MISSING: Soul Reapers, Have You Seen Them?

With a heavy heart I’m spreading the word that Big Jim’s personal army, the Soul Reapers, have been stolen!

Follow the link here for the original report.

Chronologic

As per my last post regarding maps, I love me my timelines. A big part of why we play this game of futuristic toy soldiers is the fluff, and the fictitious future timeline of the 41st Millenium which comes from all sources, canon (official rulebooks, codices) and sometimes otherwise (Black Library) is part of the rich tapestry of 40K.

Artwork: Soul Reapers - Watermarks

Been busy of late with work, and the odd piece of 40K artwork here and there. I present to you a selection of watermarks I’ve worked up for the Soul Reapers Minidex over at Galaxy in Flames, all the more to aid in the embetterment (sic) of Big Jim’s labour of love!

Note: All Illustration work depicted here is fan art which is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Ltd.

Artwork: Soul Reapers - Maps

Ghoul Stars Map Overview

Over at Galaxy in Flames, Big Jim's Minidex is being put through its paces by massive, and enthusiastic playtesting. While this is occuring, I've been working with Jim's ideas in finalising the cover to his ambitious Minidex. However, in the run-up to this, I've been feeding fluff character artwork, watermarks, playtest covers, and the like in order to tease out the heart and soul of the fluff of the project.

A part of the fluff we 40K fanatics like when we read the shiny codices and rulesbooks are the maps! The stellar geography, campaign maps, planetary data sheets, references to warp storms, lost legions, and battles in the stars really stoke the fires of our imagination. All this really pimps up the appeal of 40K, in my opinion, and the well-produced artwork form part of a 'living canon' of 40K which set the tone, scene, details, who, where, when & why of the game.

This epic tapestry of stellar geography is something (I'd like to think) us 40K players like to be a part of. In fact, there are some excellent examples of what I'm talking about at the Bell of Lost Souls downloads section, namely the campaign booklets & minidexes. If you've not seen them yet, I urge you to check them out. Well-painted models, beautifully photographed, and painstakingly crafted maps, with real passion.

When I got involved in the Soul Reapers minidex, it eventually came to my mind that I'd try to produce a few fan-made maps for Big Jim's fluff, just to really spice things up and bring out the real quality of what he's trying to do. One thing is needed when it comes to 40K map-making. Research.

Research, research, research.

Look up the 40K rulebook. 40K codices. Check the Internet. This excellent starmap by Ikkaan is a fantastic source of up-to-date information to place the locations of 40K. Re-check the rulebooks and codices. Sometimes the canon reboots and/or retcons itself, e.g. locations move about or have their histories rewritten (e.g. the position of the Valhalla & Baal systems seem to have moved around over the years), so be as thorough as possible.

It was a real blast producing the Ghoul Stars map overview above, with respect to GW's IP and in homage to the star maps in the fluff section of the current rulebook. I took Big Jim's thoughts and sketch starmap from his website, superimposed it with a current 40K starmap and Ikkaan's, added some new flavourful systems (Nosferatum, Alucard, etc) bearing in mind the relationship between the Cythor Fiends (black templar) fluff, and the new rulebook Thexian fluff, the Death Spectres patrols from Occludus, made some new systems up, hit the blend switch and voila! Instant Star Map which plugs right into the existing 40K canon.

I leave you with 2 preview maps from the Minidex; namely a map of Ehdan (Lair of the Soul Reapers) and the Karpathian Campaign battle map. I had tremedous fun producing these (totally unofficial fan-made illustrations), and you can find the finished products, when posted, at Big Jim's website, and/or the completed Minidex.

Preview: Ehdan, Lair of the Soul Reapers

Preview: The Karpathian Campaign

Note: All Illustration work depicted here is fan art which is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Ltd.

Artwork: Soul Reapers - Watermarks

More artwork goodies from the impending Soul Reapers Minidex. Below is a collection of themed watermarks designed to fill in the spaces, bulk up text pieces, and give a more authentic feel to the book when it's finished. Enjoy!

Note: All Illustration work depicted here is fan art which is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Ltd.

Artwork: Soul Reapers - Covers

Just spent an evening at my local gaming group pulling together our efforts making a hilariously schizophrenic cardboard bastion on the cheap. I promise I'll post a picture of our Princess Barbie 40K fortress soon..

Also had a discussion with our local Marine player regarding the minidexes I've worked on (art-wise) and the new top-secret IG fan-supplement I'm working on, to which the reply was a sneering: "Why would anyone want to play with made-up rules?"

Aren't all the rules made-up?

This snowballed into a little discussion involving the current over-simplification of building occupancy rules (e.g. "No assaults on models placed on parapets to look cool, etc. What about deep-striking/'porting/jump packing onto a building? Oh-er, we'll make a house rule for that when we come to it), how a drop troop-themed Imperial guard is cheesy and against  fluff ("You're only doing it to give yourself an unfair advantage with melta spam!") and I should accept that men jumping off Valkyries are now the only official(tm) non-Elysian way of playing a paratrooper-esque-themed army, and that Drop Pod marine armies are totally kosher and rule the skies in the 41st Millenium, despite no real agreement how they officially work once they land, etc, etc.

But next week we'll be playing with a White Dwarf-approved Legion of the Damned planetstrike-esque mission, just to spice things up. But it's okay, it's official.

But I digress. I'll get deeper into the rant (and ultimately, the mindset of my local gaming group) as this blog progresses. Onwards to the pretty art!

Below are the mockups and the playtest covers for the Minidex: Soul Reapers, courtesy of Big Jim. Enjoy!

Note: All illustration work depicted here is fan art which is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Ltd.

Artwork: Soul Reapers - Characters

A chance glimpse at a post on Big Jim's Galaxy in Flames blog has eventually snowballed into this blog, the 512th Cadian. So I have him to thank (or blame!), as it was bad enough I spent my time with the little plastic men, now I draw them too!

With thanks, Jim has kindly allowed me to put up as a showcase the artwork/illustrations that I have worked over with him in anticipation of his soon-to-be-released Minidex: Soul Reapers, both for fluff and/or unit entries. So let's take a break from the Imperial men of grey, and delight in the coppery bronze and gold of the 12th Legion's finest 17th Company.

Note: All illustration work depicted here is fan art which is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Ltd.