Adventure site locations

Work continues...

Murder Princess Art!

We're still working hard on the game, but hey, while' you're waiting here's some cool Murder Princess art!

 

 

Premature Print Test

Still with a way to go before completion, I thought I'd treat myself to test print of the progress to date.

Physical Prototype

• Used Lulu: A5 (5.83 x 8.27 in / 148 x 210 mm), Premium Color, 80# White, Linen Wrap, Matte Cover.
• Colors are vivid! Construction is good (though smyth sewn not an option)
• Content is about complete (70%)
• There are typos (no quality control yet!)

Learnings

• Feels very different looking the physical book to onscreen or individual print outs, has given me clarity on certain typographic decisions.
• Some background greys are too light (they disappear somewhat and ruin the page structure).
• Not sure about the super white paper, colors look great but makes ink very reflective. 
• I didn't allow enough room for trimming, the book is very fat and more was lost than expected
• Small light grey text doesn't print well. I knew this, but still I try!
• Some tints lose too much saturation (will add some color tests to next proto)

Wireframing page layouts

When considering a page layout I have been applying some UX (Users Experience) rigor to help reduce potential usability issues.

I ask myself a few questions to work out user stories (usage scenarios) which inform the page layout:

Who is looking at the page and why?
E.g. The GM... because the group have just stumbled on a Skelemaster! They need to know how to run that encounter?

What information is the user (GM) looking for?
1. What is a Skelemaster in a nut-shell?
2. How does the Skelemaster react to the group?
3. How do you 'roleplay' them?
4. How do you they interact with the combat/negotiation/game mechanics?
5. How does this or that ability work?
6. What do they find on the body?

What is the best way to communicate this information quickly?
What is the best way to arrange the content to address the above needs?
What do they need to know first?
What is the best visualisation of the data?

Once I'm confident about with how players will interact with the page I've been using wireframes!
A quick way to iterate layout ideas and validate if the information structure is practical/efficient.

The end result will produce a template, which can occasional result in some structural editing (chopping and changing) for a smoother experience at the table.

River Village Tikuto

Concept art for Rey's playset/module.

Magia the Arcane

Noodling on for setting expansion/splatbook when we shouldn't be...

Magia

• Part of Kingdom of Shard, a loose confederacy of city-states technically loyal to impotent monarch. Each of these cities has been built around an enormous Star Shard, a fragment of the Sun Machine that provides light and warmth. 

• Magia’s Star Shard is particularly potent, saturating the city with copious amounts of Mana. Spells and other magics are particularly effective here, though it's rumored to have some odd effects on those that live there.

• The innermost parts of the city are cut off from the rest by a powerful magical barrier. Only those with the Magia Sigil can move freely through it. Wealthy residents have it branded on their body via ritual, but temporary amulets can be purchased for those who have brief business there.
• Magia’s biggest draws are its college of magic and the innermost city itself, which functions as something of a haven for powerful spellcasters both noble and nefarious.
• Pros: Sanctuary for casters in need, a vast and well staffed college, numerous repositories of information and ample opportunity for the magic and mundane alike.

• Cons: Squabbling magicians and the various issues their struggles cause. Other issues include Arcane Pollution, Dwelling Dweomers, rather crowded with school of magic drop-outs.


Potential adventures:

• Patrons from Magia contact the party (wherever they might be) and ask them to retrieve something and bring it back to them for a reward

• Entanglement in the feuds and romances of prominent mages

• Acting as substitute teachers or chaperones for the college of magic

• Attempting to help mitigate the damage caused by a wayward arcane experiment


Tools:

• Wizard generators (includes both distinguished and disaster wizards)

• Sanctum generator (including magical security systems)

• New Abilities for Sages and Heretics. 
• Immortal Calling
• Ritual Rules

• Magical weather / pollution (e.g mana storm) / environmental anomalies
• New Magical diseases


1) Splotch Thummy
Splotch is a jealous and paranoid caster, whose more or less convinced nearly everyone is out to steal away his accumulated treasures. The thing is he’s not entirely wrong: someone is definitely gunning for his stuff.

• Signature spell: Tricky Trapper.
• Wants: To protect the various treasures hidden away in his sanctum.
• Fears: That a trusted individual will betray him and catch him unawares.

2) Platti Spellshaper
A fearsome wizard who wishes nothing more than to assert her dominance, Platti seeks to unseat Magia’s current Overmistress and take the title for herself. Part of that plan requires the support of other powerful mages - and the disposal of ones who refuse her.

• Signature spell: Overpowering Incantation.
• Wants: Absolute authority over Magia.
• Fears: Being bested by another before she can achieve her dream.

3) Grunk
Hailing from the Murk, Grunk is an eccentric and unpleasant mage whose manners and hygiene leave something to be desired. Conversely, he his good natured and kind, genuinely willing to extend his hand to those in need.

• Signature spell: Gristle Berry.
• Wants: To continue to study and teach Bloom Magic.
• Fears: His teachings being used for wicked purposes.

4) Pebblebeard Muddleore
A mage who sold his body to an Unshaped for a tome of ancient knowledge. Such a deal was only possible thanks to the Cranial Preservation device he himself had devised. Unfortunately, reading a book in his current state has proven to be rather difficult.

• Signature spell: Telekinetics.
• Wants: An apprentice to assist him in reading his ancient tome.
• Fears: That said apprentice will simply run off with said ancient tome.

5) Nazen Windrunner
This handsome wizard claims to be a refugee from ancient Akenia, having somehow preserved themselves magically during its destruction and re-emerged in this modern era. While this might be an elaborate lie, their powerful magic and knowledge of long forgotten techniques suggest they might be telling the truth.

• Signature spell: Breeze Walk.
• Wants: To restore the traditions of the Akenian Magic Knights.
• Fears: Being publicly accused of being a fraud.

6) Grammy Hexen
A fearsome woman with a sing-songy voice, Grammy Hexen was once a story that parents would use to frighten their kids into behaving. But apparently enough believed in her that she became truly real. Now she terrorises the adults of Magia as much as the children!

• Signature spell: Transmortify.
• Wants: To delight herself in sadistic mischief.
• Fears: That one day no one will fear her.

7) Grimp Stachen
You wouldn’t think being permanently petrified would the best thing to happen to you, but that’s how it worked out for Grimp. After being turned to stone he had all the time in the world to contemplate his many ideas and philosophies. He communicates with his assistants via his Grand Grimoire.

• Signature spell: Grandest Grimoire.
• Wants: Time to decipher all the mysteries of the universe.
• Fears: Coming across a conundrum he cannot fathom or solve.

8) Obaba
This wise old sage traveled from a far off isle in the Twilight Meridian to conduct some grand experiment in Magia. She toils endlessly to grow and preserve a massive magical flower for purposes known only to her. No one questions it though, as she is helpful and kindly as long as one does not cross her.

• Signature spell: Benevolent Blossom.
• Wants: To see her plans bear fruit and make the world more prosperous.
• Fears: That her life and actions will amount to naught.

9) Tula Grandis
A cosmopolitan caster of the highest order, Tula is well known for her grand galas and vibrant parties, the finest in all Magia. While many are quick to pin her as superlous, there are rumours these celebrations are for gathering mana for some forbidden ritual.

• Signature spell: Shared Ectasy.
• Wants: Restoring a mighty Divine Ruler to prominence.
• Fears: Hosting a dull party.

10) “Master”
This self-declared grandmaster is certainly powerful, but has a very dubious list of accomplishments. The most infamous being conscripting a group of Otherworlders to try and kill his estranged son. Even now, he plans on dragging more adventurers into some cockamaime scheme...

• Signature spell: Master’s Fiat.
• Wants: Honestly, no one has figured that out yet.
• Fears: The wrath of his son.

11) Eidolon
Once an assistant to an ancient mage, Eidolon became a grand practitioner in their own right. Now they seek to find a way to create more of their kind, knowing that otherwise the bio-mechanoids will dwindle away into nothing.

• Signature spell: Machina Commune.
• Wants: To secure a future for all synthetic life.
• Fears: That those like them will vanish from the face of the Outer World forever.

12) Goya
This immortal was recently returned to existence via ritual. He had been aged and wise, but a hiccup returned him to this world as a child, and he’s been having a great time of it. While he still retains much of his power, he’d much rather use it for mischief than anything else.

• Signature spell: Perfect Mimicry.
• Wants: To spend the rest of his existence having uninterrupted fun.
• Fears: Maturing back into his original form.

McByrde-Thomas Projection

Giving sense of spherical nature using loose approximation of geographic projection.
Prolly stick with iscoheadron net

Icosahedro-map

The net for the 20 sided world is much more 2D friendly than the 12 sided one.

Regions could fit into a triangular face, then isolated and explained in subsequent chapters.
You would go on trian-crawls!

Dodeca-map!

Rethinking map presentation (again).

Please ignore labels and geography (just there for conceptual purposes)

How about presenting the world map as a dodecahedron net?

Outer World Map iteration and annotation

Exploring ways to annotate the original world map with the more detailed region locations.

Version 1: Contextual
Like the full page-ness here, would be impactful on page flip.

Version 2: Look up tableThink this gives clearer segmentation of the 3 core surface regions
Have put the regions corresponding areas/landmasses directly underneath the map, so you can look straight down to find the names of the notable areas.

More Header fun!

Combat and Shopping (neither finished, but I'm done for now)

Header Art

Two pics...

Overland Travel and Downtime rules headers

Calling Mini Comics (cont.)

Two more illustration/mini-comics, this time less fighty types. Factotum (Everyman with unique skills)

Sneak (Sneaky!)

Calling mini comics

Callings (classes) deserve mini-comics (like the monsters/adversaries do, see here and here)

The Raider (fast and precise)

The Champion (direct and forceful)

Sprocket mood sketches

Exploring mood. Leaning into post-apocalyptic setting.