Off Topic: Heavy Traffic

Since the subject has come up I wanted to share some of the blog's traffic stats from Sitemeter. Click through for the higher-res version.



This month is on track to be a record breaker for Propnomicon, thanks to the combination of a mysterious burst of traffic that started about six weeks ago and my shilling the latest run of Miskatonic loot. Record breaking, in this case, being relative. Believe me, I'm overjoyed at the thought of having 3000 visitors in a single month, particularly when compared to the 37 I had for all of April 2008.

I know more mainstream sites with those numbers would be weeping and gnashing their teeth, but for an ultra-niche blog like this it's all gravy. My whole schtick is about making and sharing cool props with people that appreciate them and, hopefully, helping people make their own. Having an audience, no matter what it's size, is secondary to that idea. I'm glad people keep coming back, but I'm even happier when they drop me an email saying they used a prop document from the blog or finally got around to making some props of their own. It's the "making" that matters, not the viewing.

Update: Here's a look at the site's traffic stats up until the last day of July, 2009.

Trash To Treasure

Chris Bartlett is a very talented artist and costumer known primarily for his work recreating the costumes of Star Wars. But he also bangs out some impressive side projects, like this ancient artifact built from bits and bobs about the house:



He's posted a full tutorial on Flickr that features a detailed look at it's construction and tips for making your own.

I knew I should have bought that hamster ball at the Goodwill shop yesterday.

The Necronomicon: Ustino Edition

Venetian artist and bookbinder Dario Ustino appears to have done something that I thought was close to impossible: produce a full prop version of the Necronomicon. I might quibble about some of the details, but the level of craftsmanship and dedication required to produce work like this is astonishing.



I love the use of traditional occult imagery here on the cover, but I think the gold title is a bit overpowering. The weathering on the leather is wonderful.



More masterful distressing. Not too much, not too little, just right.



I think this close-up reveals some of the details of how the weathering was done. From the look of that sinuous brown stain on the right I'd guess that he used the soot and flame from a lit candle to create it. The pattern of wear on the left looks like a rag saturated with charcoal dust was rubbed over the paper and then the excess wiped away. I love how both approaches brought out the texture of the handmade paper.



Another figure decorates the back cover. The layered leather approach is something I would never have thought of, but I like how it looks.

Based on the prices for the traditionally rebound books Mr. Ustino sells on the linked page I can only imagine how much this Necronomicon would sell for. The hours of labor required to detail each and every page boggles the mind.

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall

Rev. Marx has a handy tutorial up on etching glass. Just the thing for the cultist with a DIY streak.

The End

Well, the end is in sight.

In August of last year I came back to pen and paper gaming after a long absence to be part of a group running through Chaosium's "Beyond the Mountains of Madness". We'll be having our final session in two weeks time, but my part of the journey is over. It ended in an ancient city high upon the Antarctic plateau, where I, like hundreds or thousands of others over the years, was forced to make a difficult choice. If you've made the same journey, you'll know what I mean when I say that that I did the right thing for the greater good.

After hearing how great BTMOM was for years I finally learned the truth for myself. What an incredible, memorable experience. Yes, it has it's flaws, but it also has a truly epic climax that more than justifies the praise it's received.

My experience creating props based on "At the Mountains of Madness" has been running parallel to running through BTMOM, and it too is coming to a close. Last year I produced my first run of 100 patches for the Miskatonic Antarctic expedition and they sold out in a week. Since then I've been producing a pretty steady stream of material and I think I'm close to having every major item mentioned or implied in the story covered.

Miskatonic University expedition patch? Check.

Photographs salvaged from the ruins of the Lake encampment? Check.

Drawings made by Danforth and Dyer as they explored the Elder Thing city? Check, check, check, and check.

Operational diagram of Pabodie's revolutionary drilling rig? Check.

Dyer's pilot's license? Check.

Manual mock-up for the expedition's Dornier-Wal aircraft? Check.

Large-scale, period map of Antarctica? That was going to be my follow up project to the initial run of patches, but as I explained over here there just wouldn't be enough demand to justify the cost of the print run. Even that isn't a major gap, since the link provides information on how to purchase a very reasonably priced copy of the 1922 Bartholomew map mine was based on.

Is there anything else I've missed? The only thing I'm aware of is one of the Elder Thing's soapstone starstones. I'm planning on making one for myself to fill out the "From the Mountains of Madness" case, but that's the kind of project that anyone with a little time and some Sculpey can whip up.

If you can think of anything, particularly paper props, please leave a comment and I'll see about rustling something up.

Oh, and one last thing.

In Memoriam...

Richard Allen DeVost
1902-1934

At the bottom of the world
he gave his all
for the greater good.

For The Well Equipped Vampire Hunter

Another "authentic" vampire hunting kit recently popped up on Ebay. I liked the overall presentation, and the use of something other than an old flatware case to hold everything, but I was stunned when it sold for for an unbelievable $3000. Here are some pictures of the kit. Just click through for the full sized versions.

The Dyer Sketches- The Walls

Here's a look at the final Dyer sketch I've commissioned- Lake and Danforth examining the carvings on the walls of the Elder Thing city.



Once again, Danny Cruz has outdone himself. I've commissioned artwork in the past and had some less-than-optimal experiences, but dealing with him on this project has been an absolute joy. The quality of his artwork speaks for itself, he has consistently come up with clever visual solutions for solving my sometimes vague editorial suggestions, and he's been exceedingly polite and prompt in all our dealings. Based on my experiences working with him I sincerely hope that his artwork will grace more than a few of Chaosium's "Call of Cthulhu" projects in the future.