Advanced Player's Handbook coming out in 2011?

[Mika]

Another possibility is that Wizards planned this product and then canceled it -- thus they had to find another use for the artwork. Maybe this book was supposed to be the transition from the Essentials books to the full 4E game?

 

[ggroy]

Another possibility is that Wizards planned this product and then canceled it -- thus they had to find another use for the artwork. Maybe this book was supposed to be the transition from the Essentials books to the full 4E game?

Hmmm .... interesting speculative point.

If something like this indeed happened, wonder what would have led them to such a cancellation before the title could ever have shown up on amazon.

 

[doctorhook]

Hmmm .... interesting speculative point.

If something like this indeed happened, wonder what would have led them to such a cancellation before the title could ever have shown up on amazon.

Well, who says it's canceled? Tons of WotC products have used placeholder names that ended up changing. ("Magic Item Compendium" became "Adventurer's Vault".) Not to mention that this artist could simply be misremembering from the description of another title. ("Primal Power II? Oh, that's an 'advanced player's handbook' of sorts...") Finally, I wonder, does WotC commission artwork from unknown artists more than a year ahead of a product's release date?

 

[D'karr]

Finally, I wonder, does WotC commission artwork from unknown artists more than a year ahead of a product's release date?

Well the guy has quite a portfolio going with a lot of commissioned work to WotC so I doubt he is an "unknown artist"

 

[ArcaneSpringboard]

He's my second favorite artist now. Elmore's #1, but only because of nostalgia.

 

[Aegeri]

I've been looking through his gallery and he's made some exceptional stuff actually. Lots of good images for my games.

 

[doctorhook]

I have to admit, when I first judged this guy's work upthread, I only looked at the one piece that ended up on the cover of an issue of Dragon. However, in the interests of fairness, I subsequently looked over this guy's galleries, and I must rescind my earlier comment. I now think he's pretty good, and recognize some of his pieces. I'm still not a big fan of that cover, mind you -- the dragon looks weird to me -- but I do like some of the pieces he did for Draconomicon: Metallic Dragons. (But I still don't like his Mithral Dragon image from that book. For some reason, the dragon isn't the focus of this picture, which makes it look much less impressive, which is especially bad considering that this is supposed to be "the" picture of this creature, allegedly the most powerful of 4E dragons.)

 

[JoeGKushner]

Solid piece. Love the feel of the acid coming from the black dragon's mouth for example. The guy in mid leap doesn't do a lot for me, but the... cleric dark elf? Might be the detailed spider designs or the mace with it's feel of weight but that's solid. Good background too.

 

[Crothian]

It's not in any of the catelogs I have for Wizards and that includes the Spring 2011 one.

 

[Silverblade The Ench]

L'ench I am still assuming this is just an elaborate plot on your part.

Or PHB I, II, or III with a new name.

Hey! I'm a DM, not a political spin doctor or diabolic, otyugh-kissing half-drow half-neogi mutation!
(well, the latter two are pretty much the same thing I suppose )

I'm also not that artist, wish I COULD draw/paint like that, sigh.

So why "advanced" player's handbook?