Mountain Temple – Alex Drummond

Like Drummond’s Dove City, this is another vista designed to draw your eye and your imagination into the realms of fantasy: It makes you want to walk that long, jack-knifed road of dust-swept rock.

It’s also a radically different type environment, which was something else I was keeping firmly in mind while looking for art. Legends & Labyrinths is a radically inclusive game — pulling influences from every corner of the world; every nook of myth; and every aspect of fantasy. I wanted the art to reflect that by taking you to verdant forests; steaming  jungles; underground caverns; icy glaciers; and dark coasts.

Alchemist Witch – Alex Drummond

The image of the game often seems to be “Conan and Merlin adventuring in Middle Earth”. But in my campaigns the strange vistas, cyclopean mysteries, and byzantine darkness of Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft, and Jack Vance are an important part of the mix. And I wanted them to be part of the mix of artwork in Legends & Labyrinths, too.

This particular illustration seemed to just ooze the arcane; the alien; the weird. I don’t know what she’s casting, but it’s nothing pretty or pyrotechnic.

End of the Adventure – Alex Drummond

Is this an illustration of an aquatic adventure or an urban adventure?

Given where the PCs are heading, maybe it’s the start of a wilderness adventure.

(Memo to my players: This may constitute minor spoilers. Also, you’re all going to die.)

A couple of other random thoughts here: First, a lot of modern gaming is predicated on the philosophy that failure isn’t fun. I, on the other hand, think that failure can be entertaining. And I think it also sets up greater opportunities for entertainment down the road.

Second, what I love about this illustration is that it dares to dream big. And I hope it will dare you to dream big, too. I think orcs in a 10′ room are great; I think gritty fantasy is cool.

But every so often you’ve got to release the kraken, right?

Snowmancer – Viktor Fetsch

Among the artistic goals I set for Legends & Labyrinths was:

Goal #2: Find a balance between men and women.

I suppose one could claim this represents some sort of agenda for political correctness on my part. But, really, I just like pictures of pretty women doing heroic things.

Another goal was:

Goal #3: Realistic armor.

And this one is completely agenda-driven.

Primarily, this is about eliminating chainmail bikinis. But it’s also about recapturing the simple realism of a bloke in plate armor facing the terrifying and supernatural unknown.

I’m a huge fan of Final Fantasy and anime and World of Warcraft, but I think there’s a current imbalance in fantasy art. I also think that the interesting contrast between the mundane and the supernatural in fantasy art has been lost as heroes and monsters alike both reach for ever-more-gonzo proportions.

And after all, as Viktor Fetsch so aptly demonstrates with his Snowmancer, you can still look completely badass while dressed in completely reasonable clothes.

Smoky torches? Check. Worn stairs? Check. Black-mawed doors? Check. Inexplicable carvings? Check. Vapors of a worrisome nature? Check and check.

Nothing more exciting than a good dungeoncrawl.

Note, too, how the central figures are dwarfed by the enigma of the locale. They could be anybody. They could be you.

Which way will you turn?