January 28, 2019January 28, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design

WitchPig Deck of Many Things

So, I knocked up some quick tables for using WitchPig decks for the Deck of Many Things. Get it here: WitchPig Deck of Many Things r1 Don’t worry if it doesn’t display correctly, the WordPress built-in viewer makes the text squiffy sometimes. Just download it and it should be fine. You can get the physical… Read More

January 25, 2019January 25, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design

Stockton Keep

This is the 11th structure that will be detailed in The City of Great Lunden book. 20 are planned, all with a full colour elevation of all/part of the structure on one page, plan on a second page, and notes on a third page. That’s 60 pages of fun you can drop into any game… Read More

January 25, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design

Magic-Users (Wizards) with Swords

Since the dawn of time (also known as my early days in gaming), magic-users couldn’t have swords. I’m talking OD&D, B/X, BECMI, AD&D 1E, AD&D 2E, 3E, 4E, 5E. In the later editions, you can take a proficiency to use one but it’s blocked out of the gate. They are proficient in dagger use though… Read More

January 24, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design

The City of Great Lunden

So, many of you know that I am underway with the planning and preparation stage for the third Midderlands book, The City of Great Lunden. As it currently stands, the book is about 20k words in, with a 60-70k target, so still plenty more to do before I launch the Kickstarter between now and beginning… Read More

January 23, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design

Do Players Care If I’m Freestyling?

I was thinking about this this morning. When I play in a game, I like it to be part of a pre-defined narrative, or something written down beforehand. It’s probably my childhood of pre-written modules which has conditioned me. There is a certain ‘suspension of belief’ when you know the GM is freestlying his way… Read More

January 16, 2019January 16, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design

The Cartography and Art Equation

To create great artwork or cartography requires some things. You need tools or programs you can use. Like a pencil, or ArtRage 5. Some skill. It doesn’t have to be a university level degree. A basic understanding of physics (such as light and shadow). For example, the same light can’t hit both sides of a… Read More

January 12, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design

Simple Tomb Lid Art (Tutorial)

This is a short tutorial to help show the various stages I tend to use to make colour art. I used ArtRage 5 for this, but you could just as easily use Photoshop or Gimp as the terms used are generally common. So, let’s start. Stage 1 – Line Art Create a layer, call it… Read More

January 10, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design

Sheepfeld on Wyrmere (Map)

The Wyrmere has provided for the community known as Sheepfeld for over fifty years. A gathering of the livestock farmers — mainly sheep — the folk have become unwelcoming of late. Tall tales of giant sheepmen stalking the woods at night craving blood have spooked many from visiting the area and the supply of fleeces… Read More

January 10, 2019January 11, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design

Off the Beaten Path: Mountain Excursions (KS)

The industrious Thom Wilson at Throwigames is back with another of his fabulous ‘Excursions’ Kickstarters. This time it’s Mountain Excursions. It’s only a short KS and already funded, so don’t miss out on it. I will be helping the project along with map upgrades. I’ve done some already, and hopefully more to come as the… Read More

January 9, 2019January 9, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design

Save or Die. Game killer?

To be clear, I’m talking about the ability. I’ve been listening to Erik over at the Tenkar’s Tavern blog and his ‘Designers and Makers’ slot got me thinking… As a player, I hate Save or Die. Nothing says ‘kill my fucking fun’ like Save or Die. I know why too. I like to keep a… Read More