I am a proud owner of a copy of her landmark fantasy card game, Jasmine: The Battle for the Mid-Realm, which I purchased from her at the first Gen Con I ever attended. (When I say, “purchased from her,” I really mean to say that I gave the money to my mother and watched as she purchased it for me, because I was an awkward lad of about 12 or 13 who was much too shy to approach the beautiful artist I so deeply admired. Aye, silly, but true. Such are the tales of adolescence.)

James Maliszewski had the enviable pleasure of interviewing Darlene in Grognardia, and Darlene herself has her own Web site, the aptly named Darlene the Artist.

Darlene, I wish you the best.

Russ Nicholson has always been one of my favorite role-playing game illustrators, and I wish him success.

[Edit: I suppose this would be a good place to mention that I may be found on Twitter under the name Cuparius.]

Designed by Olivier Legrand and inspired by an idea conceived by Paul Elliott, M&M is a masterpiece of role-playing satire that is fully playable (at least inasmuch as D&D has ever been). Not only are there two editions from which to choose and multiple supplements for each, but they are interspersed with hilarious commentary and excerpts from the letters column of Griffin magazine. As a whole, M&M is a monumental work done with professionalism, humor, and style.

For years I have been toying with the thought of running historical or mythical role-playing games set in ancient Greece in a serious manner, and I still intend to do so (armed with Fudge, GURPS Greece, the Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and other sources), but I think Mazes & Minotaurs is perfect as a light alternative.

I am seriously thinking about running M&M at a convention this year. The problem is which edition to choose…

Curséd multiple editions!

One of the things I like most about Risus is the way it lends itself to the rapid creation of interesting and entertaining characters. There is no muss, no fuss, just the essence of a character that is understandable at a glance and easy and fun to role-play. That alone makes Risus a thing of beauty. The approach it encourages is one that is eminently suited to Fudge, too, and it might not be a bad idea to think of similar fun, quick, systematic approaches to character creation for that game as well, possibly even creating a gallery of such characters in the same manner. ‘Tis food for thought.