The Clanking City cover is up

[Rurik]

Here.

 

[ninthcouncil]

Are those blue things light-sabres? :twisted:

 

[Rurik]

Are those blue things light-sabres? :twisted:

Well Matt did describe the new combat system as being inspired by the new Star Wars movies...

I would also say that the fact the blades are blue is pretty definitive proof that the God Learners are on the side of good and the EWF therefore evil.

 

[The King]

It is also from there that they developped the death star?

Did the wookies mutated from the ducks due to an illfated EWF experiment?

 

[Rurik]

I would think Ewoks would be the mutated form of Ducks, not Wookies.

And Gungans from Newtlings.

 

[The King]

ewok and wookie are the same. The first are just pronounced in the reverse order of the latter (ee-wok => wok-ee).

 

[GbajiTheDeceiver]

Here.

Ooooh, very Quake 3.

 

[weasel_fierce]

That could have been a Hawkmoon cover too

 

[Voriof]

Well, now we know what the "God Slayer" Line of self-powered magical swords looks like when drawing power from the Machine God's enslaved components. I had wondered.

Jeff

 

[Dead Blue Clown]

I love that cover.

Actually, I've loved all of my Glorantha covers so far. I've been very lucky to have such talent making my work look all shiny.

 

[TRose]

Does anyone know if the Clanking City will cover the traditional atheist of Gods Forgot amd the leftarm(Or rightarm, seems they keep changeing it) Islands?

 

[Adept]

I'm sorry to be a downer DBC, but while this cover is ok, I wouldn't call it good.

The idea is great, and the bleak dystopian "magepunk" look is an excellent touch. The artist is just way too sloppy for it to earn more than two stars.

Take a good look at the picture. You pretty much have to anyway, because it's a blur from any distance except right up close. Many of the details are nice, but as a piece of art the whole is nothing to write home about.

Apparently "just about ok" is the quality that the mongoose's artists strive for. Parhaps they feel they aren't payed enough to spend any more time on the covers?

 

[The King]

You should then ask Chris Quilliams to perform some covers for Runequest. He actually did many (if not most) for Conan. Don't know if you like the style though.

 

[Adept]

Can you put up links to some of his covers?

 

[Rurik]

Take a good look at the picture. You pretty much have to anyway, because it's a blur from any distance except right up close. Many of the details are nice, but as a piece of art the whole is nothing to write home about.

You seem to be confusing art with technical illustrating. Do Picasso and Monet not count as art worth writing home about because they didn't spend a lot of time trying to make their pieces look as painstakingly realistic as possible?

Art is subjective, so I don't really want to get into a discussion on what is 'good art' - because objectively there is really no such thing.

Role Playing 'art' has largely become generic in my eyes. Rendered so much more realistically than in the early days of the hobby - yes, todays RPG illustrator has much better technical skills than 20-30 years ago. But to me it has all become kind of the same, and often boring as a result.

I like that Mongoose takes chances on it's art. Sometimes it gets less than favorable reception (*cough* Lankhmar *cough*) but I for one like that it is not all formulaic. Hell I kinda like the Lankhmar cover - as a whole piece I like the composition and feel of it. Are the figures rendered as realistically as on most cover art? Hell No.

It may not be the best marketing, and I certainly seem to be in a minority judging from this and other boards, but I like Mongooses approach to cover art - even if I don't like all the individual covers.

And for the record I like the Clanking City cover. Not my favorite, but not bad at all.

 

[Banned Beetle]

's okay, but he clanking city picture in MoG is much better.

trif.

 

[The King]

Can you put up links to some of his covers?

http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/common_incs/popup.php?id=conanhyboriasfinest.jpg

http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/common_incs/popup.php?id=cnscreenl.jpg

Here is his website : http://www.epilogue.net/cgi/database/art/list.pl?gallery=15546

There is also these one though they aren't from him:

- http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/common_incs/popup.php?id=conantower.jpg

- http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/common_incs/popup.php?id=conanblackkingdoms.jpg

- http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/common_incs/popup.php?id=cnmessantial.jpg

 

[Adept]

...but I like Mongooses approach to cover art - even if I don't like all the individual covers.

"On the cheap, and often with very little direction for the artist"? Each to his/her own, I suppose.

 

[Dead Blue Clown]

... with very little direction for the artist"? Each to his/her own, I suppose.

"Very little direction" is called 'freedom' and 'artistic license' and 'artistic interpretation' in the creative world.

If, for example, I say I want "A Dragonspeaker standing in front of an EWF city" - that should be enough for most artists to run wild. Detailing every. Single. Thing. In. The. Picture. steals any creative license.

There is a key difference between artists and writers, of course. Writers have to read a vast amount of the source material. You tend not to get many artists that do that, these days, for any company, so a few pages of extracted text is what they get as a summary.

 

[gamesmeister]

The idea is great, and the bleak dystopian "magepunk" look is an excellent touch. The artist is just way too sloppy for it to earn more than two stars.

Sloppy? Please elaborate - if you're going to be insulting, it's best to back it up with something concrete.

Apparently "just about ok" is the quality that the mongoose's artists strive for. Parhaps they feel they aren't payed enough to spend any more time on the covers?

I've looked all over the cover, but I can't see anything that indicates how long the artist spent. That's a rare gift you have :roll:

If you don't like someone's work, you're entitled to say so. You're not entitled to be insulting while you go about it.

"On the cheap, and often with very little direction for the artist"? Each to his/her own, I suppose.

Sigh :roll: