Here's the Erol Otus pictures from Alma Mater: The High School RPG from 1982. I don't need to tell you how much I love this stuff. Let me suggest you put some Led Zep or B.O.C. on the stereo, get your lighter, spark a fire, and enjoy.
Cover Art
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/2841556671_6bd6b6d4d5_o.jpg)
Losers, Lovers or Both?
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3283/2841556421_fa5fba2f4b_o.jpg)
The Lunchroom Dweeb
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3255/2842391636_609f669a84_o.jpg)
Football
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2224/2841556257_7ef6415bc5_o.jpg)
Race Rumble in the Boy's Room
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2066/2842391398_114efdc17f_o.jpg)
Hot for Teacher
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/2841555953_25eef768cd_o.jpg)
Gymcutter
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3034/2841555775_e388286d16_o.jpg)
Trippy
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/2842390996_af68be2d61_o.jpg)
AC/DC Junky
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3260/2841555641_4ff2368a3b_o.jpg)
Cheater
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3258/2841555595_e75d699923_o.jpg)
Makin' Out
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3161/2841555513_33274bdb63_o.jpg)
Yearbook - get yer avatars here old school boys & girls!
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3036/2842431956_553545cdb9_o.jpg)
Holy crap! Is that real? Where can you get that game? That is awesome. Thanks for posting that.
Man, I used to think that society was at its most uptight in the 80s, but looking back, you can really see how the wave of cultural conservatism has dampened the wildness here in North America.
If that game is real, I need to get my hands on it. How are the rules?
Or perhaps not:
QuoteAlma Mater was a bit of a controversy when it came out. Stores refused to order it, gaming magazines refused to even carry ads for it, and conventions banned anyone running or even dealers selling it, all because of the explicit references to sex n' drugs. I have an issue of the Sorcerer's Apprentice (the Flying Buffalo and T&T support magazine) in which the then editor Liz Danforth rants at length on the horribleness of AM and its inappropriateness as a game.
Which all looks terribly silly and naive two decades later, after White Wolf set aside a whole publishing imprint for adult-themed books and even D&D has had its mature content titles.
from a discussion (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?p=8971905#post8971905)on the review (http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13816.phtml)in rpg.net
If a chick ever made that face while reaching for my junk I'd be afraid. That picture looks like an undercover Femi-Nazi operative achieving her objective: the tearing off of the penis.
-=Grim=-
A friend of mine owned it; I remember seeing it in the game store at least as late as 1987. Regrettably I never picked up.
It's a real game. I own a copy of it. The rules are clunky and outdated. Honestly, unless your a complusive collector, I really don't see the need to go out and hunt this game down.
How are the rules outdated?
Quote from: KenHR;246099How are the rules outdated?
Well, outdated in the sense that it was, basically, a modified D&D clone system (simple class-level with skill system). It was published in 1982.
Perhaps, my choice of the word 'outdated' was not the best.
I consider this game one the of my prizes in my collection for novelty and nostalgia reasons.
I did not mean to associate any negative connotation when I used the term outdated. It's just the product of an earlier era in the RPG industry.
The game is funny, and could certainly be mined for ideas today. Also, it's a time stamp on high school life in the early 1980's, which some gronards might find amusing and spark memories of life in high school back then.
Ah, gotcha.
I can see how classes like Jock, Loser, etc. would work for such a setting. Certainly makes more sense than typical classes in a fantasy setting (no matter how much I love 'em).
The RPGnet review is interesting. The game appears to have been trying to break some new ground at the time it was released. Definitely looks like something to keep an eye out for one day, if for nothing else than to satisfy the collector's jones.
Creepy Otus artwork is always a bonus, too. :)
I'd liken the rules to a cross between Top Secret & Villains & Vigilantes. The combat system is pretty clunky - and you're pretty much reduced to stabbing each other with pens or maybe a switchblade. The social interaction rules are reaction table based with a slew of modifiers. Who you are and where you come from is pretty important - and not every character is special enough to fit in a class - most are just normal. The game is supposed to be played as a normal school day, each period being a 'turn', with plenty of random events and encounters. Lots of very un-PC stuff crops up like drug use, sex (pregnancy & rape), cheating, violence and all of it is treated rather gleefully - sort of like Dazed & Confused, Fast Times at Ridgemont High or maybe Carrie. I really like it for what it is - plenty of good ideas to nab and that teen-sex-comedy tone. A pretzel game that probably requires something a little stronger than beer.
Fantastic and creepy artwork. I remember this game. My uncle had it hidden in his stash of RPG books that he never wanted me to see. I was only 10 when it came out, but I was curious. The pics alone tempted me to steal the book when ever he wasn't looking, and dive into this universe. Funny you mentioned Fast Times at Ridgemont High...those are the exact thoughts that jumped into my head when I saw the pics. Although I never played the game, I do remember trying to listen in on the group as they played and added their own atmosphere to the game...(a couple of joints, and booze)..man did that bring back the memories. Thanks for the good times again.
Quote from: walkerp;246047Or perhaps not:
from a discussion (http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?p=8971905#post8971905)on the review (http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/13/13816.phtml)in rpg.net
I'm glad i missed this one.
Yet, neck rape and other fucked up stuff doesn't bother you.
Quote from: One Horse Town;246150I'm glad i missed this one.
Yet, neck rape and other fucked up stuff doesn't bother you.
Huh?
I said I'd be psyched to play this game.
I think he's referring to the fact that Alma Mater was, after all, controversial in the 80's.
Fact is, 1982 was the tail-end of the freewheeling 70's, but at no point in American history would a game with pictures like that, and references to sex & drugs, on the shelves next to games targeted at kids and teens, have passed without a blink.
The 80's did superficially reverse some things compared to the 70's, but at the same time the attitudes of the 60's and 70's spread out and became normalized. In 1976 someone could still make a big deal over an unmarried couple living together, by 1990 that attitude would seem quaint.
I remember thinking "Why the fuck do I need to buy that when I could just do it with BRP?"
Although the artwork is indeed subversive and of high quality I´m very concerned that, again, all "edgyness" in US pop culture seems to perpetually circle around high school.
Quote from: Settembrini;246456Although the artwork is indeed subversive and of high quality I´m very concerned that, again, all "edgyness" in US pop culture seems to perpetually circle around high school.
Write a book already.
I´m not saying I truly fathom the depths of that phenomenon. Therefore, a treatise will not be written by me.
So I guess this is not really a good time to mention Heathers.
Regards,
David R
Quote from: Settembrini;246456Although the artwork is indeed subversive and of high quality I´m very concerned that, again, all "edgyness" in US pop culture seems to perpetually circle around high school.
See if you can find
Weirdo comics. There may be a collection. Or
RAW (eds. Spiegelman and Mouly), though that has a strong European component.
Also: Coen Brothers, David Lynch, John Waters, John Carpenter, Tarantino. Particularly in the 80's-early 90's when they were young and hungry.
Quote from: David R;246463So I guess this is not really a good time to mention Heathers.
It's
always a good time to mention Heathers.
Quote from: Settembrini;246456Although the artwork is indeed subversive and of high quality I´m very concerned that, again, all "edgyness" in US pop culture seems to perpetually circle around high school.
Two key differences between the US and Germany- RPGs* are not edgy here- and neither is David Hasselhoff.
*Especially thirty year old RPGs- you've totally got your finger on the pulse.
P.S. I like Errol Otis, but in this case, the art sucks.
I hate those pics in the opening few posts.
I DO like older Otus stuff that was used with D&D.
The same visual jokes were done in pages of National Lampoon - and with much better artwork.
Oh, and now we know where Kellri got his avatar from.
- Ed C.
I love Erol Otus's work for D&D. The artwork from this game seems somehow...creepier...than his D&D work. I have to say I don't like it much.
Quote from: ColonelHardisson;246753I love Erol Otus's work for D&D. The artwork from this game seems somehow...creepier...than his D&D work. I have to say I don't like it much.
Isn't "creepy" Otus' whole schtick to begin with?
A more recent Otus piece...
(http://www.justinphelps.com/records/sloughfeg2.jpg)
Quote from: Aos;246723Two key differences between the US and Germany- RPGs* are not edgy here- and neither is David Hasselhoff.
*Especially thirty year old RPGs- you've totally got your finger on the pulse.
P.S. I like Errol Otis, but in this case, the art sucks.
Actually both is true for germany, too. The country cannot be held responsible for Sett being... special.
Quote from: ColonelHardisson;246753I love Erol Otus's work for D&D. The artwork from this game seems somehow...creepier...than his D&D work. I have to say I don't like it much.
I am not sure you are
supposed to.
Only ever played "Teenagers From Outer Space" myself. Never saw this one that I can recall with my foggy old-man brains.
One thing; very surprised to see "La Raza" on a bathroom wall back in 1982. Obviously been going on longer than I thought...
Quote from: Saphim;246765Actually both is true for germany, too. The country cannot be held responsible for Sett being... special.
Sett lives on Earth2. Over there, across the barrier, they're all doing
The Hustle and watching new episodes of
Quark, whilst they groom their chest hair. True story.
Quote from: JimLotFP;246760Isn't "creepy" Otus' whole schtick to begin with?
A more recent Otus piece...
(http://www.justinphelps.com/records/sloughfeg2.jpg)
Note that I used the word "creepier." His D&D work is creepy, just not to the degree this stuff is.
Koltar, I'll give you $1 if you change your avatar. Like, you're dressed up in fantasy garb in a game store. It hurts me where I pee, man. Please? It's a whole $1. You can buy 1/2 a pack of gum or something.
I'm still bothered by the look on the handjob chick's face. It's daemonic. But not in the "You'll like this" Slaanesh sorta way...
-=Grim=-
Quote from: GrimJesta;246878I'm still bothered by the look on the handjob chick's face. It's daemonic. But not in the "You'll like this" Slaanesh sorta way...
-=Grim=-
That is pretty creepy, but in high school would it have really mattered what she was doing with her face :)
Yeah don't care for this art myself, love his work on DnD but this is not only ugly but amateurish in execution.
I can't believe this game exists... *eek*
If you want to know more about the game, I got some info back in this thread. (http://www.therpgsite.com/showthread.php?t=2148)
Quote from: GrimJesta;246878Koltar, I'll give you $1 if you change your avatar. Like, you're dressed up in fantasy garb in a game store. It hurts me where I pee, man. Please? It's a whole $1. You can buy 1/2 a pack of gum or something.
-=Grim=-
Actually that pic was taken at the local Renaissance fair about 5 years ago.
I've used at least 14 different avatars on here - you got a preference?
Ed in tuxedo?
Ed at work in the store?
Koltar & Dr. Rotwang?
Ed & Tehana?
- Ed C.
Quote from: GrayPumpkin;246954Yeah don't care for this art myself, love his work on DnD but this is not only ugly but amateurish in execution.
Yes, but the ugliness is kind of the point, and the amateurishness is beside the point. At work is the 70s zine/punk aesthetic you more often see in British art.
If the art was meant to portray High School as a bad trip that lasts 6 years then he nailed it. But I gotta agree that the weird he gives to his pieces transfers better to fantasy than reality.
Quote from: The_Shadow;247121Yes, but the ugliness is kind of the point, and the amateurishness is beside the point. At work is the 70s zine/punk aesthetic you more often see in British art.
Good point. This game was from the cusp of the change in perception about rpgs from being an underground thing to a mainstream one. I think this stuff really informs Otus' TSR work, and reveals him to be a genuine surrealist rather than just an rpg stylist. Those twisty tendrils of steam are seen everywhere in his Cthulhuoid D&D art. When rising from the meal tray in
Lunchroom Dweeb they look positively alive and menacing - an acidhead's worst nightmare. Same goes for the look on the Handjob Girl's face. You see the same leering visage on earlier Drow priestesses and Top Secret spymasters. On the face of a teenager making out it's weirdly subversive, even today.
Quote"...weirdly subversive..."
And bluntly satirical too, as for example the fat hobbit nerds on the front cover, one in his "Do it in a dungeon" tee, the other in a post-beatdown sprawl. And, of course, the undead tweaker Kellri's made into an avatar.
Quote from: JimLotFP;246760Isn't "creepy" Otus' whole schtick to begin with?
Pretty much.
His Cthulhu mythos pics in the much sought after edition of DDG are just the sort of things Otus is cut out to do.
This artwork... er, yeah. No.
Much as the artwork of Liz Danforth and Rob Carver shaped my perceptions of T & T, the work of Erol Otus shaped my perceptions of D & D.
D & D after Otus seemed so generic and flavorless.
Does anyone here enjoy Gahan Wilson's art?
I dig it.
Cool. I wasn't really a fan of Otus until recently. Mind you, this is mainly because I wasn't aware of him due to having not really paid much attention to individual RPG artists in the early 80's. I also went straight from White Box to AD&D, and I never bought any modules. So the only things he did that really stand out in my mind from back then are the Cthulhu drawings for Deities and Demigods.
Later on I started to become more of a fan of comics art and stylized, expressive styles but by then I'd completely lost touch with D&D.
So seeing his work now, including the Alma Mater illustrations, puts it in a whole new light. It'd fit right in with Wilson, Basil Wolverton, S. Clay Wilson, Kim Deitch, Peter Bagge, and other "underground" comix artists of the 60's 70's and 80's.
It's grotesque, it's irreverent, it's graphically bold--I like it.
Quote from: Elliot Wilen;247210Does anyone here enjoy Gahan Wilson's art?
Yes--and now I know you read Playboy.
But of course, what 13-year-old boy-about-town did not?
I've seen Wilson elsewhere (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gahan_Wilson), though. A piece called something like "The Paranoid Abroad", from National Lampoon in the 70's, will always stay in my mind. Come to think of it, it's where I learned the word "paranoid".
(http://goldenstate.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/071126_cartoonwilson_1_a12920_p465.jpg)
i love this artwork from Otus.
creepy and wonderful all in one.
he is missed.
dave
Pen-paper.net shows him having worked on Goodman's Dungeon Crawl Classics as recently as 2006.
He's got a personal website, //www.erolotus.com, although no real content as far as I can tell. Check out the favicon though.
It looks like he works for a game company called Toys for Bob (owned by Activision), which has a nice-looking but annoyingly Flash-based web site.
Quote from: Elliot Wilen;247398Pen-paper.net shows him having worked on Goodman's Dungeon Crawl Classics as recently as 2006.
He's got a personal website, //www.erolotus.com, although no real content as far as I can tell. Check out the favicon though.
Among others, he did the cover for Bloody Jack's Gold (http://www.goodman-games.com/5003preview.html). A wonderfully creepy image for an otherwise blah adventure.
The personal website has been around for several years, but hasn't been updated beyond the title image.
Quote from: Elliot Wilen;247260It's grotesque, it's irreverent, it's graphically bold--I like it.
Definitely.
I like EO's work in
Top Secret as well.
I'd like to see some of that. I played a bit of Top Secret--the original, not the SI version--but I don't remember the art at all apart from a vague impression of the cover.
He recently did a cover for Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine as well.
Found it, let's see if I can make it show up here:
(http://www.kenzerco.com/images/periodicals/kodt/kodt134.jpg)
A little more straightforward (though those claws are reminiscent of the younger, wilder Erol) but nice to see that he is still in action. Of course, it takes the KenzerCo guys to show some love and respect.
I have a strange urge to see a photo of Erol Otus. I picture him looking like R. Crumb.
Quote from: Elliot Wilen;247811I'd like to see some of that. I played a bit of Top Secret--the original, not the SI version--but I don't remember the art at all apart from a vague impression of the cover.
He did a handful of pieces for the core rulebook and the adventure
Operation: Rapidstrike, but one in particular stands out for me. EO really showed his psychodelia influences with one picture from the latter, an agent under the influence of a hallucinogenic drug. I'll try to scan that one (fair use!) after I get back from backpacking next week.
You mean this one?
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3229/2862352610_ba85f83cd7_o.jpg)
Dr Findelmann
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3031/2862352654_f2937489c8_o.jpg)
Poker Party
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3025/2862352688_2ce485e44a_o.jpg)
Escape from the Island
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/2862352790_6d908e4937_o.jpg)
Here are a few other Otus rarities. These from Booty & the Beast
Skyfungus
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3228/2591844137_f53baee2e2_o.jpg)
The Queen of Lust
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2592682618_bb78ae731f_o.jpg)
Womblice
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3159/2591844203_5284915c69_o.jpg)
Imps of the Perverse
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3291/2592682604_25b5c0191c_o.jpg)
Exobattle
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3272/2591844247_f6cab8c6cc_o.jpg)
Hit Location Chart
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2592682698_92a1dfd7fd_o.jpg)
Gasbag Neck People
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3103/2592682584_57b519b5c2_o.jpg)
Dara the Devil Child
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3179/2592682522_d424d8ea9b_o.jpg)
The Sacred Spray
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3164/2592682648_88606a88f0_o.jpg)
Amazing! Thanks for posting these, Kellri. What's Booty & The Beast?
I have to say, it certainly seems like Otus did some research on hallucinogenic interrogation techniques in order to properly capture the correct feel.
Booty & the Beast (Fantasy Art Enterprises) is an OD&D supplement of monsters and equipment that puts the Zo in Gonzo. The monsters are very psychedelic and the equipment is closer to Gamma World gear than trad fantasy. Otus also did 2 more supplements for the same company - one of Escher-like dungeon geomorphs and one full of illustrated magic item cards.
Quote from: Kellri;248190You mean this one?
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3229/2862352610_ba85f83cd7_o.jpg)
That's the one.
Awesome illustrations. I wish he's contributed more to
TS.
Alma Mater was the first "underground" FRPG ever published and definitely wasn't made with kids in mind. From what I've been told, Erol Went to Berkeley High back in the 70's which had this reputation as being pretty wild and rough place and the game certainly touches on that sort of environment.The front cover depicts the steps to the schools theatre and the school photos illustration is actually from Erol's yearbook and supposedly is one of the kids depicted in the drawing.
I missed this thread the first time round. Thanks for posting this Kellri!
Those illustrations are all sorts of awesome! :)
Quote from: The_Shadow;247893I have a strange urge to see a photo of Erol Otus.
Here ya go:
http://www.lukejohnson.com/gcon07/gcon07_menerol.html
Quote from: Kellri;248194Hit Location Chart
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2592682698_92a1dfd7fd_o.jpg)
This totally looks like a Critical Encounter table to me.
My cousin co-wrote Alma Mater with a friend of his in university. They're both Nova Scotians. AM is a satirical game about a dystopian US high school, although many of the NPC references are inspired by real people from a well-known high school in Nova Scotia (since demolished).
I used to play AM quite a bit in high school as a one-shot RPG, and had loads of fun with it. The game is geared towards playing out a full school year with exams, social status etc., but in practice the PCs rarely stay alive / out of jail long enough. I've tried to convince my cousin to update the game with a 2nd edition, but he's not interested. It was written in the pre-Columbine era, so many of the game's themes would be considered tasteless by a modern reader.
He still has a few hundred copies shrink-wrapped in his basement, which I've tried to convince him to put on ebay, but he doesn't feel it's worth the trouble.
Heck, I'd be willing to buy one. The art alone makes it worthwhile.
Quote from: Edsan;292263Heck, I'd be willing to buy one. The art alone makes it worthwhile.
Seconded. I want one, too! :D
A friend of mine, who doesn't post here, wants one as well.
No doubt, I'd love a copy of this!
Anybody looking for a copy can send me a PM with your email address and I'll forward it to my cousin. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that people are still interested in his old game. :)
I too will buy one - its a piece of history if nothing else. :)
I'll buy one as well. Hell something like this is pretty cool to own.
Maybe we can get an RPGSite bulk order?
are you calling us fat?
*wedgies fat boy*
I've always wanted to run a tournament-style Alma Mater game. Not a columbine massacre scenario, but more in the line of the Kids vs the Teachers such as films like " The Substitute" and "Class of 84".
I'd love to get a copy just for the sheer historical oddity of it. Plus, Erol Otis art is always nice to wn.
Quote from: mrk;292435I've always wanted to run a tournament-style Alma Mater game. Not a columbine massacre scenario, but more in the line of the Kids vs the Teachers such as films like " The Substitute" and "Class of 84".
It's pretty easy for a GM to strip out the "blow up the school and kill all the jocks" elements. There's plenty of fodder for a good AM game that just focuses on sex, drugs, social dysfunction, and messing with the Evil Teachers.
In my experience though, players who are given access to guns and bombs in AM will use them at some point. Then again, I haven't played much AM since I was a teenager, so my perceptions might be skewed. Hmm, I really need to dig out my battered old copy.
Quote from: Herr Arnulfe;292226My cousin co-wrote Alma Mater with a friend of his in university. They're both Nova Scotians. AM is a satirical game about a dystopian US high school, although many of the NPC references are inspired by real people from a well-known high school in Nova Scotia (since demolished).
Er, I was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I lived there from 1967 to 1990. What school was this "well-known high school"? (I attended Queen Elizabeth High School in the 1980s.)
Quote from: Kromm;292514Er, I was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I lived there from 1967 to 1990. What school was this "well-known high school"? (I attended Queen Elizabeth High School in the 1980s.)
Horton District High School. It's well-known in the Annapolis Valley anyway; though perhaps not as notorious as Cole Harbour High School was during the racial violence of the early 90's.
Quote from: Herr Arnulfe;292512I In my experience though, players who are given access to guns and bombs in AM will use them at some point. Then again, I haven't played much AM since I was a teenager, so my perceptions might be skewed. Hmm, I really need to dig out my battered old copy.
Maybe, but my players are 30 and over and have careers. So, I highly doubt their going to in flick any real world harm..LoL!
Quote from: mrk;292525Maybe, but my players are 30 and over and have careers. So, I highly doubt their going to in flick any real world harm..LoL!
I was thinking less in terms of players flipping out in RL, and more in terms of people's comfort zones. If any of the players might be bothered by a Loser PC buying an M16 and gunning down the school football team, then you might consider just not making guns available at all (combat is pretty lethal in AM).
Then again, a Loser in AM probably wouldn't hit anything anyway. :)
Your right. it really would depend on your players. If I was to GM it with a more "darker" tone, I probably use BRP mechanics and apply stuff like sanity roles,ect.
It's too bad your cousin doesn't want to revise it, because I think there's a whole lot of possibilities you could do with the game since it's debuit back in 82. From a "Freaks & Geeks" type scenario to a "Twilight" like campaign or even a " Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" ;)