Todd Lockwood

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF

I was born and grew up in Boulder, Colorado. I had the Rocky Mountains in my backyard, and I got to see the “summer of love” through the eyes of an eleven year old in a college town. I watched Lost in Space in the third grade, when G.I. Joe was new, and Star Trek after that. Ray Harryhausen’s movies were favorites. Needless to say, Science Fiction and Fantasy consumed my childhood. Later, in my teens, I discovered Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and Dungeons and Dragons not long after. I’ve been Role-Playing for 25+ years! As an adult I became fascinated with Mythology, particularly transformative mythology and the hidden meanings of Myth. Joseph Campbell is a hero of mine for his thoughtful and thorough exploration of the World’s Myths.

I have been drawing since before I can remember, literally since I was old enough to hold a pencil. Growing up, it was my main recreation. I taught myself to draw by making my own comic books on typing paper; it was great practice, drawing the same characters, objects, and settings in sequential multiples. It honed my story telling skills at the same time; story telling was really what was on my mind. The themes were almost always sci-fi or fantasy. That evolved later into Dungeons and Dragons play: I loved DMing for my friends.


ARE THERE ANY ARTISTS YOU WOULD CREDIT AS AN INSPIRATION TO A YOUNG TODD LOCKWOOD?

Absolutely: Disney, NC Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Frazetta, Michael Whelan, Braldt Bralds (not sure I'm spelling that right), Jeff Jones, Tedema, Rembrandt, Wally Wood... there are more, but I could never think of all of them. There are the big hitters, though.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO GAMING?

One summer a friend came home from a tour of duty in Germany and brought a game with him he'd been playing on base. It was a little white box containing pamphlets of rules. Dungeons & Dragons.! I liked playing make-believe when I was a kid -- I got abuse from the other kids because my friends and I would grab up the baseball bats at recess time and use them as rifle or bazookas, when they wanted to play baseball. But here suddenly was this game that allowed a context for creative play amongst friends. It was like someone had kicked down a wall I didn't know was there. I could keep being a kid with my buds right on into adulthood. Amazing.

WHAT IS IT YOU FIND SO APPEALING ABOUT GAMING?

I think I just answered that, actually: creative play, cooperative story-telling, mind-expanding recreation. Perfect.

SHARE A FAVOURITE GAMING MOMENT WITH US
What... Pick one? That will be hard.

My first ever character was rolled up using three six-sided die, one roll per stat, no adjustments. I rolled 18s for Strength and Constitution. Obviously, a fighter. I believe his Charisma was 8, so there ya go. He was the only survivor in that first session of an inter-player brouhaha. It was a wild and exhilarating introduction to the game! 

There's the time that every character in our group was killed by a gang of monks until just my Wizard/illusionist remained, squared off against the last monk. We killed each other with our last actions. But we had one character whose Constitution was so high that he regenerated back to life, gathered us all up, and found a way to get everyone raised. Closest call ever.

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY PLAYING?

Currently nothing. I left my old gaming group behind in Colorado when I moved to take the job at TSR, and have settled in the Pacific Northwest with my family. I did some gaming at Wizards when 3rd Edition was new, but honestly, I get my fantasy fix every day now. I do miss it sometimes, but I have so many other opportunities for creative play now...

CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOUR FAVOURITE GAMES ARE?

D&D will always have a special place in my heart, but Shadowrun was also loads of fun, and then Earthdawn turned out to be a well-designed game system with a fascinating world. I played an Obsidiman who might possibly be my favorite of all the characters I've played, which is saying something.

WHAT WAS THE LAST GAME YOU PLAYED?

With my old Colorado group it was Earthdawn, and then a spacefaring game that one of the other DMs in my old group created. I only made a cameo in that game, however, on a visit to Colorado a few years back. I did play a little 3rd Edition D&D at Wizards.

WHICH PRODUCTS HAVE YOU HAD YOUR WORK PUBLISHED IN?

Oy... lemme think. Dungeons & Dragons, of course, from Dragonlance to Ravenloft to the Forgotten Realms to core rules; I did one Battletech cover; Magic the Gathering; Worlds of Warcraft; a Warhammer painting that I can never show; various video game illustrations; various d20 licensed games from Green Ronin and Paradigm Concepts; various covers for White Wolf vampire games... I'm probably missing something.


A WARHAMMER PAINTING YOU CAN NEVER SHOW?

Yeah, but I can't explain, either. I'm contractually bound to silence.


IF YOU COULD NOMINATE ONE OF YOUR WORKS AS YOUR BEST, WHICH WOULD IT BE?

That's tough. That's like asking me which of my children I like best. Some turned out great, others not so great. There are some still hanging around the house and some I wish I hadn't sold. The same is true of my artwork.

That's a joke, see. Don't make me explain it while you read it again... ;o)

ARE YOU WORKING ON ANY GAMING-RELATED PROJECTS AT THE MOMENT?

Actually no. Right now I'm not.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WEBPAGES OR SOCIAL NETWORK ACCOUNTS WHERE FANS CAN FIND YOU?

My website:

http://www.toddlockwood.com/

My blog:

http://www.tolo.biz/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/artoftoddlockwood

Jesper Myrfors

Jesper is an artist, and a damn fine one at that. He is best known for his artwork on various trading card games.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF

Well, I was born in Stockholm Sweden to Swedish parents. We moved to the northwest after my father was hired by boeing straight out of his navy career. Grew up in a neighborhood full of kids, we played “neighborhood” games whatever chance we got, hide and seek, kick the can, tag etc…We also got together and would draw, all of us would. Actually Tom Wanerstrand was part of that group of kids and he's in the industry as well. I always loved art and games but I didn't know making games was something a person could do so I followed my passion for art and got a BFA in illustration from Cornish College of the Arts. My first real art gig in the industry was for The Unspeakable Oath from Pagan Publishing, followed by work for White Wolf's Vampire and them Wizards of the Coast, wait, reverse those last two.

I'm married, have kids and still live in the Northwest. I spend a lot of time doing art, making games, writing, making music and biking. I like cats. I believe G.W. Bush and R. Cheney should be in prison. I think the banks should be taken down for their criminal activity and those who destroyed the economy due to sociopathic behavior should spend the rest of their lives making big rocks into small rocks.

I have never and will never try Jenkem.

These days I have teamed up with Brian Snoddy and we make games as a team. He is a fantastic guy, talented and creative. Deadfellas is or latest.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO GAMING?

Well I always loved board games as a kid, but as for hobby gaming:I noticed the ads for Microgames in the back of Anolog magazine for years. My mom and dad read it every month. That was Steve Jackson's first company I think. I always wondered what they were. Then a friend told me about Dungeons and Dragons, a local teacher offered a summer class in D&D and I signed up. This was just after the Monster Manual and right before Dungeon Master's Guide. I was hooked. I found a store in Seattle that migrated to several locations over the years, it was called American Eagles. Those in Seattle will remember it if they are old enough. And in Bellevue…The Triple Alliance opened. They stocked not only AD&D but every other RPG game out at the time as well as Microgames and miniatures. I finally got to buy those games I saw in the magazines as well as Task Force Games, SSI, Dwarfstar and many others. I knew it's what I wanted to do and started making my own games. I actually called Task Force games and they were interested, but when I found out it was a $400 flat fee for all rights I decided against entering the industry just yet. My friends and I made games for each other and had a blast doing it. I should really throw in a shout out to Jennell Jaquays who's work really influenced me back then. Her work for Judges Guild was a real inspiration.

But to answer your real question, while I was in school they asked “What do you want to do in art?” I said make games and they gave me a dog in the headlights stare and replied “There is no such job” I decided to show them and swore I would be published before I graduated. I was and now the “no such job” is a multibillion dollar industry.

WHAT IS IT YOU FIND SO APPEALING ABOUT GAMING?

The ability to create worlds and situations beyond what we experience is the driving force. It's about making dreams and nightmares come true in a relatively safe environment. It's about making the worlds one to live in, or at least vacation in.

SHARE A FAVOURITE GAMING MOMENT WITH US

There are two answers to this. My first is everyone who has ever come up to me and said “Thank you, your work helped me through a difficult time.” How do I even respond to this? I make games because it's my love, I never thought I would actually really help people. What an amazing thing to find out.

As for my favorite in game moment it was Red Alert 2 on the PC. My friend had crushed me. I mean I lost everything but 1 infantry unit. We had crates turned on and it was a pretty big map. My friend decided to do some building while I ran and found a crate that had a construction base unit (total luck!). I quickly and quietly rebuilt while he searched for me. Turns out it was next to a huge tiberium deposit and I managed to build a defense force large enough to take out his first wave of searchers and launch a sneak attack at his rear. By the time he knew I was a threat again, I overran his base and won. Most people would have given up, that's the reason I don't. You don't get the legendary wins if you give up at the first sign of defeat.

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY PLAYING?

Deadfellas, Wow (again after a year off), Skyrim, Dead Island (best zombie game in my opinion) Dungeon Defenders, Majesty 2, MineCraft, Legend of Grimrock…I loved Dungeon Master on the Atari ST, Royal Envoy 2, Plants VS Zombies (for the Third time), Mostly PC games at this point. Though I love making physical games and Brian and I are working on a several card and board games so we play those a lot.

CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOUR FAVOURITE GAMES ARE?

Ad&d 2^nd edition, Awful Green Things From Outer Space, Old MTG, Deus Ex, Doom 2, Wow, Gothic 3 (After the patches), Dead Island, Cryptomaina (coming out from Fun to 11 next year), Pinochle, Talisman, Action Quake 2 (I made a lot of maps for that one), Fallout 3, Skyrim, System Shock 2, Final Fantasy 7, Ogre, Max Paine 2, The Fantasy Quest (For the solo play), Age of Heroes (a miniatures system my friends and I made up and played for years, unreleased to the public) Balderdash, Trivial Pursuit, F.E.A.R. 1 & 2, Farcry 1, Crysis, Mario Party (most of them), Age of Empires 2, I know I'm leaving some out…

WHAT WAS THE LAST GAME YOU PLAYED?

World of Warcraft, just before this interview. They did a fantastic job on that game and look, 8 years later it still holds up. I admire Blizzard and the people there.

WHICH PRODUCTS HAVE YOU HAD YOUR WORK PUBLISHED IN?

This is a hard question in a good way. I have worked on so many games that I don't remember them all. There used to be a really good complete summery on Wikipedia, but some ass hat had it taken down for reasons I will never understand. To name a few Magic: The Gathering, Vampire: The Masquerade…(already I'm working with more colons than a proctologist) Rage, the card game, The Hills Rise Wild, Clout: Fantasy, Call of Cthulhu through Pagan Publishing, Deadfellas, Talislanta (A truly amazing RPG), Shadow Fist (My second Favorite CCG and still in Print, if you haven't tried it…do, Zev is a great guy and deserves support.) Those are the highlights.

A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD KNOW YOUR WORK FROM MAGIC: THE GATHERING. CAN YOU TELL US HOW YOU CAME TO DO ART FOT IT, AND WHAT THE PROCESS WAS LIKE?

As I mentioned earlier, I swore I would get published before graduating. I was a fan of Talislanta at the time and had checked a local game store (Games and Gizmos) about the status of the game. They told me that a new publisher was working on it, a small company called Wizards of the Coast, and they gave me the companies contact information. I put it in my wallet and forgot about it, mostly. Then when I was trying to get published I remembered them and called their office. I spoke with Lisa Stevens and sent in a portfolio, most of my work was horror oriented and Lisa said she liked my work but it was wrong for the brand. She did however recommend me to Richard Thomas, the art Director at White Wolf. Anyway, I was a pest and wouldn’t leave them alone, I said I would do one illustration on spec, if they didn’t like it I would leave them alone. Lisa agreed and gave me 1 week to do the painting, I did two over the next two days. Lisa liked them, Steve Sechi, the creator of Talislanta liked them and I got the gig. They also said if I wanted to be more involved all I had to do was hang out and attend their meetings, which I did. Soon I was art director (and I rejected the art I did for Talislanta as not being quite right for the brand) I started hiring other artists, meeting some heroes and having fun. It was a lot of work for no pay but I got published.

Around this time the rest of WotC was having secret meetings I was not invited to, not until they trusted me. Those meeting were about Magic: The Gathering. When I finally got to play the game I told them to put all my pay towards stock because I knew this game would change everything.

Initially the their plan had been to buy second or third rights to already published artwork, book covers etc…I thought we could do better and get our own look so I made a deal where the company would pay $50 in cash, $50 in stock and a very small royalty.

The first art ever done for the game was Iron Root Treefolk as I was trying to get the dimensions right for the cards and needed a test piece.

I would call artists and make the offer, 99% said yes I would give them a name and as little description as I could. I believed that the more freedom the artist had the more diversity we would get in building this new world. This was really before the web or e-mail being popular so most of it was done on phone and the original art was mailed to me. I would scan it and color correct it and place it in the borders I had designed. It took a very long time but was one of the most exciting times of my life, watching something I believed in come together.

One of the reasons I had so many pieces in the early game was not because of the pay but because I had to pick up the ball if another artist dropped it. So I ended up doing a bunch of rushed last minute illustrations that I’m not very proud of. That was the down side. That’s eventually what burned me out on illustration for many years. Still, what a ride.

ARE YOU WORKING ON ANY GAMING-RELATED PROJECTS AT THE MOMENT?

That's all I work on. Deadfellas just came out from Exile Games, Cryptomania is about to hit and I have 3 other games that I developed with the multitalented Brian Snoddy. Check my face book page for updates. I also do freelance work and consulting so there are other projects in development but I can't talk about them…noncompetes… they get my soul if I say anything.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WEBPAGES OR SOCIAL NETWORK ACCOUNTS WHERE FANS CAN FIND YOU?

I'm on face book under my name and I have a blog that I update whenever I feel like it at http://stumptales.blogspot.com/ It's mostly for my creative writing endeavors. Or as some say, advertising my insanity.

Oh and you can see our animated shorts on YouTube at DeadfellasTAS. (TAS is Short for The Animated Shorts)

This was a pretty hasty overview, I will be happy to answer more specific questions on my face book page if anyone has them.

Tom Nelson

Tom Nelson is well-known for his work on miniature figures.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF

My name is Tom Nelson. I live in Minneapolis, MN. but I am originally from Seattle, WA. I've been married to my wife Kim (also an OSGer) for almost 13 years and have a 12 year old daughter. Not only am I a gamer and miniature painter, but I also play drums and sing for a local Irish Pub band called The Serfs, with some fellow gamers.

HOW DID YOU GET INTO GAMING?

I was 15 years old when some highschool friends introduced me to 2E AD&D. This lead to playing some World of Darkness games (Vampire and Werewolf), Cyberpunk, and the diceless Amber game base on Roger Zelazny's books. 

WHAT IS IT YOU FIND SO APPEALING ABOUT GAMING?

I love the escapism of it. Playing different people with strange magic's or warrior priests dedicated to their god. But most of all it's hanging out with our friends during our once a week game night, or with the friends that can only meet up once a month, running my 2E AD&D campaign that's been ongoing for well over 3 years now. 

SHARE A FAVOURITE GAMING MOMENT WITH US

This was back in Seattle. My friend Weston had converted the WEG Star Wars game into GURPS. It took him 6-8 months to do this and he was excited to run his game. I was playing an Iotran bounty hunter. We started out in Mos Eisley Cantina. I used my data pad to find out which of the patrons were wanted by the Empire. I found one guy that was wanted by both the Empire AND the Rebellion. I told Wes that I wanted to make a called shot to his head so I could take him in for the bounty. He was very nervous and asked me if I really wanted to do that. I said, "Yes". So he said with a sigh, "Alright!". I proceeded to make the called shot roll and killed him! I was thrilled but Wes was pissed! He threw his papers and yelled, "This was your contact for the adventure and you just blew his head off!". 

All of us laughed at him as he started GMing by the seat if his pants for the rest of the game. This is one of the reasons I write down bits and pieces of where I want the characters to go. Otherwise I let the players decide what they do. Makes for a more enjoyable game.

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY PLAYING?

Our Thursday night group is playing Vampire: The Dark Ages. I'm playing a Gangrel that was as a human a Druid from Gaul before the Romans invaded. 

Our once a month game is 2E AD&D that I run. It's loosely based on George RR Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" (Game of Thrones) series with some LotR and my own monsters thrown in.

CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOUR FAVOURITE GAMES ARE?

Board games would be RISK, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and Silent Death. RPG's would be 2E AD&D, Star Wars (WEG version), and MERP (Middle Earth Role Playing from ICE).

WHAT WAS THE LAST GAME YOU PLAYED?

Vampire: Dark Ages

WHICH PRODUCTS HAVE YOU HAD YOUR WORK PUBLISHED IN?

I've had some of my miniatures that I painted on a calendar, and a Barsoom blog by Clovis Cithog. But my proudest one is having my version of Sandor "The Hound" Clegane right below Matt Verzani's on the Darksword Miniatures website. That really blew my mind. 

ARE YOU WORKING ON ANY GAMING-RELATED PROJECTS AT THE MOMENT?

I am currently working on some commissions for two avid Warhammer 40K players. One here in MN and the other in TX. Patriotic Space Marines! They are all red, white, and blue. And the other guys has Orkz. LOL I always have something on my painting table that I'm working on for the games we play or for contest winners on my Facebook page.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WEBPAGES OR SOCIAL NETWORK ACCOUNTS WHERE FANS CAN FIND YOU? 

Absolutely! You can find me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/midwestminiatureguy), Twitter, and my webpage (http://www.midwestminiatureguy.webs.com)

Gill Pearce

Today's interview is with artist and cartographer, Gill Pearce. I worked with Gill on the Fabled Lands RPG, which she drew the map for. She is the wife of Darren Pearce, who we interviewed a few days ago.

TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF

My name is Gill Pearce, I’m 40 years old, I live with my husband Darren Pearce in the UK, I’m mad about roleplaying and I like cats. Correct that, I have a feline obsession which will one day result in me turning into a crazy old cat lady

HOW DID YOU GET INTO GAMING?

A friend of mine got me into gaming when I was 14. I was introduced to the second edition Dungeons and Dragons boxset and never looked back from that point.

WHAT IS IT YOU FIND SO APPEALING ABOUT GAMING?

I enjoy the social aspect of gaming and being able to kick off and do stuff you normally can’t do, such as casting lightning bolts of screaming death..that kind of thing. It’s a subtle form of escapism for me.

SHARE A FAVOURITE GAMING MOMENT WITH US

Oh my, there was this one time..at band camp..Seriously there have been quite a few! Running up the arm of a Cyclops and stabbing it through the eye was fun as was the time I introduced a dubious character called Reva Flynn (from Darren’s home brew Wyrden setting) and now have one of our regular players twitching every time she is mentioned. Really though, those moments that stick in my mind are those bits in a game where every player is going OMG what now, and our characters are in so much trouble we are laughing and horrified all at once!

WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY PLAYING?

Well, last night I was playing in a Savage Worlds fantasy game, demonstrating how the subtle art of negotiation can go sadly wrong. Tonight it could well be 4^th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. We have a mix of games going on atm, including Deadlands reloaded, D&D, various Savage Worlds games and Warhammer FRP (2^nd edition) 

CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOUR FAVOURITE GAMES ARE?

I don’t have to pick one do I? I have many game systems I love. I will always have a soft spot for Warhammer FRP (2^nd edition) and Savage worlds, I adore Deadlands. I like the special effects in Dungeons and Dragons 4^th Edition. I do have a lasting affection for Seventh Sea as well.

WHAT WAS THE LAST GAME YOU PLAYED?

Savage worlds fantasy, in one of Darrens homebrew worlds! 

WHICH PRODUCTS HAVE YOU HAD YOUR WORK PUBLISHED IN?

I think I’d be better naming publishers as I have been working as a freelancer for about 15 years now. Dark Quest Games, Mongoose Publishing, Cubicle 7, Greywood Publishing, Chaosium, Beyond Belief Games, Savage Mojo, Moon Designs and a fair few others. I’ve also been published outside of the rpg industry via Mercia books, Sterling games ltd, Schiffer and CPG books.


HOW DID YOU GET INTO FANTASY CARTOGRAPHY?

Aha! Good question Shane!

Well actually it was by accident. Mongoose needed some maps of a greek galleon doing for an adventure for Signs and Portents years ago and the art director at the time suggested I should have a go. The words went along the lines of, there are many good artists out there, but not that many good cartographers. 

That project sort of signaled the turning point in my freelancer career, as after a few more maps I began getting cartography work from other companies until in recent years I tend to do more maps than illustrations. The maps have got more challenging as well like this one from Moon Designs http://www.hellionsart.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=497 which is one of the most complex I have done to date ( I have now branched out into isometric 3d maps) along with Pavis from Glorantha which was HUGE!

I always loved Karen Wynn Fonstads work on Middle Earth etc and it was an epic moment for me when my work was compared favourably to hers, I also find a strange balance now between the maps I do and my personal study (currently working part time on a history degree), as I do like to get things right!

ARE YOU WORKING ON ANY GAMING-RELATED PROJECTS AT THE MOMENT?

Yes, I am working for Moon Designs, helping map Glorantha, absolutely fascinating work. I am also working for Savage Mojo producing maps for Quantum Sliders and also art for “Project Sunthing” as it is known atm, it is going to be seriously epic! I am also involved in cartography projects for a couple of independent companies as well. 


Gill has since confirmed that "Project Sunthing" is actually called "Set Rising", a setting for Savage Mojo's Suzerain.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WEBPAGES OR SOCIAL NETWORK ACCOUNTS WHERE FANS CAN FIND YOU?

Yes, you can find me on Facebook, Google Plus and LinkedIn and via my website www.hellionsart.com