The ancient game of Ur

 https://youtu.be/WZskjLq040I

Scientific Barbarian

A Kickstarter for a new fanzine called “Scientific Barbarian” just launched, and is already funded. Among other things, it contains art from not one, but three former “Wizards of Ur”: myself, James V. West, and Travis Hanson. The project was put together by Jim Wampler of Mudpuppy Games. Go back it now! 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/checkthisartifact/scientific-barbarian-1

Hole in the Oak Adventure Module

The Hole in the Oak, an official adventure module for Old School Essentials, is now available at DriveThruRPG. I illustrated this adventure, which was written by Gavin Norman and published by his imprint Necrotic Gnome.

A hole in an old oak tree leads characters down to

a maze of twisting, root-riddled passageways, the

chambers of an ancient wizard-complex, and the

banks of an underground river where once a reptile

cult built their temples.

A classic dungeon adventure for characters of 1st to

2nd level

Babies. They're going to get you.

Ur

Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital


https://amzn.to/2YIEebb


When American archaeologists discovered a collection of cuneiform tablets in Iraq in the late 19th century, they were confronted with a language and a people who were at the time only scarcely known to even the most knowledgeable scholars of ancient Mesopotamia: the Sumerians.


The exploits and achievements of other Mesopotamian peoples, such as the Assyrians and Babylonians, were already known to a large segment of the population through the Old Testament and the nascent field of Near Eastern studies had unraveled the enigma of the Akkadian language that was widely used throughout the region in ancient times, but the discovery of the Sumerian tablets brought to light the existence of the Sumerian culture, which was the oldest of all the Mesopotamian cultures.


Long before Alexandria was a city and even before Memphis and Babylon had attained greatness, the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur stood foremost among ancient Near Eastern cities. Today, the greatness and cultural influence of Ur has been largely forgotten by most people, partially because its monuments have not stood the test of time the way other ancient culture’s monuments have. For instance, the monuments of Egypt were made of stone while those of Ur and most other Mesopotamian cities were made of mud brick and as will be discussed in this report, mud brick may be an easier material to work with than stone but it also decays much quicker.


The same is true to a certain extent for the written documents that were produced at Ur. The people of Mesopotamia, which Ur was part of, employed the cuneiform system of writing; since cuneiform was almost always written on clay tablets, modern scholars have been forced with the unfortunate problem that many of those tablets have been broken and made unreadable throughout the centuries.


Despite the ephemeral nature of its monuments and to some extent its written texts, Ur proved to be an inspiration to the Sumerians who built the city and also to later cultures and dynasties that inhabited Mesopotamia. An examination of primary sources relating to Ur, as well as archaeological excavations done in the ancient city reveal that the city was a cultural beacon for thousands of years.


Ur began as a Sumerian city of secondary importance but quickly grew to be the most important Sumerian city. At its height Ur was the center of a great dynasty that controlled most of Mesopotamia directly through a well maintained army and bureaucracy and the areas that were not under its direct control were influenced by Ur’s diplomats and religious ideas. This study will also reveal that Ur was a truly resilient city because it survived the downfall of the Sumerians, outright destruction at the hands of the Elamites, and later occupations by numerous other peoples, which included Saddam Hussein more recently.


Ur inspired the imaginations of ancient peoples, but it has also enraptured the minds of moderns, who have worked for over 150 years to unlock the city’s mysteries. Truly, when it comes to important ancient cities, Ur should be counted among the greatest. Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital traces the history and legacy of one of the most influential cities of antiquity. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the history of Ur like never before, in no time at all.


https://amzn.to/2YIEebb

Where's the Mermaid?

A Mermazing Search-and-Find Adventure by Chuck Whelon. Available now from Pop Press.

Immerse yourself in the bright and beautiful world of mermaids...

Follow Meria, her mer-friends and Mer-Pug, and a host of colorful characters, on an global adventure to 16 detailed locations. From the Mer-King's birthday parade to an under-water rock concert via the circus, a sushi bar and a paradise beach, there are loads of fun scenes to explore.

This great book for all ages from 5 years+ 

When you get stuck, the answers are revealed on the last pages of the book, along with the mystery of the missing golden mer-treasures, and 101 other things to spot.

See more here: http://www.wheresthemermaid.com.

Happy Hunting!

The Great Death Pit of Ur

https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-asia/death-pit-of-ur-mesopotamia-0010297

Mars Needs Women

New design in my Redbubble store. I had a little break between jobs this week, and this was an idea that I've been kicking around for a while. I have ideas for a few more in this series, so let me know what you think.

See more here: https://www.redbubble.com/people/mrchuckles/works/32423819-mars-needs-women

Black Pudding #4

Black Pudding #4 is alive! Get yours today.

This issue features a 15 page OSR style play book. These are more-or-less the rules I have adopted for my own game. They harken back to older versions of the game, such as B/X, riffing on Labyrinth Lord, The Black Hack, and Swords & Wizardry... but with some "modernisms" such as ascending armor class.

Oh, and new classes to boot. And tons of meatshield NPCs. Boom.

You're invited...

Come to the book release party for the totally awesome, must-read, new comics antholugy: "Sci-Fi San Francisco" - this Saturday at Mission Comics & Art:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1975402312788148/

Celebrate the Bay Area’s deeply weird future with Sci-Fi San Francisco, a collection of comics about everything from secret societies to hyper-evolved kitty cats, from space travelers at the Legion of Honor to robots at Bay to Breakers, from genetic caste systems to social media private eyes. Come find out what the future (and alternate present) holds!

Sci-Fi San Francisco features a cover by the inimitable Chuck Whelon and 20 black-and-white comics, featuring the work of:

Storm Arcana, Walker Ricon, & Yabette Swank
Eli Bishop
Craig Campbell
Sean Chiki
Beth Dean
Danny Djeljosevic & Diana Naneva
Emma Dudley & John Mathis
Jamaica Dyer
Shaenon K. Garrity
Pete Glanting & Eric Wong
Steph Godfrey
Joe Hewitt
Cheryl Leong & Philip Lambert
Jackie Lo
Ed Luce
Karen Luk
Jonas Madden-Connor

 

Rumblings in the Old City

As I passed the storied towers of Ur I spied motion on a high terrace... some ancient wizard walked there among the ruins, sunlight glinting off his jeweled, conical hat. What does this sign mean? I will roll the bones and ask this question of powers beyond mortal realms.

The Tower of Ur

The Tower of Ur now stands a crumbling ruin. A shabby monument to the past glories of a greater age. A lone figure stands amidst the windswept remains, hooded against the elements. He takes out pen and parchment and scribbles a hasty note to tack on the wall, should any of his fellow wizards pass this way again in their travels. Good travels my friends, and may we meet again someday on the Shores of Imagination.

The Great Raven: Wizard Pickles - Guest Post From Chuck Whelon

I wrote a guest post on "The Great Raven", an Australian sci-fi & Book review blog, to blather on about myself and Wizard Pickles:



The Great Raven: Wizard Pickles - Guest Post From Chuck Whelon

Pewfell Issue #24 Released on DriveThruComics.com

Pewfell Issue #24 Released on DriveThruComics.com

What with making his monthly sales quotas and homeschooling his kids, Pewfell’s life is no longer his own. Could popular children’s entertainer Strangeblob NoPants be the answer to all his problems?

Pewfell Volume 05, Book 4, page 19

Pewfell Volume 05, Book 4, page 19

Monsters

I've been using traditional media lately. Typically I draw on the Wacom but lately I have felt the need to bust out my old tools. I have a lot of bristol that needs ink.

New Pewfell page postedPP05_Bk04_p17

PP05_Bk04_p17 | Planet Urf Entertainment

New Pewfell posted

From now on you can read all new Pewfell episodes first at my Patreon page. I'll be posting them there at least a month or two before I post them anywhere else:

http://www.patreon.com/Pewfell

The naked Chuck revealed in this bare-all interview: PEWFELL -- IF THEY WANT TO READ IT, THEY WILL COME « Comic Book and Movie Reviews

Just 30 hours left on the Pewfell Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whelon/pewfell-in-drain-of-chaos

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whelon/pewfell-in-drain-of-chaos

This week's new Pewfell is all about the politics of  homeschooling: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whelon/pewfell-in-drain-of-chaos/posts/1082401

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/whelon/pewfell-in-drain-of-chaos/posts/1082401