The game I’m hoping to publish next is Lost Days of Memories & Madness, which was my Game Chef entry back in 2007 (the same contest that Paul Tevis’ A Penny for My Thoughts came out of) that turned out to be rather fun in play. Rather unusually for me, I’ve not gone about commissioning art and then writing the game, but have written the game and am now commissioning art.
I’ve admired the art of George Cotronis for a while now, even since he did the cover for Don’t Lose Your Mind, in fact. There was something sinister, otherworldly and faintly insane lurking beneath the surface of his art that was unique, and a perfect fit for Memories & Madness.
Anyway, here’s the rambling art brief I sent him on Monday – hopefully I’ll be able to share some of the ensuing illustrations soon.
The main themes are madness and magic, hubris and arrogance, and I’d love to see them writ large on the page. In my head I imagine it all as art deco rather than gothic, all gold and light and flame rather than shadows and stone.
The eternal palace is like the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, all spires and impossible architecture mixed with Louis XIV ostentatiousness and Gormenghast ridiculousness all turned up to 11. This is the setting so it should appear in most of the images – courtyards, corridors, staircases and walled gardens rather than ruins or windswept moors.
I want to see subtle magics and terrible rituals, sigils and symbols and occult paraphernalia in the background and overlaid.
I want to see the splendour of the elven court, the decadence that is the kings throne room and the whispering and intrigue behind the scenes.
I want to see what lurks in the highest spires and the lowest dungeons, I want to see the crass commerce of the Market of Memories where the nobles stoop to do business, I want to see a triumphant army returning home with exotic treasure (slaves, jewellery, money!) and a memory stolen from the mind of a victim.
And spires and magic everywhere – did I mention them?
Of course, I can’t have all that, so it’ll be a surprise to me as much as anyone – which is sort of the point of art.
Steampower Publishing 
You had me at Sagrada Familia. I went there a couple of years back, and it’s like an alien organism growing out of the earth.
Yeh, the Sagrada Familia is how I’ve imagined the Eternal Palace since before it was called the Eternal Palace.
Wow…sounds like a fun game… I’ll have to try to get this and see how good I am at running it…
Well, you don’t so much ‘run’ it – it runs you! The role of the GM is up for grabs at the start of the game, falling to the highest bidder. As the game goes on and the machinations unfold, the GM role can switch, be stolen.
I really enjoyed playing this at IndieCon. The game brings out powerful images which lead to deep scenes and interesting conflicts. Many thanks for running it!
Thank you for playing – the tragic end of the Lady of the Fey was very poignant! Hopefully I’ll have copies at Dragonmeet to sell too this weekend!