Incoming art and progress

Thanks for hundreds of downloads of the Named Toolkit! This is the niche end of a niche hobby, so I didn’t think even the Named Summary would get close to that many, so pleased it is resonating.

Still progressing the new version of the Named Toolkit for later this year. This is about having a version I can print for myself, so part of the upgrade will be including some better art, and I wanted to show off a taste of the cool art I’ve assembled so far.

The first piece of a warrior on a rock is by Pixoshiru. Getting a bunch of very cool art from Pixoshiru because I love the emotion that they add to their work. More cool stuff with heart at: www.artstation.com/pixoshiru

The Adventurer-Slayer is by Ed Heil. Ed did this for a previous collaboration, but I love this send-up of a classic Conan cover and Ed was happy for me to purchase it to use for Named. Ed has done a bunch of art for RPGs, including the classic Dogs in the Vineyard, which was a big influence on me. Micro blog with Ed’s links: micro.edheil.com

Ailantd Sikowsty did Lost as a commission for me. I love their spaceships and alien art, so the combination was too cool to resist. More ships, aliens, sand sailors, etc at: www.ailantd.com

Juan Ochoa did this Skull recently as a warm up for his commission work. Rolling skulls in Named is a big part of the fun, so I asked if I could grab it when I realised it was available. More amazing art and commission details at: juanochoa.co

Still chasing a few more artists I want to get work from. But happy to hear from new artists if you play Named or it has inspired you, but note my budget is limited. Here is the approach I’ve been using for the art:

- I will keep the Named PDFs free, but artists deserve to be paid for their work. That means I’ll have to use some stock art and older art as well, but I’d rather have a few great pieces commissioned than the alternative.

- All art remains the copyright of the artists. I’m just buying the right to use it for this work, and I’m happy for the artists to reuse it.

- Given Named is about collaborating and connecting with people, I won’t be using AI for art or writing.

- Looking to get art to cover the wide range of genres and tones we play in Named. That means I’m skewing things I buy to be a little more modern or sci-fi, to balance the older art I’ll need to use. But I’m also curating the older art I better than I did in the current version.

Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to find more time to try Named solo. Loved my earlier experience, and want to jump into some more,

Cheers.