As for artwork, the fact was I had been working on a pet project for a graphic novel (original story and characters) since 2006, an idea that had originally come to me while I was still in college, and not yet as knowledgeable of the tried-and-true illustrative skills I was learning. The problem with this project was my heart was not in it. I needed inspiration and I needed it bad. I also needed an assignment I could fully get behind. Something that was real, that was me, and that I felt I could actually prosper from creating.
One day, my dad and I decided we really needed to ‘get off the rock,’ so we journeyed from the Florida Keys to Ft. Lauderdale for a change of scenery and a nice leisurely shopping experience. I was heavy into comic books, collectibles, video games, and occasionally making artwork with the degree I had earned in college. Now don’t get me wrong. The Florida Keys are an amazing place to visit and to live in, but there’s just not much there in the way of businesses.
During our travels that day, we found our way into a comic book shop called Past, Present and Future Comics (this is the one on University drive in Davie Florida). There, I was once-again bitten by the miniature figurines bug, when I saw a stimulating selection of Reaper BONES miniatures. Elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins, werefolk, skeletons and all manner of beasties glared defiantly back at me, as if to say, “go ahead. I dare you to paint me.” So I snatched up a modest pile of them, paid for them, bought some Delta and Folklore paints, went home and set to work painting miniatures. In the act of revisiting such a long favored childhood past time, I recalled being a lot better at this task. I also recalled seeing the details a lot better.
I had first discovered roleplaying in 1983, when everything was fresh and new. In other words, it was a long time before any epic fantasy movie trilogies based on an acclaimed book series were a commonplace occurrence that nearly everyone took for granted. I was 9 years old, then. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi was coming in May, but on spring break of ‘83 in Missouri, everything on my mind had to do with the animated Dungeons and Dragons series and the LJN line of D & D action figures.
It was thanks to the unintentional efforts of a neighbor about 4 years older than me, that I discovered a newfound love for the fantasy genre through Dungeons and Dragons. Almost immediately, I stopped going to the toy store for 3 & ¾” action figures, and began going to Epic Gallery (RIP) in Hazelwood Missouri to spend my allowance on pewter fantasy miniatures and Testors enamel paints.
For me, it was never about playing the games themselves. That was always a little too much for my right brain to process (though I would go on to play my fair share of D & D in my teens). Instead, the detail of my tiny metal figurines and the imagery that adorned every cover that bore the letters TSR was what really grabbed me. Once I bought Monster Manual, I would sit for hours, just looking at all the ink drawings, admiring the work, occasionally reading about each creature. Hmm. Black ink on white paper. There must’ve been some influence there.
Now I had several goblin archers and a smattering of orc soldiers in front of me, some with green paint on their heads and arms, others with painted boots and armor. (I know. You’re supposed to prime them first.) As I stared at the figurines, positioning them into poses of battle, an idea came to me. I remembered that childhood dream to create my own roleplaying game, complete with custom characters, custom maps, custom rules, custom everything. Maybe now was the time, I thought. Yup. Now was most definitely the time.
I knew I wanted to do something that was similar to what I had grown up with, and I knew I wanted it to have a less serious tone. It needed to be that patented blend of fifty percent bat-sh** crazy, and fifty percent dead serious, with (hopefully) unexpected character races, (hopefully) unique character classes, and a dramatic change in the utilization of stats.
Now I had several goblin archers and a smattering of orc soldiers in front of me, some with green paint on their heads and arms, others with painted boots and armor. (I know. You’re supposed to prime them first.) As I stared at the figurines, positioning them into poses of battle, an idea came to me. I remembered that childhood dream to create my own roleplaying game, complete with custom characters, custom maps, custom rules, custom everything. Maybe now was the time, I thought. Yup. Now was most definitely the time.
I knew I wanted to do something that was similar to what I had grown up with, and I knew I wanted it to have a less serious tone. It needed to be that patented blend of fifty percent bat-sh** crazy, and fifty percent dead serious, with (hopefully) unexpected character races, (hopefully) unique character classes, and a dramatic change in the utilization of stats.
It definitely needed stats, just a different and perhaps more simplified way of going about it. The idea that the rules had to be difficult to learn, and that was the challenge didn’t interest me at all. Instead, I decided to create something that my audience will hopefully find fun and entertaining.
Little by little the ideas came rushing to me, and when they did, I jotted them down. Over a course of ‘ouch’ number of years, the project gradually took shape. The experience of writing, drawing and otherwise constructing this rpg has been a blast. With luck, I should be finished at the end of this year!
Little by little the ideas came rushing to me, and when they did, I jotted them down. Over a course of ‘ouch’ number of years, the project gradually took shape. The experience of writing, drawing and otherwise constructing this rpg has been a blast. With luck, I should be finished at the end of this year!
Below is a copy of my rpg's first character sheet, hilarious though it is. Cheers.
SLiM
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