Tabletop RPG Fantasy Art

I've always wanted to try my hand at abstract art, partly from a place of ignorance and partly from a place of existentialism.  The idea that people will actually pay good money (a lot of it) for a painting consisting of a red dot against a black cavass which has some contextual meaning attached baffles me to where I clumsily declare that I can do that and be rich.  The other idea is actual expression of some nonverbalized feeling in my body that applies color, light, and shade to a blank slate.

With digital art, that can be realized in a manner. And while I may not have an artistic bone in my body, some do. So, I am sharing a bunch of designs made by a Redbubble shop called AbstractDreamz.  It deals exclusively with digital abstract art and has been building a catalog of Tabletop Fantasy RPG mazes/maps that can be put on desk mats, phone cases, stickers, cards, and laptop skins/cases.  

While it's not something you would say, put on a shirt, the wall art idea is pretty neat.  The applications could be to host your own RPG Tabletop Game party and build your campaign around their designs. The descriptions are somewhat silly but actually create a narrative for you to imagine what monsters may lay in wait inside the various chambers, or what treasures may be waiting for the brave at the center or in some treasure room.

I can't wait to see if they start adding some other genres beside the standard D&D idea.  The tabletop industry may have been a Wizards of the Coast, TSR, Dungeons & Dragons, etc. staple from the 70s and 80s.  There was even a resurgence of the fantasy RPG games due to Stranger Things a few years back.  But to say all Tabletop RPGs are D&D is a horrible statement. There's military, science fiction, superhero, steampunk, and even real life tabletop RPGs.

Enjoy this selection of maps from AbstractDreamz.

Ruby Dungeon

Get it at Redbubble

Dwarven Ironworks

Get it at Redbubble

Dragon Maze
Get it at Redbubble

Copper Mountain

Get it at Redbubble

WUMF: March 2012 Edition

March is at an end and that means, WUMF time.


Mega Loser
The lottery fever that swept the country for the better part of two weeks is now over.  I didn't win, so I will be back at work on Monday.   Think of it.  Had no one won last night, the potential jackpot could have been close to $975 million by end of business on Tuesday.  Almost a billion dollars for a lottery.  Unreal.  Now, at work, I coordinated our early retirement efforts and bought $176 worth of tickets.  The split for Friday's jackpot would have ended up split 44 ways resulting in around $8 million each.   A far cry from $640 million, but still appreciated. 

My own efforts with my family resulted in a few Mega Number hits but no jackpot.   I even played Hurley's numbers from LOST and got this as a fortune from dinner on Friday night.

"Money will come to you when you are doing the right thing."

Craft Beer Swap 2012

It's happening again, our first beer swap at the year.  Plenty of craft beer to drown our lottery sorrows in since we lost.  My contribution was Southern Tier Eurotrash Pilz.  Other selections are Victory Whirlwind, Breckenridge Pandora's Bock, Anchor Bock, Draai Laag Simon Girty, Blue Point Spring Ale, Anderson Valley Summer Solstice Cerveza Crema, Penn Marzen, Sierra Nevada Glissade Golden Bock, Dogfish Head Aprihop, and Victory Headwaters Pale Ale.

So far, I've had my own and the Whirlwind Wit Bier.  Wasn't a big fan of the Eurotrash Pilz, but the Whirlwind Wit was not too bad.  

Non Runner Sticker Takes Off... Running

Awhile back, I released a sticker on my stores celebrating the fact that not everyone can run a marathon.  Hell, not everyone WANTS to run a marathon.  As I sat in traffic, I noticed cars with those 26.2 and 13.1 stickers on them.   It didn't take long to figure out the owner was a marathon or a half marathon runner.   Personally, I have no interest in puking and chafed nipples.   So, the lazy entrepreneur strikes again.

 

0.0 Non Runner Pack of four stickers

Don't laugh.  It's become my best selling item recently.   

Places You Won't Find With OnStar

Travelling on vacation gives you plenty of sites to behold. Famous places dot the landscape of the country and gift shops work hard to make you take pieces of them home. Whether it be a shirt or key chain, there are plenty of reminders of your last trip to the Outer Banks or the Biggest Ball of Yarn in the U.S.

On my journeys, I have seen lots of those little oval stickers for various locations. Most are modeled after Imitation International Codes for places like the Outer Banks (OBX) or Martha’s Vineyard (MV) and a lot of times it’s not a sign of where you’ve been but a choice on where you’d like to be going.

With that in mind, I decided to throw up a few places you’ll never find on the map, and a couple you may.

Get a BFE Sticker
at Mongo Angry! Mongo Smash! The Store!

Pretty self explanatory. It’s for Bum F*#k Egypt. That mythical place you always seemed to be parked at. We’ve all been there. Now we can boast about it.

Get an EJ Sticker
at Mongo Angry! Mongo Smash! The Store!

Secondary to BFE is a location called East Jabib. In accordance, two people driving separate vehicles can never be parked in the same location.
“Where are you parked?”
“BFE.”
“Oh, I’m in East Jabib.”

Get an HHA Sticker
at Mongo Angry! Mongo Smash! The Store!

Hell’s Half Acre is more of a geographical region than an actual location BFE and EJ could technically be located in HHA. In other words…
“Where have you been?”
“I’ve been all over Hell’s Half Acre looking for a parking spot.”
“Where did you end up?”
“BFE.”

Get a Cliffs of Insanity Sticker
at Mongo Angry! Mongo Smash! The Store!

The Cliffs of Insanity are pretty treacherous. I don’t think you can get there by vehicle. In fact the only two ways known are to climb a rope or be harnessed to a giant, climbing a rope. This is part of my Princess Bride inspired series.

Get a Fire Swamp Sticker
at Mongo Angry! Mongo Smash! The Store!

Once again, another Princess Bride inspired sticker based on the Fire Swamp. Another treacherous location boasting three terrors. In fact, there are warnings posted as well.

Get Fire Swamp Warnings on a shirt
at Mongo Angry! Mongo Smash! The Store!

Get a Pechin's Sticker
at Mongo Angry! Mongo Smash! The Store!

Here is your one real location in the bunch. It’s an homage to a local shopping village in Southwestern Pennsylvania which is well known across the country in certain circles. Pechin’s has been around forever and for awhile, it looked it. Missing areas of floor, fabled rats in the burgers, all the creature comforts of a economically depressed South of Pittsburgh. The shanty town style village recently relocated into an empty mall nearby before the village burned to the ground. Hmmm.

That’s all for now from Rand McMongo.