Adobe Creative Residency Just Wandering Proposal

Adobe Creative Residency role-playing card game fantasy

"Fantasy is an exercise bicycle for the mind. It might not take you anywhere, but it tones up the muscles that can."

- Terry Pratchett

While considering an idea for the Adobe Residency Project, I was immediately drawn to the game that has been taking shape in the back of my head for some months now. Below I will describe my inspirations, goals and means of the project, as well as show relevant examples of my previous work and discuss the initial mechanics of the game I wish to create during Adobe Residency.

In short ...

Just Wandering is a role-playing card game which challenges the players to use their imagination in an interactive story-telling adventure. It encourages creativity and logical thinking and can be as complex as you want it to be.

GOALS

to accomplish

ADOBE PRODUCTS

to facilitate the project

The bulk of my work will be created in Adobe Photoshop, supported by vector graphics developed in Adobe Illustrator. The packaging and rules will be assembled in InDesign and I hope to use Adobe Premier to document my work in video format.
I collage traditionally drawn and painted materials using a process inspired by Photoshop’s layers. Apart from cards, I hope to present my research finding in form of infographics with hand-drawn typography.

User Journey

How does this work

1. Character Set-up

Game starts by players choosing their character cards. The cards give them an idea about what their character looks like. They each pick up 3 characteristics cards, which can reveal bits of their story (e.g. “Travelled for many years searching for their destiny”), features of character (e.g. “always speaks their mind”) and a prized possession (e.g. “never parts ways with their pet cat”).

Character cards will include 12 Personal "Brand" archetypes, for both female and male players as well as additional genderless players. Altogether 27-30 character cards.

Archetypes include:

1. Caregiver

2. Ruler

3. Creator

4. Hero

5. Magician

6. Outlaw

7. Everyman

8. Jester

9. Lover

10. Explorer

11. Sage

12. Innocent

Below is an example of a male hero card with his characteristics.

2. Character Intro

Characters introduce themselves, telling the other players about their background.

3. Story intro

The person playing the role of the Game Master chooses an introduction card, e.g. “You found yourself in a dark attic. There is a note which reads: “There is more than one.” You hear a loud thud outside. What do you do?”

They also pick a card with the title of the story. It gives the players an idea of how to tackle the presented problem or what activities should take place in the narration.

Number of cards to be decided.

4. How the story goes on

Each character takes turns telling the story from their point of view.

To fire up imagination, characters pick up 5 cards which they can use at any point during their play. These can include characters, objects, potions, etc. Below, you can see examples of the cards, e.g. a character can tame a beautiful horse or come across a Helmet that had a particularly bad day.

On the other hand, the Game Master can put a particular object or companion on the path of the adventurers, like the regular-looking but fairly suspicious bush or a totally ordinary Night Terror.

Additionally, Gamemaster can choose to “attack” or interact with the players by choosing one of the “encounter” Rorschach cards with a little blurb which the players can interpret to fit their situation in a particular way.

Encounter Cards

Let the mind decide

Rorschach inspired cards aim to give the users an opportunity to guess what's coming for them. It might after all be a good thing. The Game Master takes on the role of the encountered creature or object and interacts with the players.

I wanted to create this type of visuals to study the connection between colours, shapes and pattern-recognition.

Further concepts could include exploration in mixing ink blots with patterns and colours.

5. When the adventure ends

The story ends when the problem is solved. A new introduction card can be grabbed and the game restarts. Characters can pick up new player cards or stick to their older ones for continued adventure.

To be developed: additional modes of interaction and story diversion, e.g. found treasure, potions, plot twist cards ("You discovered that one of the adventurers hasn't been telling the whole truth"), etc.

Inspiration

Research and Interests

Below I'd like to present some of the artist that inspired me to work on the Just Wandering project.

Mentors

My mentors include Mark Smith and Sterling Hundley, both of whom I had a chance to meet during my time at Ringling College. Even though their styles are completely different, they take a similar approach to ideation. They stick to their methods but always manage to find a fresh visual puzzle for the viewers. Even though, Mark's work is clearly more digital, they both connect their work to traditional techniques, using textures and deliberate brushstrokes.

1 - 2 Sterling Hundley

3 - 4 Mark Smith

cards

For this project I will study the art of playing cards throughout the ages.
I want to replicate the balance between figures and geometrical forms, colour usage and clarity. Cards can offer an entire story on a small piece of paper. Similarly, Tarot offers hidden meanings and mysteries, available only to those who can read them. I want to create this sense of mystery and openendedness in my cards.

From traditional playing cards (1), through Crowley's (2) and Waite's (3) Tarot cards to modern interpretation by Bioware Concept Artist Doe (4).

Past Work

What am I Building On

Heart of Darkness

Below is my entry for the Folio Society and House of Illustration competition. I designed a binding and illustrated three scenes from Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. I exhibited this series as my final thesis at Ringling College of Art and Design.

My design was selected as one of 6 short-listed finalists for this competition and to this date I consider it one of the most successful and influential projects I have created. I also feel emotionally connected to the book itself and its author - a Polish immigrant, much like myself.

In terms of style, I experimented in subtleties of ink contrast and watercolor textures. The goal was to create a nearly literal but eerie scenes, where the viewer is confronted with the symbol and encouraged to search for their own meaning.

Meawhile Comic

A personal two-page comic about love and betrayal. Inspired by a Stephen King short story: Hearts are broken - People turn into beasts. Done as a part of the Meanwhile anthology at Ringling College under the supervision of George Pratt, Joe Thiel, Octavio Perez, Gary Barker and Caleb Prochnow.

I had the privilege of having the comic accepted into Spectrum 21: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art.
In terms of personal development, I had a chance to create narrative work. The theme was still symbolic but the format allowed a different delivery of information, which made me more interested in continuity in artwork.

Every Fox is a rabid fox by Harry Gallon
SEALED by Naomi Booth
Hollow Shores by Gary Budden

This is my newest published project. Three book covers for three amazing novels by young writers for Dead Ink Books Publishing.
The subject matter of each book was quite different, but they were connected by a theme of mystery. The idea was to encourage the reader to start connecting the dots from the first glance at the cover. In terms of style, I pushed myself to use a more sophisticated colour palette and incorporate more experimental brush-strokes, expanding my texture vocabulary.

In the case of Every Fox is a Rabid Fox, I wanted to show a theme of destruction and death, while puzzling the viewer with the subject matter.

Due to its sensitive subject, work on Sealed required delicacy and elegance, while still keeping the theme of horror. I wanted to hide certain elements to have the reader do the deciphering.

Perhaps the most obvious composition, Hollow Shores, aimed to create a contrast between small and large, physical and imagined. I wanted the elements to sit well together, on the edge of reality and fantasy.

Long term goal

What residency can help me achieve

I want to use this as a first opportunity to create a large body of work under a unified idea. In making work time-lapses, I intend to find a process and fine-tune the details to make my work faster and more efficient. I want to have an opportunity to share my work with people and see them interact with it, offering me a valuable feedback on which parts of my process are redundant.

In the long run, I hope to gain confidence for future freelance work, develop a process for generating ideas and sticking to a schedule.

This opportunity would give me the courage to do what I love for a living.