Biography

Pekul graduated from Beloit College

Beloit College

Beloit College is a liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin, USA. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest, and has an enrollment of roughly 1,300 undergraduate students. Beloit is the oldest continuously operated college in Wisconsin, and has the oldest building of any college...

 in 1976.

After college Pekul dated Mike Carr, who was working as an editor at TSR Inc., the publisher of Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

. As a result of this connection Pekul started to do freelance work for TSR. In 1979 and 1980 her black and white drawings appeared in the interior of the Dungeon Master's Guide

Dungeon Master's Guide

The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...

, Deities & Demigods

Deities & Demigods

Deities & Demigods , alternatively known as Legends & Lore , is a reference book for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game . The book provides descriptions and game statistics of gods and legendary creatures from various sources in mythology and fiction...

, and an accessory book called Rogue's Gallery. Her calligraphy was used for the poem, penned by the wizard Keraptis, which players receive at the start of the adventure White Plume Mountain

White Plume Mountain

White Plume Mountain is an adventure module for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, written by Lawrence Schick and published by TSR in 1979...

. She provided color cover art for the adventure In Search of the Unknown

In Search of the Unknown

In Search of the Unknown is a module for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, designed for use with the Basic Set of rules. It was written by game designer Mike Carr and was first published in 1979 by TSR, Inc. The module details a hidden complex known as the Caverns of Quasqueton...

and she drew the 34" by 44" map for the World of Greyhawk

World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting

The World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting and the World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting are two closely related publications from TSR, Inc. that detail the fictional World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game...

.

Pekul was the cover artist for Dragon magazine

Dragon (magazine)

Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...

 issue 37 which was also the first issue to carry a color comic strip written and illustrated by Pekul. The comic strip was called Jasmine after its titular heroine, a princess whose realm is coveted by an evil prince. It ran for 12 issues before being cancelled for not appealing to the magazine's mostly male readers; a petition at Origins '81 to have the comic strip brought back gathered few signatures. In 1982 Pekul designed and produced the card game Jasmine: The Battle for the Mid-Realm

Jasmine: The Battle for the Mid-Realm

Jasmine: The Battle for the Mid-Realm is a fantasy-themed card game, designed and introduced in 1982 by Jasmine Publications' founder Darlene Pekul. It was based on the Story of Jasmine illustrated adventure published in Dragon Magazine from issue #37 through #48.Each game was sold as a complete...

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