Erol Otus
| Erol Otus | |
|---|---|
| Born | United States |
| Occupation | Artist, game designer |
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy role-playing game (RPG) genre, especially early in the Dungeons & Dragons franchise. Called "legendary" by RPGnet,[1] he is also known for his artwork on the multiple award winning[2] Star Control II as well as providing the voice for one of the character races, the Chmmr, in the same game.[3]
Role-playing games
Erol Otus was a prolific contributor to the early Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) franchise, creating full covers as well as many interior illustrations for TSR materials.[4] For example, he created the cover for the first version of the D&D manual Deities & Demigods and illustrated the Cthulhu pantheon within.
Otus has also provided cover art and interior illustrations for Goodman Games, Oracle Games (in particular Alma Mater - The High School RPG) and the Arduin series. More recently his art will be featured on the covers of the new HackMaster edition and issue #8 of Fight On!
While working at TSR, Otus was also runner up in TSR's first "DM Invitational", a contest to choose D&D's best overall dungeon master.[5]
Video games
Otus has also provided illustrations, production design and voice overs for computer games such as The Last Ninja,[6] Star Trek: Generations,[7] Mail Order Monsters and Star Control II.[8] Star Control II was named by IGN as the 17th best game of all time[9] and by GameSpot as one of the greatest games of all time.[10]
Homage
In the Dungeons & Dragons adventure module "A4: In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords", part of the treasure on the slaver ships is a series of paintings by a supposedly famous Drow Artist named "Ool Eurts" (an anagram of Erol Otus).
References
- ↑ RPGnet : Review of Booty And The Beasts
- ↑ "Awards and Recognition For Star Control Series". Gamespy. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
- ↑ "IMDb - Star Control 2 (VG)". IMDb. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
- ↑ Erol Otus :: Pen & Paper RPG Database archive
- ↑ http://annarchive.com/files/Drmg043.pdf "He's the Top Dungeon Mentzer". Dragon. Lake Geneva WI: TSR. V, No. 5 (43): 14. November 1980.
- ↑ Zenko, Darren (March 28, 2009). "Exploring the Wii's retro charms", Toronto Star, p. E12.
- ↑ "IMDb - Erol Otus". IMDb. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
- ↑ Fleming, Jeffrey (January 2010). "2010 Space is the Place", Game Developer 17 (1): 4.
- ↑ "IGN's Top 100 Games" from IGN
- ↑ "The Greatest Games of All Time: Star Control II" from GameSpot
External links
- Erol Otus' Official website (under development)
- Erol Otus at the Internet Movie Database
- Erol Otus at MobyGames
- The Erol Otus Shrine (a fansite)
- The Original Erol Otus Gallery of Miniatures and Art (used with permission)
- An interview with fantasy artist Erol Otus (from Tor.com)