Well they've done it again and have taken a popular game an have "Fantasy Flighted" it. Check out the new cards for princes of florence:

http://www.quined.nl/indexquestionmark.html



Ok, am i the only here that really dislikes this direction? Another example is Tempus. Would you rather have the classical looking game, or the "Fantasy Flighted" version?

I for one am wanting games to return to the classical, clean look again.

I thought the cards looked great! Based on what I've seen so far, I'd gladly trade my copy for the newer, nicer looking version.

These cards look absolutely gorgeous. I'm not sure I see the problem. Would you prefer stick figures or something, for purity's sake?

I'm with the others, the artwork on the new cards looks excellent to me. While the Eutogames usually have lovely wooden pieces the artwork (box, cards, tiles, etc.) is often of dubious quality.

Is this for Princes of Florence? Cards are beautiful but don't see how they will improve the game. Funny they all have the same building/landscape/freedom. There are no complete matches in the original. hmmm...

I think the objection is that they look rather like characters in a fantasy novel.

While I'm not going to be rushing out and buying this version to replace my existing copy, I don't think the art changes warrant refusing to buy one if you don't have the game...

I'm with MWChapel. This is a creepy trend.

Its about time someone used these artists to draw something besides heroic barbarians. Very romantic styling. Wonderful.

I agree with Mike.

I also think that the illustrated telescope looks ridiculously out of place for Renaissance Italy.

It's good artwork, but it does feel a little too cheesy.

Way too cheesy and fantasy looking. That telescope? Utterly ridiculous.

I loved the original design, but I think this new design is great as well. I wonder how they'll design a player mat to match, though...

Can't really judge until we really see the whole game. The alea PoF had a graphic design centering on a "Leonardo's Notebooks" theme, and that was executed very well. PoF remains one of my favorite art packages for a boardgame.

While this peek at Quined's personality cards reveals a strong Magic: the Gatheringesque art direction, we really won't know how it all fits in until we see the rest of the cards, the board, the tiles and the pawns. Regardless, I think that this design will be acceptable to a segment of the audience who DIDN'T purchase the alea version, and if the art makes more people who haven't bought a copy of PoF do so, then it's well worth it.

I just hope that there's some kind of graphic design unity to the whole game.

I'm going to buy a copy as a backup to my alea edition regardless.

What are you talking about? I would settle for ANY version of Tempus... like, someone release the darn thing, now or soonest, maybe? Does anyone want my money? This game has been on my most anticipated list for so long.... how many YEARS does it take to produce a boardgame after it is announced? Grrrrrrrr

I agree with Michael. "Fantasy Flighting" games make them all the same. In this particular one I really don't believe that the artwork has anything to do with the italien "quatrociento". But, who knows! I may be wrong.
Paulo

Agreed. It looks much less like Renaissance Italy and much more like Robert Jordan. The cards look like they're straight out of Citadels. It's not that they look bad, or of poor quality (*cough* Die Macher reprint *cough*), the artwork just doesn't fit the theme.

I dig the art on those cards. I have enough love for both types.

Not that I have any problems with the original design... but as far as I'm concerned, fantasy is the foundation of the hobby, so fantasizing more and more of the euro stuff is essential. Tolkien and D&D must spread their tendrils wide and deep!

Actually I played the game the other night and I noted to myself how abstract the whole process was. Anything that is going to draw me more into a theme the better as far as I'm concerned. These shouldn't just be games, but worlds to explore.

I think the artwork is attractive BUT I would like it to be more thematic to the renaissance and less...comic book-like. Yes, it does have elements of an FFG nature (metallic gold borders, flashy bright artwork).

What other games have been 'fantasy flighted'?

I'm no FFG fanboy but do think that their art department has sought to give an identifiable look to their games. It can't be bad if people are noticing.

Don't get me started on Roger McGowan's art direction on GMT...(able but very 2 dimensional and almost clipart-ish).

That's what I thought when I first saw it. It has an Urza's Saga/Legacy/Destiny feel to it. I can't place the artist at the moment.

Oh, and those mathematics look a little advanced for the time.


Ditto, although I am also buying it for the new rules and variants.

I agree with the OP. This art does not seem to fit the theme.

Pictures smictures - they've made the text legible! What were they thinking? Surely they knew better than to fiddle with the text that only two or three people on the planet could easily read.

Boy are those two or three people going to be cheesed off. They are probably hoping that these examples as linked to above are 300 or 400% actual size, so that the legible text will need a microscope to read, other wise it just isn't Princes of Florence

This is what scares me. I didn't know the Age of Renaissance had anything to do with fantasy, or Tolkien or D&D. Euros to be have always been about classical distinction, historical contexts and minimalist elegance, and of course great gameplay. Somehting more "grown-up" in it's presentation. I played D&D, and I read comic books, but my tastes grew up. I enjoyed the fact that I can pull out a game in front of a group of 30 somethings and not get looks that I was some weirdo trying to pawn dungeons and dragons on them. I just don't like the direction.

Hey is it just me, or is that MrSkeletor on the middle card?

Agree. It looks cool, very Citadels-esque... but out of place in the theme of the game.

Here are some images of late Renaissance telescopes used by Galileo and Newton. I don't think that they had the technology to grind lenses that big as would be used in a telescope as seen on the card in MW's link.

http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/Renaissance/Unive...