Sean Äaberg

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 27

Culture & Rules are very important to me but I have a unique view & attitude towards them. I like the structure these things provide but I’m also more than willing to ignore the rules if they get in the way of what I’m trying to do. So, in the case of raising my kids, I have a very structured view of what it takes to raise a kid, there was a lot put into the solid groundwork that they can operate from, & a lot put into those formative years so they know who they are, but my en...

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 26

Evocation is a big part of my work. I catch a whiff of something I like & then I catalog it away. I had a moment back in Eugene when I realized that every piece of art I did was a spell making me a wizard. It was a simple way of looking at what I did differently that changed my intention & thinking about my work & myself exponentially. It let me understand that the works built up on each other. Certain things have given me very specific & great pleasures associated with aesthe...

1995

Probably 1995, I was still figuring things out, drunk as helll in front of a sow at LaVal’s Northside in Berkeley.

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 25

I woke up this morning with the theme song for the 70s Public Television children’s show “Vegetable Soup” stuck in my head. Upon watching it on Youtube this morning, it was prefaced with this Bureau of Mass Communications production company trailer that was this beautiful Kraftwerkian 70s technological brutalist piece of functional weirdness. The Vegetable Soup theme then opens up into weird, funky, psychedelic insanity. The song is like a Sly & the Family Stone march about it takin...

VEGETABLE SOUP

I loved this intro when I was a kid - this animator was so weird!

EXPANSIONING POSTER

I whipped up this poster this morning. I think it turned out nicely.

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 24

I have been working on my broth of influences my whole life. The idea is to have a vast array of flavor that just hits you. There are so many different elements that make up this thing, it’s difficult if not impossible to figure them all out. But I’m working with illustrators for new projects & so, I have to try. So I worked up a brief description of art aims & have elaborated on it for you. The Würstreich is the equivalent of late renaissance in technology, there are aspects of ...

DUNGEON DEGENERATES: THE EXPANSIONING POSTCARD

This is the postcard for the new kickstarter, coming soon!

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 23

I see all culture, politics, beliefs as manifestations of the human mind these days. I used to see these elements as external but now I really see them as coming directly from them, or rather people’s interest or clinging to them based on their own psychology. So they exist externally but they are brought to life & animated by the people. Looking at belief in this way makes me a lot less combative & allows me to let a lot more slide. I used to feel like I had to argue endlessly with...

ART NOTES

I thought I would share the notes at the top of the recent document of art needs for Alex Hagen & Mustafa Bekir. They are worth looking at.

Okay! Some basic guidelines, the Wurstreich is equivalent of late renaissance in technology, there are aspects of early 80s UK street subculture in there too. When in doubt look at Robert Crumb, I like to reference the old weirdo art of Wolverton, early MAD magazine (especially Wally Wood), the undergrounds (especially Rick Griffin, Spai...

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 22

Some things just shine out as right. Strategy, tactics, planning aren’t involved. These things are brought about by pure gut instinct. These things should be matched with other pragmatic elements to go with, so that you & others aren’t relying on these flights of fancy, but you should also make room for these risks because you never know. Risks are necessary. Back when we lived in Eugene, I bought a sticker vending machine from the VFW hall. This machine was priced absurdly cheap, so ...

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 21

Things have been reduced to a mush, a slime, an ooze. The nature of phones making everyone have access to this highly relative infinite world in a way that they weren’t able to before is like pouring acid on everyone’s mind, disintegrating everything. In some ways this is great, this has been a world in which GOBLINKO has been able to raise its head & become successful, while at the same time there has just been too much liquidity so that the foundations of everything are shaky. I dea...

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 20

It takes time to do things right. If you skip steps, those things come back at you to make sure you learn your lesson. That’s why I don’t think that any of these large political projects are ultimately decided on by a vote. The vote is just one small step in a gamed overlay in a much larger, much more complex system of individuals, smaller things, lots of them. This level of complexity is really difficult for the human mind to perceive, but the methodology is really easy. Any sort of thin...

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 19

I’ve been getting better at teamwork. Especially now that a group approach is essential for me to get things done! I can’t do everything myself & honestly that hasn’t been my mode for a long time, even if that’s buried deep in my psychology. I have had a cohesive vision & now I just have to be able to express it clearly enough that it can be understood! I’m working with two illustrators for the next DUNGEON DEGENERATES project & Leigh Shepherd has been the new Rulesmonge...

EXPANSIONING SALE

We have THREE expansions for DUNGEON DEGENERATES: Hand of Doom planned for you! DIRTY DEEDS. GOBLIN MODE & MOON MADNESS. DIRTY DEEDS introduces the new DIRTY DEEDS DECK of missions to do in between campaigns & also the FACTIONS mechanic to keep score with the various gangs that make up the Würstreich. GOBLIN MODE is a whole new campaign where you play as Goblins. MOON MADNESS is a new campaign on the edge of lunacy where you travel to the Moon & back! We'll be working with Leigh...

MUSTAFA BEKIR

I've added Mustafa Bekir to the DUNGEON DEGENERATES team, he came up on my radar through a bunch of projects, I featured him in the send issue of Die Wurst. Lately he has been doing art for the Fighting Fantasy board game. His work most reflects that of Gary Chalk, he has that chunky, oldhammer style I love & he fits into DD perfectly! I had him redraw this old character I did in 1996 for the upcoming Moon Madness box.

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 17

We watched the Goonies again at the Academy Theatre. Before we watched it, I asked myself why we keep watching certain movies. Is there a central message that bears repeating? Why do we like this movie so much? Skeletons? Astoria? Booby traps? The eighties? We were the same age as the kids were when this movie came out? So I went into the Goonies with that question in mind. Watching the Goonies it became clear to me that it’s like a Ramones album, but set in Oregon in the 80s instead of Que...

PIXEL ART O9

More pixel art, its funny, since the pixels encourage a cubist. symmetrical, rigid approach I have to deliberately against that, you can see that distinct separation in this piece.

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 16

I started collecting vinyl records when I was eleven or so. My parents had a big collection & I can remember looking through them before I could read & identifying albums by their spine colors & typefaces used. Looking for Beatles, Beach Boys & the Hobbit cartoon soundtrack records. I amassed a huge collection over the years which I used to spin for the public on my multiple DJ nights here in Portland. I was already thinking about not DJing anymore & then the stroke put an...

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 15

"Sometimes there is strength & sometimes weakness; Sometimes one is up and sometimes down. Therefore the wise avoid extremes, excesses & complacency."

- The Tao Te Ching

People used to always tell me about the gray area because I saw the world in black & white. Black & White is stark, clear, obvious. People wanted me to understand or at least take into account the complexity of the world & see that things aren’t so simple. The answer may be clear to you in yo...

FACTIONS

We're introducing a new mechanic into DUNGEON DEGENERATES. There are so many factions competing for power in the Wurstreich. Each of these factions have their own turf. The Hauses, the Empire, Goblins, the Necro Cult, the Gutter, various gangs, cults, clubs, Nacht Drek  & more. All seeking to have their place on top. Stepping on & kicking their rivals to the bottom. Some factions are indifferent to you, some are rivals, some welcome their compatriots with open arms. There are som...

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 14

I love fireworks & loud noises. I used to just set off smoke bombs randomly to keep things lively. When we were watching the Turkey Necks (Cramps tribute band) at the Hollywood Theatre I was thinking about how much I love loud, amplified sound & how my tinnitus is worth it for the amount of pleasure I get from loud music. My kids are all solidly in the headphones camp which allows me the grace of not having to listen to their music & podcasts, but there is a public aspect of musi...

COME HERE OFTEN?

Before I had the stroke I had the idea to draw the fantasy equivalent of those old magazine cartoons where it was pretty obvious that a joke was tacked on to a drawing that could be a vehicle for any number of jokes. This one was published as “Come Here Often?” In PORK.

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 13

My agenda is balance & human flourishing. I believe the meaning of life is to be lived & that is the point of being alive. I am a good faith actor. We are not in a good position in America & when you are like that you can’t pass on works without the taint of your problems in everything you do. When you are handed two options it is important to note who is pointing those options out & presenting them as the only options. Think about why the options are being laid out for you....

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 12

I decided to have psychological ownership over this country back in 2001. 9-11 happened, after I watched the airplanes slamming into the towers, & got over the shock, & immediately thought of the Malcolm X quote, “the chickens have come home to roost”. I didn’t think about how emotionally scarring this event was & what it meant to have an attack on American soil. I thought about how America & specifically the George W. Bush administration were going to use it as an excus...

DUNGEON BLASTER

With these pixel art pieces I am just trying to go for the most absurd, high impact, fast & furious ideas possible. This is based off a drawing I did in 2007 or so, a video game called DUNGEON BLASTER. You shoot your enemies with an Uzi.

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 11

I came up in the zine world, specifically the International DIY Punk scene, but my zine was always personal, a per-zine as they would be classified later. Having the zine be my main artistic vehicle & it being my public face led me to develop a working persona. Who I write as isn’t very different from the isolated me, but I do maintain or acknowledge that difference because public life is one thing & private life is another. The public display of one’s life anticipat...

PORTLAND

I haven't used my powers of city context for a bit, I'm going to start using them for Portland & Oregon in general.

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 10

There is this term that is thrown around these days: “Luxury Beliefs”. These are beliefs that instill a sense of elite belonging but have little or no utility. I discarded so many of these that I took from the 90s Punk scene & the Bay Area, but I didn’t have the term “Luxury Beliefs”. These days I’m looking for politicians or leaders who don’t express any outward luxury beliefs & are all about making the existing structure we have functional or even performing well. It�...

THE GOBLIN NEWSLETTER 08

I was writing about how society isn’t solid enough for me feel safe in doing the kinds of pranks that I’d like to do because most things already read as absurd. I like to confuse people, but it’s no fun when they’re already confused. I stopped expanding on that theme because I hadn’t explored the idea enough & me just being almost fifty might be the reason things seem so absurd. I’ve always been out of step with the times, intentionally. But in retrospect I was definitely quin...