Devonian Dusk, gouache sketch

 

"Devonian Dusk" 

  

"Devonian Dusk" gouache sketch.

A colored version of an ink drawing from long ago. 

Early terrestrial ecology fascinates me. 

Prototaxites, a giant fungus up to 30' tall, grew in huge fungus forests all throughout the Devonian. 

 

 

Nate Dray & Diluvian Games present: "Versuch eines aufs Schachspiel gebaueten taktischen Spiels von zwei und mehrern Personen zu spielen" in English

 Diluvian Enterprises presents...

"Hellwig's Conquest: A Tactical Game bases on Chess"

Translated from the German by Nate Dray. 

This book is available on Etsy or ebay. Or direct from me.

Letter-sized, perfect bound, w/ color plates, 144 pages, $30 + shipping.

ISBN: 978-0-9822892-5-9

Hellwig's Conquest on Etsy

Hellwig's Conquest on ebay

Now for the first time, this classic groundbreaking game is available in a high fidelity English translation by Nate Dray and Diluvian Games.

Originally released in Germany in 1780 under the title "Versuch eines aufs Schachspiel gebaueten taktischen Spiels von zwei und mehrern Personen zu spielen" and also known as the Brunswick Wargame or Braunschweiger Kriegsspiel, this is probably the oldest published set of modern wargame rules. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nate Dray, Chess Problem Painting, "Sam Lloyd, 1897 - Orange moves first, mates in two"

"Sam Lloyd, 1897 - Orange moves first, mates in two"

The chess problem.

Typically, in a chess problem presentation, white moves first and achieves mate in a specified number of moves.

Here orange takes the place of white and moves first. 

There is only one correct solution, i.e. one series of moves, and only one, that results in mate in the specified number of moves.

Here's a hint for this problem; the move orange must make is seemingly innocuous. It doesn't threaten a new piece or open a new line of attack on any one piece.  

"Into Sheepskin Hollow" - illustration by Nate Dray

 "Into Sheepskin Hollow"

13 x 16 inches, acrylic on paper on cardboard

Sheepskin Hollow is along the Great Trail where it crosses Little Beaver Creek on the Pennsylvania-Ohio line. There used to be a tannery in the vicinity and there are little rapids and waterfalls along the way as the little creek flows down to join the North Fork. 

This from a bright windy day in Fall after some rain. The picture I did "North Fork by Pancake" is just up the way there...

I wanted to call this "Sheepskin Hollow Beck" but I thought it would be confusing... 

 

 "Along the Y&S by Grimm's Bridge"

18 x 24 inches, watercolor on paper 

...a view of the railroad embankment as seen from nearby woods on a bright sunny February day.

The Y&S is the Youngstown & Southern railroad, a now defunct short line, not to be confused with the Youngstown and Southeastern line running just to the North there...

The bridge is off up to the right and there's a big old railroad tunnel just down the tracks off to the left.  

Used a couple bigger brushes on this one, if I recall correctly...

"Last Look Behind Her" - ink & watercolor drawing

 

 

I think I got this image from google images years ago... put it on a postcard at someone's urging. Was my best selling item at comic cons way back when. 

Hellwig's Conquest, Game Board Quadrants B & D

The Hellwig's Conquest game board consists of four quadrants labeled A, B, C, and D. In my copy, each quadrant measures about 30 by 44 inches.

Each quadrant is a mirror image of another giving both players equal parts of difficult terrain to contend with. Black and white squares are "open" terrain. 

Red squares are impassable "mountains" and block artillery fire. 

Red and white squares are "buildings" and can be moved through, but they may also be set on fire with mortars which makes them impassable. Fires can spread to adjacent buildings terrain squares. 

Blue is "water" and requires a bridge placement for troops to cross. 

Green squares represent "swamp" terrain, an impediment to movement, but not artillery fire, and each side a has a Fortress square to defend as well.

Victory in Hellwig's Conquest is achieved by seizing and holding your opponent's Fortress square.

 "Hellwig's Conquest game board Quadrant B"

acrylic and ink on wood panel, 29 x 43 inches 

  "Hellwig's Conquest game board Quadrant D"

acrylic and ink on wood panel, 30 x 44 inches 

 

 

 

Morgoth Bauglir drawing, Christopher Tolkien, Rings of Power, Telchar & Angrist

"Morgoth Bauglir"

 "That crown he never took from his head, though its weight became a deadly weariness."

-          The Simarillion, Of the Flight of the Noldor

 An ink drawing illustration for the "Wars of Beleriand" game.

Telchar’s notorious knife Angrist broke when Beren tried to take a second gem from the Iron Crown. What can one say about a blade that wounds the King of the World? Is there another?

    *    *    *    *    *    *    * 

The Silmarillion is one of my favorite books. Few works of fantasy literature can compare in terms of epic scope and completeness of vision. I think it's safe to say it's as much Christopher Tolkien's as it is his father's: a beautiful collaborative effort, a true labor of love.

Recently, there's been yet a new generation of Tolkien fans brought into the fold, for good or ill, by the Rings of Power series. I admit I haven't seen any of it and I can't say I've heard good things. No need to go into all that, but we know how Tolkien felt about a great many things and what he thought and I know he wouldn't have been particularly pleased with how his creations have been treated by media these latter years. Telling that these projects were only greenlit after Christopher's death...