Slug Wizard III: Winners

Summer has gone, fall is here, and it’s time to honor the winners of Slug Wizard III: Hunted.

There were thirty-two wonderful entries this year. I wanted to award more than three (I had trouble enough stopping at four!), but I want to congratulate each and every one of you for completing your projects and taking the time to send me images. I hope you all enjoy looking at all the wonderful work as much as I do. The full gallery has been posted but I felt it only right to publish a post specifically to exhibit the winners.

Read on and be inspired…

Honorable Mention: Gilby – @warhamandpaint

From the creator:

“Headshot Herb is a sentient lettuce with the body of a man who is seeking revenge. Slug wizards ate his lettuce family and he is the only survivor. He carries a big gun which he loads with salt from a salt shaker he carries on his back. He stands in front of the remains of an expired lettuce. I’m not sure why he is wearing a ripped shirt and pants and boots but it made sense at the time. One hand is a root, which he uses to inspect the slug slime on the expired lettuce leaf!”

Who doesn’t love the story of prey becoming predator? And the banner’s reference to Warhammer is just too good to miss.

3rd Place: Arlo S. – @arlo.artistry

From the creator:

“The two slug wizards [are] Arch-Mage Limaxpurgat the Mucilaginous (right) and Gigewaxlain, Fodder Priest of The Blemished Bastion. The duo are casually conferring to each other about the gurgling Slugwrens (Limaxpurgat’s wizard staff can’t stop itself from chiming in), unaware that a phalanx of Squid Gnomes are silently tracking them by mucus scent from underground tunnels! “

I’ve always welcomed entries other than just miniatures, and I am thrilled to honor this deserving illustration with an award this year. Loose and expressive, yet detailed and distinct. Congrats, Arlo!

2nd Place: Pete W. – @theweaselwizard

From the creator:

I based it around the idea “there’s always a bigger fish,” and then it ran away and ended up with me going “I’ll just add this in as well” a lot. I’ve tried to get bigger and bigger as it went, leading up to the talons at the end. A lot of lunches and some short 10 to 30 minute sessions after work went into it. I kitbashed from Warhammer right though to Playmobil, but I’ve tried to make as much as I could from scratch.

This might be the largest entry we’ve ever received, but it boasts more than just impressive size. It’s festooned with details – he even managed to squeeze in a bovicomp! If you’re not sure what that is, check out the story ‘A Necessary Exchange’ from last year’s zine…

1st Place: Simon S. – @4ydra

From the creator:

Heynrych von der Waxenfurt fastened the faint green glowing container on his belt. The gristly work was done. At least for the moment. His loyal steed was still sound, fully chewing on what once was one of these abominations, called Slug Wizards. This one had been tough to bring down and Heynrych had tended to his own wounds first, before getting his tools out to harvest the precious fluid. This MucoPoly was worth more than gold here… in this… Dimension. A brief flash of memory passed by; how he was sent out by his bishop to investigate a series of unholy events in a small village; how his search brought him to a swamp and the things that lived there; how he fought, lost and head to fleet for his pity life, heading deeper and deeper into the swamp; how he tripped, fell and landed on green grass; how he looked around in disbelief only to see something closing in mid air what he now knew as a portal. And finally, how he set to work again, fulfilling his duty in this weird otherworldly surrounding; undaunted. One day, he would have gathered enough resources to pay someone to rip open one of these portals that would bring him back home. Him and the wonderful artifacts, weapons and most of all his loyal steed, that he had found in this dimension. And then, he would go back to this swamp and root out the vile creatures that had brought him here.

This model truly captures the spirit of Slug Wizard – playful yet bizarre, colorful yet grimy, a bit goofy yet weird. Masterful sculpting and a perfect paint palette catapults this singular model into the spotlight. Mister Hydra has been engaged in the Slug Wizard madness since the beginning, so it is with great pleasure that we welcome him back into the winners’ circle with a well-deserved first place finish.

Congratulations to Simon, Pete, Arlo and Gilby!

Thanks to all of you who participated. I am continually humbled by your enthusiasm, skill, and just all-around goodness.

Cheers,
Magus Limaxus/Bryan Ruhe

SLUG WIZARD III: HUNTED

The day is finally here! It’s the beginning of the third annual competition… And the start of a new chapter in the Slug Wizard story!

If you didn’t already catch the tale of Hoffrich the Hunter in last year’s epic zine, go take a look (it’s called A Necessary Exchange and begins on page 27). It puts Evan Hough‘s brilliant Hunter model front and center in a peculiar tale of magical mucopolysaccharides exuded by the Slug Wizards, and the lords of another dimension that demand the substance.


But what is the purpose of the mystical slime? What does the hunter look like beneath his mask? And what the heck does a bovicomp or Strigilon look like? Are there other beings or creatures hunting the Slug Wizards?

These are just some of the questions we hope you will consider for this year’s creative prompt…

SLUG WIZARD III: HUNTED

Check out this teaser vid that we posted on Instagram a while back, featuring music by yours truly and a killer “Slugsoft” intro by pixel artist extraordinaire Mr. Unwantedleg.

I am also absolutely thrilled to present the cover of this year’s zine, featuring a beautiful illustration by the incredible Pencilsanddungeons and layout by Sir Magus Limaxus…


I could wax poetic about all of the lovely details in the illustration, but I think I’d rather just let you soak it all in and come up with your own ideas about it as a way to get your creative juices flowing. Thanks again to Chris for the beautiful image.

I want to be sure to mention that this year’s event will be very casual and very stripped-back compared to last year. I will be moving next month – between that and full-time work, I won’t have the bandwidth to commit as much time to the event this year. But you can still expect a zine, small prizes for the top three entries, and perhaps even some stickers this year.

I have also pulled the online store down for now as I reconsider how I will be managing merch this year.

A million thanks to all of you for your constant enthusiasm for the event, and I cannot wait to see what you all come up with. Please feel free to write anytime at slugwizards@gmail.com or hit me up on Instagram.

Sincerely,
Bryan Ruhe AKA Magus Limaxus

Zine No.2 is NOW AVAILABLE!

Yesterday, March 20th, marked the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, which also marks two years since the first Slug Wizard event! Time sure does go by quickly!

Magus Limaxus demanded that we celebrate the new season and the two-year anniversary of all things Slug Wizard by making Slug Wizard No.2: Squid Gnome available in digital format for the first time.

And even better… It’s free!

I know many of you missed out on the physical copy of the zine, which sold out more rapidly than I had anticipated (thanks to those of you who grabbed one!). So if this digital version is your first time laying eyes on the publication, I sincerely hope you enjoy each and every page. Also, why not drop me a line to let me know what you think? Please e-mail me anytime at slugwizards@gmail.com.

So what are you waiting for?!

Download the free PDF now!

I’d like to once again extend a gigantic, enormous, gargantuan thanks to all of the contributors and sponsors that made this publication possible. I am honored to have had the privilege of acting as lead editor, and to finally present this fine collection of work to the community.

The Slug Wizards will rear their slimy heads once again this summer. Stay tuned to this site and to @slugwizards on Instagram for updates as they develop.

Wishing you the slimiest of springtimes,
– Magus Limaxus/Bryan Ruhe

Slug Wizard II: Winners

The moment you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived.

Nick Borelli (@moldmoldmold), Tanner Simpson (@simpsominiatures) and I spent some time looking over all 46 entries. We narrowed the bunch down to 9 finalists, then started assigning values of 1-7 to five highly-scientific criteria:

  1. Level of Gnome/Wizard-y-ness
  2. Level of Squid/Slug-y-ness
  3. Originality
  4. Execution
  5. Fun

The scores were then added and averaged, giving us a score out of 35 for each finalist entry.

It was difficult narrowing down the entries, but we are all very pleased with the results and are so proud of everyone that entered.

Without further ado, here are the winners!

3rd Place: Greg S. – @kavernofcuriosities

From the creator:

“The main inspiration for my entry came from the realization that a squid has the same shape as an old rocket from classic mid-century science-fiction. From there the ideas came very quickly and easily, and the whole concept kind of fell into place. I had one big setback where my first batch of polymer clay tentacles fell apart in baking and I had to start over again. I did finish just in time though!”

“This was the biggest project I’ve attempted in 10 years, and I’m really pleased with the result and feel like I learned a lot.”

Greg Smalling

2nd Place: Dídac C. – @ddpaints

From the creator:

When I saw the early cryptic announcements for the Squid Gnome event, I was hyped. After reading the Squid Gnome lore, I started thinking about what to model.

“I missed the chance to participate in the first Slug Wizard event in 2021, so I felt bound to add a Slug Wizard to the entry, as well. A duel was afoot!”

Dídac C.

After much trial and error (and lots of pinning and greenstuff), I fit all of the action on the base, with each duelist to one side and the clash of powers between them. I went for a colorful but desaturated palette, with the exception of the bright pink magic slime shield – spells should be colorful! I made the magic shield by wrapping a small lightbulb in cling film, then dropping UV resin over it.

1st Place: Johan P. – @lukewarm_reception

From the creator:

I racked my brain for months trying to come up with the perfect tribute for our Slug Wizard overlords. Exhausted and filled with despair, I sat down in my workshop. Only a package of Milliput, three fantasy goblins and a 2mm hole punch lay in front of me. Suddenly, two weeks had passed, and my hands were covered in super glue and sawdust flocking. My body barely held together, having survived on nothing but dirty paint water.

“But there before me it stood, my perfect creation, my magnum opus. I could only hope that it would be enough to please the council.”

Johan P.

Congratulations to Johan, Dídac, and Greg!

Thanks to all of you who participated. Every single entry was so full of creativity and inspiration.

Cheers,
Magus Limaxus/Bryan Ruhe

ENTRY DEADLINE TODAY. Also, the Store is Live!

Hey, Squelchers!

Today’s the last day of the event. Get your submissions in today!

I’ve been working behind the scenes to get the Slug Wizard Store finished, and I’m excited to announce that it’s finally live!

Find it in the site menu (“Store”), or click here to go take a look at all the merch! Some of it is very limited so don’t sleep on it. Remember that proceeds will be donated to Oceana.org, too.

Note that the zines are pre-order items, and any orders made that include zine(s) will not ship until on or around November 1, 2022, as it takes some time for the printers to get the zines to me.

Cheers, y’all. I’ve been loving the pictures you’ve been sending and I’m excited to look over all of them closely with the other judges.

We’ll announce the winners November 1st; images of the winning models will be printed in this year’s zine, too. 🙂

Take care, and as always, feel free to shoot me any questions or comments at slugwizards@gmail.com.

It Ain’t Over Yet! Deadline Extended!

You probably came here to check out the site on the final day, to figure out where to send images of your entry (slugwizards@gmail.com) or to see if you’re too late to take part in the competition this year. Well guess what?

Entries are now due Monday, Sept 26.

You have five more days! Plenty of time to put together a Squid Gnome or Slug Wizard! Get going!

Prize Support Updates

I’m pleased to announce that Bestiarum Miniatures has generously contributed the following squid-ly items as prizes:

Shambler
Fisherfolk
STL Bundle

1st place: 1x “Shambler 1” model (physical), 1x “The N’Gorroth” STL Collection
2nd place: 1x “small model “Fisherfolk 2” model (physical), 1x “The N’Gorroth” STL Collection
3rd place: 1x “The N’Gorroth” STL Collection

In addition, Ill Gotten Games has created a set of Squid-Gnome-themed miniatures for their game Pocket Tactics. The first place winner will receive a 3D-printed copy of the Pocket Tactics: Core Set plus a 3D-printed set of the “House of the Star-Squid” Faction, created specially for the Slug Wizard II event, for use in the game!

The Surface World: SWII-Exclusives!

The ever-talented Django Powell, creator of The Surface World, has created a set of four Squid Gnome miniatures in his unique style, and we’re pleased to announce that we will have a limited number of 3D-printed sets of them available for purchase soon. We’ll also have the STL set available for purchase. As with all of the Slug Wizard merch, all proceeds will go to charity. A reminder that this year, the organization chosen is Oceana. Our oceans are precious and we want to help this non-profit to restore them as best they can.

That’s all for now. More news later this week. As always, send any questions or comments to slugwizards@gmail.com or via Instagram to @ibrewtiny or @slugwizards. Cheers to all of you! 🙂

-Magus Limaxus, AKA Bryan

It Begins (Began?)! Trophies, Stickers, Pins, Zine!

Featured image by @ericradiation

What’s up, squelchers?

#squidgnomesummer started just over a week ago on June 21, and guess who failed to make a post to kick off the event? This guy! Turns out summer is a busy time.

Many folks have already been contacting me and posting their ideas and WIPs on Instagram. It’s exciting to see what you are creating! Keep it up!

My good friend Arjan, AKA @atelier.ag, posted a wonderful video that details his process of creating this year’s trophies! I highly recommend giving it a watch.

This year’s sticker designs were finalized and sent to the printers last week, and were approved this week. They’re now in production. I’m excited to show these to you below! The type logo is by @neuicon of CVLT OV CPOP, and the Squid Gnome character is by @atelier.ag. Both were colored by yours truly!

The same is true of this year’s enamel pin. It’s in production right now! Below is a mock-up of this year’s one-inch enamel pin on backer card, with art by @sporehammer

The 2022 edition of the Slug Wizard Zine perhaps deserves its own post, but why leave it out of this one? I’ve completed the design of the cover utilizing a retro White Dwarf style and a fantastic illustration inked by @ericradiation. Some small details may change prior to printing (the text on the corner banner, for instance), but this is largely true to what will be the final cover’s appearance.

What will be in the zine, you ask? The contents are a work in progress, but so far there will be:

  • Background on the Slug Wizard city of Atheb’qytet
  • Details regarding the origins of the Squid Gnomes
  • A look at the daring Slug Wizard Hunters
  • New rules and cut-out standees for Brawl Arcane 28
  • A promo for the upcoming game Bloodsport Gambler
  • Model showcases of both last year’s and this year’s winning miniatures
  • Original artwork from the Slug Wizard community
  • …and more!

That “…and more!” bit is where YOU come in. We’d love to hear what ideas you have and what you’d like to see in the zine. If you have anything you’d like to contribute, please get in touch through Instagram or by e-mail (slugwizards@gmail.com). I can’t promise I’ll be able to use everything that’s sent in, but I’ll do the best I can! Don’t worry too much about formatting or making it pretty, you can leave that to me!

I’ll be working on the zine throughout the event, and am aiming to have it ready-to-print 1-2 weeks after the close of the event. Therefore you have ample time if you’d like to get something ready for it.

All of these items will be available for pre-order later on, with all proceeds going to Oceana.org. I’ll absolutely let you all know when that happens!

Thanks for reading! Keep on creating!
– Bryan (Magus Limaxus)

Slug Wizard II: Rise of the Squid Gnomes

Get ready: the annual Slug Wizard event is almost here!

If you’re new here, welcome. Really, all you need to know is that this event is about community, creativity, and charity. And slugs. And now squid. But more on that in a moment.

A napkin sketch over a cup of coffee in the winter of 2021 – inspired by the madness of Matt Ross, AKA @totally_not_panicking – evolved into an event during which sixty people from around the globe created miniature “Slug Wizards.” A group of judges awarded prizes to a handful of the creators, and thanks to the generosity of our participants, over $1200 was raised for The Bail Project.

Videos were created, indie game designers published scenarios and rules revolving around Slug Wizards, small miniatures manufacturers provided prizes, we made a zine… It was a goooood time.

And we’re doing it again.

This year, the theme is Rise of the Squid Gnomes!

In the newly-constructed cliffside city of Atheb’qytet, our beloved Slug Wizard heroes have been practicing magic over the last year, and in the process created a mystical liquid runoff. This arcane byproduct leached into the ground and through the cracks in the earth, mutating and transforming the inhabitants in the caverns below. These creatures are now emerging from their caves, and the Slug Wizard conclave has been thrown into chaos over disagreement on how to deal with this bizarre and potentially-dangerous turn of events.

Your challenge this year is to create and paint a Squid Gnome between June 21-Sept 21!

If you missed out last year, you are more than welcome to create a Slug Wizard instead. Or make both! Get the details here.

There will be goodies available, including a new enamel pin design (and a limited backstock of last year’s pin as well, if you missed it!), new stickers, and printed versions of both last year’s zine AND a brand new one that we’ll be creating together as a community during this event! Proceeds from the sale of this swag will be donated to oceana.org, a non-profit committed to restoring the ocean for the benefit of all creatures and mankind.

There will be prizes again this year, including these beautiful trophies skillfully sculpted and cast by atelier.ag (who also did the incredible illustration higher up in this post):

Stay tuned to this website and to the Slug Wizard Instagram page for more information in the coming days and weeks as the event unfolds.

I’m so excited to see what everyone creates! Please send me a message if you have any questions or would like to get involved with this year’s zine!

Talk soon and keep on creating,
Magus Limaxus (@ibrewtiny)
slugwizards@gmail.com