Banestorm artwork

[damon]

I'm actually not particularly enamoured of the map style. I see that it works pretty well, but to me it just seems to obviously computer-made. Also I'm completely spoiled by the quality, beauty, and usefullness of Columbia Games' (and the fan base's) maps for Harn.
A couple examples of what I'm talking about are available around lythia.com.

[mbasico]

Originally Posted by Chris Aylott

We did not do a big poster-sized map of the whole continent, and I think that may have to go down in our post-mortem as a flaw in the book. The book is useful without it, but it would have been even better with one.

I believe this is a great chance to publish a "Banestorm GM's Screen" with a poster-sized map together. That will be a "must-own" product.

Unfortunatelly my book doesn't arrived yet (ETA for Brazil is october, 30), but the art inside the PDF previews are really impressive.

Best wishes,

[ericbsmith]

Originally Posted by mbasico

I believe this is a great chance to publish a "Banestorm GM's Screen" with a poster-sized map together. That will be a "must-own" product.

Oh, man, now that is an idea I can get behind 100%. Put a smaller 2-page map of Yrth on the cover of the GM's Screen itself and include a larger folded poster map with the screen.

[JackShadow]

Originally Posted by Chris Aylott

We did not do a big poster-sized map of the whole continent, and I think that may have to go down in our post-mortem as a flaw in the book. The book is useful without it, but it would have been even better with one.

The missing world map is my only serious complaint.

Originally Posted by Chris Aylott

Two questions I'd like to ask people looking at the book. Which art pieces do you like the best? Which art pieces do you not like, or like the least?

I have been very impressed with the art in this book. It is probably the best overall of the 4e line. I think limiting the number of artists helped the book have a "style" instead of overly varied art quality. It helps that I like the artists chosen.

None of the pieces jumped out at me as bad but there are some I am less happy with. I wouldn't bring them up if you hadn't asked for specifics.

p12 - Hand perspective off. Not a fan of the "fuzzy" look.
p27 - Body perspective off.
p96 - Too small. It looks funny on the page all alone. It is appropriate for the text but should have been larger.
p147 - Not a fan of the "fuzzy" look.
p218 - Harpies are tough to draw without looking ridiculous.
p233 - Reminds me too much of Warhammer Fantasy. Must be the mohawk.

None of the pieces jumped out at me demanding more attention but there are some I really like.

p71 - Love the Angry Arab.
p178 - The "fuzzy" look works great here.
p185 - The worried/sleazy arab. I love the look on his face. I wouldn't trust him to empty my chamber pot.
p187 - I don't know if it was intentional, but all the faces look like the same man. I liked seeing the same character in different roles.
p188 - The Snooty Elf.
p191 - Bah! Puny humans!
p195 - That particular Medusa needs Attractive (even taking into account the snakes!).
p197 - Too small. I want to see the rest of that picture.
p201 - Love this style, though it is a bit jarring an out of place with the rest of the book. Looks like Fernandez.
p207 - Ditto p201.
p222 - Excellent piece.

My biggest art praise are the maps. I just love the style chosen. It really helps me stay in the mood of the setting. I can see these same maps being used by folks on Yrth. Great choice!

Hope these help.

[JackShadow]

Originally Posted by mbasico

I believe this is a great chance to publish a "Banestorm GM's Screen" with a poster-sized map together. That will be a "must-own" product.

An excellent idea!

[PK]

Pardon the AOLness, but "me t00" on the being bummed out at the lack of a full-sized map. I loved the fold-out map at the back of Fantasy/2E and was looking forward to, at the very least, a map that took up a full two-page spread in the middle of the book somewhere. Having the main map of Ytarria presented as a 2"x4" rectangle in the middle of an intro page is unforgivable, turning a five-star product into a low-four-star one at best.

I would really suggest that SJG ask J. Kovach to merge his detail maps into a full-scale, detailed Yrth map, and make it available as a poster. Having the guy who made them do it means that he can fill in the blanks, adjust the scale, and all that fun stuff. Anyone serious about running a Banestorm game will want such a product, and it'll pay for itself after enough purchases.

On the upshot, the detail maps of each area are nice, and done to appropriate size. I haven't read it all yet, but so far I'm totally happy with the content. And the artwork is nicer than average for GURPS. I'll try to make a detailed list of artwork likes/dislikes for future posting.

[beholdsa]

Originally Posted by mbasico

I believe this is a great chance to publish a "Banestorm GM's Screen" with a poster-sized map together. That will be a "must-own" product.

Excellent idea. Put in a Banestorm map and make sure what's on the screen doesn't entirely overlap with the generic GURPS GM Screen.

[Paul]

Originally Posted by Rev_Pee_Kitty

I would really suggest that SJG ask J. Kovach to merge his detail maps into a full-scale, detailed Yrth map, and make it available as a poster.

What would you pay for such a product?

[hiver1]

For the poster alone, maybe 10 to 12 $?
With a Banestorm-GM-Screen: 15 or 17 $?
Does that seem reasonable?

[Kuroshima]

Originally Posted by Paul

What would you pay for such a product?

I would pay standard prices for both the screen with fold up map, and for the poster. That means:

9.95$ for the poster, like the rest of SJG's posters
19.95$ for the screen, like the standard GURPS 4th ed GM screen.