In a zealous action to undermine my pillars of sanity, I went to see the new STAR TREK movie. Perhaps I was convinced that all the hallmarks of the series would be there, just removed from the trailer to attract fans of action and lens flares. Instead, I witnessed a black-hole sized bowling ball of a story lay waste to the most epic science fiction chronology I've ever known. Yet, my immediate desire to post negative thoughts was deleted. Nerd rhetoric is worth less than a bent copper piece, and if the 4E D&D debate taught me anything, it is that I shouldn't tilt at windmills. Besides, I've taken "artistic liberty" with a few holy subjects myself. Nothing so extreme as a full genre reboot, just a few drawings that certainly displeased a rather insular group of fans.

I readily admit to enjoying the many television shows that mutilate gelatinous torsos in the pursuit of the scientific explanations behind why a weapon, robot, or knuckle sandwich is extremely lethal. You never know when such knowledge will help you destroy a cardboard box or fiendish garden vegetables. A current show on the SPIKE channel, Deadliest Warrior, seems to call out directly to gamers, with gruesome exercises using equipment we know from RPGs. Even though the critics lambaste it for dubious science and B-movie stunts, it will make you cringe less than watching a swarm of LARPers trade blows with foam clubs at a game convention. Aside from the slow-motion spectacles, I have learned a few things about historical weapons, which changed my view on certain aspects of RPG combat.

Basically, these shows plainly reveal the advantages of ingenious weapons. Below, I list some of the ones seen in this latest show:

Some years back, a friend wanted to start a "travelogue" website about a fictional young lady and her robotic servant. The year would be 1902, and the heroine a friend of a steampunk scientist. Sadly, I only drew a few pictures before the project was shelved. Below, you can see the development of OTTO, the automatic manservant. Originally not much more than a battery-powered toy, OTTO was given an electric brain that could follow punch-card routines and a steam circulatory system. The latter was used for the civilized need for laundered clothes, and the rare scalding of unseemly brigands. His current master, Cornelia, isn't the type to wander around without bulky luggage and the comforts of home.

The data-reel recorder depicted in the banner can capture sound or input from coded keys. It can also be connected to wires to be used as an impromptu telegraph station. Cornelia has to carry this device, since OTTO's voltaic dynamo would warp the sensitive data-reels (the reason he must utilize punch-card programming). If this project had been an RPG, a considerable amount of text would've been needed to cover robot design!

In this comic, some explanation is given as to why Elves are so adept at magic, swordplay, and staying hidden! Narrated by my resident Elf character, Lauril of the Pixy Poplars.

As a designer, I have a tendency to look at a nice piece of fantasy illustration and then want it for my computer screen. Sometimes I waste afternoons making such images; filtering the scans and placing extra elements if the picture isn't the correct dimension. Here are a couple recent ones, featuring art by Esteban Maroto, Frank Frazetta, Michael Whelan, and Jim Fitzpatrick. If anyone would like a full-size copy, contact me in the comments form (accessed by clicking on article title).