I was so looking forward to them, but with the black border art? Meh. I hope they find something better.

Quote from: elfandghost;620213I'd love this as the cover for the 2nd Edition Player's Handbook reprint:



But at those prices, and with them being the 1995 editions I'd rather go to ebay get the originals and pick up Legends and Lore and Tome of Magic for about the same cost of more likely less (if I didn't already have them!).

That was a Dragon Mag cover, wasn't it?  I think I've got that one around...

Quote from: soviet;620209The black abortion books also look a bit like the player's option books that ruined 2e. They print these and the next thing you know they'll print those too and they get to ruin 2e a second time and THAT CAN'T HAPPEN

I am not too worried. As I recall the content of the black books were mostly the same (could be wrong about that), it is mostly a cosmetic issue.

If they want to release the skills and powers books, that wont bother me. I just wont use them.

Quote from: misterguignol;620205Okay, so I've never seen the art inside the black-cover versions of the 2e books.  Can anybody tell me what sucks about it?  

(Granted, I didn't think the art in the original printings of the 2e books was great stuff.)

Also, paying $50 for the 2e DMG is laughable.  It's a pretty terrible waste of paper.

I liked the 2E original art. I just thought it looked nice and naturalistic. The black book art wasn't bad, it just didn't stand out. It isnt the end of the world.

Quote from: BedrockBrendan;620225I liked the 2E original art. I just thought it looked nice and naturalistic. The black book art wasn't bad, it just didn't stand out. It isnt the end of the world.

Heh, if there is one thing I don't like in art...it's naturalism.

Not that it matters much to me, I still have my copies of the 2e PHB and MM.

Quote from: misterguignol;620205Okay, so I've never seen the art inside the black-cover versions of the 2e books.  Can anybody tell me what sucks about it?  

(Granted, I didn't think the art in the original printings of the 2e books was great stuff.)

Also, paying $50 for the 2e DMG is laughable.  It's a pretty terrible waste of paper.

It's all weak-ass amateur watercolour bullshit.

Quote from: elfandghost;620213I'd love this as the cover for the 2nd Edition Player's Handbook reprint:

'cause that's all the fight 2e can bring to the table, baby.

Meanwhile, a fighter and a magic-user are beating the crap out of an Efreet.

Y'all are just jelious.

Quote from: misterguignol;620228Heh, if there is one thing I don't like in art...it's naturalism.

Not that it matters much to me, I still have my copies of the 2e PHB and MM.

I may have my terms mixed up, but I quite like art that is in this style (don't really know alot about art). Basically remined me of a lot of italian renaissance paintings.

Quote from: flyerfan1991;620223That was a Dragon Mag cover, wasn't it?  I think I've got that one around...

It's in the original 2e PHB, right after the table of contents. I don't think it was ever a Dragon cover, although Elmore was on quite a few of them.

There were other nice color pieces in there too, as well as some good pencils. Most complaints seem to be about the small blue ink ones scattered throughout but I never found them all that bad.

Quote from: Raven;620236It's in the original 2e PHB, right after the table of contents. I don't think it was ever a Dragon cover, although Elmore was on quite a few of them.

There were other nice color pieces in there too, as well as some good pencils. Most complaints seem to be about the small blue ink ones scattered throughout but I never found them all that bad.

They looked like little wood prints. I quite liked them.

Although by now I think we've established I have TEH BEST TASTE in art.

Quote from: Piestrio;620238Although by now I think we've established I have TEH BEST TASTE in art.

You misspelled "subhuman" and "craptastic".

I am one more who thought you were talking about Moldvay by the title

But I enjoy 2e as well.  The only reason I won't buy the reprints is because I have at least one copy of both versions right now.

Although, I will say I'd LOVE to see 2e become a relatively frequent game again.  I'd love to break out my Core Rules CD ROMs

Quote from: Sacrosanct;620242I am one more who thought you were talking about Moldvay by the title

Plebeian. We're talking about ADVANCED Dungeons & Dragons here.

And SECOND edition to boot.

That's a bigger number than some other editions, B/X doesn't have any.

Therefore second edition is better QED.

Get with the times.

Of Elmore, Parkinson, and Easley the only one I like much is Easley, none the less Elmore's capable of good work but he does too much that looks like ren-faire bluescreen.  Pakinson's a bit of a hack IMO, his technique's actually a bit better than the other two in terms of color and perspective, there's never the painful bluescreen effect some of Elmore's paintings produce but somehow the content of his paintings seems even more off than Elmore's.  There was the Dragon cover with the mutant stretching horse behind the elf princess but no, I just find his work jarring.  Like it belongs on a royal family collectors edition plate in a china cabnet or something.

I don't think it's a mistake that their naturalism represents the period of TSR's descent into pandering to people who weren't buying their products.  It's very much in the style of religious tract artwork.