TroyXavier
First Post
I might be interested, especially if they include new Totem Warrior and Witch variants.
Monte Cook's Arcana Evolved
- Thread starter Krug
- Start date
scholz
First Post
I am expecting alot from Mystic Secrets... if it supplies more spells, runes, and witchery manifestations, Iwill be happy.
I think for Arcaan Evolved I would like Monte to clarify some of the confusing elements... (claiming it is DM's decision is fine, but that is true of all game materials) he should offer a clear 'official answer' to some of the more confusing aspects (like programmed spells) OR offer some official alternatives.
I recommend a system like the HERO system uses with marks indicating when a rule or power requires the GM pay close attention, or if the rule is potentially unbalancing. Those notes woul dbe useful, and provide the new DM with a simple mechanism to prevent abuses by players (who are naturally more interested in finding the broken rules).
-S
I think for Arcaan Evolved I would like Monte to clarify some of the confusing elements... (claiming it is DM's decision is fine, but that is true of all game materials) he should offer a clear 'official answer' to some of the more confusing aspects (like programmed spells) OR offer some official alternatives.
I recommend a system like the HERO system uses with marks indicating when a rule or power requires the GM pay close attention, or if the rule is potentially unbalancing. Those notes woul dbe useful, and provide the new DM with a simple mechanism to prevent abuses by players (who are naturally more interested in finding the broken rules).
-S
Lonely Tylenol
First Post
Art
I keep seeing this attitude from people, and I'm not sure where it's coming from. The art in question seems to belong to David Hendee (www.davidhendee.com), who is a fantastic artist. But his works focus more on tone and gesture than on any kind of detailed realism. They look like they'd fit in well with a World of Darkness game book. The works have a sketchy, but tightly controlled style, both in his high-contrast ink works and his lower contrast greyscale and colour works.
The complaint people have seems to come from the fact that his work avoids being intensely detailed like the work of artists like Wayne Reynolds, Sam Wood, or Todd Lockwood. But it's just a different style. Ever since Larry Elmore started illustrating for Dragon Magazine there's been this obsession with high-detail fantasy illos in game books. But detail and fine lines are not the be-all-and-end-all of illustration. Heck, even perspective is overrated in my opinion (just check out the works of Mucha for fantastic flat illustration).
But looking back at Hendee's works, take these two images for example. The first one, here, is an excellent study in creepy gesture. The important thing is not in the details of the scene. You can hardly make out detail anything except the spellbook in front of the elf (but note that you can tell what everything is). The detail isn't important. What's important is to make the elf look creepy and mystical through the use of line, gesture, and colour balance.
The second image, here, is an excellent study in colour and light reflection done in an impressionist, pleasingly smudgy style, something like what you could do with chalk pastels (but likely done on a computer). The face and head are done in greater detail for the sake of the character, but the rest is an abstract study in lightsourcing. The palette selection is excellent, and the composition in both of these pieces is very well balanced and smartly laid out.
Compare to that MacBin fellow (Toren Anderson, no website listed), whose work I'm not so fond of. Those pieces are very detailed, showing an excellent command of the pencil and careful lines. But the composition in them is usually terrible. Characters stand in wooden poses, with no energy present in either the composition or the stature of the characters. Consider the illo on p.77 of AU, depicting the Climb and Balance skills. Nice detail on the rocks, and on the clothes, and on the faces. The composition is okay, but the image in general seems to lack energy and charisma. The huge white space in the centre of the image drains life from the work, and the poses, while anatomically correct, are not particularly interesting from an aesthetic point of view. The image is detailed and correct, but it doesn't make me interested...it doesn't impart on me a sense of the tone and genre of the game the way many illustrations can.
For a third basis for comparison, I suggest p. 161, which is a Sam Wood full-page illustration. Now this has everything in it that I feel the MacBin illustration lacks. It has excellent composition, use of gesture, and colour balance (by which I mean "intensity balance", since it's black and white). It is less detailed than MacBin and more detailed than Hendee. The sketchiness of this piece allows the artist the freedom to add a few impressionist touches while still achieving realism.
Really, Monte, if you're reading this: give us more, not less Hendee. His work is really excellent, and it was my favourite artwork in Arcana Unearthed.
Argo said:
I keep seeing this attitude from people, and I'm not sure where it's coming from. The art in question seems to belong to David Hendee (www.davidhendee.com), who is a fantastic artist. But his works focus more on tone and gesture than on any kind of detailed realism. They look like they'd fit in well with a World of Darkness game book. The works have a sketchy, but tightly controlled style, both in his high-contrast ink works and his lower contrast greyscale and colour works.
The complaint people have seems to come from the fact that his work avoids being intensely detailed like the work of artists like Wayne Reynolds, Sam Wood, or Todd Lockwood. But it's just a different style. Ever since Larry Elmore started illustrating for Dragon Magazine there's been this obsession with high-detail fantasy illos in game books. But detail and fine lines are not the be-all-and-end-all of illustration. Heck, even perspective is overrated in my opinion (just check out the works of Mucha for fantastic flat illustration).
But looking back at Hendee's works, take these two images for example. The first one, here, is an excellent study in creepy gesture. The important thing is not in the details of the scene. You can hardly make out detail anything except the spellbook in front of the elf (but note that you can tell what everything is). The detail isn't important. What's important is to make the elf look creepy and mystical through the use of line, gesture, and colour balance.
The second image, here, is an excellent study in colour and light reflection done in an impressionist, pleasingly smudgy style, something like what you could do with chalk pastels (but likely done on a computer). The face and head are done in greater detail for the sake of the character, but the rest is an abstract study in lightsourcing. The palette selection is excellent, and the composition in both of these pieces is very well balanced and smartly laid out.
Compare to that MacBin fellow (Toren Anderson, no website listed), whose work I'm not so fond of. Those pieces are very detailed, showing an excellent command of the pencil and careful lines. But the composition in them is usually terrible. Characters stand in wooden poses, with no energy present in either the composition or the stature of the characters. Consider the illo on p.77 of AU, depicting the Climb and Balance skills. Nice detail on the rocks, and on the clothes, and on the faces. The composition is okay, but the image in general seems to lack energy and charisma. The huge white space in the centre of the image drains life from the work, and the poses, while anatomically correct, are not particularly interesting from an aesthetic point of view. The image is detailed and correct, but it doesn't make me interested...it doesn't impart on me a sense of the tone and genre of the game the way many illustrations can.
For a third basis for comparison, I suggest p. 161, which is a Sam Wood full-page illustration. Now this has everything in it that I feel the MacBin illustration lacks. It has excellent composition, use of gesture, and colour balance (by which I mean "intensity balance", since it's black and white). It is less detailed than MacBin and more detailed than Hendee. The sketchiness of this piece allows the artist the freedom to add a few impressionist touches while still achieving realism.
Really, Monte, if you're reading this: give us more, not less Hendee. His work is really excellent, and it was my favourite artwork in Arcana Unearthed.
Jaws
First Post
If I have to strain to understand what the picture is, then he isn't doing his job of portraying words into a visual.Dr. Awkward said:
The saying goes something like: A picture is worth a thousand words. The only word I get when I see Hendee's art in AU is not permitted by Eric's grandmother.
If Hendee is so great then why wasn't he the cover artist?
Peace and smiles
j.
JoeGKushner
Adventurer
Jaws said:If Hendee is so great then why wasn't he the cover artist?
Peace and smiles
j.
Well, I won't go so far as to ask that. The picture of the elf in the link is pretty moody, but I don't think that's in AU. Most of his art in AU is not up AU's alley. If this was a dark grim world like the one by Red Spire Press or Iron Kingdoms or Warhammer or something, it'd fit great. In the way AU plays though, it just doesn't seem to fit.
Opinions differ but please Monte, less Hendee.
Sorren
First Post
It's like the old saying goes, I don't know art, but I know what I like.
I like detail. I don't like splotchy blobs.
See page 53. I intensly dislike this piece.
Page 89. What is that?
Page 91.... i don't get it.
Page 97.
Page 147. That's just ugly.
Page 205. wtf?
You get the idea. I hate that style. It looks....lazy.
Now there is some stuff I really like too.
The cover
Page 38
Page 114
Page 161
Page 187
Page 196
I like detail. I don't like splotchy blobs.
See page 53. I intensly dislike this piece.
Page 89. What is that?
Page 91.... i don't get it.
Page 97.
Page 147. That's just ugly.
Page 205. wtf?
You get the idea. I hate that style. It looks....lazy.
Now there is some stuff I really like too.
The cover
Page 38
Page 114
Page 161
Page 187
Page 196
Last edited:
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