Kevin Long is an American graphic artist best known for his airbrush paintings and black-and-white illustrations in the genres of science fiction and fantasy. He was a principal artist at Palladium Books from 1986 until 1995 and served as one of the original contributors to the Rifts role-playing game (RPG) series.
Kevin Long grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan and attended the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, where he majored in advertising illustration. Upon graduating, Long worked in the local advertising industry. Having completed a five-year stint in his chosen profession, he was lured away by the artistic and creative freedom offered by Palladium Books. [1] [2] While there, Long built his reputation as one of the most popular illustrators in the role-playing industry. In addition to having created the dynamic look of various characters, vehicles, and equipment in Rifts, he co-authored a number of other Palladium RPG titles. However, Long left Palladium in August 1995 for unspecified reasons.[ citation needed ]
In October 1997, Raven Software hired Long as a 2-D artist. He was responsible for some of the graphics in Hexen II: Portal of Praevus (1998), Heretic II (1998), Soldier of Fortune (2000), Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force (2000), Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix (2002), and Quake 4 (2005). [3] In 2007, Long was the Art Lead on Wolfenstein . [4] [5]
In 2014, Scott Taylor of Black Gate , named Kevin Long as Honorable Mention in a list of The Top 10 RPG Artists of the Past 40 Years, saying "Robotech, even above Rifts in my mind, reflects the soul of Palladium, and over the course of three decades Long's work has helped bring the fabled Japanese animation series into the forefront of American science fiction role-playing." [6]
In his 2023 book Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, RPG historian Stu Horvath reviewed the multi-genre role-playing game Rifts and noted, "The real star of Rifts' art is the clean, technical line work that Kevin Long provided for the game's first five years. He does a masterful job making all of the disparate elements seem cool and cohesive — magic and tech and high tech and super-high-tech and psionics and animal peeople and faction and after faction — and so many skulls!" [7]
Works are listed in order of publication date within their respective categories.
{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help) [Out of Print] – Interior art.{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help) [Out of Print] – Cover art.{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help) [Out of Print] – Interior art [uncredited].{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help) [Out of Print] – Interior art [uncredited].{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help) [Out of Print] – Interior art [uncredited].{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help) – Interior art [uncredited].{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help) – Cover art.{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help) – Cover art.{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help) – Interior art.{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help) – Interior art.{{cite journal}}
: Missing or empty |title=
(help) – Interior art.{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) – Interior art.Necromancy is the practice of magic involving communication with the dead by summoning their spirits as apparitions or visions for the purpose of divination; imparting the means to foretell future events and discover hidden knowledge. Sometimes categorized under death magic, the term is occasionally also used in a more general sense to refer to black magic or witchcraft as a whole.
Palladium Books is a publisher of role-playing games (RPGs) best known for its Rifts series (1990–present). Palladium was founded April 1981 in Detroit, Michigan, by current president and lead game designer Kevin Siembieda, and is now based in Westland, Michigan. The company enjoys the support of a small but dedicated fanbase who praise its various game series for their innovative settings and ease of adaptability to various personal preferences, play styles, and power levels.
Erick A. Wujcik was an American designer of both pen-and-paper and computer role-playing games, and co-founder of Palladium Books.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness is a role-playing game based on the comic book created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. The core rulebook was first published by Palladium Books in September 1985 – before the Turtles franchise achieved mass popularity – and featured original comic strips and illustrations by Eastman and Laird. The rules and gameplay are based on Palladium's Megaversal system.
The Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game is a fantasy role-playing game published by Palladium Books in 1983.
Ninjas & Superspies is a modern-day espionage role-playing game published in 1988 by Palladium Books that delves into martial arts as a form of combat.
Bill Coffin is a writer of novels and role-playing games in the fantasy and science fiction genres. Perhaps best known for his work at Palladium Books from July 1998 through May 2002, he made significant contributions to several of Palladium's game series, most notably Palladium Fantasy, but also Heroes Unlimited and Rifts, and created his own game, Systems Failure.
Nightbane is a dark fantasy role-playing game and setting created by C. J. Carella and published by Palladium Books.
The Robotech Role-Playing Game is a licensed science fiction role-playing game published by Palladium Books in 1986 that is based on the Robotech and Robotech II: The Sentinels anime television series, which were, in turn, based on the Japanese mecha anime television series Macross. A second edition of the game, based on Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles, was released in 2008.
Mutants Down Under is the third supplement to the After the Bomb setting of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness role-playing game. It was published by Palladium Books in June 1988 and uses the Palladium Megaversal system.
Kevin Siembieda is an American artist, writer, designer and publisher of role-playing games.
The Promethians are a fictional race of aliens featured in the Rifts role-playing game from Palladium Books. They reside in an intergalactic region of space known as the Three Galaxies, which is located in an extradimensional universe. Promethians first appeared in Rifts Dimension Book Two: Phase World, authored by C. J. Carella and published December 1994.
Old Ones is a book written by Kevin Siembieda and published by Palladium Books in 1984 for the Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game. The book outlines the Old Ones, a fictional race of Alien Intelligences within the megaverse setting of the Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game system. After the second edition of the Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game was published in 1996, an updated edition of Old Ones was released in 1997.
Mutants in Orbit is an adventure and sourcebook for the After the Bomb and Rifts role-playing games, authored by James Wallis and Kevin Siembieda. It was released by Palladium Books in March 1992. The book deals with life of space colonies. The setting is on the same time scale as the After the Bomb and Rifts, but from the space colonies' point of view.
The Rifter was a role-playing game magazine published by Palladium Books. It was based in Westland, Michigan.
Macross II: The Role-Playing Game is a role-playing game published by Palladium Books in 1993. Based on the Macross II mecha OVA and manga series, the game is structured around Palladium's Megaversal damage system.
Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles Role-Playing Game is a role-playing game published by Palladium Books in 2008.
The Palladium RPG Book 4: Adventures in the Northern Wilderness is a supplement published by Palladium Books in 1989 for the Palladium Fantasy Role-Playing Game.
Robotech II: The Sentinels is a 1987 role-playing game published by Palladium Books in 1987 that is similar in tone and content to Palladium's previously published Robotech.
... I introduced Kevin Long to Kevin Siembieda, back around 1983 or 1984 (I had 'discovered' Long from some of his work in a student art show).
{{cite web}}
: |author=
has generic name (help)I keep thinking about all the real life adventures and good times Erick and I have shared ... [his] discovery of Kevin Long....