30 Sandbox Companion.

If you would have told me then that 1 year later it would still be bouncing around the Top 20 at RPGNow, I'd have thought you'd failed your save vs. insanity. But there it is, still hanging in there.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to offer the entire OSR community a huge "THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" I've continued to be humbled by the love this oddity has found, not only with old-school RPG'ers, but those outside in the larger RPG community as a whole who've put up with the convention of its odd dice usage, and accepted it on their bookshelves as well.

Also, thanks again as well to Welbo, who helped me polish and polish this thing to be the best it could absolutely be.

Monday, December 29, 2014

Petty Gods "Call for Cults"
(DUE BY MIDNIGHT THIS FRIDAY, JANUARY 2ND!)

Have you written a cult that you'd like to see included in Expanded Petty Gods? Send the text by Friday, January 2 to cults(at)newbigdragon(dot)com. If you have not written a cult, do not tell me you'd like to write a cult or that you have an idea for a cult. Only email me if you have a completely written cult for inclusion. If I do not receive it by Saturday morning (January 3) when I check my email, it will NOT be included.

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU SHARE THE EMAIL ADDRESS ABOVE, PLEASE POST IT AS IT APPEARS AND DO NOT ADD A "mailto:" LINK! The robots are awful about scouring blogs for email addresses and sending spam.

There's no real format for what a cult listing does/doesn't include (or the order in which it is presented). Generally, the cult entries have an overview of the god(s) (or lack of deity) the cult worships, the organization and practices of the cult members, and there are usually stats for key personnel (treated as monster encounter listings... e.g., stats for priests of various levels, stats for initiates, etc.), and sometimes the addition of new spells and/or magic items (spells and magic items will be moved to a different part of the book, so treat them as separate listings, but within the same document; stats for cult members will stay with listing so feel free to work them in as you see fit).

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Petty Gods "Minions Lightning Round" BONUS EDITION!

****** ENTRIES CLOSED ******

VERY IMPORTANT! THIS IS A LIGHTNING ROUND! I WILL ONLY ACCEPT THE FIRST FIVE SUBMISSIONS THAT ARE SENT TO ME (VIA EMAIL NOTED BELOW)! I WILL UPDATE THIS POST TO ANNOUNCE WHEN SUBMISSIONS HAVE BEEN CLOSED.

BTW, There's no need to claim this image or claim a spot. The order in which I receive the emails will stake your claim!


General Description: I got some really great entries the other day for a particular image (the image at left that I re-inked from the Byam Shaw original). So I decided to include all of the various entries in Expanded Petty Gods under the same image. The challenge today... write your own entry for the same image!

Use the Lab Lord format for entries as described in the previous Minions/Knights/Servitors post.

Send your descriptions in .rtf, .txt, .doc or .docx format only. DO NOT SEND PDFs!!!
Mail your entry to: pgcopy(at)newbigdragon(dot)com

IMPORTANT: IF YOU HAVEN'T PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED FOR "PETTY GODS" PUBLICATION, INCLUDE YOUR NAME AS YOU'D LIKE YOUR CREDIT TO APPEAR WITH YOUR ENTRY!

CONTINUED RULE FOR THIS ROUND: The minion you write up has to serve a certain type or kind of petty god (e.g., a petty god with a particular domain, a petty god of a certain race, etc.), rather than serving a particular petty god.

BTW, if you've submitted an entry before for this image, you're quite welcome to submit another, but please give it a new name.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Final Petty Gods "Minions Speed Round" Challenge

VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE DO NOT WORK ON A WRITE-UP UNLESS YOU FIRST CLAIM IT HERE (VIA COMMENTS), AND I OFFICIALLY ACKNOWLEDGE YOU AS THE CLAIMANT!

REVISED RULE FOR THIS ROUND: The minion you write up has to serve a certain type or kind of petty god (e.g., a petty god with a particular domain, a petty god of a certain race, etc.), rather than serving a particular petty god.

TIME CUTOFFS FOR THIS CHALLENGE....
GMT+1 (Sweden/Germany) - Tuesday, December 16, 7:00 a.m.
United Kingdom, Greenwich Mean Time - Tuesday, December 16, 10:00 a.m.
United States, Easter Time Zone - Tuesday, December 16, 3:00 a.m.
United States, Central Time Zone - Tuesday, December 16, 2:00 a.m.
United States, Mountain Time Zone - Tuesday, December 16, 1:00 a.m.
United States, Pacific Time Zone - Tuesday, December 16, 12:00 a.m. (Midnight tonight)
United States, Alaska Time Zone - Monday, December 15, 11:00 p.m.
Australian Capital Territory - Tuesday, December 16, 5:00 p.m.

Here are the rules... (UPDATED RULES; PLEASE READ)
1. The first person who claims an image via a comment below (one claim at a time per person, please) gets to write it up. (But additional claimers will be considered "Backups" per #4 below.)

2. You have to complete the write-up and email it to pgcopy(at)newbigdragon(dot)com by the time noted above (per your time zone).

3. If there's no entry in my inbox when I check email tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, I will take the entry away and give a chance to the first backup (i.e., second person who claimed an entry) and they will have approximately 12 hours from the time they claim it to complete the write-up and email it.

4. If you have already completed an entry, you are eligible to be a backup (please express that interest when making your first claim). Otherwise, you may only be working on 1 claim at a time. If you want to be considered for more than 1, please list them in order of preference.

5. Use the Lab Lord format for entries as described in the previous Minions/Knights/Servitors post.

MINIONS SPEED ROUND OPTION #1
(illustrator: Arthur Rackham)
[completed/received]

Kash-Kash
by James Spahn
The Kash-Kash is a cursed, pathetic creature who drifts across the planes of reality eager to serve a divine master as their cupbearer and court jester. Unfortunately, it is a horrible, clumsy, yowling thing that appears to be a cross between a kobold and a coyote that somehow prances about awkardly on its hind legs.


MINIONS SPEED ROUND OPTION #2
(illustrator: Anne Merriman Peck)
[completed/received]

Augenwinkel
by Christopher Stogdill
Augenwinkel are servitors to petty gods of small areas like a home or frequently used campsite. Their primary function is to serve and guides and intermediaries between the petty gods and mortals.

MINIONS SPEED ROUND OPTION #3
(illustrator: Richard Heighway)
[completed/received]

Ghostly Lecher
by Matthew W. Schmeer
The ghosts of ancient mortals who were enamored with death when they were alive, Ghostly Lechers serve the gods of death merely as
rubbernecking hangers-on. Wherever a gristly death has occurred, a Ghostly Lecher is sure to be found, feeding on the deathwave
vibrations that emanate from the corpse.

MINIONS SPEED ROUND OPTION #4
(illustrator: William H. Robinson)
[completed/received]

Arbitrator of Sphere
by Eric Potter
These wise sages are entrusted by each and every petty god to help settle disputes arising from conflicting spheres of influence. Revered for their wisdom and experience, Arbitrators have the final say should one petty god’s dominion be shown to overlap another’s.