They may be heroes, at least some of them, but they don't seem to be motivated solely by altruism. Context, Part 3: These aren't necessarily heroes.In short, this is a carefully planned expedition into the darkness. You see a fighter wiping the blood from his sword, while two other fellows confer over a map, and an aged wizard offers sage advice. Another guy is guarding a partially opened door, on the lookout for more lizard men. On the back cover, you see a guy dragging a dead body - by the tail - across the ground to get him out of the way of some other guys who are toting crates (of loot, no doubt) and rolling a barrel. We know this because we see the bloody, dead bodies of these monsters piled up in front of the blasphemous idol. We're seeing them after they've just sent a bunch of lizard men or troglodytes to their doom. Some of them are almost certainly henchmen or hirelings rather than PCs. Context, Part 2: The adventuring party you see on the cover consists of at least 11 people, if you count the six figures on the front cover and the five on the back.D&D is about fighting evil in its very lair. That reminds me of Moloch or Baal or any of a number of Near Eastern deities who demanded human sacrifice, which, by my lights, is evil. The idol is even holding a large bowl from which flames are emanating. How do I know it's a lair of evil? Take a look at that leering idol's face and tell me he's a nice guy who's just misunderstood. In short, it's a "dungeon," in the broadest sense of the term, which is to say, the scene depicted takes place in a lair of evil. The ceiling is high enough that you can't see it in the illustration. The presence of braziers suggests it's underground or at least very dark here. You can see the brick archway that frames the demonic idol. Context: The illustration clearly takes place within a structure of some sort.I think it probably does a better job illustrating the style, tone, and content of the game than anything else put to canvas or paper before or since. I do not exaggerate by calling this the best piece of D&D art ever. In the end, though, I realized it was unnecessary, because just about everything I could say about Tramp and his art was summed up in what I hold to be the single best piece of D&D art ever created - the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook. So, I went around the internet, looking for scans of his art, which I was going to post here, with some commentary on why this or that piece was so remarkable. My original intention was to write a length paean to Dave Trampier, who, for me, pretty much sums up everything I think D&D art should be. However, I do hope I'll be able to explain where I'm coming from and why certain kinds of art, both old and new, leave me cold and strike me as inappropriate for D&D. I don't expect that I'll convince anyone, either die-hard fans of certain types of old school art or lovers of new-fangled illustrations. That's not the same thing as saying it's arbitrary or irrational - quite the contrary! What I hope to do in these entries is explain at some length what works for me art-wise and what doesn't and my reasons for feeling this way. I'll preface this entry by saying that everything you'll read here and in subsequent entries on the topic is purely subjective. I want to start talking about the art of D&D: what I like and don't like and why.
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