iPad Map Doodle

I sneaked a quick 10 minute go on Marg's iPad today, to try sketching a dungeon map with it.

The maps in Oubliette are usually one of the last things I do, and they are often rushed creations in GIMP or Paint Shop Pro. Given time, I know I could do a much better job on them, but it never happens. When I write and play-test the adventures, I normally use quick hand-drawn pencil maps on squared paper. Today I surprised myself, by producing a digital map in the same time it normally takes me to draw one with a pencil. I used Sketchbook Pro to draw it, which is well worth its £2.99 price tag if you want a drawing app.

I'll have a go at some more maps over the next week or so and refine the style, but I think there's a good chance that most of the maps for the next issue will be drawn on the iPad and look all the better for it.

Undead on the iPad

Marg got her new iPad earlier today. Having not owned an earlier model iPad, the whole family have spent most of the afternoon trying to get a go on it. Once she had a proper chance to try it out as a drawing tool, she mangaed to produce this charming portrait of a generic undead type fellow in just under half an hour - not bad for a first try.

She's using a drawing app called Sketch Book Pro and a Wacom Bamboo Stylus.

Are Gaming Companies Nice Places to Work?

I've read with interest the RPG industry related blog posts this week at Howling Tower and Hill Cantons.

They got me thinking, are Gaming companies nice places to work?

My only experiences in the games industry are limited to a couple of stints of work experience at Games Workshop's Design Studio in the late 1980s.  That was a time of immense change in the organisation, and employee morale was pretty low (one of my friends also ran one of their stores around that time and often recalls how dreadfully the retail staff were treated too).  I'll have to write up my experiences there sometime as I got to work in a lot of different departments there.

Incidentally, if anyone is looking for a job as a photographer, Games Workshop are recruiting:

White Dwarf Photographer Vacancy

The following text from the ad makes me think it's still not the nicest place to work:

"If the way you behave and the attitudes you display fit with Games Workshop's ideals, it is highly likely you will be successful, well rewarded and happy. However, it is only fair to say that people who don't fit with our culture, or who play at fitting, will be unhappy and consequently unsuccessful."

Right that's enough on Games Workshop for a while - I don't want to sound bitter.

BBC Online Warhammer News Feature

This article (found on the BBC website this morning) caught my eye. It concerns Games Workshop and Warhammer 40K. The comments make interesting reading. There's no denying that the Warhammer fans enjoy their games, but I can't help thinking that if they sat down with an experienced GM for a couple of hours they'd get bags more enjoyment playing an RPG.

Want to Reach Over 1,500 OSR Customers?

Over 1,500 copies of Oubliette Issue 7 have been downloaded, making Oubliette probably the widest read publication in the OSR.

Issue 8 of Oubliette is scheduled for release in May, and will once again be available as a free download for a limited period.  In addition the printed version of Issue 8 and a printed compilation of Issues 5-8 will be available as print-on-demand titles from Lulu.com.

If you would like to book an advertisement, here are the rates, deadlines and specifications:

RATES: Full Page $60.00,  Half Page $35.00,  Quarter Page $20.00,  Full Page Inside front cover (page 2 of the PDF) $70.00,  Full Page back cover (penultimate page in the PDF before the OGL) $70.00

DATES: Issue 8 Spring 2012, Book by 30th March, Copy by 15th April.

SPECS: 300dpi JPEG, TIFF,  in Black and White or Greyscale (all colour ads will be converted to greyscale for the printed editions).

SIZES: Full Page: 178mm wide x 265mm high, Half Page: 178mm wide x 130mm high. Quarter Page: 86mm wide x 130mm high.

PAYMENT: At time of booking by paypal


If you are interested in booking an advertisement please get in touch with me by email: oubliettemagazine@yahoo.co.uk

G'Ettin there, my son!

Pencillings for the cover of Oubliette 8 are now finished. Pete's gone for the Ettin .

When I do the covers for Oubliette, I constrain my drawing with one question: How will it look as a thumbnail when it comes to sale?

About twenty years ago, I used to cartoon for a multi-cultural magazine called Dost (means friend in Hindi). One of things that they liked about my cartoons was that they could blow them up or shrink them down, and they wouldn't lose detail. I honestly don't know how that works, it's one of the weirdo features of my style.

Anyway, it may be of interest to note that the figures on the covers have deliberate geometric symmetry, for example, Issues no5 and no2 are based on a cross shape, Issues no7 and no3 are based on right-angled triangles. These shapes appear to translate well when shrunk down in size.

Right, enough bumf. Back to work. Mouse Watch time. Ye olde D&D-ers may particularly enjoy what I have planned...

Oubliette Issue 7 Giveaway Results

The Oubliette Issue 7 giveaway is now over.  I'm delighted to report that we managed over 1,500 downloads.  A big thank you to eveyone who has taken the time to read Oubliette and helped us grow the magazine's circulation.