You might already know Jesse Jacobellis's work — his design was unlocked as Stretch Goal 4 during our Playmat Sanctuary Kickstarter at $175,000 CAD, and it's been available on our site ever since. That campaign was a huge part of Nerd Gear's growth, and Jesse's design has been along for the ride. So we're beyond excited to share that we're going all in on Jesse, dropping 7 brand new designs from him, all live now.
Jesse (you may know him as @jessejart on Instagram) works in a style he calls "Neo-Pop Tribalism" — a collision of psychedelic color, folklore, and symbolism that rewards a second and third look. Every piece is hand-illustrated from start to finish, and it shows. These aren't designs you glance at once and move on from — they're the kind you keep noticing new details in every time you sit down to play.
Here's a look at all 7 new designs, live now on nerdgear.com.
Goblin Chalice
A green-skinned, golden-eyed goblin cradles an ornate gold chalice by candlelight, surrounded by ancient tomes and hidden trinkets. Dark, moody, and dripping with tavern-dweller mystery.
Paranoid
A fractured, glitchy fever dream — floating screens, tangled wires, and watchful eyes rendered in electric purples and blues. This one's built to be stared at.
My Town
A sprawling, storybook overworld map complete with castles, winding roads, dragons, and hidden corners to explore. Classic fantasy-adventure energy, packed with detail.
Dangerous Operation
A twisted, gremlin-run take on the classic game of steady hands — organs, bones, and buzzers laid out across a board that's equal parts nostalgic and unsettling.
Trapped in the Lair of the Jorōgumo
A horror-tinged nod to retro RPGs, complete with health bars and dialogue boxes, dropping you straight into a nightmare encounter with a spider-woman straight out of Japanese folklore.
Shop Trapped in the Lair of the Jorōgumo →
Great Escape
Fire-breathing dragons, a beat-up Game Boy, and full send chaos — this one's pure adventure energy for anyone who grew up chasing high scores and higher stakes.
Poison
A swampy, mushroom-forest creature done up in glowing greens and purples — equal parts creepy and beautiful, with the kind of detail that rewards a closer look.
Tabletop Turmoil — Where It All Started
This is the design that started it all: our Playmat Sanctuary Kickstarter Stretch Goal 4, unlocked at $175,000 CAD. That campaign fueled a huge stretch of growth for Nerd Gear, and Jesse's design has been part of our site ever since — it's the reason we wanted to bring him on for a full collection.
We believe in paying artists for their craft, and Jesse's work is exactly why we do what we do. Go check out the full collection and grab your favorite before they're gone.
