Back in ’70s, I was a big, big fan of Judges Guild materials. They produced incredibly cool stuff at a reasonable price point AND they were located within driving distance of my home. Not that I ever drove there, but it was still inspiring to know that a smallish mid-west town was cranking out D&D materials.
At the time, I fancied myself as being a pen and ink artist and sent a few sketches off to Judges Guild along with a SASE and a letter asking them to please consider my artwork. Being a kid of 17 years, I also called a couple of times and probably made a general ass of myself. I think that the arrangement was that Mr. Bledsaw would mail me a check and a copy of whatever the artwork appeared in. There wasn’t much money in it, but getting D&D materials for a little ink and time seemed like a good deal – plus it got me published.
Well, I never heard back. I moved later in the year and then life happened and I sort of forgot all about it.
Fast forward 35 years…. I am on the Board Game Geek and decided to type my name in when searching for credits. To my surprise, my name pops up as having been an author for Judges Guild Journal #14 on page 25. Well, I had no recollection of writing anything for them, so I decided maybe it was another Tim Kilgore. Heck, there is even a Pro-Wrestling Tim Kilgore…
Another year goes by – it is 2016 and I am DMing D&D again. I decided that I had to know for sure and used ebay to get a copy of the Judges Guild Journal #14. I turn to page 25 and as I turn the page a big old grin comes to my mug unbidden – right there was 2 pieces of art that I’d not seen since I mailed it in 1979.
I actually laughed and smiled for a good five minutes – it was just so nice to see these again. They aren’t awesome – but they are mine and it just sort of took me back to a time and place, refreshing my recollection of who I once was.
I suppose that moving probably interfered with me getting anything from Judges Guild. And while it took a long time for me to know about it, I do have to say that it is pretty cool to have made the cut and to have been published by Judges Guild.
I think that Mr. Bledsaw knew that it was a big deal to me and he included my full signature – which he had to pull from the letter I had sent – and having done that, it allowed someone to create an entry for me as an author on the Board Game Geek website. If he’d not been so kind, I’d never have never found it.
-Kilgore
