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 Gnomeavailable 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.
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
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:
Level of Gnome/Wizard-y-ness
Level of Squid/Slug-y-ness
Originality
Execution
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.
“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.”
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.
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.
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.
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! 🙂
#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:
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)
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
