Archive for the 'D&D' Category

Erol Otus Illustration for the Advanced D&D Dungeon Masters Adventure Log (TSR, 1980)

Published April 28, 2016 D&D , Erol Otus 5 Comments

D&D Adventure 1980

D&D Adventure 1980 Detail

The product is absolute nonsense, a flagrant money-grab; the illustration, however, is a definitive representation of the dungeon crawl. The main figures prepare to battle in three dimensions, while the bordering monsters, pitched in darkness, await the survivors in two (torches first, heroes; you can’t fight if you can’t see). Otus distills, in a single monochrome image, the suspense, danger, and otherworldliness of the fantasy RPG. See more early illustrations of role-playing here.

The Adventure Log is billed as the second “playing aid” produced by TSR for AD&D. The first was the AD&D Rogues Gallery (below), also from 1980, also illustrated by Otus.

D&D RG 1980

D&D RG 1980-4

 

Products of Your (Sexist) Imagination: TSR’s Heart Quest Books, 1983 – 1984

Published April 25, 2016 Books , D&D , Jim Holloway , Larry Elmore , TSR 3 Comments

Heart Quest 1984

Heart Quest 1984-2

Following the immediate success of the Endless Quest books (1982), TSR released a new series directed at girls. The “Pick a Path to Adventure” tagline was changed to “Pick a Path to Romance and Adventure,” and endless quest became heart quest, because, ladies, your life’s journey ends in the kitchen, seeing as how “you want his love to fulfill your life.” I haven’t actually read any of the books, to be honest, because they’re so rare, but I can’t imagine the quality is high enough to make up for the shameful product. The books are obviously designed to resemble the Harlequin romances of the time, and each volume had “stepback” art, meaning the cover illustration is framed by a cut-out front cover. Turning the cover reveals the full page illustration.

Larry Elmore and Jim Holloway did the cover and interior art, respectively, for the first four volumes, and children’s author Linda Lowery wrote volumes three and five. You can find more information on the series here.

A Portrait of Young Geeks Playing Dungeons & Dragons, 1984

Published April 22, 2016 '80s Decor/Design/Fashion , D&D , D&D Portraits 5 Comments

D&D 1984

Shaving kit bags were often used as dice/accessory bags. A brilliant solution, really. I also “borrowed” a few faux leather coin purses from my mom: no latch, you just squeezed the sides of the thing and it popped open.

One of the guys has a Trapper Keeper, and there’s another one on the shelf. Wish I could see what those books were.

(Photo via schmooksdad)

A Portrait of Young Geeks Playing Dungeons & Dragons, 1987

Published April 20, 2016 '80s Decor/Design/Fashion , D&D , D&D Portraits , Dragonlance Leave a Comment

Dragonlance 1987

Dragonlance campaign, 1987, via Dean Stevens. Fishing poles, cat portraits, wide cans, prescription medication at the ready, a pool table light, and a shirt louder than the wall unit air conditioner. Sounds like the ’80s to me.

UPDATE: Actually, as we’ve been discussing on Facebook, they are likely playing on a covered pool table. There are pool cues on the right wall.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Modelling Clay: ‘Goblins and Dragons’ (DAS, 1982)

Published April 19, 2016 Arts and Crafts , D&D , D&D Non-Gaming Merchandise 2 Comments

AD&D Modelling Clay-1

AD&D Modelling Clay-2

The “Wizards and Fighters” set is here.

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Role Playing Dioramas (NSI, 1983)

Published March 9, 2016 D&D , D&D Non-Gaming Merchandise , Ken Kelly 2 Comments

AD&D Dioramas 1983

AD&D Dioramas 1983-2

From the makers of the AD&D Cool, Cool Candles and the AD&D Woodburning Set (!). The diorama set includes “semi-precious stones and foil for decorating”! Looks like the same art used for the LJN action figure cards. The backgrounds are very well done and might be the work of Ken Kelly.

Dungeons & Dragons Puffy Stickers (Larami, 1984)

Published February 24, 2016 D&D , D&D Non-Gaming Merchandise , Stickers 4 Comments

D&D Stickers 1984-1

D&D Stickers 1984-3

D&D Stickers 1984-4

D&D Stickers 1984-5

D&D Stickers 1984-2

LJN released several sets (6 total, I believe) of D&D puffy stickers in 1983 that are still pretty easy to find. The Larami releases, however, are extremely rare. I’m missing at least one of the sets. These sold on eBay some time ago for hundreds of dollars.

All of the characters and monsters seen here appear in the Dungeons & Dragons animated series. I know because my four-and-a-half-year-old daughter has been watching the show obsessively for the last several weeks. My youngest (19 months) much prefers Thundarr the Barbarian. Elmo is a close second.

Portrait of a Young Geek Playing Dungeons & Dragons, 1982

Published February 23, 2016 D&D , D&D Character Sheets , D&D Portraits , Newspapers 1 Comment

Mike Hughes The Arrow 1982

The geek and “Dragon Master” is Michael Hughes, a writer, teacher, performer, and occultist. Hughes founded the D&D Club at Andover High in 1981-1982, and, as luck (or fate) would have it, one of his homemade adventure modules appears in a compendium I wrote about a couple of years ago, The Habitation of the Stone Giant Lord and Other Adventures from Our Shared Youth. Mike talks a bit about D&D and The Habitation of the Stone Giant Lord here.

At the link you’ll also see an old school character sheet for “Grey Wanderer,” a half-elf ranger/cleric who possesses suspiciously high ability scores—though not so much in the way of looks, poor fellow. You’ll notice “Chaotic Good” listed under languages. That’s not a mistake. “Alignment languages” were a thing in the early versions of D&D and AD&D.

If you’re into Lovecraftian horror, do check out Mike’s novels Blackwater Lights and Witch Lights, published by Random House.

Mike Hughes CS

Illustrating the Act of Fantasy Role-Playing, 1981 – 1985

Published February 10, 2016 D&D , D&D Art , Jim Holloway , Role-playing/Role-playing Games (Non-TSR) 7 Comments

D&D Basic Set 1981

D&D GW 1981

D&D Basic 1982 French

Dicing with Dragons Book Club Poyser 1982

Dragon Warriors Bob Harvey 1985

The illustrations are from (top to bottom) the 1981 D&D Basic Set (Moldvay edition; art by David S. LaForce), a 1981 Games Workshop ad (artist unknown), and the 1982 French edition of the D&D Basic Set (Moldvay edition; art by Jim Holloway). I find it fascinating that the concept of role-playing was once so alien that it had to be explained with thought balloons. And I still can’t get over how awesomely bloody the GW sketch is.

If anybody knows of similar illustrations, please let me know.

UPDATE (2/11/2016): Thanks to Kai S. and Steve Wall, I’ve added two more illustrations. The first one (fourth image down) is the book club edition cover of Dicing with Dragons (1982), with art by Victoria Poyser. The second is from Dragon Warriors: Book One (1985), and the artist is Bob Harvey (see here and here). Brilliant stuff.

Dungeons & Dragons Paint-A-Figurine (Hasbro, 1984): Strongheart and Warduke

Published November 23, 2015 Arts and Crafts , D&D , D&D Non-Gaming Merchandise 4 Comments

D&D Paint 1984

D&D Paint 1984-2

D&D Paint 1984-3

D&D Paint 1984-4

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