RIP Ioannis & Rust Never Sleeps: Neil Young-Inspired TTRPG
Plus A Song in a Minor Key
Renowned album cover artist Ioannis passed away last week. He created album artwork for many Critical Hit Parader favorites, including Deep Purple, Blue Öyster Cult, Uriah Heep, Dream Theater, King Crimson, and Fates Warning.
Here is an excerpt from his website bio:
Ioannis is an internationally famous Greek-born artist and designer from Athens.
In 1967 as a child he immigrated with his family to the United States. At an early age,he was influenced by American comic books, animation, fantasy art, and rock music. He was interested as a teenager to pursue a career in comic book art. He decided in his late teens to move in the direction of album cover art and was heavily influenced by the album cover art of Roger Dean and the album design work of Storm Thorgerson (Hipgnosis).
Ioannis was still in college when he designed and painted his first record album cover and art directed his first MTV video for Sony Records, in 1983. That Ioannis album cover painting was for the group Art in America (Sony Records) and would later be featured in the book ‘1000 Record Covers’ by Michael Ochs as one of the best covers of the 80”s in a collection that spans forty years.
By the summer of 1985, Ioannis was working at the prominent management company Lieber and Krebs (Aerosmith, AC/DC, Scorpions), designing logos and tour posters for their list of clients. He also designed covers for Metal Blade records – among them his legendary artwork for prog metal act Fates Warning.
In 1989, he became the creative director for Mechanic Records/MCA, and designed covers and promotional material for all their releases – most notability Dream Theater and Voivod. He start- ed to receive commissions from other companies and labels who wanted to tap into his artwork and art direction – including the platinum-selling act Extreme.
Many of the bands he worked with paid tribute following his passing. One of my favorites is this post from the Voivod Instagram page:
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Ioannis Vasilopoulos, known professionally as Ioannis, an internationally renowned artist and designer. Ioannis helped Away with the layouts for our albums "Nothingface" and "Angel Rat," which left an indelible mark on our band's visual identity. His visionary artistry resonated throughout the rock and metal community, with his work adorning albums for bands such as Fates Warning, Deep Purple, and Uriah Heep.”
I have a couple of signed Ioannis prints hanging in our dining-room-turned-office:
Rest in peace, Ioannis.
Rust Never Sleeps
Backwards Tabletop will be releasing a Neil Young-inspired tabletop roleplaying game called Rust Never Sleeps. Here is a description:
Rust Never Sleeps is a grunge solo ttrpg in which you play as a doomed mech pilot in the post-apocalyptic Pacific Northwest. It explores “burning out” through the stories of doomed mech pilots and the discourse inspired by the Godfather of Grunge’s album Rust Never Sleeps.
It’s a solo RPG that uses a “standard deck of cards, a printed character sheet, coloring utensils, and a music playlist.” Here is how the playlist fits in:
“Your mech came with an ancient mixtape. It has a mind of its own, playing thematically relevant songs at just the right moment.”
The beta release is scheduled to be released on May 1st, and you can “claim it for free before its release” from the Backwards Tabletop itch.io page.
A Song in a Minor Key
I love how many indie TTRPG products have music themes. A new one to me is A Song in a Minor Key by The Department of Unusual Observations. It is “a melancholic one-shot adventure module that will have players exploring the abandoned tower of a world-famous rock star.” It takes place in a crumbling tower that “stands as the last monument to Orin Nightwhisper, the legendary bard whose melancholic tunes once captivated the world.” Here are some additional details:
A Song in a Minor Key offers a unique one-shot adventure filled with gothic horror, rockstar grandeur, and tragic love. It includes encounter tables, secret passages, and memorable treasures—such as an autographed, shirtless portrait of Orin riding a tiger. With intricate puzzles and intense combat encounters, this adventure will keep players on the edge of their seats, all while diving deep into a world where music, magic, and necromancy collide. Whether you're a fan of D&D or dark fantasy, this adventure is a perfect blend of eerie mystery and 80's glam rock vibes.
You can download A Song in a Minor Key from The Department of Unusual Observations itch.io page.
Very sorry to hear about the passing of Ioannis. Many years ago, I purchased a couple of pieces from him (numbered artwork from Fates Warning's The Spectre Within and Awaken the Guardian albums). He was kind enough to include several other autographed prints from FW, Yngwie, and other artists. I never met the man, but I know he will be missed.