It's in the Cards

While most of what I post involves tabletop games, I also enjoy playing a variety of board and card games. One of these is Fantasy Flight's Arkham Horror LCG. Something I like about the game is its high-quality card art- I make a point of checking out all the art as I play, although I never anticipated that I would recognize one of the locations...

Since I was a child, my family has vacationed in the North Georgia mountains, mostly around Helen GA, and Unicoi State Park. This continues a tradition that has been ongoing since my mother was a child. When we go, we always make sure to visit the Old Sautee Store, an old country store in the small town of Sautee. The store is known for its troll statue, which currently resides on the store's counter. Somewhere I even have a picture of myself, at the tender age of nine months, with the troll.

About six months ago, I was playing the Blood on the Altar mythos pack, and noticed, on the Osborn's General Store card, a very familiar troll! I was intrigued, and decided to find out more about the artist, one Mark Molnar. He is a self-described illustrator and concept artist based out of Budapest, and does excellent work in both fields. I emailed him to find out if the troll was an intentional reference, and received a prompt response-

"Yes, it was absolutely intentional.
I used the Old Sautee store as my main reference for that illustration, as I felt it resembles perfectly, what a place like this should look like - or looked like in the '20s. (...) When I got the assignment for this card, I started to do a research, this is what I do before starting any illustration. During my research I just stumbled into one photo about the store on Pinterest I think and I instantly felt that this is what I am looking for. After that I specifically searched more references about this actual store and used them as an inspiration / general direction to paint the picture for the card."

I'll actually do something similar with my miniatures- a lot of my inspiration comes from other sources. For example, my sig figure-

-is inspired by Tom Baker's outfit as the Fourth Doctor Who!

Later, a couple of weeks before Christmas, I had the opportunity to take the card to the Old Sautee Store itself. I showed it to the owner and his son. They were very interested in the card, and were able, at a glance, to identify other features of the store in the many details of the illustrations. Oddly enough, the son's daughter had just written a school report on Lovecraft's poetry. I sent the above picture to Mark Molnar, who replied-

"Oh wow, that's great to hear and awesome image with the troll!
Please let them know I am an absolute fan of their shop and I find the atmosphere they created really inspiring and unique."

It's been fascinating getting to see just how much goes into a single card- and I have hundreds! I wonder how many more stories like this there are, waiting to be told...

Cthulhu Fhatgn

That which is not dead can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die...

H. P. Lovecraft

My last post has stirred him in his sleep, and now he emerges-

Cthulhu!

Investigators of the Uncanny

The Victorian era saw great advancements in technology and science as humanity multiplied across the globe. With such great upheavals, and the exploration of hitherto forgotten regions, things began to stir from long slumber, and take notice of man. Most who were unlucky enough to encounter these terrors shunned them, and spent the rest of their lives trying to forget their existence. Others, however, saw the great risk posed by these creatures, and sought them out to protect the rest of humanity, including Dr. Hesselius, Sherlock Holmes, Carnacki the Ghost Hunter and the newly created Torchwood Institute. Lesser known among these brave souls was Thomas Cooke, professor of archaeology at Glasgow University, and his assistant Una MacDonnal.

Prof. Cooke, originally from Somerset, became well known as an archaeologist during excavations in Mesopotamia, and was hailed for his meticulous craft while still a young man. However, after discovering the buried ziggurat of Anu, he suffered a strange breakdown, and vanished for several years. He reappeared strangely aged, although exhibiting the same sharp mind and insight, and soon accepted Glasgow's offered professorship.

Professor Cooke, Reaper's Benedict Baker, is a great looking miniature, and I had fun adding lots of detail to his clothes, including a Cthulhu pattern on the waistcoat. He holds the Fool card from the Tarot pack featured in Charles Williams' novel The Greater Trumps.

Ms. MacDonnal, a medical student at Anderson's College, assists the Professor on many of his investigations. She hails from the Outer Hebrides, and her knowledge of both farm life and folklore is a boon to Cooke, who is often impatient dealing with the people around him.

Originally intended as Pathfinder witch Nella Cailean, the miniature painted up well as Ms. MacDonnal, the less historical leather pouches at her waist serving well as a medical kit. She had a cat, who was playing with the feather in her hand that I have yet to paint. The shoulder cape is painted in the ancient Donald tartan.

This was a really fun and different project to work on, and I enjoyed writing the background to their investigations. Having the ability to create a story around each model, and then watching it unfold, is what really appeals to me about both tabletop and RPG gaming, and I love to blur the lines between the two!