Goodman Games

Here is my preliminary salvo for the village of Kyarovsk, some visual aids to help the players wrap their minds around the Hoth-like environment:







Are you like me? Do you play your game at 1/2 inch scale and have to make proprietary paper counters/miniatures for every adventure? OK, so you're probably not like me. But here are the "New Monsters" that I had to make counters for this time around:


Driftman


Iron Spider


Primitive Kra-dhan


Advanced Kra-dhan


Laser Turret

As you can see, all I did was import the original PDF artwork into Photoshop and then colored it up in true "Firey Dragon" counter style (except for the Laser Turret, which was modeled entirely in SketchUp).

I don't really plan to map any of the snowy canyons leading up to the Talons in SketchUp, but I will eventually model the Kra-dhan ship to render some nice side views/cross sections. Stay tuned!

I'm pretty sure I just had a joy-gasm...!

Astounding. I'm impressed with what you and Sketch-Up can do!

As always, outstanding stuff. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Wow! That map of Kyarovsk rules...

//H

RE: Ogrepuppy, Harley, Mike: We just started the Talons last weekend and my players seemed impressed with the village too. They even got to meet the Rassylov family and friends (I used Ambient Inc.'s "Everyone Else" supplement to populate the town).

Here are the visual aids I developed for the Kra-Dhan ship, which turned out to be much more extensive than originially planned thanks to an original sketch of the exterior which Mr. Ferguson so generously provided:




I rendered this view just for Mr. Ferguson so he could compare it to his original sketch. Rest assured that his original rough draft was far more organic and fluid-looking than the angular monstrosity which I have crafted. I will leave it to Mr. Ferguson to decide whether or not I managed to live up to the "spirit" of his original draft (hey, at least mine has a nose! )

And now: the standard side, front, and top views:



Doesn't this top-down transparency look a bit like a strung-up fish? Or perhaps a clown face? That's just one of the fun things about SketchUp's transparency filters: You never know what you're gonna get...


I like these views much better!

And last but not least, the visual aids which I will actually show the players (as they approach the Talons):


This is the view standing atop the "nose" looking down on the right "eye." I figured the eyes would have to have some sort of rim in order to avoid being drifted over in snow. With the proper snow cover, one could probably walk right up to the rim without having to climb the sides.

The "horns" are 100 ft tall, even bent over like that. The small, circular top hatch next to the tiny human figure is to-scale (10 ft. diameter).

Gaah....

I'm starting to repeat myself, but you just HAVE TO sign up for Goodman Games or some other company and do this professionally. Your maps and drawings easily beat most other stuff out there.

None the Wiser wrote:RE: Ogrepuppy, Harley, Mike: We just started the Talons last weekend and my players seemed impressed with the village too. They even got to meet the Rassylov family and friends (I used Ambient Inc.'s "Everyone Else" supplement to populate the town).

(snipped for much coolness)

This is absolutely OUTSTANDING stuff.

You more than lived up to the spirit of my original draft - in fact, I much prefer your version to my own! And your explanation of the "nose" works quite well!

Glad you liked the adventure enough to create such terrific stuff. And glad you decided to share your work with the rest of us!

-Mike


P.S. In case you're familiar with the TV show "Blackadder" ... I loosely based the NPC Borys Rassylov off of Prince George from Blackadder III (played by Hugh Laurie, a.k.a. "House".) I envisioned him as somewhat bright, curious, and extremely affable - but with absolutely zero common sense. Thought this might help whenever your players get around to meeting him ...

RE: Sir Clarence, Mr. Ferguson: Thank you!


Are you like me? Do your PCs always ask pesky questions like: "How far away is this town from the next one over?" and "How far are we from that last place in that previous adventure?"

Well, I finally got my "World of Aereth Gazetteer" in the mail today, and I'm happy to report that I was able to attach some names to the landmarks in the teeny-tiny reference map provided in the Talons adventure:



This map was drawn by a Sage named Phaedastirin who also happens to be the private tutor of Baron Von Rassylov's four children. Upon request, he drew this crude map to help a small band of adventurers in good standing with the True North Trading Co. to get their bearings in a foreign land.

Over a hot cup of tea in his private study, Phaedastirin explained to the wayward travelers that the Talons of the Horned King lie somewhere between the small town of Kyarovsk and the Bay of Asur. This region has never been mapped properly due to the extreme weather conditions therein (and to keep the tourist trade alive and well). A paved road leads from Free City of Ternyzeim to the Merchant Barony of Kyarovsk, but west of town the “road” is little more than a snowed-over hunting trail. Fortunately, there are usually a number of trackers or herdsman in town who are willing to guide seekers of mystery to the mouth of the canyon leading to the Talons (for a nominal fee, of course).

Phaedastirin knows that to the south lies the Mirdar Forest which was once the seat of a great Elven Kingdom. To the northeast, beyond the Frost Barrens, lies the Nyfall mountain range. The River Kolheim runs through the city of Ternyziem and connects to a lake on the other side, which ultimately connects to Valfors Bay. Also, Phaedastirin is quite certain that there used to be an ancient monastery located at the end of the westward road just before you reached the mountain range blocking the path to the Bay of Asur. But no travelers have come from that direction in many years, so much so that the West Gate of Kyarovsk is often left unmanned. The real trouble in reaching the Talons seems to be that small tribe of ape-like Kra-dhan creatures have recently taken to attacking caravans along the road to Kyarovsk…

wow I love your art style None

It really is quite good