Jim Roslof
Encyclopedia
James Paul "Jim" Roslof was an American artist and graphic designer particularly well known for cover art and interior illustrations of fantasy role-playing games published by TSR, Inc.
during the "golden age" of Dungeons & Dragons
. As Art Director at TSR in the early 1980s, he was also responsible for hiring many of the young artists who would go on to prominent careers in the fantasy role-playing industry.
As a fantasy artist, one of Roslof's best known pieces of artwork is his cover for Keep on the Borderlands, of which more than one million copies were sold.
, Illinois to Edward E. and Gertrude (Kibitlewski) Roslof.
Early in his career in the late 1960s, Jim Roslof was a contributor of cover art to the counterculture underground newspaper Chicago Seed.
, Bill Willingham
, Jeff Dee
, Paul Reiche
and Evan Robinson as a staff artist at TSR, Inc. in Lake Geneva WI
. Over the next year, he provided interior art for
Roslof also provided the cover art for some of AD&D's greatest adventures:
The last of these is perhaps Jim's best known work, since the adventure was included in later printings of the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
, of which over one million copies were sold.
In May 1981, despite the large amount of artwork needed for an ever-increasing number of company products, temperamental TSR manager Kevin Blume fired two of the six staff artists, Paul Reiche and Evan Robinson, on what TSR editor Steve Winter
described as "trumped-up charges of insubordination". When Bill Willingham and Jeff Dee complained, they were also fired, leaving only Roslof and Erol Otus as the art department. Roslof was promoted to Art Director, but instead of simply staying with the style of art that had defined TSR products since 1975, Roslof hired a cadre of brilliant artists whose artwork would define TSR to a generation, and who would all go on to successful careers as fantasy artists: Jim Holloway
, Larry Elmore
, Jeff Easley
, Harry Quinn, Keith Parkinson
, Tim Truman and Clyde Caldwell
. Parkinson recalled how he was hired: "I drove up one day to see if I could do some freelance work. Jim Roslof, who was the Art Director, hinted that I could join the staff full-time, but I missed the hint. A few days later, I called him about a job, and he had just hired somebody else the day before, but he’d keep me in mind. The next day, he called back, and had an opening."
The artists gathered in what TSR staffers called "the pit". As Scott Taylor recalled, the pit was "a place of creation for all the onsite artists of the growing company. Here countless worlds were born among rubber-band wars and constant deadline pressure. Still, the pit was a place of ultimate creation, a venue where artists worked together for inspiration, guidance, and commiseration in a time before the internet gave purchase to a web of greater connection."
In addition to giving direction to many disparate projects, Roslof also continued to provide artwork for TSR, including In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords, the hardcover book Fiend Folio
published by TSR UK, Descent into the Depths of the Earth
, Dwellers of the Forbidden City
and the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide
. He also provided some of the artwork for TSR's Monster Cards
, including original depictions for monsters such as the wemic
, and in 1986 produced illustrations for the first issue of Dungeon
.
. Some of his art was used in the Blood Wars Card Game
. In 2005, Goodman Games
began to publish a series of D&D adventures called "Dungeon Crawl Classics". Although they used an up-to-date version of rules, they were a deliberate throwback in content and style to TSR's "dungeon crawl" adventures of the 1970s and early 1980s. Several authors from TSR's heyday, including Monte Cook
and Dave Arneson
were hired to write adventures, and artists such as Roslof, Jeff Dee and Jim Holloway provided artwork. Roslof contributed cover art to two of the adventures, Dungeon Crawl Classics #29: The Adventure Begins (2006), and Dungeon Crawl Classics # 43: Curse of the Barrens (2007).
As well as creating fantasy artwork, Roslof was also a professional graphic designer
and inventor, with several patent applications for merchandising systems he worked on for DCI Marketing, Inc., the retail marketing subsidiary of IMI plc
.
; they had three children, and four grandchildren at the time of his death.
Laura Roslof was also involved in the creation of artwork for Dungeons & Dragons products, including the recalled version of Palace of the Silver Princess
, and currently runs a stained glass
art studio in Elkhorn
, Wisconsin
.
Roslof died at his home in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, on Saturday March 19, 2011.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
during the "golden age" of Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...
. As Art Director at TSR in the early 1980s, he was also responsible for hiring many of the young artists who would go on to prominent careers in the fantasy role-playing industry.
As a fantasy artist, one of Roslof's best known pieces of artwork is his cover for Keep on the Borderlands, of which more than one million copies were sold.
Before TSR
Jim Roslof was born November 21, 1946 in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois to Edward E. and Gertrude (Kibitlewski) Roslof.
Early in his career in the late 1960s, Jim Roslof was a contributor of cover art to the counterculture underground newspaper Chicago Seed.
At TSR
By 1979, Roslof had joined Erol OtusErol Otus
Erol Otus is an American artist and game designer, known internationally for his contributions to the fantasy RPG genre, most notably for the early Dungeons & Dragons franchise...
, Bill Willingham
Bill Willingham
Bill Willingham is an American writer and artist of comics.-Career:Willingham got his start in the late 1970s to early 1980s as a staff artist for TSR, Inc., where he illustrated a number of their role-playing game products...
, Jeff Dee
Jeff Dee
Jeff Dee is an American artist and game designer. Based in Austin, Texas, he is a recognized figure in the role-playing game community and game industry...
, Paul Reiche
Paul Reiche III
Paul Reiche III is a game designer, particularly for computer games. Reiche is best known for being the co-creator, together with Fred Ford, of the Star Control universe.-Pen and paper RPGs:...
and Evan Robinson as a staff artist at TSR, Inc. in Lake Geneva WI
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
. Over the next year, he provided interior art for
- Lawrence Schick's White Plume MountainWhite Plume MountainWhite Plume Mountain is an adventure module for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, written by Lawrence Schick and published by TSR in 1979...
(1979) - Gary GygaxGary GygaxErnest Gary Gygax was an American writer and game designer best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons with Dave Arneson. Gygax is generally acknowledged as the father of role-playing games....
's Slave Pits of the Undercity (1980) and Expedition to the Barrier PeaksExpedition to the Barrier PeaksExpedition to the Barrier Peaks is a 1980 adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game written by Gary Gygax. While Dungeons & Dragons is typically a fantasy game, the adventure includes elements of science fiction, and thus belongs to the science fantasy genre...
(1980) - the hardcover rule book Deities & DemigodsDeities & DemigodsDeities & Demigods , alternatively known as Legends & Lore , is a reference book for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game . The book provides descriptions and game statistics of gods and legendary creatures from various sources in mythology and fiction...
in which he provided illustrations of the entire Greek pantheon (1980) - various issues of TSR's Dragon magazineDragon (magazine)Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
, commencing with issue #42 (October 1980)
Roslof also provided the cover art for some of AD&D's greatest adventures:
- Queen of the Demonweb PitsQueen of the Demonweb PitsQueen of the Demonweb Pits is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game written by David Sutherland. The "Q" in the module code represents the first letter in the word "queen." This module is a sequel to the D series of modules...
(voted the single greatest adventure of all time, in compilation with the rest of the GDQ series, by DungeonDungeon (magazine)Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
magazine in 2004) - Ghost Tower of InvernessGhost Tower of InvernessThe Ghost Tower of Inverness is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, set in the game's World of Greyhawk campaign setting. The module's title refers to an ancient magical tower located in the southern Abbor-Alz Hills...
(ranked 30th greatest adventure in the same Dungeon article) - Secret of the Slavers Stockade
- Keep on the Borderlands (ranked 7th greatest adventure in the same Dungeon article)
Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
, of which over one million copies were sold.
In May 1981, despite the large amount of artwork needed for an ever-increasing number of company products, temperamental TSR manager Kevin Blume fired two of the six staff artists, Paul Reiche and Evan Robinson, on what TSR editor Steve Winter
Steve Winter
Steve Winter is a game designer who has worked on numerous products for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game from TSR and later Wizards of the Coast.-Early life:Steve Winter was born in Dubuque, Iowa on December 8, 1957...
described as "trumped-up charges of insubordination". When Bill Willingham and Jeff Dee complained, they were also fired, leaving only Roslof and Erol Otus as the art department. Roslof was promoted to Art Director, but instead of simply staying with the style of art that had defined TSR products since 1975, Roslof hired a cadre of brilliant artists whose artwork would define TSR to a generation, and who would all go on to successful careers as fantasy artists: Jim Holloway
Jim Holloway (artist)
-Background:Jim Holloway was self taught in illustration, although he was able to study some oil paintings by his father.-Works:Jim Holloway has continued to produce interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1981, as well as cover art for The Land Beyond the...
, Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance, and the comic strip series SnarfQuest...
, Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley
Jeff Easley is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork in the tradition of Frank Frazetta.-Early life:...
, Harry Quinn, Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson
Keith Parkinson was an American fantasy artist and illustrator known for book cover and game artwork for games such as EverQuest, Guardians, Magic: The Gathering and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.-Early life:...
, Tim Truman and Clyde Caldwell
Clyde Caldwell
Clyde Caldwell is an American artist. Self described as a fantasy illustrator, he is best known for his portrayals of strong, sexy female characters.-Early life:...
. Parkinson recalled how he was hired: "I drove up one day to see if I could do some freelance work. Jim Roslof, who was the Art Director, hinted that I could join the staff full-time, but I missed the hint. A few days later, I called him about a job, and he had just hired somebody else the day before, but he’d keep me in mind. The next day, he called back, and had an opening."
The artists gathered in what TSR staffers called "the pit". As Scott Taylor recalled, the pit was "a place of creation for all the onsite artists of the growing company. Here countless worlds were born among rubber-band wars and constant deadline pressure. Still, the pit was a place of ultimate creation, a venue where artists worked together for inspiration, guidance, and commiseration in a time before the internet gave purchase to a web of greater connection."
In addition to giving direction to many disparate projects, Roslof also continued to provide artwork for TSR, including In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords, the hardcover book Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio is the title shared by three products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
published by TSR UK, Descent into the Depths of the Earth
Descent into the Depths of the Earth
Descent Into the Depths of the Earth is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game coded D1–2. It was written by Gary Gygax, and combines two previously published modules from 1978, the original Descent into the Depths of the Earth and Shrine of the Kuo-Toa...
, Dwellers of the Forbidden City
Dwellers of the Forbidden City
Dwellers of the Forbidden City is an adventure module, or pre-packaged adventure booklet, ready for use by Dungeon Masters in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
and the Dungeoneer's Survival Guide
Dungeoneer's Survival Guide
Dungeoneer's Survival Guide is a supplement to the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The book was written by Douglas Niles, and published by TSR, Inc...
. He also provided some of the artwork for TSR's Monster Cards
Monster Cards
Monster Cards is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Contents:The Monster Cards were a DM's aid, with each set containing twenty 3" by 5" cards, each with a color monster illustration on one side and statistics on the other side...
, including original depictions for monsters such as the wemic
Wemic
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, the wemic is a humanoid with the upper body of a leonine human and the lower body of a lion. Like centaurs, they are considered "tauric" creatures.-Publication history:David C...
, and in 1986 produced illustrations for the first issue of Dungeon
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
.
After TSR
After leaving TSR, Roslof moved to Elkhorn, WisconsinElkhorn, Wisconsin
Elkhorn is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is southwest of Milwaukee and northwest of Chicago. The population was 7,305 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Walworth County...
. Some of his art was used in the Blood Wars Card Game
Blood Wars Card Game
Blood Wars is a collectible card game produced by TSR, Inc., based on the Planescape campaign setting from Dungeons & Dragons. The game was released in 1995 as part of TSR's 20th anniversary. Players use cards representing Warlords and Legions for combat to claim Battlefield cards.Blood Wars was...
. In 2005, Goodman Games
Goodman Games
Goodman Games is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes. Goodman Games is best known as the publisher of the Dungeon Crawl Classics series of adventure modules, as well as the Dragonmech and the award-winning Etherscope role-playing games, and has...
began to publish a series of D&D adventures called "Dungeon Crawl Classics". Although they used an up-to-date version of rules, they were a deliberate throwback in content and style to TSR's "dungeon crawl" adventures of the 1970s and early 1980s. Several authors from TSR's heyday, including Monte Cook
Monte Cook
Monte Cook is a professional table-top role-playing game designer and writer. He is married to Sue Weinlein Cook.-Roleplaying:Cook has been a professional game designer since 1988, working primarily on role-playing games. Much of his early work was for Iron Crown Enterprises as an editor and writer...
and Dave Arneson
Dave Arneson
David Lance "Dave" Arneson was an American game designer best known for co-developing the first published role-playing game , Dungeons & Dragons, with Gary Gygax, in the early 1970s...
were hired to write adventures, and artists such as Roslof, Jeff Dee and Jim Holloway provided artwork. Roslof contributed cover art to two of the adventures, Dungeon Crawl Classics #29: The Adventure Begins (2006), and Dungeon Crawl Classics # 43: Curse of the Barrens (2007).
As well as creating fantasy artwork, Roslof was also a professional graphic designer
Graphic designer
A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, printed or electronic media, such as brochures and...
and inventor, with several patent applications for merchandising systems he worked on for DCI Marketing, Inc., the retail marketing subsidiary of IMI plc
IMI plc
IMI plc , formerly Imperial Metal Industries, is a British based engineering company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...
.
Personal life
Jim Roslof married Laura S. Miller on April 25, 1968 in Aptos, CaliforniaAptos, California
Aptos is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 6,220 at the 2010 census.Aptos is an unincorporated area of Santa Cruz county, consisting of several small communities...
; they had three children, and four grandchildren at the time of his death.
Laura Roslof was also involved in the creation of artwork for Dungeons & Dragons products, including the recalled version of Palace of the Silver Princess
Palace of the Silver Princess
Palace of the Silver Princess is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set. It was written in 1980 by Jean Wells, and published in 1981 with an orange cover. Palace of the Silver Princess contains a single adventure laid out in a format suitable for a single gaming session...
, and currently runs a stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
art studio in Elkhorn
Elkhorn, Wisconsin
Elkhorn is a city in Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. It is southwest of Milwaukee and northwest of Chicago. The population was 7,305 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Walworth County...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
.
Roslof died at his home in Elkhorn, Wisconsin, on Saturday March 19, 2011.