Newsletter #39
November 2023
Hey, All.
Hope each of you is safe and healthy.
This month, I have three topics concerning the Banshee, the Bile Worm, and the HoMM3 Gorgon. As I mentioned in the last Newsletter, there is no HoMM3 Recollection this month, and there won’t be another January.
Until next time.
Greg
Fanstratics Game Director & Designer
*****
Fanstratics Troop: Banshee
Forever terrified, forever terrifying, forever horrified, forever horrifying... is the ghostly Banshee. Easily one of the most unique Troops on the Battlefield, this tortured soul is highly mobile and possesses a terrifying scream able to disrupt armor, flesh, and spirit. Under typical conditions, a fearful Enemy Division will suffer reduced Defense when targeted by this wrathful spirit. Under atypical conditions, a fearful Enemy Army will suffer reduced Defense when any Enemy Division is targeted by this wailing apparition.
More often than not, the process Justin and I follow is a set of thumbnails, a rough, and a final render. Typically, the drawing comes together in the final render, but this instance, upon seeing the rough, I knew it was going to be a winner. Some concepts are difficult. Some concepts are easy. This one came together easily and early.
For those who want to see Justin create the drawing, check out a VOD from his Twitch stream.
Fanstratics Question: Bile Worm doesn't look like a typical demon. Does this mean that the style of the Inferno faction will be different than in Heroes 3? Or will the rest of the units of this faction be more classic.
I thought I could make the Infernals more creative than their predecessor, so I’m doing my best to mix it up. There will be classic devils and demons, along with new and different Troops.
HoMM3 Question: Why is the Gorgon image like a bull?
The Gorgon was inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons ‘Gorgon’, which was derived from Lybian Beast described by Edward Topsell in his 1607 zoological text, ‘The Historie of Foure Footed Beasts’. You can read a good summary here by F. Wesley Schneider.