Erol Otus
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Erol Otus
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. He is also known for his artwork on the multiple award winning ''Star Control II'' as well as providing the voice for one of the character races, the Chmmr, in the same game. Biography A self-taught artist since childhood, Otus developed an interest in role-playing games and became employed in the art department of game company TSR in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin in the 1970s. After leaving the company, he studied painting at UC Berkeley and also took classes at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. He has cited a wide range of influences on his work from Dr. Seuss and Frank Frazetta to modern artists such as Joan MirĂ³, Willem de Kooning and Wassily Kandinsky. Role-playing games Erol Otus was a prolific contributor to the early ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) franchise, creating full covers ...
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Americans
Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Although direct citizens and nationals make up the majority of Americans, many Multiple citizenship, dual citizens, expatriates, and green card, permanent residents could also legally claim American nationality. The United States is home to race and ethnicity in the United States, people of many racial and ethnic origins; consequently, culture of the United States, American culture and Law of the United States, law do not equate nationality with Race (human categorization), race or Ethnic group, ethnicity, but with citizenship and an Oath of Allegiance (United States), oath of permanent allegiance. Overview The majority of Americans or their ancestors Immigration to the United States, immigrated to the United States or are descended from people who were Trans Atlantic Slave Trade, brought as Slavery in the United States ...
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Deities & Demigods
''Deities & Demigods'' (abbreviated ''DDG''), alternatively known as ''Legends & Lore'' (abbreviated ''L&L'' or ''LL''), is a reference book for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game (D&D). The book provides descriptions and game statistics of gods and legendary creatures from various sources in mythology and fiction, and allows dungeon masters to incorporate aspects of religions and mythos into their D&D campaigns. The first ''Deities & Demigods'' was published in 1980 by TSR, Inc. while another book called ''Deities and Demigods'' was published in 2002 by Wizards of the Coast, which acquired the ''D&D'' brand with their purchase of TSR in 1998. The original 1980 edition was the first print appearance of various fictional non-human deities, such as Corellon Larethian, Moradin, Gruumsh, and others, many of which have become standard features of the D&D game and its derivatives. These deities were the creation of Jim Ward. Later printings of ''Deities & Demig ...
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Generations (game)
A generation is "all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively." Generation or generations may also refer to: Science and technology * Generation (particle physics), a division of the elementary particles * Generation in carrier generation and recombination, a process with mobile charge carriers (semiconductors) * Generation in biology, a (usually multicellular) life stage, see biological life cycle * Electricity generation * Programming language generations, classes of a programming style's power Books * ''Generations'' (Marvel Comics), a Marvel Comics series * '' Superman & Batman: Generations'', a DC Comics series * ''Generations'' (book), a 1991 analysis of Anglo-American history by William Strauss and Neil Howe *'' GENERATION: 25 Years of Contemporary Art in Scotland'', a series of visual arts projects, exhibitions and events * ''Generations'' (DC Comics), a limited series from DC Comics *'' The Generation: The Rise and Fall of the Jewish ...
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Toronto Star
The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. The newspaper's offices are located at One Yonge Street in the Harbourfront, Toronto, Harbourfront neighbourhood of Toronto. The newspaper was established in 1892 as the ''Evening Star'' and was later renamed the ''Toronto Daily Star'' in 1900, under Joseph E. Atkinson. Atkinson was a major influence in shaping the editorial stance of the paper, with the paper having reflected his values until his death in 1948. The paper was renamed the ''Toronto Star'' in 1971. The newspaper introduced a Sunday edition in 1973. History The ''Star'' was created in 1892 by striking ''Toronto News'' printers and writers, led by future mayor of Toronto and social reformer Horatio Clarenc ...
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The Last Ninja
''The Last Ninja'' is an action-adventure game originally developed and published by System 3 in 1987 for the Commodore 64. It was converted to the Apple IIGS, MS-DOS, BBC Micro, and Acorn Electron in 1988, the Apple II in 1989, the Amiga, and Atari ST (as ''Last Ninja Remix'') in 1990, and the Acorn Archimedes in 1991. It is one of the most successful games released on the Commodore 64. It was followed by ''Last Ninja 2'' and '' Last Ninja 3''. Gameplay ''The Last Ninja'' contains a blend of exploration, puzzle solving, and combat. The object of the game is to guide the ninja protagonist Armakuni on his journey to the palace of the evil shogun Kunitoki to assassinate him, avenging his clan, and retrieve the sacred scrolls. As the player progresses, Kunitoki's henchmen become more challenging as they learn the ways of the ninja. The interface consists of the opponents' energy and collected inventory (on the right) and player's health (on the bottom). The world is viewed in ...
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Computer Game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedback mostly commonly is shown on a video display device, such as a TV set, computer monitor, monitor, touchscreen, or virtual reality headset. Some computer games do not always depend on a graphics display, for example List of text-based computer games, text adventure games and computer chess can be played through teletype printers. Video games are often augmented with audio feedback delivered through loudspeaker, speakers or headphones, and sometimes with other types of feedback, including haptic technology. Video games are defined based on their computing platform, platform, which include arcade video games, console games, and PC game, personal computer (PC) games. More recently, the industry has expanded on ...
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Frank Mentzer
Jacob Franklin Mentzer III is an American fantasy author and game designer who worked on early materials for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. He was an employee of TSR, Inc. from 1980 to 1986, spending part of that time as creative advisor to the chairman of the board, Gary Gygax. He also founded the Role-Playing Games Association (RPGA) during his time with TSR. After Gygax was ousted from TSR at the end of 1985, Mentzer left TSR as well and helped him to start New Infinities Productions Inc. (NIPI). When this venture failed, Mentzer left the gaming industry, eventually becoming the manager of a bakery. In 2008, he closed down this business and, two years later, announced he was returning to the gaming industry as a founding partner of a new publishing company, Eldritch Enterprises. Early life Frank Mentzer was born in the Philadelphia suburb of Springfield, Pennsylvania, the older of two children; his sibling is Susanne Mentzer. While attending Spri ...
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Lenard Lakofka
Lenard Lakofka (January 10, 1944 - October 23, 2020) was an American writer of material for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Although never a formal employee of TSR, Inc., TSR, the company that published ''Dungeons & Dragons'', Lakofka was an influential voice in the development of the game. He was one of the playtesters of the game as it was being developed, an editor of early manuscripts, wrote a widely-read monthly ''D&D'' magazine column and two official ''D&D'' adventures, and had his home campaign setting of the Lendore Isles incorporated into Gary Gygax's ''World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting''. Before D&D Lakofka was born January 10, 1944, in Illinois, to Alex Lakofka and Elsie Schumacher. While living in Chicago in the 1960s, Len Lakofka became involved in wargames, including Avalon Hill's ''Diplomacy (game), Diplomacy''. His increasing interest in ''Diplomacy'' led him to join the International Federation of Wargamers, and through the IFW he me ...
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Gen Con
Gen Con is the largest tabletop game convention in North America by both attendance and number of events. It features traditional pen-and-paper, board, and card games, including role-playing games, miniatures wargames, live action role-playing games, collectible card games, and strategy games. Gen Con also features computer games. Attendees engage in a variety of tournament and interactive game sessions. In 2019, Gen Con had nearly 70,000 unique attendees. Established in 1968 as the Lake Geneva Wargames Convention by Gary Gygax, who later co-created ''Dungeons & Dragons'', Gen Con was first held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The convention was moved to various locations in Wisconsin from 1972 to 1984 before becoming fixed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1985, where it remained until moving to Indianapolis, Indiana, in 2003. Other Gen Con conventions have been held sporadically in various locations around the United States, as well as internationally. In 1976, Gen Con became the prop ...
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HackMaster
HackMaster is a fantasy role-playing game produced by Kenzer & Company. It began as a fictional game, a parody of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' played by the characters of the ''Knights of the Dinner Table'' comic strip by Jolly R. Blackburn. The characters in the comic began playing fictional ''HackMaster 3rd Edition'', which was updated and published in 2001 as a numerously revised 4th edition. It has been hinted the name of the game was originally changed for copyright reasons. The current 5th edition has removed most of the parody aspects, and contains game mechanics written from scratch in order to avoid any intellectual property problems. Publication history Kenzer & Company received many requests from fans of the comic to produce an actual ''HackMaster'' game, but initially they thought that licensing ''Dungeons & Dragons'' would be impossible. In 1999 the ''Dragon Magazine Archive'' software was published where Wizards of the Coast failed to get permission to reprint many o ...
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Arduin
''Arduin'' is a fictional universe and fantasy role-playing system created in the mid-1970s by David A. Hargrave. It was the first published "cross-genre" fantasy RPG, with everything from interstellar wars to horror and historical drama, although it was based primarily in the medieval fantasy genre. Development history ''Arduin'' was one of the earliest challengers to TSR's ''Dungeons & Dragons''. It began in the mid-1970s as a personal project Hargrave created to share with friends, but became so popular that he was inspired to publish the material. Hargrave was one of several early RPG players from the San Francisco Bay area to also become a game designer, having started by creating variant rules for his weekly ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign which was heavily house-ruled and included hundreds of players, with its setting of Arduin, a neutral ground situated between nations formerly at war with each other. Around 1976 Greg Stafford of Chaosium played in Hargrave's ''Arduin'' ...
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Alma Mater (role-playing Game)
''Alma Mater'' is a role-playing game published by Oracle Games in 1982. Description ''Alma Mater'' is a humorous and anarchic system of role-playing high school students. Character classes include types like Brain, Cheerleader, Criminal, Jock, and Loser; other sections cover social rules, chemistry (explosives, etc.), alcohol and drugs, combat, and a section on academics. The game includes an introductory scenario. Publication history ''Alma Mater'' was designed by Steve Davis and Andrew Warden, with art by Erol Otus, and published by Oracle Games in 1982 as a 48-page book with a color poster. Reception J. David George reviewed ''Alma Mater'' in ''The Space Gamer'' No. 58. George commented that "Despite the fact that ''Alma Mater'' is built on a workable and innovative set of rules, its subject matter is likely to prevent most campaigns from lasting more than a session or two." Lawrence Schick comments that "The illustrations (by the notorious Erol Otus) are in such poor ta ...
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