Process Video: 2023

A step-by-step process video showing the creation of Stan!'s homage to The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons

I adore Clint Cearley’s cover painting for The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons. It is at the same time a perfect distillation of what goes on in many D&D campaigns—mixing the monumental and the mortal, the ancient and the modern, the esoteric and the homespun all in one image. I’m not sure whether I’d rather hear what the silver dragon is telling that … elf?… halfling?… human?… or have a cup of the tea they’re sharing.

Given how pared back the publishing schedule is for Wizards of the Coast these days, they’re only likely to make room on it for charming “side trek” books like this in the liminal period when a new set of core books is being developed. It’s the perfect product for such a time—offering material that expands the lore of D&D without being tied to one edition or another. The Practically Complete Guide to Dragons is just as useful in ANY edition of D&D … or, indeed, any fantasy TTRPG from any publisher.

Subscribers to this newsletter got to see this drawing early, whereas the general public are only just getting their first glimpses of it today. But there’s still something left that’s JUST for the paid subscribers—a process video showing the step-by-step creation of this cartoon homage. (If you’re currently a free subscriber, now would be a great time to upgrade.)