The Erol Otus Shrine:

TSR Minigames

In 1980 TSR released the first four of their line of eight “minigames”. Minigames (a.k.a. microgames) were a phenomenon of the late seventies and early eighties wargaming scene. These tiny, fast-playing games were developed in response to the growth of the gigantic, time-consuming “monster” wargames then in vogue. Erol Otus provided artwork for at least three of TSR’s minigames. His cover for Vampyre (above) really shows off his command of horror subject matter, his excellent use of landscape, and his masterful manipulation of light and color.

Otus also did two interior illustrations for Vampyre:

Otus also contributed 2 black-and-white pieces for the Revolt on Antares rulebook:

Notable figures in this piece include (from left to right) Emerald Eridani (in space fighter), the robotic troops of the Phantom Regiment, Silakkans operating laser tanks, and Doctor Death and his zombie soldiery.

Erol Otus also created two interior illos for Saga: Age of Heroes:

For those interested in learning more about minigames/microgames, The Maverick’s Classic Microgames Museum is a good starting place.

View Erol Otus illustrations from 1981 Dungeons & Dragon Basic Set | ’81 D&D Expert Set | Dragon magazine