tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post5836233484524929369..comments2024-03-18T20:22:06.331-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Open Friday: Inspiring IllustrationsJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-70100394034248050782012-02-26T13:15:11.024-05:002012-02-26T13:15:11.024-05:00Keith Parkinson's cover for the Advanced Dunge...Keith Parkinson's cover for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Player Character Record Sheets (green cover) has haunted me for ages.<br /><br />Also, Mr Parkinson's cover for the Basic D&D Player Character Record Sheets (lavender cover) - a close second.Rogue Leaderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09935579055590276997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-25846040468879213972012-02-19T13:12:25.519-05:002012-02-19T13:12:25.519-05:00My absolute favorite piece is Larry Elmore's &...My absolute favorite piece is Larry Elmore's 'Dragon Slayers' from the 2e Player's Handbook - http://larryelmore.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/DRAGON_S.jpg<br /><br />I know Elmore isn't everyone's cup of tea but that image is just perfect as far as I'm concerned.<br /><br />I'm also really fond of Daniel Horne's 'Saving the Best For Last' from the cover of Dragon #126 - http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aOuQOD5vUs8/Rv1U204g10I/AAAAAAAAAD0/_kg_byrAvV8/s640/savingthebestforlast11.jpg<br /><br />For thirdsies I'll go with Dave Trampier's 'Magic Mouth' from the 1e DMG - http://www.weekendwastemonster.net/images/mouth.gif<br /><br />Honorable mention to the 1e Player's cover with the party around the big fat idol.Wardukehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01075829898655315899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-88724636197499729932012-02-19T04:19:25.507-05:002012-02-19T04:19:25.507-05:00Outside of D&D, I was always impressed by the ...<i>Outside of D&D, I was always impressed by the advertisements in Dragon Magazine for the 1st Edition MERP Middle-earth Adventure Guidebook and Bree and the Barrow Downs supplements; I think they were by the same artist...</i><br /><br />Well, sort of. They were frames from the atrocious 1978 animated film (like the cover of the <i>Moria</i> module).Loren Rosson IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15002312216839280976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-86282676500212521692012-02-19T01:41:18.824-05:002012-02-19T01:41:18.824-05:00Thought of one more - One Hundred Bushels of Rye, ...Thought of one more - One Hundred Bushels of Rye, for HarnMaster. It's a simple picture - a bushel of rye with blood dripping out the bottom. I never actually got to read the adventure, but the simple, stark and mysterious cover image always made me wonder about it.<br /><br />You know, I'm not saying I *didn't* like all of the dynamic module covers that TSR published, but for whatever reason, it was these odd ducks that stood out in my mind...Devin Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00944849659698291143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-58300340509311797222012-02-19T01:35:20.826-05:002012-02-19T01:35:20.826-05:00While I loved Jim Roslof, Jeff Holloway and Larry ...While I loved Jim Roslof, Jeff Holloway and Larry Elmore, I was always intrigued by Jeremy Goodwin's artwork for the one-on-one Expert D&D module O2: Blade of Vengeance. The cover's not particularly good, but the interior illustrations are pretty fantastic, in that stereotypical 80s British style that I fell in love with through the Lone Wolf books and Warhammer and Talisman ads. B10: Night's Dark Shadow, has somewhat similar interior art, and great maps (as well as being a great epic adventure).<br /><br />Outside of D&D, I was always impressed by the advertisements in Dragon Magazine for the 1st Edition MERP Middle-earth Adventure Guidebook and Bree and the Barrow Downs supplements; I think they were by the same artist - both featured scenes devoid of any characters (one of an arched stone bridge over a river valley; the other of the town of Bree as seen from a high bluff), by the light of a full moon. They always struck me as very romantic and haunting and lovely and suggestive of mystery - something I always wanted to try to evoke somehow in my fantasy games, and what I definitely wanted in a MERP game.Devin Parkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00944849659698291143noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-32353753689837050072012-02-19T01:03:52.992-05:002012-02-19T01:03:52.992-05:00Thanks! Yeah, Holloway had some great stuff in the...Thanks! Yeah, Holloway had some great stuff in the post-1983 days of TSR. I think a lot of my "mind's eye" picture of D&D comes from his illustrations. I, too, read quite a few "Endless Quest" books with his illos as a kid.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08532311924539491087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-37845280064731446062012-02-18T21:42:36.264-05:002012-02-18T21:42:36.264-05:00The cover piece by Otus for "Hidden Shrine o...The cover piece by Otus for "Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan "and "In Search of the Unknown"( did Sutherland do the second one?). I also quite like the cover for Arduin Dungeon II: The Howling Tower. That one really sets the tone that the party is entering one serious mega dungeon.I.F.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04345074915911014741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-54281279224916125852012-02-18T21:36:06.990-05:002012-02-18T21:36:06.990-05:00Not a published adventure, but one of the most imp...Not a published adventure, but one of the most important fantasy images I've ever seen: a certain <a href="http://waxbanks.typepad.com/blog/Cover_lotr_green_gandalf.jpg" rel="nofollow">grey-robed</a> wizard walking in the <a href="http://waxbanks.typepad.com/blog/GandalfTheGrey-rain-bookcover-FULL.jpg" rel="nofollow">rain</a>. This is what I always hoped RPGs would <em>feel</em> like: like the wide green country just visible through the mist. (That's the edition of LotR I read as a boy, too; I was lucky that way.)Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12215651059418273961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-81356452920912330562012-02-18T19:19:11.696-05:002012-02-18T19:19:11.696-05:00I just adore Stephan Fabian black and white illust...I just adore Stephan Fabian black and white illustrations in the Ravenloft sourcebooks for 2e AD&D.Brendanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00908708023237168012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-87341329920238580052012-02-18T13:21:18.035-05:002012-02-18T13:21:18.035-05:00I like the Hackmaster covers on their rulebooks an...I like the Hackmaster covers on their rulebooks and "rehacked" modules, inspired by the iconic covers of 1e products. They depict the bloody prelude to the scene on Tramp's PH cover, the grisly aftermath of the image on Sutherland's DMG cover, the unfortunate sequel to the mining tunnel battle against the aspis in "Smackdown the Slavers." They're hilarious, and for me, humor has always been a big part of the game.Brian MacKenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12752842049666489041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-88206720480531304792012-02-18T12:35:39.733-05:002012-02-18T12:35:39.733-05:00. . . I never knew she had a name. Google search .... . . I never knew she had a name. Google search seems to agree with you though and for that, I thank you. That image has defined the PhB for me for almost two decades.Cirlothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04808105881974707273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-48724867729869310322012-02-18T12:22:20.651-05:002012-02-18T12:22:20.651-05:00Not from a published adventure, but from the 1st E...Not from a published adventure, but from the 1st Edition Players Handbook. It’s that picture of a bunch of dwarves and a halfling(presumably), turning a corner with a Magic Mouth speaking. They are walking by torchlight. They are heading around and down a staircase that at the bottom of which lurks something with glowing eyes. You can barely see the eyes and I missed them for many years. <br /><br />Likewise, the illustration in the 1st Edition MM, of the adventurers plugging their way through strands of spider web, with a large monstrous spider waiting, is another that captures, for me at least, the ultimate feel of what the game is all about.David Griffeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06629314279592541401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-44537400452275064732012-02-18T10:53:25.115-05:002012-02-18T10:53:25.115-05:00I could name lots, but for me, it starts with the ...I could name lots, but for me, it starts with the cover to my Holmes D&D set.Brian Ihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03611254309132646269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-78859441437342300842012-02-18T09:43:01.973-05:002012-02-18T09:43:01.973-05:00@JB - The cover of I5 was done by Jim as well.@JB - The cover of I5 was done by Jim as well.Deogolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02703358269224914324noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-4249233918200278822012-02-18T07:32:48.110-05:002012-02-18T07:32:48.110-05:00Roslov's color "fight illustrations"...Roslov's color "fight illustrations" are the best: the cover of D1-2 as you stated, but also the front cover of B2 and the back cover of S4 (Barrier Peaks). However, for sheer body of work in one book, nearly all the (non-jokey) illustrations in the DMG have inspired actual campaign/in-game material from me at one point or another. <br /><br />Oh, yeah...Holloway's work throughout the I3-I4 (Desert of Desolation) series is fantastic, and the cover of I5:Tomb of Martek is one of my all-time favorite module covers...though unfortunately, I don't know who gets the credit for that last illo.JBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08532311924539491087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-33462294966238619892012-02-17T19:25:30.182-05:002012-02-17T19:25:30.182-05:00Dennis Loubet's work from Swordbearer, particu...Dennis Loubet's work from <i>Swordbearer</i>, particularly the vista scene with the party at the top of a ridge/cliff surveying the landscape below whilst pointing presumably at their destination. I always wanted to build a CGI utility that would create these sorts of vista landscapes from my (or anyone else's) maps, but never got around to doing it.Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-23505806672639326392012-02-17T18:45:13.037-05:002012-02-17T18:45:13.037-05:00That pic from The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth:
http...That pic from The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth:<br /><br />http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_UC6wGUZJLlI/TMXqgcS-Q3I/AAAAAAAAATs/KAGMvtH8a5E/s1600/Picture+7.png<br /><br />It really screams "AD&D" for me: mistery, danger, dark magicks and ancient secrets. I want my players to be confronted with vistas like that. <br />It's only a little, not-so-much-known piece of art, but I'm pretty sure that it has influenced the aesthetics of my campaings for almost 20 years.lizahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09786809318270279916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-10969091983586511142012-02-17T18:04:35.114-05:002012-02-17T18:04:35.114-05:00There's a picture in the last reprint of the A...There's a picture in the last reprint of the AD&D 2e PHB of what is possibly a ranger near a giant monster footprint. The picture is drawn from above with the ranger looking up with a look of fear and trepidation.<br /><br />That sense of foreboding is something I try and infuse my campaigns with, the idea of "Oh Gods, we're going to die."<br /><br />Because sometimes the heroes don't win. Secretly, I try to protect my players from death. I try and give them a slight advantage up until "The Big Game", that is the big nasty encounter that they've been working towards. Then the gloves come off. My players are on their own against the Big Badness.<br /><br />My goal is to get the same reaction from my players as that ranger in the picture has, the "oh shite, we can lose this" feeling.joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351926278188565029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-31423028132634059902012-02-17T17:41:15.743-05:002012-02-17T17:41:15.743-05:00Three T&T Solos: Sword for Hire, Arena of Khaz...Three T&T Solos: Sword for Hire, Arena of Khazan, and Overkill. In D&D the Covers to Keep on the Borderlands, Castle Amber, and the Slave Pits.Lee Lawrencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01127805337560546059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-34381259541321689232012-02-17T17:31:53.542-05:002012-02-17T17:31:53.542-05:00I'll second that. It is so evocative. Who woul...I'll second that. It is so evocative. Who wouldn't want to play in that world after seeing his cover art? The interior illustration of the snake man holding a corroded electric fan says a lot about the game as well.Blayne Fleminghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11330429093758634994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-37517711657120768512012-02-17T15:49:06.722-05:002012-02-17T15:49:06.722-05:00I dunno . . . strangely I've always found a sl...I dunno . . . strangely I've always found a slight disconnect between D&D as I've play it and D&D as it looks in the pictures. The Owlbear fight mentioned above is "almost right" except: why the dressed stonework and flying butresses? And why does it look so well-lit? And what is that oversized halfing doing there instead of my magic-user? <br /><br />Sometimes my disappointment flowed the other way, as in the pictures looked better than what seemed to happen in a "real game": Who's playing the enchantress in the red evening gown? Where's Morgan Ironwolf? (Oh . . . sorry I asked, no really Greg, you should just go with being a dwarf lord. . .)Brian (brian_cooper at hotmail d o t com)https://www.blogger.com/profile/02805168206752602148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-26964236748667339822012-02-17T14:42:53.841-05:002012-02-17T14:42:53.841-05:00I loved a lot of the art from Dragon Warriors. It ...I loved a lot of the art from Dragon Warriors. It was from the early Fighting Fantasy and White Dwarf school. Two pieces I remember (and could fine online) was this <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_edfdVc9_vCE/Setbwgy4x8I/AAAAAAAAAKM/YZ3F5A9KXGo/s1600-h/Dragon-Warriors-6b.jpg" rel="nofollow">Russ Nicholson drawing</a> of three enemy Warlocks and this <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_edfdVc9_vCE/TU1-fQ4clPI/AAAAAAAABwQ/hZdr6h09m0Y/s1600/Dragon-Warriors-combat-system.jpg" rel="nofollow">comic strip</a> that explained the rules of combat.Ruddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12174843939252395797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-3051540866524275952012-02-17T14:27:20.059-05:002012-02-17T14:27:20.059-05:00And I see I missed the "published adventures&...And I see I missed the "published adventures" part. D'oh. In that case, I'd have to say it's a toss-up between the "DCS & DAT" cover of module B1 for it's sheer WTF-ery, or the cover of D2: Shrine of the Kuo-Toa--not for its technical accomplishment or the composition, but because you've got adventurers fighting weird fish-men in front of a ziggurat to a creepy lobster-goddess.amp108https://www.blogger.com/profile/06730954482557756380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-89806959797248853892012-02-17T13:48:38.773-05:002012-02-17T13:48:38.773-05:00There's an illustration in the Tunnels & T...There's an illustration in the Tunnels & Trolls 5th edition rulebook in the section on Saving Rolls: it has a woman in studded cloth armor walking on a tightrope over a pit of stakes, balancing herself with a short spear while two figures in the background look on. They may or may not be chasing her.<br /><br />There's also a Trampier illustration on the title page of the original Gamma World, a scene viewed from behind, of a crouching figure pointing a ray gun at a silhouetted beast. It looks like he's been caught by surprise while investigating some strange flora on the ground.<br /><br />Both of these strike me as people who've been motivated, by need or by a hunger for exploration, to take the risks they have. That's what "adventure" means to me.amp108https://www.blogger.com/profile/06730954482557756380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-14965945866392097082012-02-17T13:21:45.074-05:002012-02-17T13:21:45.074-05:00Pretty much anything Jim Holloway provided...
Yes...<i>Pretty much anything Jim Holloway provided...</i><br /><br />Yes, I should have put Holloway's <i>Lost City</i> in my top 5 over Roslof's <i>Ghost Tower</i>, now that I think of it.Loren Rosson IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15002312216839280976noreply@blogger.com