RIP Terry Jones

So actor/director/comedian/member fo Monty Python Terry Jones died the other day.  To say that the Pythons shows, especially the films were a big influence on British Roleplayers is a massive understatement. He also had a great career post-python as a Historical documentary presenter/maker and his BBC series the Crusades will always stick in my memory as a truthful examination of that period free of the usual propaganda of noble Christian knights fighting a heathen foe in the name of our Lord.

My own tribute, which is in an upcoming OpenQuest book as an example of a Disorganised Religion, was written days before news of his death hit me.

The Flying Circus

Odd, irrelevant, this small disorganised religion flies in the face of convention and order. It emphasises joy of living and travel. Its worshippers can literally learn to fly that allows them to move between the floating land masses of the Flying Realms with ease. The Airship Captains are their guardians and in their flying ships can take worshippers across dangerous sky lanes that are not traversable safely by a solo flyer.

 

Spells: Fly, Golden Tongue, Mischief , Fools Gold.

Guardians:  Airship Captains, Requirement Airsailor 50%+, must own an Airship; Spells: The Crystal Ship.

Beyond Dread Portals Art Preview

Its been a while since I’ve posted anything about Paul Mitchener’s Beyond Dread Portals.

We are currently gearing up for a Kickstarter, tentatively scheduled for April.

As part of the preview art for that Kickstarter, and the Preview Edition that backers of the From the Shroud KS are getting,  I asked Peter Frain of 77 Studios (who did the art for Monkey, the cover for Hunters of Alexandria, and the art for 2nd Edition Barbarians of Lemuria) to do a picture of one of the iconic fashions of the Empire of Ys, the Dandy. Apart from my quick “think Lord Flasheart from Blackadder II” I gave him Paul’s text:

Dandies & High Culture Fashion
When outsiders consider Ysian fashions, the first thing which comes to mind is the Ysian Dandy, with his, or more recently her, brightly coloured trousers, shirt, and complimentary hat. Precisely which colours are “in” varies from season to season, and the truly fashion-conscious manage to subvert it. Others try and fail to go against the trends. One recent subversion is moving away from bright colours to dress entirely in black, which was deliciously shocking at first in fashion circles, but as it spreads is starting to be considered crass. In fact, the style of the dandy only belongs to the High Culture. More typically, both genders wear shirts and trousers. The shirts are still brightly coloured, though more typically just one colour rather than the gaudy combinations of the fashion-conscious. Rich women have another option to them on formal occasions, namely the ball gown, which can be a work of art- though even there, the dandyish fashions are replacing it. Jewellery, when worn, is usually simple, taking the form of brooches for both genders, and earrings for women.

And this is what he came up with (click on images for larger version)