Please Allow Me To Indroduce Myself...

[Saracenus]

Hello All,

My name is Bryan Blumklotz, and I am an apprentice mapper. A dabbler if you will. I aim to change that. I am better known for my Greyhawk Heraldry (site is on hiatus right now):

http://www.greyhawkonline.com/heraldry

I use mostly images from Armorial Gold, though a few are original or altered from the base vector files.

My tools at this time are CC3, DD3, Macromedia Studio MX, and Adobe Illustrator 9.0. I hope by my birthday to have Adobe CS 3 Webdesinger Premium in my toolbox. I have also downloaded Google sketchup but that is a low priority.

My plan is to use my developing cartography skills to help run my Greyhawk home game.

I will be lurking for awhile, reading your advice, attempting some first maps to get my legs under me, and enjoy sitting at the feet of some truly talented people.

In my real life I work as a bookkeeper (Go Quickbooks!), currently a student at Portland State University (I have a BS in History, currently working on BS or Cert in Accounting), part owner in a family business. Yeah, I don't have much of a social life right now.

I want to give a shout out to Anna, Maldin, and Daniel the NeonKnight... Its good to see familiar faces.

In Service,

Bryan Blumklotz
AKA Saracenus

Edit: Added some real world bio info.

[jaerdaph]

Welcome, Bryan!

Wow, your heraldry is very impressive! It's been awhile since I've visited Greyhawk online. I used to be a big fan of Greyhawk back in the day.

I see you have CC3. The subject of the Cartographer's Annual subscription for March '08 is heraldry, in case you are interested.

Welcome to the Guild.

[Anna]

Great to see you here Bryan

Nice to see a fellow Greyhawker joining this site! Your work on GH heraldry is most impressive, and I'm sure you will discover this is a great place to find inspiration, advice and friendship.

I’m equally sure that you will add to all that!

Welcome.

//Anna

[ravells]

Welcome to the Guild, Bryan! Lovely heraldry! Looking forward to seeing your maps!

[Gamerprinter]

This Heraldric work reminds me of my curious introduction to heraldry - sorry for the thread jack.

About 25 years ago, I was in the army up in Alaska and had just joined the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). Strangely, I had just gotten one of those supplemental aides for Harn - the Encyclopedia Harnica, the issue containing Heraldry rules in Harn.

Very strangely (or not) the heraldric rules in Harn is extremely accurate to actual Heraldric rules - when I was just being introduced to SCA heraldry rules, I simply recited all the rules for Harn, which were in fact more complex than SCA rules.

I appeared to be some kind of heraldric genius, when it was an RPG that make me look so much like an expert.

An aside - while in college, art history - I proved my genius in knowing all the Eqyptian gods (knowledge gained from Ad&D Deities and Demigods manual)

RPG knowledge has been an asset for much of my life.

Again, sorry for the thread jack - its just the heraldry reminded me of my old story, which I hadn't told in a while... welcome, looking forward to your maps.

[NeonKnight]

Bryan, Welcome!

FOr some reason, I believe you are associated (or were associated) witht eh Duchy of Urnst, we you not?

If so, you will remember as the player of Cronar of the Crimson Robes. If not, well, then I blathered on about something that means nothing to someone I don't know.

Either way, Welcome, welcome, welcome!

[Midgardsormr]

I appeared to be some kind of heraldric genius, when it was an RPG that make me look so much like an expert.

That's happened to me more times than I can count. It helps, also, that I have roleplaying supplements from many different genres. Learning vector mathematics was a breeze thanks to the Traveller RPG.

Anyway, I'll just echo everyone else about the heraldry--very nice! The shields are all clean, and the commentary accompanying them is engaging.

[jaerdaph]

RPG knowledge has been an asset for much of my life.

QFT!

To this day, I credit Gary Gygax more than anyone else with my high SAT scores, both math and verbal.

[Saracenus]

Bryan, Welcome!

FOr some reason, I believe you are associated (or were associated) with [the] Duchy of Urnst, we you not?

If so, you will remember as the player of Cronar of the Crimson Robes. If not, well, then I blathered on about something that means nothing to someone I don't know.

Either way, Welcome, welcome, welcome!

Daniel,

Hence the reason for the shout out in my original post .

You probably remember my other alias, Perithoth, from the DoU message boards. I am not sure if we have played at the same table or not but I do remember exchanging email with you.

Good to see you here.

In Service,

Bryan Blumklotz
AKA Saracenus
AKA Perithoth

[Saracenus]

This Heraldric work reminds me of my curious introduction to heraldry - sorry for the thread jack.

About 25 years ago, I was in the army up in Alaska and had just joined the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). Strangely, I had just gotten one of those supplemental aides for Harn - the Encyclopedia Harnica, the issue containing Heraldry rules in Harn.
<SNIP>

Gamerprinter,

Yeah, my intro to heraldry was the World of Greyhawk Folio with the wonderful Darlene Maps. Most of my practical knowledge came from my time in the SCA, reading Harn stuff on heraldry and my own personal library of heraldry books.

In Service,

Bryan Blumklotz
AKA Saracenus