The FANTASY TRIP Artwork

[Kirk]

For those who haven't been tuned in for the whole 40 years, Liz Danforth is a Tucson-based artist who is probably best known for her Magic cards. She's done a lot of fantasy, SF, and steampunk illustration for gaming and other markets. When she's not making art, she is a writer and a librarian. She's also the very first artist whom I art-directed, and one of my oldest friends. So I'm very excited to be working with her again.

You might ask why I'm asking such a skilled illustrator to do something as simple as game counters. Two reasons. First: she did the original ones, fans have asked for something like that in the new edition, and who better to do that than the original artist? And second: Counters may be simple things, but they can be bad, good, or very fine. I'm going for "very fine." You deserve that, and so do I.

– Steve Jackson

This is very, very satisfying news! I have always thought Danforth's work was excellent and gave that professional, mature feel to TFT, as opposed to some of the tending juvenile or just downright poorly drawn artwork of other game systems. That gargoyle cover was instrumental in my seeing and buying Melee as a high school senior discovering the start of a great game system, having tried D&D and liking very little about it, including the art.

[JLV]

Originally Posted by Kirk

This is very, very satisfying news! I have always thought Danforth's work was excellent and gave that professional, mature feel to TFT, as opposed to some of the tending juvenile or just downright poorly drawn artwork of other game systems. That gargoyle cover was instrumental in my seeing and buying Melee as a high school senior discovering the start of a great game system, having tried D&D and liking very little about it, including the art.

I could not agree more with this sentiment -- or with the gargoyle cover being the one that first got me into this back in high school when I was also a senior!

[Skarg]

I had a middle school teacher who looked through In the Labyrinth and observed that it had better-looking women than D&D. ;)

The dead-gargoyle-cover Melee was my first TFT (or RPG) book, though I had Ogre and Ice War before it (and various Avalon Hill & other wargames before tha).

[wolf90]

Originally Posted by Skarg

The dead-gargoyle-cover Melee was my first TFT (or RPG) book, though I had Ogre and Ice War before it.

What exquisite taste!

(Me too!)

D.