Original Edition Characters on Grognardia

James Maliszewski of Grognardia fame gives a very good review of Original Edition Characters for Labyrinth Lord over on his blog. It's a product that I'm very proud to have been able to help out with.

These guys are definitely in trouble. I stuck in the guy with the spear and helmet as tribute to Erol Otus, who is the one of the few D&D artists to show his adventurers using spears rather than swords. You get him, fellas!

"Ogres! I've got an Ogre-Slaying knife! It's plus 6 against Ogres!"

Sure you do, pal...sure you do.

Don't feel too bad for the turkey this Thursday...

After all, some birds are just plain mean!

The Limed Over Skeleton of the Abbott

If you played AD&D, then you remember this guy. This was back in the day when rulebooks had interesting examples of play in them, which are always fun to read. (At least for me!) Now, where's by 10' pole...

Fight On #3 is Out!

This is Crazy Clonk, and he appears in the new issue of Fight On! in “Spawning Grounds of the Crab Men”, a dungeon adventure written by the unstoppable Sham! Go buy it right now!

As an aside, I have to admit that after drawing Clonk up there, I ended up at Red Lobster later in the week. I am, if nothing, very suggestible.

Another note: though I am very happy and with Clonk and all the images I've submitted to Fight On!, there is one that I submitted for #3 that I am exceptionally happy with. What is it? You'll have to buy it and see ! (Oh, I'll eventually post it, but I'd like to see it in print first :))

ZZZZAP!

No Thoul like an old Thoul...

Further color experimentation with our friend, the Thoul.

Back to Town, again...

I've featured this image already, but I did a color version that I think works a lot better. The elements in the drawing separate out in a more engaging fashion, I think.

More Dungeoneering..

I did "Hall of Doom" as an illustration for Basic Fantasy RPG, and have even seen it as a mildly animated banner ad on message boards, which was a little weird at first. ("Hey, that's me!") It's meant to be reminiscent of illustrations from the old Dungeonmasters Guide, and I think it succeeds on that front. Another drawing where I really got into drawing stone.

Breaking and Entering....

My first big rookie DM mistake that I remember: Never put a lock that needs to be picked at the entrance to the dungeon! DM: "You fail to get the lock open" CALLER: "Okay, let's go somewhere else then. How about that forest on the edge of the map..."

Who's There?

Evolution of the Bugbear

"Large, hairy, overgrown goblins with a strange, shuffling gait" is how I've seen the Bugbear described, but you don't hear much about the "strange gait" anymore in later editions of D&D. Originally, the Bugbear is shown to look like this character, but that got changed when AD&D hit the market. While the original does strike my whimsy in a fond way, I still end up describing Bugbears in my games mostly as above. Except, maybe, with less armpit hair...

More Tolkien...

It's November, and that is usually the time of year that I bust out "Lord of the Rings" and either re-read it or peruse my favorite sections. So, here is another Tolkien inspired piece: "Earendil".