One of the best things about re-reading gaming magazines from the early days of the hobby is finding illustrations by well known artists that you'd never seen before. A good case in point is Erol Otus, who's probably most remembered for his work on the 1981 Basic and Expert sets (especially their iconic covers). During his tenure at TSR, he also did a number of pieces – many of them in color – that appeared in the pages of Dragon, such as the one below from issue #43 (November 1980). The illustration accompanied a write-up for Amazons written by Roger E. Moore.
I've noticed that same exact thing in lesser known products too. Like when I reacquired the 1980 Monster & Treasure Assortment Sets One-Three I was surprised to see a couple pieces by Trampier that I don't think were ever reused anywhere (despite TSR's tendency to do so)
ReplyDeleteSadly, the Amazon write up isn't much of a write up. It just lists Amazons as a kind of monster that's basically the same as bandits except for unusual gender roles and location.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. The illustration is far better than the material it's illustrating.
DeleteI find that's true of the vast majority of things illustrated by Otus. Precious few writers that can live up to his art. :)
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