tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post1533769507525157301..comments2024-03-26T02:31:48.024-05:00Comments on Trollsmyth: 4rt vs. Elmoretrollsmythhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-46973498002785358802008-06-11T18:20:00.000-05:002008-06-11T18:20:00.000-05:00Bartoneus,Yeah, I think that's O'Conner again. Di...Bartoneus,<BR/><BR/>Yeah, I think that's O'Conner again. Did he do all the race portraits? I don't have a the book here to look.<BR/><BR/>As an aside, I love the way WotC makes it easy to tell which artist did which work. That's a really classy thing for them to do.<BR/><BR/>- Briantrollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-87012647139400614782008-06-11T18:02:00.000-05:002008-06-11T18:02:00.000-05:00"Much like the simplified facial features of anime..."Much like the simplified facial features of anime characters, a lack of detail invites viewer empathy by avoiding details that might be off-putting."<BR/><BR/>Now I do have to say, I was discussing with a friend this morning and he expressed his dislike of the artwork for Elves in the PHB, because he doesn't like how their faces look. To me, that is one of my favorite pieces, because they purposely designed the Elves with some interesting detail and tried to make them different from Eladrin but still very interesting. More rustic also, and I think the risk there with that art paid off to me, EXCEPT that is the only place I can remember seeing that kind of Elf in the core books so far...Bartoneushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04788256492505323850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-70463063664953985512008-06-11T13:43:00.000-05:002008-06-11T13:43:00.000-05:00Yeah, had I been writing my blog back in the days ...Yeah, had I been writing my blog back in the days of 3e this would be a familiar rant--my friends have definitely heard it a few times. :)<BR/><BR/>"Much like the simplified facial features of anime characters, a lack of detail invites viewer empathy by avoiding details that might be off-putting."<BR/><BR/>Well-observed! This a discussion along these lines in <I>Understanding Comics</I>: detail forces the eye to pay attention. So a character's sword, say might be drawn very simplistically until that one panel where he brandishes it dramatically--then it is rendered is hyper-detail, to make it the center of attention. Detailing everything simply overwhelms the viewer and makes nothing important. The more successful 4e pieces, like O'Connor's, de-emphasize the background. And that's a reflection of the larger implications of D&D's shifting emphasis. I look forward to your post about that!David Larkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04133630988557116729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-89402501601797024142008-06-11T11:49:00.000-05:002008-06-11T11:49:00.000-05:00OdysseyI'd agree with that. Also, the frenetic ac...<B>Odyssey</B><BR/><BR/>I'd agree with that. Also, the frenetic action draws attention to the new combat engine, with it's emphasis on movement, positioning, and PC teamwork against multiple foes in interesting environments.<BR/><BR/>- Briantrollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-48075050947435702782008-06-11T11:00:00.000-05:002008-06-11T11:00:00.000-05:00Yep, yep. Definitely a symptom of general shifts i...Yep, yep. Definitely a symptom of general shifts in the assumed D&D play style. Though, yeah, those shifts probably aren't as major as my somewhat hyperbolic post makes them out to be.<BR/><BR/>One other big trend in the 4e art is a shift away from the "posing" that defined a lot of 3e art. (Though not as much as reading internet forums might lead you to believe.) A good bit of the frenetic action is in response to that criticism, though I'm not sure it was the right response.Nataliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15528192783751011497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-63766814770513939382008-06-11T09:19:00.000-05:002008-06-11T09:19:00.000-05:00I always liked the art of the old AD&D books, from...I always liked the art of the old AD&D books, from people like<BR/><BR/>Larry Elmore<BR/>Keith Parkinson<BR/>Clyde Caldwell<BR/>Jeff Easly<BR/>...<BR/><BR/>I read your post (critique of Elmores' art) today, and there was something very interesting in there:<BR/><BR/>This is what we were aiming for in our gaming, back then: a sense of being there, of walking through elven woods, or wyrm-infested caverns. It wasn’t about the wild wire-fu acrobatics of action movies, or the brilliant lens-flares of computer animation. It was about the crunch of dried leaves beneath your boots, the weight of mail across your shoulders, the smell of leather and horse in your nostrils, and the thrill of wondering what was beyond those hills, or past that turn in the trail.<BR/><BR/>Maybe a bit overenthusiastic, but that says it all. It was the same for me. <BR/>The former editions of D&D were about a world you would like to step in and you tried find a place in, and this was reflected in the Core Books and in the art.<BR/>The focus of the newer editions is on the characters and the action, and this is also shown in the books and the art.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-56445756241621807502008-06-11T07:35:00.000-05:002008-06-11T07:35:00.000-05:00Mr. O'Conner has some great stuff in the books, bu...Mr. O'Conner has some great stuff in the books, but I think he's also a pretty big "offender" in the backgroundless, "Who do you want to be?" style. But he's also got some that are grounded in at least simple backgrounds that at least hint at the existence of a world. <BR/><BR/>Some of Raven's stuff is pleasantly atmospheric. And there's another artist named Eva something whose work also really jumped out at me, but I couldn't for the life of me tell you why. Which is just another indication that I need to study the art in more detail before I write too much about it.<BR/><BR/>- Briantrollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-80456263777764147852008-06-11T06:40:00.000-05:002008-06-11T06:40:00.000-05:00I really hope these are criticisms that Wizards ta...I really hope these are criticisms that Wizards takes to heart and applies to future 4E books, though not back to the extreme that older books were.<BR/><BR/>As I suggested on RPG Corner, I'd say keep an eye out for the pieces which are done by William O'Conner, they definitely have jumped out at me as some of the best in the 4E core books.Bartoneushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04788256492505323850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-21853524410410494582008-06-11T05:10:00.000-05:002008-06-11T05:10:00.000-05:00That's a very good analysis. There's nothing much ...That's a very good analysis. There's nothing much to add, except that for me a large part of the attraction of AD&D art was the spur to Adventure. You wanted to step into those paintings and explore that world.<BR/><BR/>4e art doesn't do that for me. It's nice to look at and shows what kind of powerful things characters are capable of. But it doesn't make me want to live in the places it shows - mainly because I can't really imagine them existing.noismshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09933436762608669966noreply@blogger.com