"No Gandalfs!"

The following consists of excerpts from emails I've sent to the artists who have been producing Planet Algol artwork. I'm laughing at what a control freak I am in these, but I've had my fill of tattooed mohawked ninja-hookers with 4-bladed battle-axes. Feel free to laugh at me as well!

"Planet Algol is Not Extreme! No modern or even anachronistic "extreme" imagery
- no mohawks or punk hairstyles
- no punk rock anything
- no "hot rod" flames
- no tattoos or piercings
- no warhammer/games workshop extreme spiky imagery
- no oversized weapons
- no ridiculous "rock shop/bong store/klingon" style weapons...no triple bladed axes or nunchuck swords or even any martial arts weapons
- no overmuscled, over-the-top steroid case musculature
- no hooker clothing
- no punk/metal style spikes or studs (a tasteful spike on top of a dome or helmet is good, a spiked collar or jacket is bad!)
- avoid overuse of skull imagery, with appropriate exceptions for "The Monolith of Skulls" or "Pile of Skulls Monster"
- avoid real-life historical, religious, occult, political, etc. symbols. No pentagrams or fleur du lies!

Planet Algol is Not Medieval or Even Earth
- see later section regarding earth men
- no weapons, armor, clothing or architecture that looks overtly medieval, viking, renaissance, etc.
- however, weapons, armor, clothing or architecture that appear vaguely "ancient", east indian, mesoamerican, middle-eastern, southeast asian, or mesopotamian can be acceptable, but avoid copying actual historical styles. likewise clothing that appears vaguely napoleonic or victorian is good, as long as it is alien!
- avoid doing traditional fantasy subjects; however traditional "pulp swords & sorcery" subjects are good!

What Does Planet Algol Look Like?
- classic rpg illustrator Erol Otus
- contemporary rpg illustrator Peter Mullen
- European cartoonist Moebius
- classic sixties "Star Trek" alien cultures/planets
- "The Warlord" comic book published by DC in the eighties
- anything Flash Gordon
- illustrations for Edgar Rice Burrough's "Mars/Barsoom" series
- legendary comic artist Jack Kirby
- classic Marvel Conan comics
- classic cartoonist Richard Corben
- "Tekumel," (google it)
- the sixties Spider-Man cartoons
- art neuveau & art deco

Algol Men
- are anatomically identical to standard humans, aside from whatever specific details are in their description
- no pointed ears, weird eyes, star trek alien facial prothesis, etc.
- if a race has scales they are small/fine and consistent in texture over the entire body
- algol people should ideally be of ambiguous race/ethnicity compared to earth men
- avoid identifying algol men, cultures, etc. with real life/historical cultures, races, ethnicities
- however, weapons, armor, clothing or architecture that appear vaguely "ancient", east indian, mesoamerican, middle-eastern, southeast asian, or mesopotamian can be acceptable, but avoid copying actual historical styles. likewise clothing that appears vaguely napoleonic or victorian is good, as long as it is alien

Algol Technology
- should be rare
- contemporary Algol Man technology is rare and looks art neuvau/art deco/baroque
- contemporary algol man energy weapons should look like baroque flinlock/musket/black powder firearms, but without the serpentine/hammer/flint&firing pan
- ancient algol technology looks saucer man/over the top with fins, crystals, vanes, cones, prisms. Jack Kirby, Moebius, Erol Otus

Earth Men
- look like "pulp adventure characters," imagine the illustration on the cover of a lurid men's adventure magazine in the 1930s'
- Most Earth Men are from Rocketship expeditions to Planet Algol from earth
- These Earth Men's clothing and technology looks vaguely 1940s-1950s but slightly futuristic (as that era viewed futuristic)
- Their firearms should look like world war ii era, but no automatic weapons/machine guns. firearms should also be sparse!
- pistols look like classic six-shooters, Colt Model 1911 automatics, broom-handle mausers, lugers
- rifles should be bolt action or level action. if they have a clip/magazine it should be small like a M1 carbine. no assault rifles, etc.
- things like flap-top holsters, old western ammunition bandoleers, and the like are good
- no grenades, bazookas, flamethrowers and other military armament
- weapons like WWII combat knives, bayonets, machetes, cavalry sabers, nightsticks, hatchets, and the like are good for earth men. imagine pulp adventure heros.
- earth man technology looks like a 1940/50s' futuristic version of ww2 era technology.
- some earth men are time/space travelers that have fallen through some sort of spacetime rift and ended up on planet algol. they can be from any eara/background (including children) but please keep them sparse, in the spirit of the style guide, and try to avoid fantasy cliches like viking warriors and the like.

Vegetation
- generally sparse, the only non-arid areas in the currently known region is the moss steppes, the forbidden mist valley, the slime lands and the adjacent jungles
- should look prehistoric, alien, mutated, pulp adventure tropical
- no pine trees

Nudity & taste
- keep it PG-13. I may have to deal with some licensing and distributing issues down the line
- tasteful cheesecake is good, but avoid pin-up art style stuff
- many Algol Men wear loincloths/breechclouts, loincloths with weapon harnesses, breechclouts with capes
- no ninjas

Further Suggested Artists
- classic sci-fi paperback cover artist Jack Gaughan

Further Taste Guidelines
- no gandalfs
- sorcerers in star patterned robes and conical hats are acceptable however

Also, check the following out for inspiration:
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2009/12/perry-rhodan-sci-fi-covers.html
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2009/12/more-perry-rhodan-sci-fi-covers.html
http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2009/12/even-more-perry-rhodan-covers.html

Algol Melee Weapons

Axe, Battle - Dane Axe, Long Bearded Axe
Axe, Hand - cane knife, francisca mak 1 2 Fishtail Knife 3 4 5 6
Dagger - Pugio, Seax 1 Jambiya Koumiya 1 Tetela Knife
Mace, Any - Scorpion Macehead, Narmer Macehead 1 2 (middle two)
Mace, Heavy - Kanabo
Mace, Light - 1
Morningstar - Morningstar 1
Picks - 1 (bottom one)
Spears 1 2 3 4
Sword, Broad - Dao, Spatha, Takouba, Bolo, Makhaira Falchion Khanda 1 Qama 2
Sword, Long - Flyssa, Kampilan, Jian 1 Walloon Mortuary Sword Backsword Yang Sabre Qi Jian Khyber Mexican Sabre
Sword, Scimitar - Yataghan, Kilji, Saif, Nimcha, Shotel, Falcata, Talibong (three leftmost) Pirate Cutlass Tulwar Hanger Dha Cutlass
Sword, Short - Kukri, Gladius Hispania, Parang, Golok, Kopis, Bronze Age Sword (disregard khopesh), Bronze Age Rapier, this bayonet Cinqueda Seax Choora Gunong Talibon 1
Sword, Two-Handed - Dadao (tastefully..no giant swords) Zhanmadao Executioners Sword (again...not huge) Greatsword
Trident - Tripula

Algol Energy Weapons (without the huge bulge at the handle end of some pistols or the lever/hammer mechanism)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

"Alien" Guns

Pistol
1 2 3 4

Rifles
1 2 3

Earth Man Guns
1

Automatic Pistols
1 2 (without stock) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Revolvers
1 (disregard the zigzags) 2 3 4 5 6 7

Rifles
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 (with shorter magazine) 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 (with shorter magazine) 19 20"