About Steel and Stone
Steel and Stone is a 70+ page OSR zine created by W. Gage Berry, featuring a unique twist on classic dungeon crawling. Set in a dwarven keep half-swallowed by desert sands, the adventure challenges players to navigate a fortress that defies conventional dungeon design—where the "backdoor" is actually the front entrance, and the throne room serves as the king's final safe haven on the surface.
The Citadel of the Last Tammuzar lies half-buried in the Ashurian sands; once a shining dwarven stronghold, now a tomb of dead dwarves and blackened stone. When the curse came, Adon Tammuzar sank his castle to save his people, sealing them below with magic and pride. Centuries later, the spire has surfaced again, and the Last Tammuzar still waits in the dark, dreaming his kingdom lives.
The Maps
This project consisted of three interconnected pieces: two portrait-oriented dungeon maps depicting the upper and lower halls of the keep, and one landscape illustration serving as a puzzle handout featuring the mysterious statues guarding the throne room. All maps were created using traditional mixed media techniques—hand-drawn with ink on paper, then scanned and digitally enhanced for print optimization.
The maps showcase classic top-down dungeon cartography filled with detailed elements: bookshelves lining ancient halls, clockwork and biological fauna inhabiting forgotten corridors, and the imposing architecture of a civilization that built both for beauty and brutal defense.
"This adventure features a multifloor dungeon with puzzle handouts, all done by T.A. Maps, and perfectly fitting for any low level adventuring group!" - W. Gage Berry
Creative Collaboration
Working with Gage felt less like a traditional client relationship and more like operating as a creative hivemind. Our artistic vision aligned so perfectly that the maps required virtually no revisions—we hit the mark on the first attempt every time. As the maps developed, I was given freedom to contribute worldbuilding details and visual elements that, in turn, influenced Gage's writing process for the adventure itself.
This collaborative synergy made the project particularly special for me. I rarely get the opportunity to create pure top-down dungeon maps in the OSR style, which remains one of my favorite cartographic approaches. The project combined everything I love: hand-drawn authenticity, old school gaming aesthetics, and the chance to help shape a world through visual storytelling.
