Grell Head Studios

[cthuluftaghn]

News 9/26

Malessa finished coloring TWO new pictures today. She took the PC sketches for Davok and Tas, and did (in my opinion) professional quality work coloring them. They are on display in her gallery.

We did finish going through all of the cleric spells today. After all is said and done, we replaced 18 of the SRD cleric spells with unique spells of our own. We also sorted through all of the SRD spells for druids, paladins, rangers, wizards and sorcerers. We've nixed another 38 spells from those lists, and we will be replacing them with more new and unique spells, tailored specifically for the Sprawling Shadows environment.

Once those are done, we still have the 49 all new spelldances to create for the new city shaman character class. Add it all up, and that's at least 105 spells! I say "at least", because we're not entirely sure how we'll be handling the bard spellsongs yet, and we just might be inspired to replace even more SRD spells with our own concoctions. Only time will tell!

After I got tired of spell creation for the evening, I fleshed out the rest of the Characters chapter. By "flesh out", I mean I stuck a lot of gibberish into chapter, just to see what the completed layout might look like. Well, it looks good!

One thing I would like to do is try to swing a deal with someplace like Kinko's or Office Depot to include a coupon for printing in the final .zip file. If anyone has any insight on how to go about doing so, please contact us.

 

[cthuluftaghn]

News 9/29

Been busy!

The October edition of the Sprawling Shadows Newsletter is sitting in my drafts folder, ready to be sent out on the first. I just need Malessa to re-read it and look for typos. So, you can look forward to that!

While Malessa's been at work this weekend, I've been busy doing two things. First, watching movies with my children. Big Fat Liar is a pretty cool family flick, and Clockstoppers isn't as bad as I thought it might be. Probably not the kind of flicks I'd go out and see on my own, but they were great family entertainment.

Second, I've been working on the grimmok. This evil daemon-spawned race is now about 1/2 complete. I'll do more tonight, and maybe even see it through to completion. I'm anxious to get it done, so I can finalize the layout of the Characters chapter.

That's about it for today. I'm a dad, on my own this weekend, trying to survive with two rugrats. No casualties so far, but I've gotten plenty of inspiration for monsters!

 

[cthuluftaghn]

News 9/30

Okay... the big, obvious news is that this site has had a bit of a facelift. Sometimes I forget that the whole world isn't on broadband and, in retrospect, using an 8 1/2 x 11 background graphic probably wasn't the best of plans. Sure looked cool, though!

So, I ditched the big, slow-loader and went with the frames, and a simpler background. Of course, there is the no-frame option for you no-frame folks.

I did quite a bit of work on the grimmok last night. Instead of getting closer to done, however, I ended up creating a larger project for myself. I think I'm going to greatly expand what the grimmok actually is. My original ideas for what the race would be, have more or less turned into a template that I will use to create a creature that is much more diverse than I had originally intended.

The first Sprawling Shadows newsletter goes out tomorrow! Last chance to sign up for the mailing list. Don't miss out! It's free, and it only goes out once a month, so your mailbox will not be inundated with unwanted e-mails.

Gotta go... lunch hour is almost over. Until tomorrow, cheers!

 

[cthuluftaghn]

News 10/1

It is October 1st, and the first edition of the Sprawling Shadows Newsletter was sent out at midnight. I have received several compliments (thank you), and a few suggestions. First off, in the "To:" field on my e-mail client, it only showed the mailing list header, not all the individual e-mail addresses. I didn't realize that, after it was sent, each of you would be able to see all of the e-mail addresses that received the newsletter. In future editions, I will use the Blind Carbon Copy feature. Sorry if that caused any inconvenience! Second, the full version of Sprawling Shadows will contain the colorful borders and background you see in the preview. I will, however, be including a "printer-friendly" edition in the .zip file.

Creative breakthrough on the source book in the past 24 hours! I found an excellent resource that has given Malessa and I a lot of material to work with... both for the grimmok character race, and for our pantheon. Most of the progress since yesterday has been research, but that's just as valuable as written material!

I'm home sick from work today... injured, actually. Hyper 2 year old son + weak back = pain and suffering! Can't sit at the 'puter long, but I've got my legal pad out, and I'm working hard! --cheers!

 

[cthuluftaghn]

News 10/6

Despite the fact that I haven't updated the news in a couple of days, there has still been plenty going on. Plenty of writing, that is. The new character race, the grimmok, is finished. Depending on which combination of subraces are chosen by the player, a grimmok character can be from any one of twenty possible new races! I don't want to over-inflate my claim... there are actually five basic grimmok race choices. However, there are two separate levels of subrace that allow for more diversity. In essence, this creates up to twenty possibilities.

After finishing the grimmok, I went on to write up the Sprawling Shadows intros to the other pre-existing d20 races. These are just brief summaries of the cultural differences that come as a result of the vastly different living conditions experienced by the Cityfolk of Sprawling Shadows.

Several more SRD spells have been selected for replacement, and I have a basic plan in mind for the bardic spellsongs (Sprawling Shadows will be using the alternate bard, sorcerer and ranger classes, created by Monte Cook).

Malessa's new Pic of the Week is up. This is actually one of her earlier pencil sketches, but it is still one of my favorites.

I'll probably put in a bit more work on the book tonight before bed time. I already took a lengthy break today to watch the race at Talladega. Strange... wipeout on the pace lap, then they run 500 miles at 180+ mph without a single caution. There was also a whirlwind of changes in the Winston Cup point standings. Despite the lack of "action", it was a very eventful race day in Alabama!

I think next year, I'll be setting up a fantasy racing league on this site. If you're interested in that, let me know.

 

[cthuluftaghn]

News 10/11

**Note: I noticed that, when I was posting news every day, only 3-4 people were reading it. But, when I waited several days between posts, I had more than 50 readers. From now on, therefore, I'll try to post just twice weekly with Grell Head Studios updates.**



Hello! It's been a crazy, stressful week, and there hasn't been a lot of progress other than generating lots of sticky notes with random and varied thoughts. Having that stuff in writing, however, helps speed the writing process. Creation is the hard part, and that's largely done. Writing is easy.

I've greatly fleshed out the table of contents with the stuff I've already written, and all the new ideas I've got for chapter sections that I want to write.

The big accomplishment for the week is on the globe. I poured through my Humanities book from college, and selected out the cultures I want to detail in the Sprawling Shadows. I was trying to keep it at 10, but there were some that I just couldn't pass up. So, for now, it looks like 14 cultures, plus "unallocated sprawl".

Malessa has been busy practicing her drawing all week. Her current goal is to perfect her skills on dragons. She has nature books spread all over the kitchen and livingroom, so she can get the muscle tone, shape and structure of all the body parts from every conceivable angle. Crocodiles, alligators, bats, lions, eagles.... they've taken over our house!

In closing, we watched the Brotherhood of the Wolf this week. Overall, it was pretty good. There were parts that I thought dragged out. But, the cinematography and fight choreography were great. And there is a weapon in there that is just BEGGING for d20 stats! Some kind of sword with a blade made up of interlocking bone segments, held together by a chain. It can be used as a sword or, when the chain is released, the segments all separate like a long, bladed chain whip.

 

[cthuluftaghn]

News 10/15

Oops! Sunday came and went, and I forgot the update. Sorry!

There's not a lot of exciting news to report on the Sprawling Shadows front, right now. Writing, writing, writing. Lots of notes, not a lot of actual book content. Mostly stuff I did on break and between calls at work. The class I was taking on Saturdays is finished, so that'll free up 5 hours on my weekend to get some more work done. I'm pleased with that.

I updated Malessa's Pic of the Week... a day late, sorry! She did this one for an informal contest on the EN World artist forum.

Today, I received a new product to review. I'll work on that this week. You should see it up on my Reviews page in the next couple of days.

Other than that, it's back to writing and drawing, drawing and writing. I'll try to come up with something more exciting for the next update! Maybe a movie review, or some new free OGC or something.

Until then, cheers!

 

[cthuluftaghn]

News 10/16

First of all, huge update to Malessa's gallery. She's been busy practicing, and I added 13 new pictures to Campaign Art by Malessa. New additions are labeled in blue, so they stand out.

I received a review copy of Spell Effect Patterns, by Stone Anvil Creations (SAC). I have looked it over carefully and my opinions are posted on my Reviews page. If you are a d20 publisher and wish to have me review one of your products, e-mail me. All participating publishers receive a full banner ad on my Links page.

Bummer of bummers, Malessa has been laid off from her weekend job. That'll hurt the budget, but free up some time for work on Sprawling Shadows, and for getting some play testing done.

I said I'd have something more interesting to say on this update than "I wrote more stuff"... Well, so far you have new art, a product review, and a life-altering newsbreak. To top it off, here's a movie review for... Scooby Doo!

I've been a life-long fan of the Scoobster, and I was really looking forward to this movie. I finally went out and got it on DVD. My initial feeling was one of grave disappointment. It was kinda stupid. Then, I remembered what I was watching, and I took another angle... I was watching Scooby Doo, not Lord of the Rings. I think I was expecting a new and improved, more intelligent, adult version of Scooby Doo. What I saw, however, was a ninety minute episode of the same show I've always loved, just with live actors. I hate the way they portrayed Fred... a total pretty-boy snob. More so than he ever was on the show. Shaggy was done brilliantly by Matthew Lillard, however, and Linda Cardellini breathed new life into Velma. During my second viewing (which I watched with the kids), I found myself laughing out loud and really enjoying myself.

 

[cthuluftaghn]

News 10/20

First off, there's been a news update to Cthulu Ftaghn's Campaigns web site. With Malessa getting laid off, we're ready to plan our next couple game sessions. Further updates will follow soon, with more details for my players.

I worked out some plot details for the Sprawling Shadows novella with author Lanny Rose this past week. It's going to be good! I can't wait to get started on the editing, and see what the artwork is going to look like.

Malessa has been working on various art projects. Today is Sunday, and there is a new Pic of the Week. This picture is from the Campaign Art by Malessa gallery, but it's one that I did on Paint Shop Pro. She's also got a couple of new pictures added to her gallery. Don't forget, new additions are labeled in blue. Her current project is for the Iron Maiden Christmas Card Competition.

I have received two new products for review, The Book of Templates, and Races of Evernor I, both from Silverthorne Games. I have placed a banner ad for Silverthorne on my Links page, and I hope to have the product Reviews done before the next web page update. I was impressed by my initial perusal. A lot of work and creativity was put into these books.

Lastly, against all that I hold to be dear, I have been playing the Pokemon card game all week. My son was taught how to play the wrong way, and as a result has lost most of his cards. I figured, the only way for him to learn properly was for me to teach it to him. So, I visited Wizards' Pokemon site, and became an overnight Pokemon Master. I'm currently up on him 13 games to 1. After he beats me 10 times, I'll take him to a local comic shop for DCI tourney play.

 

[cthuluftaghn]

News 10/27

Reviews and reviews and reviews. I received FOUR products for review this past week. All that, on top of writing for my campaign, and a 5 minute speech for humanities class on Tuesday... it was a bit much. So, I got two of them done so far, and you will find them on my Reviews page. I will have the other two finished and posted mid-week, after my speech is over and done with. I do, however, have the new banner ads up on my Links page for Ambient, Inc. and Silverthorne Games.

Malessa is patiently awaiting the results of the Iron Maiden Christmas card contest. They had 70 entries, and the results are supposed to be out sometime this week. Either way, her entry will be on Iron Maiden's web site, sometime before Christmas. She also has a new Pic of the Week. This one is a sorceress that she did, just as a private project.

In other news, I've been working here and there on the November 1st edition of the Sprawling Shadows newsletter. If you have not yet signed up for the mailing list, be sure to do so before the 1st. This month's newsletter will include a new Sprawling Shadows wallpaper, exclusive to mailing list members.

Until then.... cheers!