Gary Con 2015

Now this was a fine vintage!

Although I attended in a most relaxed fashion, I spent more time at the convention than I ever did.  Then again, it was the first year that I hosted events.  I showed up Thursday and played a. . . game.  Imagine that!  (I forgot the title of course).  Sitting in the open gaming area, facing toward the lake  in back of the resort, I enjoyed the mist-shrouded landscape as much as the game itself.  We all finished within one victory point of each other.  I was brave enough then to drive away for lunch, leaving my parking spot open some someone else (yes, good parking space comes at a premium at Geneva Ridge).  The resort isn't really designed for a convention, but it's part of its charm.  I headed over to the Delavan inlet, and grabbed a giant calzone at Jojo's.  No way I could eat all of that, so half ended up in the styrofoam doggie box.  It was cold enough outside I didn't worry about the food going bad.  Miraculously, I found another parking spot when I returned.

After a quick chat with Dale Leonard, I received a much desired pass for a VIP parking slot in front of the entrance.  That was a nice touch.  While taking many pictures, I bumped into many old friends.  Time for my seminar came around very quickly.  With convention success come greater challenges: due to lack of space, seminars had been relegated to. . . the bar.  Ouch.  Between 6 and 8 pm, it was pretty noisy there.  And, I managed to misplace my reading glasses.  Great.  Without them, there was no way I could decipher my notes.  A fellow attendee kindly loaned me his.  That made for a rather bumpy seminar.  I'm told seminars will be handled at another location next year, but the exact place remains up in the air, since that's still being negotiated.  I believe seminars will end up in downtown Lake Geneva.  There already is a shuttle service to The Cove, where many participants have their rooms, since not everyone can stay at the Geneva Ridge resort (it is hopelessly full!)  It would make sense therefore that seminars be held nearby, Lake Geneva being a conveniently small town.

Leviathan

I just ran across a post showing a preview of the upcoming SF movie “The Leviathan.” The art is striking in its own right, but for me it really hits home since this parallels one of my original concepts for the World of Calidar. Click here for the original article about this movie, so you’ll know what I’m talking about. I couldn't help make the analogy with a Ghülean grön. Picture Calidaran wind-driven skyships instead of anti-grav gunboats. Replace energy blasters with wizard spells. Imagine tattered, orcish standards fitted on the leviathan, along with defensive turrets for war-machines, and a few metal plates bolted on the beast's skin. Now multiply the leviathan times the number of Ghülean hordes flying through the clouds.

For good measure, I took my original description from CAL1 and posted it here.

These creatures are native of Ghüle, the orcs’ alien world. They are colossal, grossly fat, mangy worms partially covered with gray fur except where orcs have bolted armor plates onto them. Orcish standards and the bones of defeated monsters sometimes adorn the beasts. Like those on humpback anglerfish, appendages with glowing lures extend from the top of the gröns’ monstrous heads. Two huge, greenish eyes complete the picture. Gröns vary from the size of small galleys to something large enough to swallow several thousand orcs and their war machines.

About Old Times and New

The web site Isola Illyon recently published an interview about my early years at TSR and how they compare with being an indie publisher today.  I posted the first paragraph here.  Click the link at the end of this post to follow the remainder of the article.

Tell us your story: how did you become lead designer and product manager for BECMI and Mystara products, and what did you do after TSR’s bankruptcy?

After working as a French translator for Basic and Expert modules, I moved on to administrate freelance acquisitions for the Games Division. This entailed selecting and hiring outside writers to design products that couldn’t be handled in-house. Basic/Expert wasn’t popular among TSR’s designers, at least not initially. In-house staff were more interested in working on AD&D projects at the time because that’s where public attention was. Therefore, leftover assignments became my responsibility. Political turmoil soon resulted in the departures of Gary Gygax and Frank Mentzer from TSR. The last remaining person directly involved with BECMI was me. It wasn’t long before I became the product’s “manager by default.” Since I did well in this function, the position became official over time.  (. . .)

Click here to read the entire article.

Of Podcasts and Obscure Knowledge

The folks at GeekLine 415 kindly invited me to join them on a podcast last night, February 10th.  Many thanks to Chad and his crew for this and the fun hour on the phone with them. I can imagine what joy it is to be gaming with such a happy bunch.  They reminded me of my D&D group back in France, in the early 80s.  What a flashback! The topics covered the years leading up to my move to TSR and my time there, fun bits about Mystara and the Gazetteers, and the connection with Calidar. All of this was sprinkled with jokes about obscure or underused  monsters as an ongoing theme.  What fun!  I listened to the interview a second time, this morning, and attempted to identify the various subjects.  I'll add a few comments below.

Click Here to hear the recording.

04:12 My turn comes up for my choice of monster.  I pick the thoul and give some background about when it came about in the D&D game.  Who did design the thoul anyway?

07:48 Here I explain that I'd started out as a diehard 1st Edition AD&D gamer, until I was hired by TSR and had to master the Basic D&D game line.  It was a bit of shock and a disappointment, but in hindsight I have no regrets!  It sounds like I am a 1st Edtn. player currently, though I am certainly more so than any of the later versions, I'm even more of a BECMI fan, which I didn't make clear in the podcast.

The Ides of March. . . almost!

Two events will focus on Calidar during the popular game convention, Gary Con VII, coming up in March 2015.  A third event follows, unveiling what lies behind creating a universe like Calidar.

The World of Calidar Seminar: Bruce Heard presents his new game world, Calidar "In Stranger Skies", in a two-part seminar. The first section includes a live reading to set the event's tone. An introduction to the World of Calidar follows, defining its heroes, main features, and uniqueness. Though it isn't designed for a specific rules system, Calidar is a fantasy setting for use with leading role playing games. It is the direct heir to the popular "Voyages of the Princess Ark" stories published in Dragon Magazine in the 80s and 90s, focusing on skyships, world-traveling, and space-borne adventures. Previews will be included about the current project's direction and contents. Questions are welcome from the audience, including those from present Calidar users.  Saturday 10am (2 hours).
 
Calidar Adventure:  "Eyes in the Dark" is a D&D adventure for characters level 4 to 5. Rules in use are the D&D Expert Set (Blue Box) or the Rules Cyclopedia hard cover. Pregenerated characters are provided. Set in the World of Calidar (see related seminar, Saturday), this OSR-style adventure starts in the rainforest of Meryath.  Friday 10am (5 hours).

You are senior students at Glorathon's Dragon Slayers Guild, sent to investigate a suspicious event in the tribal lands, as part of your mid-term tests. Rumor has it that a dragonship, vessel of the hated Draconic knights, landed in the foothills of the Matai-Nui. You are to unveil why they came and, if possible, to thwart any of their schemes. At the very least, return to the guild with vital information if you cannot defeat the enemy.

Dark is the jungle. Darker yet is the dungeon.

World Building Seminar: Bruce Heard, best known for his mastery of world building learned from developing TSR's popular Mystara campaign setting, presents a seminar detailing the steps taken to create a new universe, such as Calidar and other universes. This seminar is intended for game referees challenged with the daunting task of creating exciting yet credible fictional worlds, as well as professional game designers and fantasy fiction writers in general. Related questions are welcome.  Thursday 6pm (2 hours).

Gary Con is a convention honoring the memory of Gary Gygax in what he would appreciate the most: having fun and good humor.  Gary Con focuses on hobby gaming, including boardgames, roleplaying games, tabletop miniatures games, and seminars related to game play, game design, industry trends, etc.  The convention runs from Thursday morning, March 25 to Sunday 6pm, March 29 at the Geneva Ridge Resort, W4240 State Road 50, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin 53147 (Phone: (262) 249-3800).

If at first you don't succeed

I was getting all cozy this morning, writing about Calidar's Amazing Flying Circus.  Here I am thinking about the look and feel of a magical circus populated with freaks and a menagerie of monsters, with weird stuff here and there.  I imagine a swirl of smells, noises, color, and movement all about, getting deeply immersed in the writing. . .

Boing!  "You Got Mail!"  (Cripes!  What?)  "Bruce, I lost your earlier e-mail. Can you resend those ads for Calidar?"

Groan.  Yeah, okay.  It's urgent.  Let's get this out of the way.

...back to writing.  I need an artifact hidden under the center ring.  That's it, and nobody owns that business, they're all owned by the circus enchantment. And...

Janet runs down the stairs.  "Back in an hour.  Gotta go take care of the dogs."

Hmm?  What?  Oh yeah, dem dang dawgs... Sure.  Drive safely.  Now, what was that about the circus magical thing? 

CC1 Calidar "Beyond the Skies"

So, what am I up to these days?

CAL2?  Not yet.  An adventure module?  Not quite yet either.  There’s been a lot of thinking about what is needed most at this point.  Several ideas came and went before I settled on the current project.  It is one that will cover a lot of ground, though once again the title refers to something hailing from the heavens.  It touches upon the people of Calidar, their histories, and the hearts of their cultures. I’m therefore pleased to announce the next title in the series expanding from the CAL1 "In Stranger Skies" core book:

I’ve let out the news that I was working on the gods of the Great Caldera, and have posted seven big blog articles as previews.  While the book gets fleshed out, this material will, of course, undergo further development and receive additional “meat.”  Certain details will also change to stay consistent with new ideas and directions.  In fact, a lot of extra content is forthcoming on this topic alone.  Other related concepts have emerged as well, making the whole genre of “spiritual patrons” and special powers a lot more substantial and broad-reaching.  This will affect how player characters are developed, and also provide additional dynamics to Calidar’s universe.

So, what does CC1 “Beyond the Skies” offer?  Here’s a general overview:

When Old is New

“Lair of the Vipermen” was a fun idea for a game demonstration at the Burlington Public Library introducing the World of Calidar.  The adventure, which borrowed mechanics from the D&D game’s old Basic/Expert version, took place on January 15^th.  The “dungeon” was fully written in advance, with an eye toward possibly publishing it as a standalone title later.  I’d made myself a promise to keep things short and sweet.  I succeeded, kind of.  The adventure still features three levels and some outdoor adventuring in the foothills of Meryath’s Matai Nui range.  Long story short: a second session will be needed to complete the party’s foray, and perhaps a third to complete the whole adventure.

A few days before the event, I went digging into my trove of old D&D figurines.  I found my old box (nay: ancient, I should say) from Grenadier Models: “Wizards Room” Ref. #2009.  Its pieces had already been assembled in a diorama, which now sits in a larger box.  In the Grenadier’s box, instead, I’d stored original gaming pieces from my (AD&D 1st ed) campaign of 1982, thirty-year-old figurines with which I’d started my gaming hobby.  

Happy New Year 2015

©2014 Art by Terzaa -- please visit http://terzaaa.deviantart.com/

Introductory Game Session

*Special Event*

Bruce Heard will be running a role-playing game session introducing The World of Calidar on Wednesday evening, January 14th 2015, at the Burlington (WI) Public Library, from 06:30pm to 09:00pm.

The next session is scheduled for February 11th.

The game system used will be D&D/BECMI. No prior experience with tabletop gaming is needed (just bring an open mind and a sense of humor). For further information, please contact the library at:

https://www.facebook.com/burlingtonwipubliclibrarypg

or: http://www.burlingtonlibrary.com/

Happy Holidays!

©2013-2014 DragonosX  Please visit http://dragonosx.deviantart.com/

Critical Hit!

     
  Soon after I woke up and while I was having my morning coffee, I discovered a kind e-mail from a friend who brought to my attention #Calidar's rating on EnWorld.org 

Thanks to all of you who jumped in and put in their two-cents' worth!  That this happened largely on Thanksgiving is amusing.  The image's comment says this:

Fun with stats: Calidar, In Stranger Skies is ranked #1 out of 17 products with 10 or more reviews, placing it in the 100% percentile. It is rated 20.8 points higher than the overall average product rating of 79.2%. With 10 reviews, this is the #15 most reviewed product.

Rated by 10 readers at 100% who deem this a CRITICAL HIT. This should be part of your collection. 

Read all 10 reviews | Write Your Own

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!

Black Blood in the Night: Player Characters Listing

Thief: T6, AC4, hp24, MV 120’(40’), THAC0 17, AT 1 sword, Dmg d6+1, Save T6, AL N; St12, In11, Wi10, Dx17, Co13, Ch15. Abilities: OpLk40, FnTr35, RmTr34, CmWa92, MvSi44, HdSh32, PkPk45, HrNs54, RdLg80; backstab for double damage; has skyship sails operations skill (Intelligence); Follower of Istra: +1 to ability checks when performed with unusual panache. Equipment: +1 short sword, +1 leather armor, potion of invisibility, ring of fire resistance, scroll of protection from undead.

Prior of Soltan: C5, AC3, hp28, MV 90’(30’), THAC0 17, AT 1 sword, Dmg d6+2/+5, Save C5, AL L; St13 In10, Wi17, Dx11, Co15, Ch12. Abilities: Turn Undead; Clerical Spells: I (x4), II (x2); +1 bonus to attack rolls with flaming sword; Soltan’s limited prescience (+2 bonus to Initiative once per day); reads old Tanethian (-4 penalty to Intelligence check to converse in that language); has Ancient Religions Lore skill (Intelligence). Equipment: +1/+3 flaming sword, +1 chain mail, +1 shield, ring of regeneration.

Fighter: F5, AC-3, hp35, MV 90’(30’), THAC0 17, AT 1 sword, Dmg d8+4, Save F5, AL L; St17, In10, Wi12, Dx13, Co15, Ch11. Abilities: as a follower of Odin gains +1 bonus to Wisdom checks; enjoys skyship helmsman skill (Wisdom). Equipment: +2 sword, +1 plate armor (total +3 bonus to saving throws), +1 shield, potion of heroism, bag of holding.

Dwarf: D5, AC3, hp40, MV 90’(30’), THAC0 17, AT 1 axe or light crossbow, Dmg d6+4 or d6+1, Save D5, AL N; St16, In12, Wi13, Dx11, Co16, Ch10. Abilities: infravision; as a faithful of Khrâlia possesses basic knowledge of rocks and precious stones; has skyship engineering/carpentry skills (Intelligence). Equipment: +2 battleaxe, +1 crossbow, +2 chain mail, potion of super-healing.

Magic User: MU5, AC6, hp20, MV 120’(40’), THAC0 19, AT 1 staff, Dmg 2d6, Save MU5, AL N; St10, In17, Wi11, Dx15, Co13, Ch12. Abilities: as a follower of the Great Turtle gains a +1 bonus to saves vs. magical attacks; has charting/navigation skill (Intelligence). Wizard spells: I (x4), II (x2), III (x1). Equipment: +1 dagger, staff of striking, +2 ring of protection, scroll of communication. Spell book: I. analyze, detect magic, light, magic missiles, protection from evil, read languages, read magic; II. detect evil, invisibility, knock, wizard lock; III. lightning bolt, haste.

Elf: E5, AC2, hp28, MV 120’(40’), THAC0 17, AT 1 bow or sword, Dmg d6+2 or d8+2, Save E5, AL L; St15, In16, Wi10, Dx14, Co13, Ch10. Abilities: immune to ghoul paralysis, detect secret doors, infravision; as a follower of Delathien, enjoys basic knowledge of plants; possesses Ancient Ships Lore skill (Intelligence -4). Wizard spells: I (x4), II (x2), III (x1). Equipment: +2 long bow, +1 sword, +1 banded mail, elven boots. Spell book: I. charm person, floating disk, hold person, light, shield, read magic, ventriloquism; II. levitate, mirror image, web; III. dispel magic, protection from normal missiles.

Note: the first player whose character is eliminated gets to run Constable Crayne (who decides to rejoin the party to check up on them first hand).

Oh, man!  Now *THAT's* scary! Hooooo...

Calidar Softcover Approved

After many troubles related entirely to internal issues at DTRPG and Lightning Source (the printer), the softcover version of Calidar's book finally earned its approval.  I received a clean proof yesterday, Sept. 30th, and straight away ordered copies for the backers who wanted them.  It'll take a few weeks for everyone to receive their packages. General sales on DTRPG will be available later today (I'll amend the related page on this blog this morning). Here are a few pictures.

Calidar General Sales Are On!

At long last Calidar's hardcover book, its PDF files, and the poster maps are now available for general sales. If you missed the original Kickstarter, now is the time to jump in! 

Click here to locate the links

Calidar Sales Kickoff

Many among you who missed Calidar's original Kickstarter event, along with backers who picked an entry-level tier, have been asking: "when and where will I be able to get all that good stuff?"

Fret not!  This day is fast coming.  

I placed the answer to your question in a separate page to be easier to locate later on.  Sorry for the redirect.  Click here for the right location, or at the top of the blog page on the tab labeled:

Where Can I Get Calidar?

Sending Kickstarter Rewards

You know what they say about the best laid plans.  So far, the book's softcover version still lies with the printer, waiting to be cleared.  It's now been ten days, a longer period than the hardcover book demanded, which is basically identical save for its cover format.  I sent a query to DTRPG and am waiting for an answer on the reason for this unexplained delay.  At this point, it seems unfair to hold up the entire fulfillment as a consequence, especially considering nearly three quarters of Calidar's backers are either at the Admiral or Captain tiers, which both call for hardcover books.  I hope you will agree with me that fulfillment should begin now.

So here's the plan.  

• Today or Tomorrow: I'll ship the packages to those Admiral backers who did not order a softcover book.  Four will be withheld until the softcover books come in.  Delivery should take in most cases a week to ten days. [Update: 9/9/2014 10:03 am, first batch of Admiral tier packages dropped off at post office.]
• This week: I'll process hardcover book rewards on DTRPG so shipping can begin.  In general for the USA, figure ten days or more for the books to be printed and shipped (remember, these are printed on demand).  Those intended for overseas addresses will ship directly from the UK.  Delivery could take from a few more days in western Europe to at least three weeks everywhere else. [Update: 09/12/2014, most of the hardcover books for foreign backers have been ordered via DTRPG.  General order processing, printing, & handling will likely take about a week.  For delivery to Western Europe, figure another 5-10 days.  For delivery everywhere else overseas, figure another 3-7 weeks.  For Brazil, I'll have to send those via USPS from Burlington WI.  Hardcover books will be likely processed on 09/13/2014.  09/13/2014, hardcover books ordered for Canada; unfortunately, due to Canada's crazy customs regulations, printing & shipping will be from the UK; delivery is now 3-7 weeks, and I'm shaking my head in utter frustration.  Also on 09/13/2014, hardcover books ordered for the USA; delivery time is 2-4 weeks incl. printing & handling.]      
• Later this week: I'll drop off at the local post office the six bins of padded mailers with the poster maps.  For delivery in continental USA, figure about a week or less, and anywhere from a week to ten days everywhere else (depending on where you reside, international mail can take longer). [Update: 9/10/2014 08:41 am, poster maps mailed to foreign addresses. 09/11/2014 08:47 am, poster maps mailed to US addresses with est. delivery mostly on 09/15. Watch your mail!  Some have already been delivered as of 09/12/2014.]
• Over the weekend: (or earlier) I'll process online PDF files for all backers.  These will come in the form of a DTRPG coupon emailed to your accounts.  You can redeem these coupons at DTRPG.com in order to obtain your copies of the PDF files. [Update: 09/14/2014, all coupons  for the full PDF version of "In Stranger Skies" have been e-mailed from DTRPG.  Watch your spam boxes!  09/14/15, two coupons were mailed, one Sunday and the other today, Sept. 15th.  The first coupon turned out to be for a bundled download of three PDFs, which does work.  The one sent today was redundant and does not work anyway.  Sorry for the confusion.  Airman-level backers have not yet received their coupons.  They will as soon as the above issue is resolved with DTRPG's tech staff.]

If the softcover book is approved today, I still have to order a proof copy from DTRPG to verify that it is printed correctly.  This can take ten days or more before I receive it.  If no corrections are needed, I can then process through DTRPG the remainder of the rewards.  Timing is the same as described in the bullet points above.  If corrections are necessary (let's hope not), this could add another two weeks or more to the process.  Alas, those softcover books intended for the four Admiral backers who requested them still need to be sent to me (after the proof copy's final approval) so I can package them with the rest of their rewards.
[Update: 09/13/2014, unfortunately, a correction was required for the softcover book. DTRPG remains entirely at fault for failing to update their web site which showed obsolete printing options. Consequently, our cover spine isn't of the right size.  The corrected files have been uploaded this morning.  The new expected timetable is: printer's approval next week; receipt of the printer's proof late the following week (at the earliest); possibly passing orders for the softcover books immediately afterward *if* the proof is correct.]

The situation isn't ideal, but at least things are finally moving.  Keep your eyes open for e-mails and packages.  [Update: 09/13/2014, Some have already begun to arrive.]  Thanks again for your support and for making this project possible.

Update: 09/17/2014, I received notification from the printer that hardcover books have shipped from both UK and US plants.  For most of you, this means it'll be a few more days before your receive your books.  For destinations in Asia/Pacific, figure about 10 days.  Woot!

Update: 09/17/2014 at 02:00pm, DTRPG coupons to download Calidar's Airman Edition and Under the Great Vault PDFs have been sent to Kickstarter backers at the Airman tier.  By now all backers should have received links to download their PDFs.  Please contact DTRPG's customer service (or me, privately) if you're still experiencing difficulties obtaining your PDFs

Update: 09/26/2014, the softcover version of the book has finally received approval from the printer.  I've ordered the proof.

Update: 10/01/2014, Received the softcover proof from the printer.  Looks good (see today's blog post).  I immediately ordered the books still due to the remaining Kickstarter backers.  Delivery should take place within 1-3 weeks for the USA and Western Europe, 3-7 weeks everywhere else.  Some of the books ordered earlier and poster maps are still reaching their destinations as of Sept. 30th.

Update: 10/06/2014, the softcover books have shipped to both US and foreign addresses. 
   

Printer's Proof Received

Calidar takes another step forward.

The printer delivered the book's proof copy yesterday.  The UPS fellow left the box outside, at my door, and drove away without ringing my bell.  Since it was a stormy day, this could have been bad.  But I was expecting his visit, so I rushed downstairs and grabbed it.  Before going further, I'll post a few pictures of the book for a sneak preview of the real thing.

 

Off to the Printer

At long last, Calidar's book has been submitted to the printer.  We're now awaiting to clear premedia (format approvals).  We'll get an answer in the coming days.  DTRPG's staff isn't returning from Gen Con until Tuesday 19th, so this might have an impact on timing.  Next stop: either more alterations to the file or I'll order a pre-press version of the hardback to be mailed to me for final approval.  I'll post a few pictures.  Here's a montage of what the internals look like for your enjoyment.

As soon as the hardbound book is approved, the soft cover version will follow, along with the various PDF documents intended for digital releases only, which include the book's main PDF, the Airman's version with just the Star Phoenix's story, and the release titled "Under the Great Vault" which is the compilation of the kickstarter short stories.  We're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel!

There were delays during the original layout process which swallowed yet another week's worth of time.  Thankfully, Thorfinn stepped up to the bat and scored another home run, addressing successfully a number of unresolved issues. He smacked that ball over the fence and out of the park.  I'd like to take the opportunity to thank him for his stalwart support of the project.  His contribution has been above and beyond the call of duty.

Hail to this Hero!

And don't miss his new page, on Google + or on Facebook.

Thorfinn's Calidar Presentation

I think I would be remiss if I failed to post this here as well, since it has begun popping up in various places already this morning.  Thorfinn's awesome presentation works as well as a charming introduction to the World of Calidar as it does showcasing his skills has a professional cartographer.  I'm certain at this point, Thorfinn is available for freelance work.  I couldn't recommend anyone else's talents more to any publisher.  I'll let you enjoy the tour and the lilt of his lovely accent.

On a Sail and a Prayer (Part Two)

As I pointed out earlier, there are many more skyship designs than the six presented in the previous article. Today I’d like to focus on a Calidaran concept—at least its “alpha” version.  A “beta” will be needed eventually, and you’ll discover why in a moment.  This skyship is not intended to appear in the upcoming book release.

I present you the Spirit of Osriel. It is the result of an association between a human trader of Lorical and a dwarven engineer who’d emigrated to the merchant republic a few decades ago. Her Grace Felìcita Calitani, a prominent figure at the capital city, sought a vessel relying on winds as its main propulsion, but with a secondary device ensuring safe travel during adverse conditions.  Thus was born the Spirit of Osriel, a steam-powered paddle wheel boat fitted with masts and an enchanted hull to make it airworthy.  Its design flaws soon came to light, the first being the amount of space the dwarven-built engines required, along with their blackstone stores and water tanks.  Freight capacity was therefore reduced accordingly.  Regular supplies of blackstone proved expensive and unpredictable.  With few sails, it couldn’t go as fast as dedicated sailing skyships.  Yet the idea remained attractive.  None of Felìcita’s competitors owned such a vessel, and the ability to reach a destination slowly but safely despite the Great Caldera’s fitful weather became an advantage to her and clients wishing to hire the vessel.  Sails luffing amid the clouds, masts creaking and groaning, funnels spouting sooty billows, and engines thumping faithfully below deck, the Spirit of Osriel specialized in carrying passengers as well as small but precious cargo.

On a Sail and a Prayer

One of Calidar’s objectives is to depict a world whose skies are ruled by flying ships, and whose people yearn to conquer their corner of space.  Naturally, I won’t get into too much detail before the book’s release, but I can give a glimpse of skyship design and styling.

Inspired from Earth’s Age of Sail, most human and elven airborne vessels are powered by atmospheric or ethereal wind, at least as regards short distances and battles.  The dwarves of Kragdûr rely instead on pressurized, steam-powered vessels.  On Calidar, the main races live in close proximity to each other.  Some of their skyships combine different technologies relying on wind, magic, and mechanical power.  When space travel is involved, each culture exploits a different technique to overcome the vast distances between their worlds.

Behind the Maps (Part 3)

I’m pleased to announce that Meryath’s poster map is ready to go to the printer.  This one’s story is as long as the Great Caldera’s (see my previous blog articles).  The two were developed concurrently, as soon as we had a viable coastal outline.  Some of Meryath’s geographical details carried over to the Great Caldera map, while some of latter’s graphic styling, especially the labels’ fonts and color scheme, found its way into Meryath’s poster map after Thorfinn and I settled final cosmetic details.

At a glance, Meryath’s poster map relates directly to Mystara’s Gazetteer maps, although hex symbols were altered to avoid copyright issues.  Our favorite Master Cartographer designed new topographical symbols (hills, mountains, forests, etc) and selected their colors.  I drew the tower, village, and various town symbols, besides generating basic map details.

Happy Birthday, Thorfinn!

May fate shower upon you, O Master Cartographer, felicity, good fortune, and endless maps of fantasy!