Jon Hodgson's artwork looks to me like Dragon Warriors was always waiting for it. I remember an evening back in the '80s. Oliver and I were working on the first DW book at his mother's place in Frensham. It was at the top of a meadow with the landscape of southern England spread out below us. A haze of rain was blowing in across the downs, trees swaying, grass rippling in the wind. Anything could have been out there in the twilight. Goblin magic was in the air. It was the kind of view we could imagine our characters having as they travelled the byways of Ellesland.
Thirty-some years later, I saw Jon's art for the new edition of Dragon Warriors, masterminded and produced by James Wallis, and I knew he'd seen into the same imaginary worlds as we had. Now Jon has a boxed set of DW art coming out in a limited edition of just fifty copies. You get eight signed prints, an art book, and some extras -- a real collector's edition and a window onto a magnificently evocative vision of fantastic places.
It's a wonderful looking thing. I was greatly happy to get my preorder in.
ReplyDeleteJonny's art is just right for DW.
Wow - that is very very tempting for £50.
ReplyDeleteI hesitate to ask but any update on what's happening over at Serpent King Games? Last meaningful update on Cursed Kings on their website was a year ago, and as for Brymstone it's starting to feel like I'll be able to walk there before it's available.
I'll have to get JH's artwork just to keep me going!
I did see a comment by Ian Sturrock at SKG about this recently. He made the point that DW unfortunately isn't a going concern; there just aren't enough DW players to make it commercially viable. James Wallis made the same discovery ten years ago. But at least we have the brilliant labours of love that Red Ruin have been releasing.
Delete"Goblin magic was in the air..." Love your evocation of those old memories Dave; I understand those moments of seeing the landscape with Dunsanian spectacles, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteDW is a state of mind before it is a roleplaying game!
I've always resisted the label of DW being a "British" RPG as it strikes me as parochial. Somebody (not Jon Hodgson) suggested that the knight on the front of the 2nd edition DW book could have a Union Jack on his shield -- ugh. After all, Brits don't have a monopoly on fantasy steeped in folklore and landscape. One of the biggest influences on DW was Poul Anderson's The Broken Sword. But I have to admit that if you wrenched me away from the British countryside and dropped me in New Mexico, say, I'd find it very hard to tap back into the soul of Ellesland.
DeleteI got my pre-order in as well. The book just looks too beautiful to be skipping.
ReplyDelete