While browsing through some old WEG adventure books and supplements in my nonexistent spare time, I just realized how much I love these old black-and-white illustrations from back in the day when the Galaxy was still mostly unexplored, when there was so little material coming out with such huge gaps in between (at least that was how it felt in my backwards country in the 90s) that I'd spend hours pondering every single picture, making up stories about all the people in the background, and whoa there was quite a lot going on in these backgrounds... So I figured I'd start a thread for talking about (and posting) some of these lovely old illustrations. I'll start of with this one that just kicked the thought loose in my head: So obviously there's Han Solo and Chewbacca in the middle... and a bartender droid (these seem to have mostly vanished, I remember lots of barkeep droids in WEG times)... then there's a creepy Rodian up in a floating thingie, or maybe it's something like an indoor observation tower... a Noghri (I guess) sitting next to Han, and the cat equivalent of a Wookiee next to that... "Win" and "Jackpot" signs in the background, but best of all the multi-armed announcer (or singer?) in front of the band... that image alone could be the basis of a short story anthology. So, any other fond memories or rediscoveries?
I always liked using WEG sourcebook images as evidence that there was no such thing as an anti-female bias, given the prevalence of female Imperials in WEG. I believe that the following two images are from the Imperial Sourcebook -- one of a female Imperial in a landspeeder, and the other from the Imperial Academy (also establishing that the Navy does have a skirt option for the uniforms). The next three are from Heroes and Rogues, where the third image is a female Imperial army adjutant. The fourth image is just a spoiled debutante, which I find hilarious. Then the fifth image is the arrogant Imperial noble, who I aspire to emulate. Then the final image is just some fat Imperial official. Not sure where that one is from -- I put these images on my photobucket like almost a decade ago.
I feel like google thinks I'm typing in a foreign language. This stuff is hard to fing online. And I can't get SW wikia to load for nothing.
Should also be from Heroes & Rogues from what I remember That’s one is actually from the Essential Chronology, though there is one almost identical in the Death Star Technical Commentary.
I have the Death Star book, and Wanted By Cracken. Conjuring these things online is a pain. I have almost every SW Adventure Journal, and quite a few WEG products. If I had a scanner I'd share.
Yeah one of the greatest moments of my SW career was when I bought my first Adventure Journal on Amazon -- it was the first time I'd seen one of them sold for less than an arm and a leg. I've since acquired 7 or 8 of them, but not a full set... one of the random used book sales at my undergrad had SWAJ #1 for 25 cents. Best bargain ever.
Must get WEG. Or at least the DE sourcebook. I'm going to require that at my side when I reread DE soon (maybe I can make sense of it in relation to other works this time?) I've read quite a few of the Adventure Journal stories through text alone, but I do know that a lot of the stories featured illustrations. How prevalent is the artwork throughout the journals?
I have purchased up to #12. However, and this is breaking my heart, I only have a scattered six of them. Either some are lost in moving and storage or else I have them put away in some box that is out of sight right now. I just googled "Wanted by Craken" and sur eenough the SSD Guardian pic I just posted come sup in the search as a post here. lol.
Yeah there's a ton of art, whether as part of short stories or character portraits for the RPGs. And there are some surprising gems, like a Corran Horn I encountered the other day (a few years ago) in a Stackpole short story.
I love how Vader's Force-choking some random Imperial officer and no one seems to notice or care. "Oh, yes, that's just something Lord Vader...does....from time to time...."
...good catch. Somehow I hadn't noticed that in all those years. I should have realized her fingers were holding the bulb rather oddly.
I'd love to see Mike Vilardi return to Star Wars. Wonderful artist -- love encountering his stuff in those old WEG books.
Those are all from Heroes and Rogues actually ... my WEG guides were kept out of the mass "I'm a responsible adult now" purge of SW books a few years ago (I do think my shelf looks better without Planet of Twilight or The Crystal Star on it ... of course I kept the Thrawn trilogy/duology and the X-wing series). Never actually played the tabletop RPGs myself, just bought the sourcebooks as reference guides. As far as the art goes, I vastly preferred WEG's depiction of Talon Karrde over the more widely accepted Dark Horse comics one ... Seems more befitting of a dapper, sardonic ne'er-do-well than this guy checking on his tickets for a grunge concert:
Very much so, WEG gave him a very Lando like vibe, which just fits way better with the way he comes across in the books.
Hah, so that's where the image of Mara from the Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy originally came from. Always liked that, personally.
So after some scanning My Favourite Stormtrooper type ever The Real Imperial Army Vader and Ming the Merciless? Slavers - Scum of the Galaxy And they have come to steal earth woman! Some Pirates seem to like to take a very good look at the goods they sell to the Hutts Privateers Ho! Never annoy a Hutt Random Rebel cruelty Money well spend from the look of it
Dude, that Imperial officer in the Lawrence of Arabia getup is incredible. Also, that pirate is a total creepster and I don't even want to know what's going on in that last one.
