The Crag
About a mile from my childhood home Estabrook woods sprawls over a thousand acres. There are two entrances we would use, one down behind the North Bridge, down Estabrook road, up a long drive that turns to dirt. Past a barn, parked beside a stone wall that edged a rolling estate with a caretaker's cottage. The other was up Monument, parked on the left halfway between downtown and Kimball's farm.
Both had their advantages. The Monument street entrance was easier access, more crowded, hotter, drier and dustier. You would come in a long path with a field on the right, and face a fork. To the left brought you to a steep hill that only the bravest sleders would attempt, to the right down into the cool of the woods, and then back out under the sun past a sheep's meadow before arriving at a small beach. I am told it was a popular gay meetup spot in the 80s, but that was before my time. Past the beach a wood plank bridge spanned a run-off stream that is always half clogged with beaver logs.
I've seen beavers there, and muskrats, and birds, and all sorts of critters.
The Estabrook entrance is quieter, and slower, and feels like you are stepping into another world. The trees whisper in a slow drawl, speckled light dances on the forest floor. The path is narrow and at times rocky. It feels like a cathedral and you can't help but talk in hushed tones.
Whichever way you take, eventually you will come to the back of Hutchin's pond, where there is an old twisted orchard. Behind that, a pine-needle carpeted trail curls deeper into the woods. If you go far enough you will pass boulders the size of pickups. You can scramble up them to play king of the rock. It's a good place to play at knights.
Go deeper in and you will reach The Crag. It's a granite outcrop like the ruins of an old castle, or the petrified knee of a sleeping giant. One side drops off into a bowl that rolls into wetlands, the other is high and dry. It's a good destination for a summer day. There is a breeze through the trees, the shade is cool, if you planned ahead you likely have a snack and a beverage.
This place is the inspiration for The Crag in Nut Hunt. The name isn't very telling, but beneath the surface it teams with childhood memories. Of daydreams, of scraped knees, and of laughter.
The art direction for Nut Hunt is fairly loose. Our artist knows the style we are looking for, but in terms of specific elements on each of the tiles, I want him to find his own emotional attachment. He can't paint my Crag, but he can paint his own, and I am excited to see what it will be.
Since the game art is still a few months from delivery (see more about our artist Steve Nickel), I wanted to share a little behind the scenes look at our playtest art for The Crag.
The playtest art is illustrated by Gregory Burch, let's take a look at his process.
