Question 1

Who are you?

Accepted Answer

The founder of IGS is The Itinerant Bastard, Tib for short.  While he doesn't exactly hide his personal information online, he also doesn't outright advertise it.  We're sure plenty of people who find IGS will already know who he is.  It's neither a big secret, nor is he anyone particularly interesting.  If you really want to know you'll be able to figure it out pretty quickly.  Fair?

Question 2

Do you take requests?  Custom work and/or commissions?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely, we'd love to work with you!  Our rate is $50 CAD / hr and we work quickly. For something small like a custom NPC & Magic Item, that's about what you can expect to pay.  For a recent example of a custom, check out Aristotl & Niolla, a birthday present for a young lady's character in an ongoing Phandelver & Below campaign.

Question 3

Do You Create All This Yourself?  Are You Using AI?  Are... Are YOU an AI?

Accepted Answer

We are not AI.

Our Creator In Chief, Tib, has this to say on how he generates his content: OpenOffice

Writing: My cheap notebook; My trusted 15 year old keyboard; Google Docs;(https://docs.google.com/) OpenOffice (https://www.openoffice.org/)
Artwork: GIMP;(https://www.gimp.org/) LED Tracing Board; Artwork & Photography from the Creative Commons, Public Domain, & Stock Imagery; Very rarely, AI image generator for a specific component that is that then destroyed and re-worked (see below).
Design & Layout: Google Docs & Sheets; GIMP; Adobe Acrobat & InDesign; Homebrewery (https://homebrewery.naturalcrit.com/)for a few things because it was quicker and simpler to put together.
Web Design: WIX,(https://www.wix.com/) Patreon.(patreon.com/ItinerantGameStudio)

On writing:  100% my own, though I of course do extensive research to ensure I have a solid understanding of whatever subject I'm writing about or referencing.  I will sometimes adapt the work of others (a song in The Haunting of Sutter House, for example, is adapted from an old folk tune that was itself adapted for the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?).  If I include an esoteric real world "thing" I will first research it ad nauseam.  The research is fun and tremendously rewarding for me.

But, Tib, AI is everywhere these days.  Surely you use it?

You're right, AI is everywhere these days and I do use it.  It would be disingenuous to claim otherwise.  AI is a tool, and here's how I use it:

Research: I use both Google and Chat GPT.  I absolutely DO NOT and WILL NOT use AI generated text, though I will occasionally prompt it for a description of something I'm unfamiliar with.  For example, as I have no idea what it's like to be adjacent to a lightning strike I asked Chat GPT to describe what one would hear, taste, smell, see, and feel.  It pumped out a 300ish word bullet point list (which I then double checked for veracity). Satisfied, I went about writing my description: "A clap of lightning strikes so close behind you that you can taste iron and smell ozone.  Your skin feels electric."

Artwork: I love early D&D's black and white line art.  Though the artwork of legends like Trampier i(https://www.retroist.com/p/the-art-of-david-a-trampier)s far and away better than anything I could ever hope to accomplish, I pay crude homage to them with my high-contrast silhouettes, simple black and white images devoid of any fine detail.  To create these silhouettes, I use GIMP.  For source images, I rely on public domain work and photographs I've taken myself. Occasionally I will use an existing photo or work of art with attribution.  Often, my source imagery is so heavily modified that they are beyond transformative and virtually indistinguishable from the originals.  In almost all cases I cut multiple images together, using individual components like a hand, eye, tree, etc.  Sometimes, I first print original(s) and use a physical LED tracing board to get stronger line art before using GIMP for image manipulation.

For highly specific, truly niche or weird stuff, if I'm at a loss for finding anything I can work with, I may use an AI generator to get something close.  I then print the AI "art" in black and white, work with it on the LED tracing board, then destroy it using GIMP. Sometimes this is a relatively fast process, sometimes it takes many hours or even days for me to be happy with the result.  I tend to get a lot of "noise" during image manipulation, and it can take awhile to clean it up and achieve a smooth, achromatic look.  I typically remove all gray shading, though rarely leave a bit in because it looks better to my eye.

All of this is to say:  AI is just one of many tools in my toolbox, and one I use very sparingly.  I unequivocally DO NOT  hit a button, let stable diffusion (or whatever) do its thing, and then copy that thing into something I'm creating.  By the time I'm done with AI "art" it looks nothing like the original, and I will have spent many hours getting it where I want it to be.

I'm envious of true artists who can complete a painting in hours.  Bob Ross was my spirit animal as a kid, but despite long periods of time at an easel I never progressed beyond an entire canvas full of happy little accidents.  Charming for an 11 year old, but hardly something you will pay your hard earned money for, trust me.

Question 4

I have a problem with an order (booking, digital, or print). Who can help?

Accepted Answer

Oh no!  We want you to have an A+ experience.  Please reach out directly to info@itinerantgamestudio.com (info@itinerantgamestudio.com)and provide as much information as you can so that we can resolve the matter ASAP.  Thank you for putting your trust in us!

Question 5

I'd love to collaborate with you!

Accepted Answer

We're flattered, but that's not a question!

Still, we're always open to collaboration, though we're very focused on our own work at the moment.  Please reach out directly to info@itinerantgamestudio.com (info@itinerantgamestudio.com)and we can discuss what collaboration might look like.

Question 6

Are You Hiring?

Accepted Answer

Currently no, though we hope to bring more creative minds on board as soon as possible.  If you'd like to learn how you might produce content for or otherwise assist The Itinerant Game Studio, please reach out directly at info@itinerantgamestudio.com (info@itinerantgamestudio.com)and we can discuss what that might look like.

Question 7

Are you available for in-person events?

Accepted Answer

Yes.

Regardless of whether the event is private or public, my rate is $50 CAD / hr plus travel expenses, with a minimum rate of $200 (4 hours).

Note: Events held within one hour of The GTA (Greater Toronto Area) incur no travel expenses.

Question 8

How About Online Games?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely!  I assume you mean "analog" but online.  I'm not really part of the video game scene.

Regardless of whether the event is private or public, my rate is $50 CAD / hr with a minimum of $200 (4 hours).

Note:  I currently run online sessions over Discord.  If you have a preferred platform, additional fees may apply.

Question 9

Are You Available to Host Team Building & Corporate Events?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely, though corporate event fees vary.  The typical half-day event will run roughly $100/person + travel expenses + pre-event consultation fee (to discuss expectations, guidelines, event setup, and liaison with HR, if any).

For context, the largest corporate event I've hosted consisted of 32 people at 8 tables, playing various board games and roleplaying games over a span of about 4 hours.  I've also co-hosted much larger events and game conventions with hundreds of attendees.  I take your trust and confidence in me as a host very seriously.

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