The piece above is from the new Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls and I think it's a nice piece, but I chose it rather randomly in order to make a point with this post. Inspiration for our hobby can come from stories we hear, books, comics, movies, even real life and the evening news. Art, good art always tells a story and the piece above seems rich with stories. I like to see illustrations in my books, especially game books because they suggest so many stories and characters to me. Just looking at this seated fellow and asking myself "who, what, where, how and why?" gets the creative mind working. So what can we gather from this Liz Danforth piece without asking her what it's all about. Well, the obvious it's a person seated holding a bow. By the looks of the face, I'd say definitely a human male, not young, not old. The rugged but not ragged clothing suggests someone used to the outdoors and probably able to reasonably take care of himself. The terrain in the background is somewhat rugged, hilly and wooded. There is a statue of a humanoid near what appears to be an unpaved road or path. There are a few birds in the sky. There appears to be a frown on the man's face.
So letting the imagination go where it will, a referee could conceivably create an evening's adventure and entertainment from what we see in this picture. Give the fellow a name, tell us where he is and why we find him there. What is the significance of the frown, of the statue, where do the paths lead, why is he seated? With a cooperative group of players and a willingness to improvise, this could all be handled on-the-fly. With time to think and study and plan, a picture such as this can supply the inspiration to develop a fleshed out adventure. I could offer you my interpretation, in fact I'm resisting the urge to do so. Why, because you can do that on your own and doing it on your own, letting your imagination run freely is a big part of the fun of our hobby. Enjoy where YOUR imagination takes you.
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