Steve Jackson Games Forums - June 9, 2018: The Fantasy Trip: Wizard Cover!

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- - June 9, 2018: The Fantasy Trip: Wizard Cover! (https://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=157825)

Re: June 9, 2018: The Fantasy Trip: Wizard Cover!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company (Post 2182082)

I'll join in on this. I'm a fan of Brandon's art, and this is, as JLV says, well-executed, but it's a single figure with no background. In short, it's very plain. Now, perhaps there's more going on here than we see so far. Perhaps it's part of a triptych with planned Melee and In the Labyrinth covers, but in isolation I don't see it working as a cover.

To sum up: Brandon good, art direction questionable.

(That said, I didn't care for either of the Wizard covers and I found the face-on-sphere one actively off-putting, though I did always like the original Melee cover.)

This, except that I never found the old Wizard cover to be off-putting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbeard1999 (Post 2182156)

Much snippage.

https://img00.deviantart.net/d887/i/...ir-d7dyidd.jpg

I like that one a lot. It shows wizard-on-wizard combat, has two schools of magic (going by color, anyway) and shows both a man and a woman. It's in the wrong format (it's landscape rather than portrait), but it's otherwise a great one.

Re: June 9, 2018: The Fantasy Trip: Wizard Cover!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buzzardo (Post 2182202)

This, except that I never found the old Wizard cover to be off-putting.

I like that one a lot. It shows wizard-on-wizard combat, has two schools of magic (going by color, anyway) and shows both a man and a woman. It's in the wrong format (it's landscape rather than portrait), but it's otherwise a great one.

Given that the primary focus of Wizard is duels between wizards, I’d select artwork that shows, you know, a duel. Or at least some kind of combat. A cover with a single wizard casting a non-descript spell doesn’t tell us anything about the product. It implies (to me) that it’s yet another magic supplement for some RPG, not a game of wizardly duels.

Re: June 9, 2018: The Fantasy Trip: Wizard Cover!

I will agree with many, it is good art but perhaps not a great cover for what I understand is a magical arena duel game ?
Unless it is part of a multiple panel illustration that would add context.
Context aside, perhaps my only critic would be that the wizardess ( Witch ? Enchantress ? Sorceress ?) look to me almost bored, not very evocative of a fierce duel.

I do like the colour palette, and the whole cover, for me, give a feeling of a modern take on old school fantasy.

Re: June 9, 2018: The Fantasy Trip: Wizard Cover!

Hate to jump on the bandwagon, but... Yeah, this cover just does NOT do it for me. I'm not a fan of the chunky/toonish logo and color. And the wizard really is a bland generic image. There's nothing particularly impactful or striking about it.

If I wasn't already inclined to pick this up because of my love for TFT, this would not grab my attention at all.

Not too late to go back to the drawing board, guys/gals.

Re: June 9, 2018: The Fantasy Trip: Wizard Cover!

Otoh, as a column sized illustration in promotional artwork, like the 4 game ads on the origin post, it is striking.

http://www.sjgames.com/img/newsq/ill...ame_DIPost.png

Re: June 9, 2018: The Fantasy Trip: Wizard Cover!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celjabba (Post 2182269)

Otoh, as a column sized illustration in promotional artwork, like the 4 game ads on the origin post, it is striking.

http://www.sjgames.com/img/newsq/ill...ame_DIPost.png

Note, however, that it is the only illustration with no background (and thus secondary or tertiary information) whatsoever. It doesn't even have a subtitle like "A Classic Reborn" or "Old School Elegance, Revived".