What kind of Artwork for new TNE sourcebook

[Vargas]

The problem for me is that almost all of the folks I prefer are unbavailable.

Blair Reynolds (yeah D*P stiffed me also!)
Rob Caswell
Tom Peters (?)

with the exception of Mr. Gibson (thank you for showing that women do exist in the Third Imperium!)

For heaven's sake though, no more of that stark, terminally moody, overly dark reminds-me-of-a-Siberian-gulag stuff we saw in the original TNE.

 

[kafka47]

Hasn't the Traveller universe always had women? I believe that there were even guidelines for contributors, after the Princess Leia...I mean Princess Gloria fiasco...look at the early JTAS and you will know what I mean...

 

[Liam Devlin]

Vargas, I'm with you on the down with "gulag look". My 14 year old daughter draws better than that (and with a pencil).

Others: A lot of preferred artists litter the landscape of whos who in whom DGP/ GDW burned...those fences are unmendable, alas for us the fans. The current batch in the T20 stable are doing really well.

ANd a dittoes to Bryan Gibson for bringing illustrations of women back into Traveller! Slainte!

 

[kafka47]

By Gulag look...do you mean shattered cities and humans being pushed down by despotic leaders...? That is what TNE Mk 1 was all about. Now, that MJD wants hope in the darkness, I would have the side that we still need the gulag style in the beginning part of the book to set the mood before giving way something more hopeful. Kinda like what Bryan did for the "History of the 3i" in Traveller's Digest...now, that's the image, I saw when I heard MJD talk about kneeling before the Vacant Throne...

So let's see, who would like to see to rival illustrative styles in one book... I think it would work for Traveller fans, everyone else... I don't know. I just don't want to see the OTU reduced to anime or too cartoonish.

 

[Liam Devlin]

Originally posted by kafka47:
By Gulag look...do you mean shattered cities and humans being pushed down by despotic leaders...?
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No, I do not kafka47 (welcome back from the islands mon!). Illustrating those Should be done. Just not with all black backgrounds, and with veiny-horror-looking folks abounding, even in the hopeful/ forward back to the stars pix. If its naming names ye want, lemme grab me TNE stuff, and find the illustrator's name. His/her stuff, better suited to a fant horror genre. not sci fi. (I'm doin me Irish dead level best to be non biased and diplomatic here, not to disparage talent that was paid for by GDW).

So let's see, who would like to see to rival illustrative styles in one book... I think it would work for Traveller fans, everyone else... I don't know. I just don't want to see the OTU reduced to anime or too cartoonish.

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I currently disagree with you on the above. I shall continue to do so.

*Reality being what it is, "better art" is out there, aye. And much of it way out of the price range of T20's crew (in keeping a project in budget, and in price range the players/GMs will pay for).

*I understand yer concern on anime and cartoonish, as well as yer concern fer "OTU's" LooK. However-- I'm a TNE-heretic lad, and ye've lost me on the "sanctity" of that long ago.

*BG has been illustratin fer Traveller near 20 years, THATS what i remember of "OTU" look. I dinnae remember these others. Selective memory? perhaps. On that, I freely admit me bias, as I have known him as GM, illustrator, fellow player since 1984.
These other guys? Never met em. Never in my food chain, or cuircuit of gaming, conventions, etc.
Can you say the same?
heretically, (and in a friendly sense, always!)
as ever was.....

 

[matrix cypher]

I do like Brian Gibson too.

Blair Reynolds is ok.

I like the Style they did with DGP Products.

 

[Vargas]

Being a small 'a' ancient when it comes to Traveller, I usually think back to CT first thing so that's where I was coming from. . .

CT didn't have a lot of women in its illustrations. One in particular has stuck with me, done by Bryan Gibson I believe, is in 'Alien Realms" of a Zhodani woman who is part of a diplomatic party.

MT did a little better, especially Blair Reynolds (although some folks thought his presentation of the female form was confined to a small set of themes. . .

 

[kafka47]

For me, it is the Big Bug Eyes that many of BG's illustrations have, that seems to create a funny feeling. But, I really like some of the work that he has done and hope that he will continue his fine work.

It is a pity that we do not create a Traveller Art Repository, something that I mentioned in another post.

I am not sure which things in TNE that you found like a horror book, but then again, it has been a few years since I last looked at it. But, I think we need to seriously look how to attract new gamers, with the TNE sourcebook, as it is going to be rule-free, art is going to tell the story as much as the written narrative. Therefore, I think if we can make a break with the past. Much as Transhuman Space or Alpha Centura looks like nothing that SJG had done before. It made you immediately, at least look at the product. Now, this is not advocating that we go straight to Chris Shy and give him a cheque. But, it is a recognition that the art has to tell the newbie: "Wow! This is something really different." as opposed, "Oh, that is just so Traveller."

Now, if we combine it with a jazzy interior like using chapter headings and chapter summaries, it ought to really rock. One of the most exciting illustrations was the back of TNE rulebook and it had the right catch phrase: "A New Civilization Waiting To Be Awaken". Sadly, they then filled the back description with all sorts of crap describing the preventing a perfect scan...(but, fortunately a later issue of Challenge allowed that)