Thursday, August 26, 2010

My Take on the FGG Swords & Wizardry Cover Controversy, Cave Map & Blasphemous Bestiary Request


So some folks aren't taken with the cover artwork for the upcoming Swords & Wizardry complete edition being released by Frog God Games. See Here, and Here.

Now, I absolutely adore Peter Mullen's artwork and his cover for Swords & Wizardry Core (I've seen pictures of folks in a shirt with that artwork...anyone know where I could get one?), I've stated several times that my dream team for Planet Algol cover artwork would be Peter Mullen & Stephen Poag.

However, I'm also a big fan of the artist responsible for the cover of the upcoming Swords & Wizardry FFG release, Rick Sardine (or however you spell it...). I find them subtle, evocative, and with a rich depiction of lighting. Mesopotamia, Coils of Set, this cat has done some great covers.

I love the Peter Mullen cover, but I'm quite down with the new version as well (although if I wasn't financially strapped right now I'd be desperately ordering the Black Blade Publishing version of Swords & Wizardry core in order to own a copy with the Mullen artwork).

To me the the Rick Sardinia cover says "Some may poh-poh the idea of a simple, oldschool system such as S&W providing a rich, sophisticated, adult RPG experience..but you're wrong! Not only is S&W good for simple dungeoncrawls, Rient-sian gonzotude, and funn cheetoism; but it can also be used for serious, "adult," dramatic, "literary" play!" (not that I'm advocating railroading, Dragonlancing, or story-before-game), "Not only can you use S&W for the Treasure Dungeon of Darth Viraxis, but you can also use it for a serious game of Tolkein-ish questing!" (does anyone else get a watcher at the gates of Moria vibe from it?).

However, and a tangentially related topic that gets my blood boiling with NUCLEAR NERD RAGE!!!1, I HATE HATE HATE the newer Swords & Wizardry logo; and I absolutely fucking love the older, cryptic, Metal-er one.
BRING BACK THE OLD SWORDS & WIZARDRY LOGO OR I WILL UNLEASH THE HYDRA!!

Well, since the above constitutes an internet argument, I must kowtow to the wisdom of the esteemed JOESKY; here's a hand-drawn map (tee-hee) of  a cave complex for all you DMs & GMs to stock and use (yeah, my players can forget about checking it out!):

Also, does anyone out there have one of those preview copies of Blasphemous Bestiary that were in circulation before the editor nuked them? I'd love a chance to check it out...it sounds like it was right up my alley! (planetalgolATgmailDOTcom)

10 comments:

  1. I agree with everything you say! The new S&W cover art is pretty damn awesome! Peter Mullen still rules though! The older S&W logo is way way better than the newer one - why the hell'd they change it?!?!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maybe they de-metallized the logo in an attempt to appeal to a broader audience...OF WIMPS AND POSERS IN CRACKERJACK CLOTHES THAT NEED TO LEAVE THE HALL!

    Fuck, now I need to listen to Manowar.

    ReplyDelete
  3. 'does anyone else get a watcher at the gates of Moria vibe from it?'

    Yep, and I like the new cover. I love the 1st-2nd printing cover with the metal lettering but I know some gamers find it too cartoonish.

    Could turn that cave map upside down and have it as a cross-section of a hollow mountain that the PCs have to scale - test those 'to climb' rolls.

    I think Matt said he chose the new logo because it's easier to read from a distance if it was stocked face-on in a store

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the older logo. I missed out on BH's Whitebox, but my wonderful wife bought me a Hardcover of SW Core Rules, which has the cool, older logo, while they were still available on Lulu.

    ReplyDelete
  5. What does it say about my mind that as I was skim-reading this blog post before hurriedly closing the window to avoid being caught not working, I thought that Blair's cave complex was a proposed goregrind version of the Swords & Wizardry logo as a reaction against pussyfied RPG logoisms. I need to get some sleep.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Love all the covers, new and old, though I admit the old timer in me likes the old a bit better - more Otus-y. Also like the old logo better - I believe the reason given for the change is that the new logo would be easier to read on a store shelf. Finally - is "release the hydra" a euphemism for something else? Let's hope not.

    ReplyDelete
  7. DUDE. The new cover is pretty cool, but you know what I LOVED about Mullens' art? The guys were DOING shit! Check out the guys on that cover. Their friend Bob just got grabbed by a huge tentacle and they're all "Huh. Sucks for Bob."

    That said I like everything else about the new cover. That place they're climbing up to looks like trouble...

    And thanks for reminding me that the Mullens' cover of S&W is soon to be a collector's item. I'm gonna order one.

    ReplyDelete
  8. "Their friend Bob just got grabbed by a huge tentacle and they're all "Huh. Sucks for Bob.""

    Seems like a pretty old-school response, "assuming that that thing can't get out of the water...not our problem; more treasure and experience for us!"

    ReplyDelete
  9. Old logo and Mullen art rule. That is why my S&W book was made at home with the S&W companion books slipped in between the covers to make a somewhat impressive tome.

    I don't like the new cover (as I said on Grognardia) more because it is not well executed (composition and lighting problems) and less because of the change, but if they were both in a store, side by side, I would buy the Mullen cover over the Sardinha.

    ReplyDelete
  10. On March 11th, 2019 a user submitted the reports of the radon levels found inside their house which were 5 pCi/L. This is more than the safe level recommended by EPA which is 4 pCi/L. this one report is alarming because if one house can have elevated levels of radon at their home, other houses can be on the verge of danger too. Radon Testing in Collinsville has become important now because of this situation and a thorough home inspection including radon testing and mitigation is the need of the moment. Real Estate inspection in Collinsville is mastered by Hawley as their team is experienced and they fulfill all the requirements necessary for a successful home inspection. In addition they have a bundle of positive customer feedback and five star reviews so you do not have to worry about the privacy or security of your home while letting a stranger inside your house. Book an appointment today and let us take care of all your inspection related worries.

    ReplyDelete