Hello dear readers!
The worst of the heatwave seems to be behind us and at last it feels cool enough for my brain to function properly. Huzzah!
In this failry long issue I’ll share the remaining three folklore-inspired fantasy folk I designed earlier this month, as well as a very fun, if bittersweet, commission I got to work on for a friend.
I’ll also describe how my ALBO Fantasy TTRPG project has changed form yet again!
As always, I’ll be rounding things up with a curated list of cool links to share.
Three More Folklore Folk!
First, a quick note.
Since sharing the first three designs, I had another change of heart/mind regarding the project – in a way I’ll describe in more detail in a bit. Nonetheless I am still very proud of these designs and am happy to share them.
Folk 4: The Swamp-Dwelling Bog-Hounds
These goofy creatures are a mash-up of two Dutch folklore entities: the Flodder and the Ossaert. The first is a creature sometimes resembling a dog or a cat with large frog-like hands, that leaps onto the backs of travellers going past bodies of water. The Flodder would cling to them until they reached civilisation, where they would be found cold, damp and feverish. The Ossaert is the restless ghost of a dog belonging to a cruel man called Bornes. The Ossaert resembles a large black dog with flaming eyes.
My Bog-Hounds are a lot friendlier than their inspirations, though still a little mischievous. They fulfill my classic fantasy ‘goblin’ archetype quite nicely.
Folk 5: The Blood-Sucking Glow-Birds
These are inspired by the Strix of ancient Roman mythology, and the Adze from Ewe folklore (Togo and Ghana). The Strix are vampiric owls who fed on human flesh and blood. The Adze resembled fireflies that could assume human form. As fireflies they would fly into people’s rooms while they slept and drink their blood, causing them to fall ill and die. In human form, the Adze could possess people to do their bidding.
The resulting blend of these two inspirations fulfills my ‘fairy’ archetype.
Folk 6: The Pig-Faced Pirate Ladies of Skinker Island
My main sources of inspiration for these ladies are the enchantress Circe and the Amazons from ancient Greek mythology, and the slightly more recent tale of Tannakin Skinker, the pig-faced lady.
My concept is that an all-women pirate crew somehow offended a powerful sorceress. She in turn transformed them into boar-human hybrids. The pig-faced pirate ladies eventually settled on a deserted island, which they named after their captain Tannakin Skinker.
And that’s all of my six fantasy folk, all blends of various creatures from folklore and legend.
I might still use for them for a creative project in the future: they’re too much fun to leave in my “unfinished projects drawer”. Perhaps, if I can’t think of anything, I’ll publish them as a set of art assets.
Mausworn Cover Design: A Bittersweet Commission
Last week I had the honour of doing my first commission for friend and fellow TTRPG-person, Cezar Capacle.
While I am very proud of the finished work and gratified by Cezar’s appreciation for it, I couldn’t help having mixed feelings about it.
Some Context: Once Again, “AI” Ruins Everything
For quite some time, Cezar has been developing a game called Mausworn, which combines elements from two of his favourite RPGs, Mausritter and Ironsworn. He has been very open and transparent with his design process, which he shares via his Patreon and YouTube channel.
Importantly, the project also inspired him to learn how to draw. He put in a lot of time and energy into teaching himself from the ground up, even in the face of physical pain. Eventually, he produced a very polished and evocative cover design for Mausworn: something he should have been able to feel immensely proud of.
Alas, had this happened five years ago, that would have been the end of it. However, due to his art not yet having a distinctive ‘Cezar’ voice, and because of the proliferation of machine-generated images in the TTRPG-sphere, he was quickly accused of having used “AI”.
This accusation persisted despite his aforementioned transparency and sharing of the design files.
He has discussed this in more depth on his own platforms, but suffice to say the situation was frustrating and heartbreaking. Realising he wouldn’t be there to defend his work once the published game book was on stalls and shelves, he got in touch with me to do a new logo and cover.
Hence my mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was overjoyed and excited to finally be able to do some custom art for Cezar. On the other, I kept feeling that this shouldn’t have to happen. It was really only after I was assured that Cezar was 100% convinced he wanted to proceed, that I started to feel comfortable with the job.
The Commission: Once Again, Collaboration Makes Everything Better
Using his original design as reference, Cezar provided a very helpful commission brief. This made sure I had a solid starting point, concept wise, while also allowing us to better represent some themes of the game that he had not yet fleshed out when he made the original cover. Mausworn is less medieval fantasy adventure and more post-apocalyptic scavenging and rebuilding. With mice, of course!
We were also able to message each other pretty much constantly throughout the design process, which I loved. It really felt like we were both at the table: him making suggestions and requests, and me sliding the page over to him after every alteration or addition. Below is the finished cover design.
As mentioned earlier, I am very pleased with the design. I was even more pleased, however, when Cezar told me the experience lifted his spirits and rekindled his passion for the project. We both got a little emotional about it, to be honest! It has certainly been one of the most enjoyable and rewarding commissions for me to work on in a long time.
Cezar is a joy, with an effervescent imagination and kind heart. He’s been incredibly helpful to me whenever I need game design advice, as well as supportive when I’m feeling down.
Please check out his video on Mausworn, and consider backing the project HERE.
So About The ALBO Fantasy RPG Project…
Sometimes, I’ll have an idea for a project. I’ll stick with it all the way to the end, and the final published result will be pretty much exactly what I had imagined from the beginning.
More often, however, I’ll have an idea for a project, then flip-flop on it for a few days, abandon it, revisit it, alter it and maybe even shelve it forever.
My “ALBO-Powered Fantasy TTRPG” project had been following the latter path.
First it was going to be a post magical apocalypse setting populated by mutated witch familiars.
Then it was populated by amnesiac magic robots and ghosts.
THEN it became the folk-lore inspired weird high fantasy thing.
What is it now, then?
A Modular Fantasy World
I decided to look back at my most successful foray into fantasy RPG design: Stravagante.
What I realised looking at the comments and feedback, was that the main appeal for people was not the rules but rather the customisation features.
Pretty much everything in that game – characters, folk, spells, quests – is customisable. You can roll for or pick different options form various lists to make almost anything you want.
While I was considering that, I also realised something else. The customisation is my favourite part about RPGs as well! Why get bogged down trying to create a “new and original” fantasy setting when instead I can improve on the tools I already made for creating any kind of fantasy setting you want?
My objective is the following.
I want to create a Fantasy TTRPG, where the setting is not fixed but rather different for every game group.
I want it to be possible for a GM and/or gaming group to quickly and easily generate a world map, then “zoom in” on any section or region of that world. It must also be possible for them to go in the opposite direction: start from a small location and build the world outwards as they explore.
Thanks to ALBO’s streamlined Tag system, character creation will also provide far more options than Stravagante ever could. It will have the bare minimum structure necessary, but nothing fixed or pre-written.
The same goes for quests, spells, locations, items, etc.
I want this to be both a game and a valuable resource for GMs. Maybe you want to create your own personalised fantasy setting for an ongoing campaign. Or perhaps you need to quickly put something together five minutes before a one-shot. Whatever the case, this book should be able to help.
As the pictures above show, I have spent most of this week writing up roll tables and lists. One of my favourite things to do!
I have also been chatting with friend and fellow game designers including JimmyShelter, Hugh Lashbrooke and of course, Cezar.
I’m feeling good about it, let’s hope the good feelings continue!
Pocket and Bookmark Versions of ALBO Now Available!
In an effort to make the game system more accessible and affordable, I recently published two new versions of ALBO. One is a printable pocket booklet, the other is a printable and reversible bookmark-sized pamphlet.
Both options are available on my website, on RPG Trader and Itchio.
Media Spotlight!
- DC Bradshaw is hosting a bundle on RPG Trader: “School’s Out For Summer: A Bundle of Family-Friendly TTRPGs for the Holidays”.
- Check out Thor and Litza Bronwyn’s guide to make to making a one page RPG!
- Please enjoy this adorable Cartoon Cartoons short by Kasey Williams: “The Good Boy Report”. A young girl named Bunny hosts, edits and narrates a hard-hitting journalistic exposé about all the dogs in her neighborhood.
- I recently purchased this lovely fantasy synth album by Castlesiege: The Council of Trees.
That’s all for this issue!
As always, thank you so much for reading.
One last reminder that if you feel like supporting my work, you can buy something from my website or itchio, join my Patreon as a paying member, or commission me.
If none of the above are doable for you, please consider spreading the word about my work to your friends!
Want to try a space to hang out and chat that’s not a social media platform?
Check out my forum, PennySpace!
Until next time,
– Penflower