Posted on February 10, 2020 by MonkeyBlood Design — 2 Comments

I Love Swords & Wizardry

Disclaimer: I’m not getting paid for this. I’m not involved in the project, but I have done work for Frog God Games in the past.

You know I love Swords & Wizardry, right?

I enjoy it so much, I created a entire trilogy of settings books for it, and other supporting materials with over 700 pages of content – The Midderlands. I made them A5 format (6x 8.5-ish”), so they are more easily used at the table.

So, when Frog God Games decided to launch a Kickstarter for a small-form factor, digest-sized boxed set of the Complete version of the product – my favourite, I nearly did a joy-poo. Separate books, Collector’s Edition boxes, it’s got it all.

Hot on the heels of the Old School Essentials success, this product is just what I wanted! Check it out: Swords and Wizardry: Limited and Collectors Edition Box Sets

What do I like about S&W so much?

For me, it feels like AD&D used to back in the day, although it’s rules are based in the OD&D traditions. It encourages ‘theatre of the mind’ play, it’s not complicated with myriad rules, and its perfect for beginning players as well as veterans. If third edition was a crunchy bag of pork rind, S&W is a velvety chocolate delight. You can almost run the rules without the book after a few sessions. it’s simply, old school gaming at its very best. Matt Finch has blended together a perfect combination of old school feel and play ability from the beginnings of the hobby, and it deserves to be sitting on your shelf, if not sitting on your game table.

As of this post, you’ve got 20+ days left and it’s already at over $64k. It’s burning through highly-achievable, almost zero risk stretch goals. Christmas is only 10 months away, get yourself an early present!

Check it out: Swords and Wizardry: Limited and Collectors Edition Box Sets

Many thanks, Glynn

Posted on December 17, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

HandyMaps Buildings & Structures – Kickstarter Ends This Saturday

Hello Everyone,

We hope you are all doing well!

The roaringly successful HandyMaps Buildings & Structures Kickstarter ends this Saturday.
Over 750% funded, funded in 3 hours, and two of four stretch goals unlocked, with the third in easy reach. Don’t miss out on these really useful cards.

Please feel free to check it out here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/handymaps-buildings-and-structures-a5-card-handouts-for-rpgs?ref=2lqh6v

The project is creating a set of twenty-two (22), double-sided A5 cards showing illustrative elevations and floorplan layouts for buildings/structures. The map cards can be used as player handouts or tools for game planning by Game Masters.
Stretch goal unlocks currently have the set increased to 24 cards.

Pledge with confidence today!

Many thanks, Glynn & Matt

Posted on November 30, 2019December 30, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

HandyMaps Buildings & Structures is LIVE!!

The HandyMaps Buildings & Structures Kickstarter is now LIVE!!

We are creating set of twenty two (22), double-sided A5 cards showing illustrative elevations and floorplan layouts for buildings/structures. The map cards can be used as player handouts or tools for game planning by Game Masters.

Useful for any fantasy-themed game, but really useful for your The Midderlands games in The City of Great Lunden.

Follow this link to check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/handymaps-buildings-and-structures-a5-card-handouts-for-rpgs?ref=gxwqnl

Plus, we have some extra card stretch goals:

Also… something to put them in…

Posted on November 28, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design — 2 Comments

RPG Loot Call: OSE, Cha’alt & Forbidden Lands

I’ve had some pretty amazing #rpgloot turn up in the last week or two, and as I am unable to contain myself any longer, you get to hear about it. Let’s rock!

Old School Essentials

After a barn-storming Kickstarter campaign, all-round nice-guy Gavin Norman delivered a long-anticipated B/X ruleset which he has lovingly re-crafted using dweomercraft and pixie dust. What arrived is exactly what I expected and more from someone that pays attention to details. The art is beautiful and layout is beautifully-functional. None of my work in here, I’m sad to say.

I backed the Kickstarter campaign at the Thief level.

Here’s a shit-ton of photos of what turned up:

Cha’alt

Venger and I have done a LOT of work together in the past, and it was going to be the best thing we had worked on to date. I did the layout and cartography along the way.

I’m blown away by what turned up. It’s like a coffee table book you’d find in an office — well, a gonzo, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi office, but I’d put it on my coffee table as there’s not much to cause offense in here graphically (I counted just two actual nipples — on a monster). In terms of making an impact on a final project, I’m glad that I did this – it is a lovely, lovely book. Why not snag a copy if you can, Venger’s got some here: https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2019/10/chaalt-hardcovers-arrive.html

I backed the Kickstarter campaign at the Hardcover level because I tend to back projects that I work on out of principle (not all though, as sometimes I just don’t have/never played the systems, shipping is a bit of a mare, depends on finances, I don’t tend to do PDF-only stuff, or all of the above).

Anyway, here’s a slime-ton of photos of the book:

Forbidden Lands

And finally, Fria Ligan ran the Forbidden Lands – The Bitter Reach Campaign and Reprint campaign, and I backed this at the FORBIDDEN LANDS SECOND PRINTING level, as I was a doofus, and never backed the original Kickstarter. I think I was having ‘Why the fuck do you need another set of rules you don’t play, but need on your shelf’ fatigue.

After the first Forbidden Lands Kickstarter, I began playing in a Coriolis: The Third Horizon game, so I’m dialled into the D6 dice pool system it uses (same as Tales From The Loop, Mutant Year Zero, etc). I enjoy playing it and when I saw the second printing drop I thought; “I need an OSR fantasy-feel to my D6 dice-pool game.”. It’s a lovely box set

Once again, here’s a shit-ton of photos of what turned up. None of my work in here. The poster map is gorgeous and I love the idea of little stickers to put on it!

Posted on November 14, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design — 1 Comment

The Rise of Ryecroft

As we get ready to launch HandyMaps – Buildings & Structures later this month (preview video below)…

We are also continuing apace with the next hardcover book project…

… An old school cemetery-crawl with a lack of undead.

It will be a case of rocking up following some hook or other, and then exploring the cemetery whilst trying not to become another one of the bodies interred here.

I thought it would be a good idea to provide some update as to its current status and development…

I want to have this mostly written and a good chuck of the artwork and cartography complete by the time we launch the KS (early 2020).

I see it as an A5 book with a page count likely to be 200 pages or somewhere close. A black cloth and silver foil blocked cover, or maybe black leatherette with silver foil blocking cover. It would have a beautiful dust jacket artwork design by Jon Hodgson (the piece will also appear as a double page art spread inside).

For Artwork, Juan Ochoa has turned in a number of fabulous art pieces already (creatures and full pages), which I’ve tentatively plugged into layout… These are some of the Maggotkin.

We plan to Kickstart extra pieces from Jon and Juan. I’ve also worked on some of my own pieces too, of which I plan to do more (all full colour):

Writing for above ground is mainly complete except for some outsourced stuff I’m waiting on. Below ground has started now that I have fleshed out the below ground map and its tentative locations.

Cartography is well-developed and coming along. Plans are for a A2 folded poster map of the cemetery above ground, and the same for the below ground map.

A starting village to reprovision, and all the 284 above-ground structures in the cemetery will have information text, and if memorials, will have information about who is buried there and some kind of hook.

And this is my marked up notes for the below ground map… the colours indicate faction areas…

The project gets more exciting the more I work on it, and seeing art come in really solidifies the vision.

Really looking forward to bringing it to life in early 2020, and your support would be invaluable.

Take care,

Glynn

Posted on November 5, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

State of the Monkey – November 2019

I’m buried in all sort of things at the moment… but I figured it would be a good idea to give an update on some of the key MonkeyBlood Design & Publishing stuff I’m progressing/planning for those interested…

HandyMaps – Buildings & Structures

So, I am putting the finishing touches to a new Kickstarter for another HandyMaps campaign to be run on Kickstarter. The draft preview is up already, so click that Remind Me on Launch button to get an email when it goes live:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/monkeyblooddesign/993119939?ref=7q2gfc&token=62144ca9

Launch is tentatively planned for 10th Dec 2019, but will very likely come forward.

I’ve been working on a couple of extra structures (suggested in the feedback) which will become stretch goals… two cottages and a stables. All your favourite Great Lunden locations will be included (Clopetra’s Needle, Gael’s Sanctuary, Dourgul’s House, etc)

Ryecroft – A Cemetery-Crawl

Another project that will come to Kickstarter early next year is Ryecroft. I’ve been posting about this tentatively already, and it’s moving along nicely. I have the awesome Juan Ochoa working on some art, and also pleased to have the fabulous Jon Hodgson working on the cover. Really excited to see this coming together.

It will be an OSR (S&W Complete) cemetery location which will be mostly devoid of the undead trope, instead focusing on the insects and vermin that thrive there. It’ll have lots of Midderlands references whilst not being a specific Midderlands product.

You can hear the excellent Spikepit podcast (Colin Green) doing any exclusive reading from the Ryecroft project here: https://anchor.fm/spikepit/episodes/213-Into-the-Pit—Glynn-Seals-Ryecroft-Exclusive-e6e4jm

Definitely check out the Spikepit podcast, it’s great stuff!

Super-Secret Big Project

I’m currently in negotiations with a large 3PP about a secret project that might take place early next year. You won’t want to miss it. Keep your fingers crossed it happens.

Midderlands Dice Bags and Storage Boxes

So, Midderlands Dice Bags are in the UK, currently processing through customs, so they will be up on the store very soon by December… Also, The Midderlands storage boxes will be a thing around December, also up on the store. Somewhere to finally keep all your Midderzines, maps, cards, and bookmarks in one place.

Treat yourself this Christmas!

The Bats of St. Abbans

The great Richard Marpole (Midderzines and Adventures in Great Lunden story) is currently working on an adventure called The Bats of St Abbans. Here’s the cover art so far. No release date as yet.

Midderzine Issue #4

Tentatively in progress. My challenge is to deviate from my usual Serif PagePlus and Affinity Publisher layout tools, and use InDesign instead… I’ll need that just in the the Super-Secret Big Project happens. I’ve made a good start, and a couple of great folks have expressed a desire to contribute content.

Trollfang, Serpentlands, Lost Machines, and a Midderlands Megadungeon…

All these are in the pipes but progressing at less speed than the other things above.

Anyway, hope that’s whetted your appetite.

Over and out, Glynn

Posted on October 11, 2019October 11, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design — 2 Comments

Ryecroft in progress

My next project is the cemetery-crawl of Ryecroft. Work continues in between commissions. This will be a forthcoming Kickstarter as well as a HandyMaps – Structures

I love my job!

Posted on October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

Nordlond Sagas for Dungeon Fantasy

I continue to have the high honour to work with Douglas Cole at Gaming Ballistic and have recently completed the poster map for the Nordlond region for his latest Kickstarter: Nordlond Sagas for Dungeon Fantasy.

It ends this coming weekend, so do not tarry. Doug has a track record for delivering great Kickstarters with this one being his eighth.

Check out the Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gamingballistic/nordlond-sagas-for-the-dungeon-fantasy-rpg

This is the lo-res version of the 20″ x 16″ map by Glynn Seal.

Posted on October 4, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

CorpoMeat: The RPG

Transparency Disclaimer: I vehemently hate McDonalds. Long story about parking fines. I do like KFC though.

Support the Small Publishers by promoting their stuff

While everyone is choking on gristle from the corpomeat burgers, in an attempt to level up their Cholesterol Cleric character playing CorpoMeat: The RPG, maybe spare a thought for the small publisher who doesn’t have the skills of a team of viral marketers at their disposal, or the money to persuade gaming celebs to do their bidding with wads of $$$s… (Don’t kid yourself the RPG is free… it’s trying to get you to buy fast food, which is not free).

Newt Newport and D101 Games

Newt at D101 Games is a solid guy trying to make a living doing something he loves, and I really enjoy and admire his enthusiasm. Instead of a fast food meal over the weekend, why not head to the Backerkit Preorder Store for the Tales From the Sorcerer Under the Mountain Kickstarter, which is now LIVE!

If you missed the Kickstarter, you can still get in on the action, PLUS loads more stuff. You can get a metric shit-ton of RPG stuff from Newt, and none of it will subliminally or otherwise make you eat at any particular fast-food retailer*

*That I know of.

Posted on August 28, 2019 by MonkeyBlood Design — Leave a comment

ENDS THIS SATURDAY – HandyMaps – Town & Village A5 Card Handouts for RPGs

Hey Everyone,

Just a quick reminder that the HandyMaps Kickstarter ENDS THIS SATURDAY.
Don’t miss out on these sets of 12 handy unlabelled, double-sided A5 card maps of towns and villages (that’s 24 maps)for your campaign. All drawn by 2018 Gold ENnie Award-winning and 2019 ENnie nominated cartographer, Glynn Seal.

As we write this message, we are: