Here’s a great collection of high-resolution John Atkinson Grimshaw art.

Here’s a great collection of high-resolution John Atkinson Grimshaw art.

Here’s a great collection of high-resolution John Atkinson Grimshaw art. “His pictures innovated in applying the tradition of rural moonlight images to the Victorian city, recording “the rain and mist, the puddles and smoky fog of late Victorian industrial England with great poetry.””

Great reference for a foggy, sunless industrial city, especially if you want to consider what more picturesque moments in Doskvol might look like.

http://www.graphicine.com/john-atkinson-grimshaw-silence/

http://www.graphicine.com/john-atkinson-grimshaw-silence/

Inspired by Stefan Struck’s cool NPC cards, I’ve been working on some of my own.

Inspired by Stefan Struck’s cool NPC cards, I’ve been working on some of my own.

Inspired by Stefan Struck’s cool NPC cards, I’ve been working on some of my own. Here’s my take on the three main starting situation NPCs.

I’ve finished the floorplan for my take on the Red Sash Sword Academy, which by the book is ‘a large mansion…

I’ve finished the floorplan for my take on the Red Sash Sword Academy, which by the book is ‘a large mansion…

I’ve finished the floorplan for my take on the Red Sash Sword Academy, which by the book is ‘a large mansion converted into a training school for the Falling Star style of Iruvian sword play.’

I know maps and floorplans can be a controversial topic amongst BITD fans, but hopefully this is of interest to some of you!

I tried to strike a balance providing a structure to spark imagination but leaving plenty of blank spaces (hence no furnishings). I imagine a lot of red Iruvian drapery and banners, particularly hanging down from the railing around the hole in the floor of the Masters’ Arena and the gallery below right down to the floor of the great hall. It’s easy to imagine a duel between masters involving a lot of verticality and shifts up and down floors (it is called the Falling Star style!).

The image is huge in its original dimensions, so do zoom in and have a look around..! I love dynamic lighting in Roll20 for atmosphere, so that’s how I intend to use this.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4384/37332990706_df84e2dba7_o.jpg

Ghost Lines!

Ghost Lines!

Ghost Lines! I’ve created a new Ghost Lines character sheet for Roll20, you check it out here (it’s available now for any campaign): https://app.roll20.net/join/2527536/7ahVNQ

I’ve also created a bunch of art assets which you can download here:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzqOPm-sPhjOcjY5NUFrMmhsc28

These include:

– Updated Ghost Lines maps that use the proper Blades in the Dark city names. There are two different years given, because for my own game I’m running a few sessions just before the outbreak of the Unity War, to set up some world building for our future Blades in the Dark campaign.

– A Roll20 map background and train-carriage graphics so you can assemble different trains for different lines. Freight only, passenger only, or some mix. Just for fun.

– A bunch of Roll20 tokens (by me) in a Darkest Dungeon / Mike Mignola style – you’ll find 12 different encounter-suit gas-mask options, Lord Aldric, Ragnar Ironborn (full disclosure, this one’s just a paint-over of a Duncan Fegredo barbarian illustration) and a young Baszo Baz (for the aforementioned Unity War time period), and a Ministry of Preservation train guard.

Enjoy, let me know if you give any of this a go and how it works for you!

Here’s a sneaky peak at a four-level map I’m making of the Red Sash Sword Academy.

Here’s a sneaky peak at a four-level map I’m making of the Red Sash Sword Academy.

Here’s a sneaky peak at a four-level map I’m making of the Red Sash Sword Academy. I have a fondness for highly rendered maps to set mood and tone, so I tried to balance that against leaving blank spaces for improvisation. Kind of a battlemap crossed with a Cluedo (Clue) board.

Working on some faction artwork/calling-cards to help jazz up the ol’ territory map.

Working on some faction artwork/calling-cards to help jazz up the ol’ territory map.

Working on some faction artwork/calling-cards to help jazz up the ol’ territory map. This needs simplifying but here’s a first pass for the Lampblacks. I like the idea that their gang-mark is made by blowing charcoal dust around your hand – nothing fancy, but it’s simple and strong and everyone knows what it means. Just like the Lampblacks.

I’ve always had a fondness for the 40k setting (especially the weirder, brit-scifi, classic flavour), and Blades…

I’ve always had a fondness for the 40k setting (especially the weirder, brit-scifi, classic flavour), and Blades…

I’ve always had a fondness for the 40k setting (especially the weirder, brit-scifi, classic flavour), and Blades felt like a perfect fit – a crew of ratbags trying to make a mark in an uncaring universe without getting crushed by the many cruel icebergs out in the dark ocean of space.

Anyway, here’s my initial stab at a reskin, to see if it might have legs.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzqOPm-sPhjObFBqMGV6dUc5S1E

I’ve been reading the North Water and have to thoroughly recommend it for Blades in the Dark atmosphere &…

I’ve been reading the North Water and have to thoroughly recommend it for Blades in the Dark atmosphere &…

I’ve been reading the North Water and have to thoroughly recommend it for Blades in the Dark atmosphere & inspiration.

For example:

“There is no sin left now, there is only the blood and the water and the ice; there is only life and death and the grey-green spaces in between. He will not die he tells himself, not now, not ever. When he is thirsty, he will drink his own blood; when he is hungry, he will eat his own flesh. He will grow enormous from the feasting, he will expand to fill the empty sky.”

It also led to me reading about rag-and-bone men, which would be great to drop whole-cloth into Doskvol. “Bone-grubbers”!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_North_Water

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25666046-the-north-water

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rag-and-bone_man

Thanks to Jakob the new character sheet is now live and official for Roll20 – available to all users!

Thanks to Jakob the new character sheet is now live and official for Roll20 – available to all users!

Thanks to Jakob the new character sheet is now live and official for Roll20 – available to all users! If you were running a game with the old sheet, you’ll have to manually switch over under game settings.

Note that the new sheet uses different attribute names to both the old sheet and the github version of my sheet, so if you used either of those you’ll want to make a copy of your game before you switch over. A lot of the data won’t automatically repopulate on the new sheet. You’ll need to spend a few minutes copy-pasting information into the new sheet, but it’s a one-off job.

Many people have asked about whether I will be updating my Roll20 character sheet and/or submitting it to Roll20 as…

Many people have asked about whether I will be updating my Roll20 character sheet and/or submitting it to Roll20 as…

Many people have asked about whether I will be updating my Roll20 character sheet and/or submitting it to Roll20 as the official live sheet. I haven’t had time for that, unfortunately, but I am very pleased to say that it has been picked up by the very talented Jakob and he has done a wonderful job improving my work and creating the Crew sheet tab properly – he’s also added in some awesome stuff so once you enter your playbook or crew name it automatically fills out starting dots and equipment.

Do check it out and give it a test. https://app.roll20.net/forum/post/4685474/blades-in-the-dark-new-styled-sheet-feedback-sought