Here's the cover of the Japanese "Expert" set corresponding to the "Basic" set I posted yesterday. Hey, there's a #skullmountain ...!
Found at the TSR Archive: http://www.tsrarchive.com/in/jp/jp-misc.html
Monday, May 28, 2018
Here's the cover of the Japanese "Expert" set corresponding tothe "Basic" set I posted yesterday.
Here's the cover of the Japanese "Expert" set corresponding to the "Basic" set I posted yesterday. Hey, there's a #skullmountain ...!
Found at the TSR Archive: http://www.tsrarchive.com/in/jp/jp-misc.html
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I would love to see a collection of all of the official Japanese D&D art somewhere. This is great stuff.
ReplyDeleteTheir covers sure do have a lot more to do with skulls than with dragons. ;)
ReplyDeleteHuh. That one’s pretty awesome actually. I dig in the skull motif. Heck I’m even groovin the armored fighter with the ribbon in her hair!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Japanese marketing team was deliberately targeting young girls (who play a lot of RPGs in Japan), compared to the Mentzer books (whose Elmore art and abundance of dudes seems geared more towards teen boys). Would be interesting to get the story on that. I mean, they COULD have simply reused existing art, right?
OMG, she does have a big bow in her hair. I wonder if it gives her magic powers.
ReplyDeleteChris Holmes don’t know if it does...all I know is that I want a similar cover for my next publication!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, this warrior “girl” appears to be the same young fighter gracing the cover of the (Japanese) Basic book...just now she’s grown up and is sporting more badass gear. That a nice parallel to the original B/X set covers. : )
Note that these are not the covers for the Japanese versions of the Basic and Expert Sets, but rather "playing guides". This one has illustrated item lists, sample scenarios, guidance for running a convention (!), and other D&D related advice. (That's what the text beneath the title reads, anyway.)
ReplyDeleteThe actual covers were exactly the same as the Mentzer edition covers, since those are the sets that were translated.
I don't have either of these books as they are rather costly these days. You can see a small picture from inside the red one at the auction here:
https://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/300278718
By the way, many years ago I wrote an article about the Japanese versions of the Rules Cyclopedia. I've been considering writing a few follow up articles. Would you be interested in seeing these?
I'm in the process of moving the old article to a new permanent home here:
http://mystara.thorfmaps.com/appendix-j/
Thorfinn Tait I'd be interested, for sure.
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