Hang on to the wizard, he's chickening out again (Keith Parkinson cover art for BECMI D&D supplement AC09: Creature Catalog, TSR, 1986)

Supermodule week! The format — a perfect bound softcover, often with a folder in the back containing a large foldout map or a booklet of maps — was introduced with Lankhmar, but was frequently used by TSR from the mid-‘80s to the early ‘90s, particularly in reprinting older adventure material. As much as I love the Lankhmar book, I begrudgingly acknowledge that The Temple of Elemental Evil (1985) is probably the real star publication using the format.

Temple was supposed to be a couple of more traditional modules by Gary Gygax, starting with T1: The Village of Hommlet (1979), but he never got around to finishing the writing. Aside of Hommlet and some notes, the rest of this book is Frank Mentzer’s work. It’s OK! I like Hommlet a lot — a starter module with a seemingly friendly town (like the village in Jennell Jaquays’ Dark Tower, this is a facade) where 1st level characters can square off with a memorable villain (Lareth the Beautiful) in a ruined moathouse. They then move along to the seedy town of Nulb, where more agents of the Temple are gathering, before proceeding into the Temple itself. I like Nulb too. I’m a little mixed on the Temple.

It’s a megadungeon (though one on the smallish side), and I generally like those, but Temple doesn’t make sense to me, really. I mean, dungeons never do, but Temple particularly so, as it is both a staging ground for the forces of evil and a prison built by the forces of good. I also think “Elemental Evil” is a silly concept, but I do like the big twist at the end, the fact that the big bad is the demon queen of fungus, of all things. I also like that Zuggtmoy looks like a weird ET knock-off. I think the problem for me is that the towns are dynamic and full of potential, but the encounters in the temple feel very samey. It’s fine, its just no Barrier Peaks, you know? Nice Parkinson cover, though.

King's Gold by Keith Parkinson, 1992

Gurps Cyberpunk - Cyberworld Cover Art by Keith Parkinson

Keith Parkinson

Orcus’s Doorman’  by Keith Parkinson (1987)

Keith Parkinson

Keith Parkinson

Keith Parkinson's oil painting for the cover of the original Everquest took 2 months to complete and drew from his experience creating D&D covers for TSR (Sony Online Entertainment, 1999). Parkinson continued to provide cover art for the EQ expansions until his untimely death in 2005 at age 47, after which his studio mate Larry Elmore illustrated the series in his similar style.

Queen of the Spiders (1986) collects the G-series modules, the D-series modules and Q1: Queen of the Demonweb Pits under one soft cover. This supermodule concludes the adventure path begun with Temple of Elemental Evil and continued with Scourge of the Slave Lords (and includes a nice mini scenario in which a slave lord tries to take some revenge). I generally like the original versions of these modules and I think the new material, arrangement and polish brought by Zeb Cook and Jeff Grubb really makes them shine. Maybe that is why the book goes for stupid money on eBay, because it does. Don’t pay that kind of money for it, please.

A selection of the original illustrations by Trampier, Otus and Willingham are reprinted inside. They’re supplemented by a bunch of new drawings by George Barr. I used to be a bit meh on Barr, particularly his D&D work during this period, but now I love it. So many stipples!

That Parkinson cover though. So much to unpack. His drow I think are pretty clearly patterned on Tina Turner circa Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and the sexualization is turned up to ten — the only D&D cover that rivals it is Jeff Easley’s for I9: Day of Al’Akbar, which came out the same year. This is an accomplishment of sorts, considering Clyde Caldwell was also on staff at the time. The throne is interesting, a shiny mall version of a H. R. Giger design, like a xenomorph crossed with Lo-Pan’s neon temple. The fire giants look like muppets. The only thing I genuinely like here is the mind flayer, and he looks as if his patience is being put to the test.

Diablo II - The Final Stand by Keith Parkinson

The Last Spell of Fistandantilus by Keith Parkinson

Keith Parkinson (1958-2005)