Starship Artwork

[equilibrium]

I was wondering if anyone had any links to decent quality starship artwork (not necessarily OTU stuff).

I've recently found http://www.zaon.com which has a fair bit but was looking for some more..

also, deckplans for old CT, MT, TNE and T4 stuff?

cheers

Jason K..

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Nice. For Traveller pics, there's:

Jesse DeGraff
http://www.vision-forge-graphics.com/jesse/traveller/welcome_to_the_patinir_belt.htm

Scarecrow
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/scarecrow/

and...ahem...me
http://www.cix.co.uk/~fubar/Traveller/Gallery/index.htm

 

[mike wightman]

First time I've seen your artwork Andrew.
Very nice

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Thanks!

 

[kafka47]

Nice work Andrew, as you know I have already recommended that Hunter take a serious look at your work. I prefer your work more than some of the anime style.

But, I haven't seen much from Jessie and his website hasn't been updated for some time. I know he had some health issues, a while back but I think that he is over them...

Does anyone else know more?

 

[Ran Targas]

Andy,

Great site and awesome pics! Keep us updated on adds.

 

[Vargas]

Andrew- Any chance we can see a close up of the nose art from the Lady Eloise?

 

[Andrew Boulton]

"But, I haven't seen much from Jessie and his website hasn't been updated for some time. I know he had some health issues, a while back but I think that he is over them..."

He doesn't update it that often ("Oh, hello Mr Kettle, you're looking particularly black today..."), but I hope he's okay. I'm a big fan of his work - it was what originally inspired me.

"Andrew- Any chance we can see a close up of the nose art from the Lady Eloise?"

The model and textures really aren't good enough - and you're a perv for asking - but here you go:

http://www.cix.co.uk/~fubar/Traveller/Gallery/le-nose.jpg

 

[Vargas]

Thanks [wipes drool from chin]
Actually I didn't quite realize what I was asking for, I'm just a fan of nose art.

Did you draw that yourself or is it from another source?

 

[Andrew Boulton]

I stole it from somewhere on the net, I can't draw to save my life.

 

[robject]

Zaon looks amazing; very nice production quality, and a lot of energy from the designers. It looks like it wants to be a halfway point between Star Wars/Trek and Traveller -- in fact it might have more in common with SpaceMaster than the other three.

However, they're having to deal with the same problems as any SF game system that tries to be believeable enough yet playable enough. They're even toying around with using codes to succinctly explain the characteristics of star systems, weapons, planets, alien tolerances...

 

[equilibrium]

thats the idea i got.. Star Wars..sans the Force.

I love Star Wars for the movies but as an RPG (d20 incarnation at least) it was the pits to play...everyone either wants to use the force or ignore it and as its so wrapped up in the myth of the setting, ignoring it makes the whole thing seem strange. We ended up ignoring it and playing a merchant "Traveller-esque" game last time. This time we decided to hit hte source and chose MT instead.

I'm curious about the actual system behind Zaon. Sure it looks pretty ..real pretty! but i wonder if its got the guts to backup the pretty face. I've collated the playtest documents and i've looked over them. Nothing terribly innovative or exciting so far though. Oh well..

what do others think of it?

cheers

Jason

 

[clementk]

The character sheet for Zaon made my eyes hurt whenever I looked at it between the style and all the stuff to keep track of.

Between that and the draft I saw* that reads like me on no sleep for 48 hours and trying to pad out a term paper on Medieval anything after reading two too many Victorian historians while being on way too much caffeine I couldn't bear to print it out let alone playtest it.

^^ reads much like the above

IMO they need to rewrite it almost completely. Aside from the writing style a lot of the rules, races, character types, etc. seemed redundant or just not needed, at least for my tastes. Nice artwork but I can buy whole hardcovers of nothing but good to amazing science fiction artwork if that's all I want. And I already have two editions of Jorune just sitting on a shelf.

Best of luck to them. They seem to have enough capitol and talent to make at the least an excellent looking game and other products and they do seem to be actively listening to comments.

Casey

* I'm likely behind at least two versions but can't seem to find the download link or procedure on how to get the latest version

 

[robject]

This is still off-topic. Is there enough interest for a new topic?

I'm there too, Casey. Although, I thought the character sheet was way cool looking: very clever the way they shoehorn every skill in, divided up in sections which flow from that off-center 'wheel of characteristics'. Very snazzy.

You can go a long way on graphic arts. As long as they have a straightforward way of resolving tasks and combat -- and continue their initial production quality -- they'll probably do fine. But they are most definitely coming from a different world than Traveller. Most of their team don't know Traveller; they seem to come from Star Wars, Alternity, et al.

Characteristics (imperfectly mapped to Traveller) are:
STR => Strength
() => Appearance
DEX => Dexterity, Reflex
END => Stamina
INT => Willpower, Intuition, Logic
EDU => ()
SOC => Presence, Harmony

Plus a buncha skills, about 68 of which map to Traveller, more or less.

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

"Less is more" is good advice for Zaon. That alien pictured looks as if to say: "I would love to Hunt Bounties, but my incredibly large gun keeps getting caught in my oddly placed spines."

It seems very derivative, while trying very hard not to do so. The awkward-looking heavily armed "Freighter" looks like a partially reposessed Star Destroyer. The City looks like Chicago. These lads can program, but they need to learn about appealing composition. a lot of the subjects merge with the Backgrounds or there is just too much going on in frame. Look at the Battle Poster.

 

[robject]

Agreed, m'Lord. That bug-eyed mercenary alien did look a bit encumbered.

 

[ElHombre]

the folks over at ad astra games (www.adastragames.com) have a couple of cool, detail oreinted ships located on their download page. both mucho cool if you like your ships hard-sf oriented.

as regards to zaon, i agree with the baron. exactly what are those spines good for anyway. i'd think they'd just get in the way. it brought back memories of the hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy where arthur dent is set upon by a monster so fearsome that it kills itself on its teeth and claws before it can kill arthur.

i enjoy the D20 scout courier. a superb updating of the classic design. i know scarecrow hates them, but the wedge is a very effective shape in a sci-fi setting.

 

[Straybow]

They look more like vestigial digits of some sort, like a dog's dewclaws. It is hard to imagine what shape the limbs had in ancestral species&#133

 

[tlindsey]

I've got a few Traveller images on my site. I need to post some of new stuff I've been working on in the near future.

There are some pre-production images of the failed "Traveller Miniatures" project as well.

I'd like to finish the "new" Free Trader and System Defense Boat (both Bryan Gibson's redesigns) when I get a chance.

- Ted

 

[robject]

Howdy Ted.

That corvette reminds me of the President's ship from Babylon 5.

What about your T5 cover concept? Don't forget to publicize that. I think it's awesome.