12. Which RPG has the most inspiring interior art?
Answer:
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. I realize this probably sounds like a stock or lazy answer, but if I'm being honest with myself, the interior art for this version of the game was the most inspirational to me. Everything from the core rulebooks, to the supplemental hardbacks, and all of the modules, from 1977 to 1985-ish, set the tone for my imagination in regards to RPGs. The stable of regular artists in these books engraved images in my brain that will be there until the day I die. Trampier, Sutherland, Dee, Rosloff, Williamham, Holloway, Truman, and Otus among others formed the greatest all-star art team of all time, to my mind. Plenty of people have gone on and on about the work done in the
PHB, the
DMG, and the
MM that I don't think I need to go into much detail there. I've also already highlighted Erol Otus's B/X cover during RPGaDay, and although to me Otus was the true genius of the group, I wanted to highlight a different artist that not as many people talk about.
Specifically, I want to highlight Russ Nicholson and his work in
Fiend Folio. Russ's style tapped into a malevolence and an evil brutality that I don't remember being equaled until
Lamentations of the Flame Princess. While the creatures he drew were nightmarish enough, the look of horror and terror in the eyes of the adventurers he drew told just as much of the story. It wasn't just the gory and sinister content that makes his work so compelling. His style, at least in the
Fiend Folio, features a speckled almost grimy look to it. Russ's work inspired me because it drove home for me just how scary it would be to climb into a hole in the earth and then watch your comrade fall in battle to some minions from hell before being disemboweled on a cold, stone dungeon floor.
Here are a few examples of what I'm talking about.
Specifically, I want to highlight Russ Nicholson and his work in Fiend Folio. Russ's style tapped into a malevolence and an evil brutality that I don't remember being equaled until Lamentations of the Flame Princess. While the creatures he drew were nightmarish enough, the look of horror and terror in the eyes of the adventurers he drew told just as much of the story. It wasn't just the gory and sinister content that makes his work so compelling. His style, at least in the Fiend Folio, features a speckled almost grimy look to it. Russ's work inspired me because it drove home for me just how scary it would be to climb into a hole in the earth and then watch your comrade fall in battle to some minions from hell before being disemboweled on a cold, stone dungeon floor.
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