#Vrusk

[scribblingsorsomething]

Cover artwork I created for Issue #35 of Frontier Explorer, a free zine for the Star Frontiers rpg. A dralasite and a vrusk take on a large swamp creature.

#star frontiers #vrusk #dralasite #swamp #monster #alien #creature #creature design #science fiction #sci fi art #sci fi & fantasy #frontier explorer #illustration #digital illustration #zine #my artwork

[chronivore]

#rastipede #vrusk #spelljammer #star frontiers

[fatalled]

WITHER & BESPOKE // @vrusk

"Are you sure? I don't mean to question you or your decisions. I would be lost if you asked me the difference between the weight of threads. You hear this all the time, darling, I'm sure, but ... a night to remember, a night to never forget, so on and so forth." Hadrian laughs softly, easy. Not often does he put work away in favor of — what did that silly boy call it? — fun but even if Virgil was pressed with his phone ringing and ringing and ringing.

#[ wither : threads. ] #[ wither : bespoke. ] #silly boy in question is a 35 y/o man #u may know him? sick freak. #also himiko and reyhan can't get appointments bc hadrian is already there .... <3 snooze u lose besties <3 #[ event 001. ]

[herbrokenmelodies]

Long Time No See, Friend who: Himiko & Virgil @vrusk where: Abyss Night Club

Quiet nights at Abyss were not at all a common thing. Quiet times, however, were all the range. There was something oddly calming about the quiet for the storm before the world came flooding in. Himiko liked to think of it like watching the start of the rain, a few small drops trickled down before the downpour came rushing down. At the moment, the Abyss was witnessing the starts of a drizzle as small parties began to wash in grabbing a few drinks and claiming booths: some for the short stay whilst others were setting up for a long night.

Himiko sat in VIP, nursing a Pina Colada enjoying a moment of peace as she watched over her kingdom. Abyss, was hers. But it was more than that. The Abyss was the place were she made most of her connections. Some of her closest friends. Tonight, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of Nostalgia. Those were the nights where the real magic happens. Almost as if her thought came to fruition, she spots Virgil in the crowd. He wasn't hard to spot when he just had a flawless radiance about him. It had been a while since he had last frequented the nightclub. She'd stalk his social media to check on him, respecting his distance knowing well enough if people wanted to share anything with her, they could.

She approached him through the crowd toning down her energy slightly. "My, my stranger hasn't it been a hot minute since I've seen your flawless face around her," Himiko greets him with open arms,"It's good to see you, truly! How have you been." Her voice deeps with sincerity though does not allow herself to be over compensating. She quickly perks up clapping her hands together,"How about some drinks and the VIP section or...maybe we could catch up in one of the private rooms at the back? All one me?"

#ft.virgil #long time no see friend

[empire-of-thieves]

Spelljammer 5e Review

I bought the boxed set for the new Spelljammer 5e product from WotC and here are my thoughts:

The set consists of three skinny books and a GM's screen inside a display box. The books are the Astral Adventurer's Guide, kind of a Player's Handbook for space-based adventures. Next there is Boo's Astral Menagerie, a book of monsters. The third book is an adventure called Light of Xaryxis.

The books are beautifully illustrated and contain mostly classic material for a very familiar feel. There are "new" PC races that are basically rehashed from 1982-era Star Frontiers. A blob race (Dralisites from SF), a flying monkey race (Yazirians), and an insectoid race that is basically a rehashed Thri Krin (called Vrusk in SF). Good on them for reviving parts of that classic game.

There is a race featured in Spelljammer before, the hippo race of Giff. There is also a mechanical race called Autognomes as well as a race of space elves. I did find the book very skinny. 64 pages -- come on. There were only 2 new backgrounds, 2 new spells, 3 new magic items, and no subclasses.

The rest of the Adventurer's Guide includes rules on spacefaring, descriptions of the various classic ships (pretty much the same as the original SJ boxed set) and coverage of a single space location, the Rock of Bral.

Next up, the monster book. This one again had only 64 pages. Some were NPC variants of astral elves, giff, the Star Frontiers races, and so on. Along with a fun variety of bad guys. While I grumble at such a small book, I did appreciate the high quality of these monsters.

The adventure book (also 64 pages) consists of a 12-chapter quest for 5th level characters, who reach 8th level at the conclusion.

Overall I liked the Spelljammer boxed set. It's beautiful, with great full color illustrations throughout. A bunch of it was rehashed and a lot of stuff is missing. Did the GM screen add a lot of value? Maybe some, but I would have rather have 20 more pages of character options -- feats? more spells? subclasses? More backgrounds?

#d&d 5e #dnd5e #spelljammer

[retrocausalities]

échappés.

closed starter ft. @vrusk

setting: the ritz-carlton hotel, nyc.

timeframe: december 1st, 2023 / ~9:00 pm

summary: after their distraught encounter with himiko, reyhan rushes to the restroom to cope with the tragedy...

content warnings: a certified ""bitchfit"" moment.

White-knuckling the restroom sink in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Reyhan stares at their rumpled visage. Tear tracks glisten, dewed by the warm mood lighting. The dancer coughs, the wretched sound echoing to camouflage a whine pressed against their throat, a dagger to their breaths.

How on earth did they revert back to el patito feo? The youthful face collapses further, scrunching into a wrinkled ball. They shake. There is no December cold, but their bones hurt.

This awful sinking feeling is back. Had they never broken through this horrid shell referred to as adolescence? Was the emancipation from the first molt of their youth not enough for them to spread their wings and soar undeterred? Are they just nothing more than a spoiled brat?

...No. They won’t control Reyhan. No longer, no way, nobody, nothing. It’s everyone else who is wrong.

“I’m gonna ruin that adjunct professor-philosopher-librarian-hippie’s life for daring to show me up at this ball until my dying breath,” Reyhan avows, their double in the mirror baring their teeth as they spit their vengeance into the sink.

Then the door rattles, and Reyhan darts their gaze, still poison-slicked, throwing them like knives to whoever is incoming — and quickly, ashamedly, drop them. Hurriedly, they turn on the tap, wash their hands, and clear their throat.

“I didn’t know you had RSVP’d, Virgil. Fancying the ball so far?” Reyhan says over the thundering of water and their tremulant heart. They hadn't pictured seeing their paisan of paisans, especially not a scene like this.

#— reyhan. #— reyhan. ( threads ) #— reyhan. ( virgil ) #— threads. #— event. #— event. ( 001 ) #( thank you for your patience 😳 )

[mincedoaths]

i sit in the ashes of the disaster that you've made. do i haunt you the same way you haunt me?

closed for @vrusk [ tw panic attack, body horror, gore, blood, death, mentions of vomit, cancer as an metaphor ]

For all of humanity’s countless hours fantasizing about immortality, the grim reality was that there was no glory to be found in rebirth. Or rather, no realism in the delusion that people could walk away from the ashes of their own demise completely unmarred. Because even if all the physical traces of dying could be healed, the scars of the mind festered—heavy like an inoperable tumor resting on the brain stem; like a blade ready to fall upon a bowing head and yielding flesh. And through memory’s fallibly, the hellish memory of death would only continue to be replayed over and over in an endless loop; snowballing until the terror of it followed like a loyal dog at one’s heels, ready to bite the hand that fed it at a moment’s notice. So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise when dread pounced on Amar in the split second that he had spotted the person he was looking for; its teeth clamping down around his throat like a hungry beast, its poisonous miasma spread down his neck, shoulders, spine, arms, legs like talons following the path of scars that existed only in his nightmarish recollections.

Beads of sweat collected at his temples, and something primal in his core screamed for him to run as his vision zeroed in on Virgil Rusk. But he felt rooted to the ground, frozen solid like he was back in the depths of the Hudson River, unable to look away from the person—no, the thing that had ruined his life. The thundering sound of his heartbeat in his ears defended him as the memories from that night were brought to the forefront of his mind; snapshots of parts of him splattered across the rooftops and streets, the people who could only watch him helpless in the jaws of that monster. Of the shock of getting knocked down a peg in the food chain, suddenly an animal just like any other, completely at the mercy of the predator eating him alive as he fought in vain to escape; a victim of the cruelty of his own regenerative ability that ripped him away for the sweet relief of oblivion.  Fighting back the bile rising at the back of his throat, he swallowed with great difficulty. He had to get it together and focus on the task at hand; on the crumpled invitation clutched in his fingers that was digging into his palm. “ Did you get one of these? ” Amar rasped, banishing the invitation like a weapon. The question was more like an accusation, venom dripping from every word. “ Don’t tell me you’re planning on going. Surely even you have the tiniest shred of decency and want to avoid another disaster. ”

#`'~phoenix~'` #`'~featuring: bespoke`'~ #( don't worry about matching length i just felt wacky zany ! )

[oldschoolfrp]

A Yazirian, a Dralasite, two humans, and a Vrusk walk into a bar (“Knight Hawks” by Jim Burns, from the world of TSR’s Star Frontiers, Imagine magazine, September 1984)

#Star Frontiers #Knight Hawks #Jim Burns #spaceship #sci fi #Imagine magazine #Dralasite #Vrusk #Yazirian #TSR UK #TSR

[aaronobrian]

Star Frontiers illustration for the Frontier Explorer magazine. Scene of a human patrol being ambushed by Sathars.

#starfrontiers #TabletopRPG #rpg #vintagerpg #ttrpg #dnd #TSR #sciencefiction #scifiart #vrusk #Yazarian #dralasite #sathar

[justindrawscomics]

Another of my favorite aliens. #vrusk #starfrontiers #rpg https://www.instagram.com/p/B6tt8UXhZHC/?igshid=rkb4cfn20kmk

#vrusk #starfrontiers #rpg

[derviann]

A full page, for a comic based upon the premise of a #Starfrontiers #colonyship crash landing on a fantasy planet with no way off they adapt. #Anotherskip #dralasite #vrusk #fantasyartist #fantasyart #artistsofinstagram #artwork #myartstyle🎨 #myartwork #artistsoninstagram #art_spotlight https://www.instagram.com/p/BtcokqhDbIk/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=14ra9bgy28d6v

#starfrontiers #colonyship #anotherskip #dralasite #vrusk #fantasyartist #fantasyart #artistsofinstagram #artwork #myartstyle🎨 #myartwork #artistsoninstagram #art_spotlight

[vintagerpg]

A couple years later, in 1983, Star Frontiers was re-issued in screaming magenta with the subtitle Alpha Dawn. Many things I have read suggest that Alpha Dawn is an expanded version of the original rules, but I’ll be damned if I can find any differences. Likewise, Lawrence Schick says in Heroic Worlds that Alpha Dawn was simplified for younger audiences but not playtested, making it a bit of a mess, but I don’t really see that either.

Anyway, let’s talk about Larry Elmore’s fantastic cover for a second (which, admittedly, you can see more fully in its glory in yesterday’s post).  I love love love this painting – it is probably the most iconic non-D&D piece of art TSR produced, and it stands its ground against a lot of the D&D art too, I think. I love that the dude looks basically like a Televiper from GI Joe, I love the fringe on the lady’s boots (so 80s) and I love whatever that monkey thing is (more on that in a second). It totally sells the drama and danger of being marooned on a strange planet. **chef’s kiss**

Star Frontier’s humans are cool, fairly obviously from Earth at some point (though that is never outright stated and they can live to be 200), but the game never explicitly says so either, which I like. There is something delightful about seeing recognizable cultural stuff from our world in a Star Wars-y setting (like the Scottish guy in tomorrow’s post) that gives me major Wing Commander vibes.

My favorite thing about Star Frontiers (and any sci-fi thing), though, is the aliens. The playable ones are WEIRD. Vrusk are long-bodied, insectoid capitalists, Dralasites are basically giant sentient amoebas with weird senses of humor and Yazirians are these maniac gliding apes. And the villains, the mysterious Sathar, are weird, buff worm creatures that occasionally ride dinosaurs. All of them make a distinct contrast to pretty much every humanoid-centric sci-fi thing of the period (and a lot after) and I love it.

Fun fact: all four alien species appeared with different names and modified abilities in Spelljammer!

#RPG #TTRPG #Tabletop RPG #Roleplaying Game #D&D #dungeons & dragons #Star Frontiers #Space Opera #Alpha Dawn #Larry Elmore

[chronivore]

Spelljammer - Rastipede

#Spelljammer #rastipede #vrusk #insect folk

[fatalled]

@vrusk // [ legion & bespoke. ]

Abraham checks their watch, the glass face cracked neatly down the middle with a single splinter that made it hard to if the minute hand was ten past or fifteen. Time blurs much too easily if you're not watching it. They keep this watch for that particular reminder. In any case, as hardworking and addicted to that hard work as these younger agents are — Abraham preferred to spend these ever increasing nights away from Cerberus.

However, not before they do their rounds.

Abraham, hands in their pocket, pokes their head into rooms as they head out, just to make sure the agents within are on their best behavior — and if they aren't, what did Abraham need to do to help them either get back on track or hide whatever it is that's been dug up. Heading home? Getting ready to head out? You need your sleep, don't forget about that. Maybe give yourself another hour and then make it tomorrow's problem. I'll pretend I didn't hear that, Raphael.

They knock on the door just seconds before it opens and quickly step back before anyone knocks into anyone else. Too many agents have been running into doors lately.

"Ah. Virgil." The smile is genuine, easy. "You heading home? They got you here late?"

#[ legion : threads. ] #[ legion : bespoke. ] #// dad friend.

[das-coven]

Un lointain futur, près du centre d'une galaxie spirale, une race humaine proche de notre race terrienne s'est développée. La découverte des particules pi-tachyon, particules se déplaçant plus vite que la lumière leur permit d'envoyer des signes de leur présence vers les étoiles les plus proches.

Rapidement, les humains comprirent qu'ils n'étaient pas seuls dans la galaxie. Deux autres races intelligentes les Vrusks, créatures inventives à l'apparence d'insectes et les Dralasites à la morphologie changeante, communiquaient déjà depuis quelques années. Les échanges d'informations technologiques permirent aux humains de développer leurs premiers vaisseaux interstellaires. Les trois races se rencontrèrent dans une portion de l'espace qui fut baptisée l'Union. Une autre race intelligente, les Yaziriens se joignit à eux. La Corporation Pan Galactique (la CPG), une compagnie interstellaire fut créée pour subvenir aux besoins des mondes de l'Union. D'autres compagnies furent également crées sans toutefois égaler la grandeur de la CPG.

[doctorslippery]

Benedikt Noir 

The workshop was noisy. Some 'bot was cutting up scrap in a shower of sparks, and a burly Dralasite was standing with his broad back to us, busily banging a spanner on a piece of electronics. Somewhere in the back, a Vrusk with a bad case of grayscale was rummaging through a chaos of small parts. I coughed loudly to get someone's attention, but to no avail. "Hey, monkey." Somebody kicked my shin. I turned around to see a somewhat smaller bud (that's a juvenile Dral for those of you who aren't around blobs often), pale gray, with a lurid Methane Lakers cap perched atop xir head. "Monkey yourself, kid" I replied. "What do you want?" "Care to buy a chronocom, genuine Streel make? Dirt cheap." Xe held up a cracked toy chrono with a garish pink plastic casing. I had to suppress a smile. "Go away, you little brat." "So you're going to buy it if that makes me go away, beanstalk?" "Stole it somewhere? Nah, it's a fake, more likely. Do I look stupid, kiddo?" The kid gave me an impudent stare. "Yeah, from the look of you, you're a really easy mark." "Easy is what your mom is, bud." The whole shop fell silent. The mangy Vrusk stopped sorting, her hand hovering in mid-air still holding a rusty screw. Even the oblivious 'bot chose that moment to stop the screeching cutter. The large Dral turned around slowly. He grabbed a piece of heavy piping and advanced threateningly towards me. The bud kicked me in the shin again, this time almost apologetically. "In case you don't know, he is my mom, meatbag."