CRY DARK FUTURE - Artists Wanted!

Last night, my wife was drawing some comparisons between my son and I, to which I said, “Look, he’s two years old, and I’m 39…I think I’ve got a few years on him.” And she replied, “You’re turning 40 this year?!”

Yes. Yes I am.

And THEN she asked what I wanted special for my fortieth birthday…and after about ten seconds of deliberation I decided I actually did have something that I wanted: to publish two new books. I want to be able to say I’ve published four books/games by the time I hit 40…one book for each decade I’ve been hanging around this planet. Of course, my past track record suggests my ability to actually meet my own deadlines (I turn 40 in November) is ZERO, so it would appear I’ve set myself up for failure and disappointment. But we all need goals, right? Goals are good things.

So yeah, the two books I’ve got in mind are 5AK (my “D&D Mine” project) and CDF. CDF’s just about ready to go…except that I still need interior artwork.

Here comes the begging.

CRY DARK FUTURE (CDF) is a role-playing game that gives you the opportunity to take on the persona of a covert adventurer in the imaginary future…a future filled with magic and fantasy as well as cyborgs and automatic weapons. Whether you choose to play an idealistic hero or a sociopathic scumbag is entirely up to you; the game provides you with the tools you need to try either path. And once your character retires in style or goes down in a bloody hail of bullets, you can create a new persona and try playing from the other side of the fence…if it suits your fancy.

That’s part of the blurb from the back cover. Here’s the front cover:

 What I need now is interior artwork. I’m looking for BLACK & WHITE drawings that depicts the setting of my Dark Mythic Future…a setting that’s equal parts Cyberpunk and B/X D&D. If you are a decent artist and like to doodle things like elvish cyborgs or goblins with machine guns or Blade Runner like city-scapes…well, I’d sure like to include your work in my book. If you’re interested in contributing, you can email me at:

bxblackrazor AT gmail DOT com

Here’s the standard offer: you send me your own, original B&W pieces (jpegs work best). You get full credit in the book and retain the rights to your own artwork. Compensation is slim: if I use three or more of your illustrations, I will send you a copy of the finished product, free of charge. Right now, I’m expecting the book will retail at $30-35 plus shipping and handling, so you’ll have to be the judge of whether or not your time and efforts are worth it.

If you require actual MONETARY compensation, and I really like your work, we may be able to come to a financial arrangement instead…that is to say I’m open to the idea. But payment will only be made upon receipt of the actual artwork.

Oh, yeah…and space is limited. The book is going to clock in at about 80 pages (soft cover), so were probably only talking about 18-24 pieces, depending on the size. Originally, the book was written as a 64 page masterpiece, but I’ve decided to increase the font size and leave space for more than three illos, so there.

If you’re interested in submitting artwork, EMAIL ME. If you’re interested but need ideas for subject matter, email me. If you have doodles just lying around that you want to “throw in the mix,” just scan ‘em and email me. If you’re an artist and think it would be cool to see your work in a book but don’t know if your stuff is “good enough” just email me…the worst thing that could happen is I won’t use your art (and you can still sell it to someone else).

Thanks, folks. Looking forward to getting this project completed.

[by the way, regarding DEADLINES: if you ARE interested in doing artwork, I’d really like it within the next two to three months (i.e. by June) so that I can get everything formatted and laid out and to the printer, etc. before the end of summer. I AM working on a second game, after all, so I need time to do BOTH if I’m going to make my November due date. Thanks, again]