Dominion Strategy Forum
Dominion => Dominion General Discussion => Topic started by: jsh357 on August 11, 2015, 12:53:21 pm
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Many years ago, a great man began a project that would revolutionize our view and understanding of Dominion. He spent countless hours writing about various cards, putting himself out there and hoping only for the respect and toleration of his peers. That man's name was theory, and without him, Dominion Strategy may well never have existed. Let's give him a hand. Not a literal one, though. Ew.
But enough about that guy. Last summer, I began a thread (http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=11525.0) that sought to rank all of the Dominion cards by the quality of their art. Everything started off well enough, but little known fact: by that time, I had already joined the playtester group for Dominion: Adventures. Why did I start a ranking thread, knowing full well that there would one day be more cards to rank? What kind of lunatic would make life harder on himself like that? Apparently this guy. Anyway, eventually the weight of the project got to be too much. Aside from turbulent scenarios on my own life making it harder to care about ranking art, the futility of the whole thing got to be too much once the expansion started nearing release. But then I got to thinking: I could make the project less of an ordeal for myself by simply posting one card a day, sticking to one expansion at a time, and not adhering to a stupid gimmick in my write-ups every post. Sure, it could take a mammoth amount of days, but it would also be easier for everyone, most importantly myself.
At the end of each expansion, a ranking of the overall art cohesion and my perceived quality will appear. I will be keeping numerical scores of each picture private, but will show the 'average' number in those posts. The Promos and Base Cards will have their own separate expansion, and box art/mat art/etc will be evaluated with the expansion they belong in.
As an aside, a common complaint in the last ranking thread was that I was judging the quality of art by how it appeared on the card and not in high-res pictures seen online. In order to continue being a troll to these types of nitpickers I am going to continue judging the art by how it appears on the cards. That is the medium the art is intended to be seen in, and as such it will be in my mind.
As a final note, I want to get this out there to any Dominion artists who happen upon the thread. As an artist, I'm sure you understand the concept of subjectivity and hope you won't take offense if I happen to place a picture you drew lower on the list. This stuff is your work that you put sweat and tears into and I have no intention of putting you down for it. I've been there. Besides, even some art I dislike is loved by others. Also, I am in no way a professional art critic and actually have no clue what I'm talking about! Teehee!
As a true final note because I'm a liar, these rankings are not going to match up with the previous list. Times change, people change, art changes. Even war has changed.
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PART ONE: THE BASE SET
This is where it all began. The base set was composed of cards, most simple, some moderately complex, and the art reflects that, only substituting complexity for prettiness.
25. Smithy (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Smithy)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/smithy.jpg)
There are two men here, one holding an anvil while the other pounds it. The dwarven smith, with his misshapen face and enormous fingers, looks like something out of a fairy tale. Some say Dominion had no fantasy roots until Alchemy, but here it is. Those people had also never heard of Witch. Something about the details on the two men's skin has always rubbed me the wrong way in this art, but it's hard to describe as a layperson. Yes, the anvil holder seems muscular, but he also appears to be made of marble, ill fitting the darkness of the forge the two reside in. Today is the first day I noticed the smith is wearing a green hat. Go me. The anvil (or is it an axe head?) is drawn a bit crookedly, I think. Whatever the minor details are, at the end of the day this art doesn't please me particularly. I always feel like I'm losing fashion points by adding it to my deck. Let's get out of here before these two start looking at me funny.
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Keep it up, jsh. Just a few more card rankings on f.DS and I can finally post my card ranking ranking.
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Man, you already ruined it. 25 should be council room, did you not learn anything from last time? I can't take this ranking seriously anymore.
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Oh Yes! Oh Yes! He's back.
Have you already seen the summon event card art in "HD" or in IRL? The pixelated image on the wiki can't be a reference for the true promo and base card art ranking.
Do you both rank, the primary base cards and the fancy reworked ones with new illustrations?
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Oh Yes! Oh Yes! He's back.
Have you already seen the summon event card art in "HD" or in IRL? The pixelated image on the wiki can't be a reference for the true promo and base card art ranking.
Do you both rank, the primary base cards and the fancy reworked ones with new illustrations?
By the time I get to promos, the card will certainly be out. I will be looking at the old base card art for the base set, but the pretty base cards art when I get to Base Cards.
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Even war has changed.
+1 for Fallout reference.
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Oh Yes! Oh Yes! He's back.
Have you already seen the summon event card art in "HD" or in IRL? The pixelated image on the wiki can't be a reference for the true promo and base card art ranking.
Do you both rank, the primary base cards and the fancy reworked ones with new illustrations?
By the time I get to promos, the card will certainly be out. I will be looking at the old base card art for the base set, but the pretty base cards art when I get to Base Cards.
By the time you get to the Promos, there will probably be another expansion out to deal with first.
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Even war has changed.
+1 for Fallout reference.
MGS4 actually
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24. Chancellor (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Chancellor)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/chancellor.jpg)
Chancellor's art is clearly flawed. It seems a little rushed or sketchy, especially in the coat area. One could argue that the card is intended to be goofy-looking, but the image strikes me as unintentionally goofy. There is enough detail on the face, particularly its butt chin, to suggest our favorite cycler was meant to seem like a stern and grumpy man in an old time portrait. Instead, he looks like a guy being forced to poorly cosplay a university professor at graduation. His hat was probably fashionable back in the day, but I think we can all agree he looks like a tool now. So how is this worse than Council Room? Well, it's true that Council Room has a fatal flaw in perspective, but at least it might take you a while to notice that. The Chancellor just looks ridiculous from the get-go.
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At least the two men printed on the Smithy card are bearded men (without visible butt chin). The smith
y even wears four tight fitting golden rings, which ensure nice vertical mustache style by gravity force. I would have ranked Chancellor on 25. ;)
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A smithy is a place. The person who works there is called a smith.
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Chancellor: Testes or a chin? You decide!
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"You may immediately laugh at the Chancellor's face. If you do, put your deck into your discard pile."
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23. Woodcutter (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Woodcutter)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/woodcutter.jpg)
Sometimes I think if I stare hard enough, maybe this picture makes sense. Actually, I did some thinking on this not long ago, and I guess it's possible that someone came along and started cutting the tree, then went out on lunch break, and then these two saps showed up and started cutting a new wound. I don't know if the average person wants to go to those lengths to defend the canon of Dominion card art backstories. Instead, I'm just going to assume the artist didn't think this through all the way. As a side note, I wonder if the woodcutter on the right is related to the smith's assistant from Smithy (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Smithy). Maybe they coordinate baldness and beards.
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I actually think it looks pretty okay, but you're right they're cutting the tree in a slightly roundabout way..
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Man, that art is actually pretty bad.
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It makes more sense when you realize they're scraping vertically, not sawing horizontally.
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22. Council Room (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Council_Room)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/councilroom.jpg)
Despite what some think, Dominion is a very socially progressive game. Here we see that the Council Room has chairs of various sizes; trolls, dwarves, and men of all shapes and sizes can unite to discuss council. There's no human height privilege here. From a distance, this card looks like a chocolate bar. If you don't believe me, try looking at it for yourself. Jokes aside, perspective is the only thing that actually ruins this picture for me, but it's hard not to notice once you're aware of the issue. Boy, these terminal draw cards are unfashionable. It's almost like the artists don't want me to win.
21. Festival (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Festival)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/festival.jpg)
Festival doesn't have a terrible picture, but it's not an inspiring one either. While the perspective work is better than on Council Room, somehow the elf looks too big in relation to what he's standing in front of. On the bright side, there's some nice variety in color here that keeps Festival out of the bottom four. Geez, that elf has quite the noggin. I'm not sure I'd be paying this con artist to get in to this particular festival. There's some kind of street fight going on inside, and a cop standing by to let it happen. Then again, maybe that's not so different from real life.
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Boy, have you seen the Festival and Fairgrounds pictures in Dominion Times this morning? Where would you like to go?
Yeah, let's go to the Festival. There are giant colorful elves.
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Jsh, sometimes you have to eat your veggies before you can eat desert.
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Jsh, sometimes you have to eat your veggies before you can eat desert.
veggies>sand any day.
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20. Remodel (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Remodel)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/remodel.jpg)
You know what they say. A card doesn't have to look bad to rank this low; it could just be ho-hum. Remodel is some sketch on a piece of paper with some okay lighting work, nothing more, nothing less. I'm sure there are Remodel fanboys out there who will disagree with me, but I'm not giving the thing a merit award for doing an adequate job. I think the real question is, who is 'they' and why do they say all that?
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I'm sure there are Remodel fanboys out there who will disagree with me
Reporting.
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The candlestick holder is impressively done although I suspect CGI being used for it.
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Chancellor: Testes or a chin? You decide!
http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=1204.msg517742#msg517742
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19. Militia (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Militia)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/militia.jpg)
Two of the least fashionable guys in Dominion art right here, folks. Sure, the one guy has a nice beard, but wearing his fur coat thing over a red shirt is a fashion no-no right up there with blue polka dots before Colombus Day. Also, having your fur hang in uneven lengths over your chest is like the popped collar of the middle ages. His balding friend fares no better with his ugly scale armor and his blade blends in so weirdly with the armor that he appears to have left his weapon behind. Edit: Actually, holy cow, I am seeing an optical illusion. He's not carrying his blade. Someone should probably send this Miltia to a support group before they go spreading their bad taste all over the kingdom.
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23. Woodcutter (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Woodcutter)
Sometimes I think if I stare hard enough, maybe this picture makes sense. Actually, I did some thinking on this not long ago, and I guess it's possible that someone came along and started cutting the tree, then went out on lunch break, and then these two saps showed up and started cutting a new wound. I don't know if the average person wants to go to those lengths to defend the canon of Dominion card art backstories. Instead, I'm just going to assume the artist didn't think this through all the way.
So has anyone round here cut down a tree that size?
If someone who had cut down a tree that big came up and told me that the best way to do it was to use you axes to strip of the bark and outer layer of wood and then get out you two-man saw ... I might well be inclined to believe them.
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So has anyone round here cut down a tree that size?
If someone who had cut down a tree that big came up and told me that the best way to do it was to use you axes to strip of the bark and outer layer of wood and then get out you two-man saw ... I might well be inclined to believe them.
That's what these people do.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6boMcIsFnuM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM4PFps6bu4
I don't know for sure why the bark gets stripped first, but I do know that bark contains dirt, and dirt dulls saw blades much faster than wood, so maybe that's why.
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The sad thing is that, no matter how accurate or inaccurate the depiction is, they still look ugly doing it.
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Philosoraptor: If Woodcutter is singular, why does its art depict two people?
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Philosoraptor: If Woodcutter is singular, why does its art depict two people?
I could be using the noun as a classification.
Are we human, or are we woodcutter?
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The bark strip that they made is a horrendous diagonal mess, and they started sawing into it way too low. Soon the guy on the left will be sawing through bark anyway. There's a reason these people work all day, then barely muster two coin and a buy.
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18. Market (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Market)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/market.jpg)
Here's another case of 'well, it's not bad, but it's not that great either.' To the picture's credit, there's a lot of detail here, and I'd certainly put this one a tier above the previous listed cards. Take a look at the old guy, second from the left, though. Is that not the most disturbing gentleman seen on any Dominion card? He looks like a Sith lord or some kind of dark wizard just casually browsing this innocent market.
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Take a look at the old guy, second from the left, though. Is that not the most disturbing gentleman seen on any Dominion card? He looks like a Sith lord or some kind of dark wizard just casually browsing this innocent market.
Star Wars Episode 7 confirmed! ...oh wait...
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Thank you so much for starting this up again. It was a big favorite of mine when you were doing it earlier.
In regard to Smithy, I have to say that when I look at it, it really worries me that someone is going to cut something off that they would prefer to keep. Shouldn't you be hammering on the axe with it laying flat on the anvil rather than standing up like that? If he hits that axe head a little too far to the right, the guy holding it may get his beard shaved and more. I don't think OSHA would be in favor of doing the job this way.
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Thank you so much for starting this up again. It was a big favorite of mine when you were doing it earlier.
In regard to Smithy, I have to say that when I look at it, it really worries me that someone is going to cut something off that they would prefer to keep. Shouldn't you be hammering on the axe with it laying flat on the anvil rather than standing up like that? If he hits that axe head a little too far to the right, the guy holding it may get his beard shaved and more. I don't think OSHA would be in favor of doing the job this way.
You've clearly never studied basic axe construction. An axe handle has a thin groove cut down the middle of the handle (bridle joint) at the end where the head is installed. After the head is placed onto the handle a wedge is driven into the groove to secure the head onto the handle. It would be near impossible to perform this installation with the axe upside down.
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17. Moneylender (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Moneylender)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/moneylender.jpg)
The Moneylender is dressed appropriately and takes his job very seriously. Volumes of literature adorn his shelves, and the candle indicates he works deep into the night. There's nothing wrong with the way he looks, but he could stand to get a better hat if he plans on winning this pageant. It's also difficult to make out what he's writing there. I guess the folks borrowing money are still getting to keep it off public record hundreds of years down the road. What's funny is you could probably swap this card art on to something like "Scholar" or "Taxman" or "Accountant" or "Hot Air Balloon" and nobody could tell the difference.
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It's also difficult to make out what he's writing there.
Looks like sudoku.
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It's also difficult to make out what he's writing there.
Looks like sudoku.
Or many many solitaire games of Tic-Tac-Toe.
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It's also difficult to make out what he's writing there.
Looks like sudoku.
Or many many solitaire games of Tic-Tac-Toe.
or a moneylending book
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It's also difficult to make out what he's writing there.
Looks like sudoku.
Or many many solitaire games of Tic-Tac-Toe.
or a moneylending book
I think it's a coloring book.
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He's designing a board game, obviously.
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16. Chapel (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Chapel)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/chapel.jpg)
Just lookie here at this darlin' card. Ain't it symmetrical? Symmetrical as a baby's behind. Sorry about that; I come from the South. Something notable about this Chapel is that it's completely empty. Maybe the people have abandoned religion due to the dominance of Witches in their kingdoms. Maybe the artist took a snapshot on a weekday. It could be night; I'm not sure if the glass in the center is a window or stained glass. Well, either way let's keep the glass half full. I think all the pictures above this one are at least 'above average.' We're out of the lower tier now for this set of cards. Rejoice and gather; there's a whole empty Chapel here to do it in even.
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It's stained glass. You can see the colored light on the altar and floor.
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15. Witch (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Witch)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/witch.jpg)
How come there aren't warlocks in Dominion, huh? Only women get to be magical beings? I'm gonna start picketing right now. Well, in a while. I'll get back to you guys on that one. Here we see the return of the butt chin, but at least the Witch looks more sinister than the Chancellor did. Is she really? Who can say. I'd probably vote for her over that guy. I'm not sure why this lady is conjuring a cartoony yellow apple with fangs, but sometimes you have to stop asking questions and accept surreality.
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>asks questions for Chapel
>doesn't ask questions for Witch
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Thank you so much for starting this up again. It was a big favorite of mine when you were doing it earlier.
In regard to Smithy, I have to say that when I look at it, it really worries me that someone is going to cut something off that they would prefer to keep. Shouldn't you be hammering on the axe with it laying flat on the anvil rather than standing up like that? If he hits that axe head a little too far to the right, the guy holding it may get his beard shaved and more. I don't think OSHA would be in favor of doing the job this way.
You've clearly never studied basic axe construction. An axe handle has a thin groove cut down the middle of the handle (bridle joint) at the end where the head is installed. After the head is placed onto the handle a wedge is driven into the groove to secure the head onto the handle. It would be near impossible to perform this installation with the axe upside down.
I see the wedge now. Thanks for pointing that out. I always thought he was doing something to continue fashioning the blade. Either way, I would not want to be the guy holding it.
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14. Cellar (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Cellar)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/cellar.jpg)
With its dark blue, brown, and black hues, the Cellar's art can be tricky to make out on the printed cards. It's a nice little picture, but not a particular stand-out of its set. I do want to take a moment to comment on Catrein's style as long as we're on a boring picture here. You may have noticed he was the artist for nearly every picture in the set so far. (cut him some slack if some art is better than others, as he drew the overwhelming majority of art in the base set overall) In my humble opinion, Catrein's landscape and environmental art in Dominion is a lot more visually appealing and fitting than his drawings of humans and random objects ("still life" i guess), which is why you'll see more of that in the upper half here. I looked around at other art Catrein's done to see if that was consistent in all his work, but as far as I can tell it's only an issue in Dominion. I don't have a point to make here; all I'm saying is I like Cellar and Gardens a whole lot more than Chancellor and Militia. Perhaps you all have other opinions.
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I actually like Militia quite a bit, one of the best of the Base Set IMHO.
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13. Adventurer (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Adventurer)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/adventurer.jpg)
The Adventurer has a cool map-reading pose, and he's gazing out at the mountains, implying an epic journey taking place. That mental image counts for a lot; it counts for enough to make Adventurer one of the nicer looking cards in the set. Considering only the technical details of the grass and rocks, proportions, and whatnot I'm not all that impressed with the picture, but concept wins out over the details here. It has a cartoonier style than other cards in the expansion, but also doesn't clash as much as Harem or Shanty Town in Intrigue. Blue is a nice color, isn't it? Blue, blue.
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I never noticed that awfully drawn grass. Now i can't unsee it. Either way, i would argue that Adventurer is much, much worse than Remodel or Chapel.
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12. Spy (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Spy)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/spy.jpg)
I think this spy started staking out the area a bit too early in the day. He blends in with the building well enough, but someone could easily see him up there. On the bright side, he looks pretty cool. It's funny how you won't notice little details even after already doing one card art list; I never noticed the spy was holding a rope. The gargoyle is a nice touch, too. This picture has come up a lot in my estimation.
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I just noticed the wings of that stone creature and checked one of my physical cards. It's hardly visible, you have to know it.
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11. Bureaucrat (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Bureaucrat)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/bureaucrat.jpg)
You have to hand it to the B-crat, he makes the pink shirt work. This picture is apparently a self-portrait, and it seems fairly flattering, though I'm not sure why you'd want to paint yourself as a bureaucrat. I suppose it was difficult to find a good reference to work with. Look how cool this middle-management hipster is. Just emptily gazing around the room like he doesn't even care. I think this card art could easily be swapped around with the next three, for the record, but this is where I'm ranking it.
10. Gardens (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Gardens)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/gardens.jpg)
Although Gardens has some of the same perspective issue seen on Council Room (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Council_Room), in general it's a prettier picture so it gets more of a pass. The peacock is a nice little touch that adds some character, and what can I say, I enjoy looking at a clean garden. I suppose the picture is a little blurry, but that is less noticeable on the actual card.
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The perspective issue doesn't bother me. It's supposed to be, well, artistic. :P
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9. Moat (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Moat)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/moat.jpg)
Bet you didn't see this one coming. I know I didn't because I hardly ever take the time to look at Moat's art, but it sure does look nice. The gray palette, while normally a bit dull, works here, giving the card a certain old-school vibe. I like the plants here a lot, which show this is a stronghold that has stood up long enough to have some weeds climbing the sides. The reflections in the water are maybe not entirely accurate, but show some thought on the part of the artist. Moat's art also works well with the Reaction Blue color scheme, which clashes with a few reactions down the road.
8. Workshop (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Workshop)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/workshop.jpg)
Workshop has a simplistic style, but a large amount of objects that give you enough to come out saying "this certainly is a Workshop." There is some nice use of color here; I especially love the giant chicken legs contrasting with the finely lit wooden walls. It's a solid piece of art to help round out the set.
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Chicken legs? What chicken legs? Did you put that just to see if people were paying attention?
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Chicken legs? What chicken legs? Did you put that just to see if people were paying attention?
They are hanging next to the lamp
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Chicken legs? What chicken legs? Did you put that just to see if people were paying attention?
They are hanging next to the lamp
There are no chicken legs in that picture.
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Chicken legs? What chicken legs? Did you put that just to see if people were paying attention?
They are hanging next to the lamp
There are no chicken legs in that picture.
Are you new to these threads or something?
7. Library (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Library)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/library.jpg)
We have reached the cream of the base set crop. All of the card art from this point is stuff I'd rank with the best overall. The library seen here is loaded with books, and even though all of the diagonal ones look the same, it seems individual care was given to the detail of most of the books by the artist. A nice tile floor, grand pillars, and fine mahogany give the library a grand feeling worthy of its creative combo potential.
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Chicken legs? What chicken legs? Did you put that just to see if people were paying attention?
They are hanging next to the lamp
There are no chicken legs in that picture.
Are you new to these threads or something?
You should really trademark your individualised stylistic device. Maybe as jshtaphor?
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Yay for Library!
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6. Feast (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Feast)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/feast.jpg)
It's the final Catrein card art for Base; he had quite the range of selections. Although I will say these aren't my favorite looking people in Dominion art, I think the artist did a good job depicting a joyous feast. Everyone's having a good time here, all the women are looking at the back of the room, and the front of the table cloth looks like legs in a pair of white pants. They're going to be very disappointed when this Feast turns in to a highway and another beautiful building falls victim to urban development.
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Chicken legs? What chicken legs? Did you put that just to see if people were paying attention?
They are hanging next to the lamp
That is a vest.
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Chicken legs? What chicken legs? Did you put that just to see if people were paying attention?
They are hanging next to the lamp
That is a vest.
Why would someone wear a vest made of chicken legs?
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Chicken legs? What chicken legs? Did you put that just to see if people were paying attention?
They are hanging next to the lamp
That is a vest.
Why would someone wear a vest made of chicken legs?
Why wouldn't someone wear a vest made of chicken legs?
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5. Village (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Village)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/village.jpg)
The nature of this card makes it an iconic part of the Dominion experience, so it's nice that there's some good art to back Village up. It's neat that the artist chose to focus on the traveler's journey to an upcoming village rather than the village itself. This adds a sense of life and reality to the card. I am a bit confused by the split path beneath the traveler's horse, though. Is this a road for gnomes and brownies traveling to and from the village? Is the pictured traveler actually a giant heading toward a munchkin village that is not actually in the distance? Am I just messing with you people who take everything I write at face value?
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Split path is caused by a horse walking down the middle pulling a wagon with two wheel making the paths on each side.
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But why do they merge to one wide single path? Maybe they lead from different villages to vanilla village, right?
Take a look at the no-head-shadow on the left, the horse blankets are transparent for sunlight.
Nevertheless, I like that picture, the colors, the contrast, the clouds, the wind, the details, the atmosphere. :) I agree, it's one of the best cards from base.
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4. Throne Room (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Throne_Room)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/throneroom.jpg)
The vampire's blood-red Throne Room is a sight to behold, worthy of its regal name. Sure, the chandeliers aren't as symmetrical as they should be, but we're not going to focus on that here. Instead, we'll admire the fine ceiling pattern and sheer variety of red shades. It's a throne room worthy of a dashing Prince. Man, too bad about that one.
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I bet a lot of people died hitting their head on that rather low-hanging left chandelier. "Hey guys, look at me, i'm Duke, i totally love posing at windooooAAARRRRGHHH!!!"
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"Your Grace, what colour shall we make the floors of your throne room?"
"Red"
"And the walls?"
"Red"
"And the curtains?"
"Red"
"And the ceiling?"
"Red"
"And the adornments?"
"Red"
"Do you want to augment with any other colours?"
"Red"
"Yes, your Grace."
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3. Laboratory (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Laboratory)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/laboratory.jpg)
This is one cool-looking lab. Little details are waiting here to be discovered like the chains hanging from the ceiling and that curious electric-looking device up on the pillar. The lab workers seem to have come out of a fantasy universe, which I guess means this is supposed to be an alchemist's laboratory. The only real issue I have with this art is that the brightly lit center portion (containing the chandelier) stands out a bit too much at the distance you are normally looking at the card from, and I often only see that when playing with it. In fact, when I envision this card's art in my mind, that shape is all I can think of. Well, it's still one of the better looking Dominion cards, so that's me being extremely picky.
Obviously, there is no point leaving anyone in suspense about number 1, so I'll be posting two cards tomorrow and then moving on to the Base Set as a whole after that.
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The only real issue I have with this art is that the brightly lit center portion (containing the chandelier) stands out a bit too much at the distance you are normally looking at the card from, and I often only see that when playing with it.
I only see that part too, unless I'm really looking hard at the picture and trying to see it as a laboratory. When I'm not thinking about it, I automatically see it as MetaKnight's mask.
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I think Thief will be first and Witch will be second.
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So witch will be 2nd and 15th, averaging out out to a solid 7,5th place?
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The shape in Laboratory is Hot Air Balloon.
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With Laboratory 3rd, and Mine and Thief on the first two places, i finally see what makes Dominion art good for jsh357: Guys with pointy hats.
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So witch will be 2nd and 15th, averaging out out to a solid 7,5th place?
Yes. Library has slightly better art that the Witch, but Workshop? Witch can take 7.5 home.
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2. Mine (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Mine)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/mine.jpg)
I think these are some of the best-drawn human (or gnome) characters in Dominion. I particularly like the pose of the foremost miner. That hint of an action adds some depth to the art. Another thing that works for me here is the clothing, all properly wrinkly and fashionable. The mine is a humble set-piece, but with nice-looking inhabitants and excellent lighting and shading, it's easily among the best pictures in the Base Set.
1. Thief (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Thief)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/base/thief.jpg)
Go figure one of the worst cards in the game has some of the best art. There's excellent use of color here, showing our well-attired, crooked friend sneaking out of a village under cover of the darkness. His facial expression and demeanor reminds me of one of my favorite gaming heroes, Garrett from the Thief series, as well. Also, let's face it: the thief is a stylin' vagabond. He clearly gets all of his shadowy attire from the finest tailors in the land. Tailor, huh. There's a good card name that hasn't happened yet.
Tomorrow I'll wrap up thoughts on the Base Set, taking a look at the box art, the backs of cards, trash pile, base cards, what have you. If you folks want to be interactive, feel free to post your own ranking list of the Base Set here (I'd recommend a single post) and we can see how much you disagree with my wild claims.
So real quick, let's take a peek at the base cards.
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/common/copper.jpg)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/common/curse.jpg)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/common/estate.jpg)
(http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/dominioncg/images/e/ef/Trash.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100210171927)
I feel like these were never asking for much. I'm okay with the simple designs, even if I personally think the big coins are a little ugly. The victory shields look fine. I will say I like playing with the original victory cards more than the fancy Base Cards ones simply because the values are larger. I'd say the same for Curses, but man, the new Curse art is nice. As for the original trash pile card, it looks like about what you'd expect, but maybe it's a bit too cartoony for the general tone of Dominion's artwork. Anyway, the original base cards get the job done, but they don't pop.
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/c/c4/Dominion.jpg)
The Base Set's box art feels pretty average to me. It's not as nice looking as a lot of the later ones, and it seems to imply the game is going to have more of a war theme than it does with all those men carrying spears. As such, I feel like the art does not get across the theme of the game very well, inasmuch as the theme is important. I see Dominion as a game of warring economies and property development, not combat. It's not a horrible picture by any means, but nothing inspiring either.
(http://www.npccomic.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dominion_logo-300x191.jpg)
One last little criticism, since Mic has pointed it out to me in the past and I tend to agree. I'm really not a fan of how the backs of Dominion cards look. The logo is a little hard to read since it's blue on a different shade of blue (and that font is less than stylish). Blue and brown is also just a weird color scheme to me. There's nothing that can be done about this now, but for me it's one of the bigger problems with Dominion art overall. It feels like they went with an 'acceptable' that doesn't gel too well with nicer art in later sets.
On to NUMBERS, my overall average rating (out of 10) for the Base Set's cards is 6.4. Most of the art in the set is okay to good, but there are outliers in both directions. We'll see how it all compares down the line.
Next up: Probably Intrigue, but I'll let you guys decide.
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I think I overall agree with your ranking of the cards. I must admit that I had not looked as closely at Spy before, probably because I never buy it. It is much better than it appears at first glance. There is also a lot more going on in Lab than I appreciated. I think your final rating for the overall set is very good. And in regard to the box cover, I actually had that impression of it as a war game when I saw the cover. I didn't look too closely at the game at first because of that. Fortunately, I later took time to look closer at the mechanics and components of the game and gave it a chance, which I am extremely glad I did.
It is fun to look at these cards for their aesthetics in art rather than the usual way we discuss them. Thanks for taking the time to do this. I personally would like to see you go on to the next set in order of release, Intrigue.
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Part 2: Intrigue
The cards in Intrigue are meant to give us a peek in to that more mature, Machiavellian aspect of running a kingdom. Deals are made, parties are held, people disappear, bacon goes bad. Does the art reflect that? Well, some of it does. Some of it's really cute. Some of it is just confusing. Let's start off with the Kalusky marathon!
25. Harem
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/harem.jpg)
We all know it, we all love it on some level deep in our hearts. I feel like you can make all kinds of excuses for Harem's weird art, but at the end of the day it doesn't fit the art style of the game and even if we were not taking that in to account I wouldn't have much nice to say about it. Harem gets some points for being funny and that's it.
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Also the red colour scheme mixing with the green-yellow Treasure-VP frame. What is this, Christmas?
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at the end of the day it doesn't fit the art style of the game
IMO Dominion's art style IS that card art represents different genres, and i think it's refreshing. In fact, personally i find Harem's art easily more appealing than Mine's (hear me out on this one).
One reason for this is that i like cartoon art. And even though this one is a bit goofy, it still beats dark men in front of a dark background in my book. Accoring to the Wiki, Mine's original art is a tone lighter then what we see on the card, but hey, we talk about the art on the actual cards, right? And obviously you could argue that Mine's art is "higher quality" because it's more realistic and pretty much flawless, but that's part of what makes it so boring to me. Harem is goofy, but entertaining.
Which leads me to the second reason why i prefer Harem's art over Mine's: Its functional role as a game component. Harem's art stands out, which in turn makes the card more memorable, which is something you want in a game where you have to keep 10 different cards in mind. Admittedly, being the only Treasure-Victory card, Harem becomes even easier to recognize because of its color scheme, but again, we talk about the art on the cards, not the art in a vakuum. Also, i think the color combination looks nice.
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Well in practice when I play with Harem, it comes off as really exotic with its colours, which kinda fits I suppose. When I play with Mine, I imagine it as the "black card". Mint is that " kinda black card with blue in it". I ultimately don't mind card art because they get the job done of letting me associate an effect with a picture.
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As we kick off the Intrigue part, I find myself immediately disagreeing with JSH. I mean, you think Harem is worse than Great Hall?
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Posting here to get updates. I can't wait until you get to Alayna Lemmer's art - I frickin ADORE her.
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Apparently harem art is the new meta. Sorry guys, clearly not hip enough.
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I can't wait until you get to Alayna Lemmer's art - I frickin ADORE her.
I never paid any attention to which artists did which Dominion cards before, but this post inspired me to take a couple minutes and browse the illustrators page on the wiki (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/List_of_illustrators). It's interesting to look at each illustrator's set of cards.
If you folks want to be interactive, feel free to post your own ranking list of the Base Set here (I'd recommend a single post) and we can see how much you disagree with my wild claims.
I'll plan on doing this sometime soon.
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Hey, jsh: want to use the new images of the cards that I meticulously scanned and uploaded to the wiki?
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/9/9d/Harem.jpg)
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Can we get an official ruling on the gender of the person in the red robe in the middle of the card?
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Can we get an official ruling on the gender of the person in the red robe in the middle of the card?
Yes
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Can we get an official ruling on the gender of the person in the red robe in the middle of the card?
You'll have to ask Maura.
I can totally see a few Intrigue cards being lower than Harem for most people. For starters, man, Shanty Town is the same artist/style with none of the charm.
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Can we get an official ruling on the gender of the person in the red robe in the middle of the card?
You'll have to ask Maura.
I can totally see a few Intrigue cards being lower than Harem for most people. For starters, man, Shanty Town is the same artist/style with none of the charm.
Nah I see Shanty Town being the one with the charm.
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I think Shanty Town is pretty good actually. It has some nice strong centers and a lot of unobtrusive background, unlike Harem which is just a huge indecipherable mess.
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What are those things that are poking out of the barrel on the bottom right???
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What are those things that are poking out of the barrel on the bottom right???
That's a board game.
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What are those things that are poking out of the barrel on the bottom right???
dildos
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What are those things that are poking out of the barrel on the bottom right???
Notice the woman on the far right has one in her hand. So, it's some sort of tobacco?
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Hey, jsh: want to use the new images of the cards that I meticulously scanned and uploaded to the wiki?
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/9/9d/Harem.jpg)
I like mine better.
(http://i.imgur.com/wrqzD2j.png)
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Hey, jsh: want to use the new images of the cards that I meticulously scanned and uploaded to the wiki?
I like mine better.
So does jsh.
I think Harem has easily got the worst art of all expansions. And (sorry if I sound like a prude here) the worst name/theme too.
I also don't think shanty town is particularily beautiful, but it has a nice color scheme, and a bit of gloom. And a nice moon too. Moon beats giant halfhead any time.
Edit: Also, I just noticed that the girl on the left has a thigh that's much longer than her leg. Yuk.
Gods, now I can't unsee it.
Edit2: And with left I obviously meant stage left. Makes sense.
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Hey, jsh: want to use the new images of the cards that I meticulously scanned and uploaded to the wiki?
(image)
I like mine better.
(image)
Really? That filter destroys most of the detail on the card and gives it a washed-out look. The copyright line is nearly unreadable and the center person appears to be sporting an ice pick for an arm. Not to mention the creepy flesh-colored eyes.
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Really? That filter destroys most of the detail on the card and gives it a washed-out look. The copyright line is nearly unreadable and the center person appears to be sporting an ice pick for an arm. Not to mention the creepy flesh-colored eyes.
The more detail you destroy of Harem, the better it looks.
EDIT: Also,
>msg522666
Nice get.
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What are those things that are poking out of the barrel on the bottom right???
That's a board game.
I think it' actually a kind of puzzle, and that i even think i recall reading about it a while ago. Can't remember what the name was, though. Also, yes, i like Shanty Town a lot less. I think it looks like screenshot from the Simpsons.
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24. Scout (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Scout)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/scout.jpg)
There aren't enough cards with winter scenery. It's too bad the scout is one of the worst-dressed dudes in the entire game. Look at how huge his right knee is, too. Those are some impressive legs, yet somehow super-boney. The thing I've always wondered about scout is what happened to his hand? Maybe he was trying to remove a horcrux from a ring or something. Let's give him some credit; he did find some tracks. Gold star for scout boy.
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(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/4/46/Scout.jpg)
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(http://i.imgur.com/ja4Zzqv.png)
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<high res online image>
As an aside, a common complaint in the last ranking thread was that I was judging the quality of art by how it appeared on the card and not in high-res pictures seen online. In order to continue being a troll to these types of nitpickers I am going to continue judging the art by how it appears on the cards. That is the medium the art is intended to be seen in, and as such it will be in my mind.
This is his thread, not yours? Maybe you should start a new thread to complain about the images that he is choosing to use in his thread?
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<high res online image>
As an aside, a common complaint in the last ranking thread was that I was judging the quality of art by how it appeared on the card and not in high-res pictures seen online. In order to continue being a troll to these types of nitpickers I am going to continue judging the art by how it appears on the cards. That is the medium the art is intended to be seen in, and as such it will be in my mind.
This is his thread, not yours? Maybe you should start a new thread to complain about the images that he is choosing to use in his thread?
This is how they appear on the cards. He was talking about using the original art, something like this:
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/7/79/ScoutArt.jpg)
I'm using a better scan of the actual card image. Whoever first scanned the Intrigue and Seaside cards did a real shit job.
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I think his hand is in his pocket...
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I think his hand is in his pocket...
I think his hand is doing something else.
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23. Shanty Town (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Shanty_Town)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/shantytown.jpg)
"But it's supposed to look crappy, that's the joke!" Thank you, commenter! Isn't everything easier when other people do your job for you? Someone mentioned earlier that I was being unfair to Harem because it's cartoony whereas cards like Mine are more realistic. I do want to stress that I don't dislike cartoon art or think it has no place in a serious game or anything. I just think the art in the game looks disjointed and strange when random cartoon-style images are sitting next to a horde of more traditional-looking art. As I said in the last attempt at this thread, there's nothing wrong with Kalusky's style inherently, but the lack of consistency is a perfectly legitimate complaint to make about Dominion's or any other game's art (which I have seen in plenty of reviews) and it's something that I'm not fond of personally. It doesn't ruin the game at all, but it's very much there.
And at any rate, I feel like Harem could at best be seen as #21 or so out of Intrigue by most, so it's an awfully strange card to jump on defending, but I of course have no intention of shutting down discussion.
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Oh come on, jsh357, don't let somebody disagreeing with your order stop you from being funny. After all which art you prefer is subjective. And i certainly didn't say you were unfair, in fact i pointed out that besides being more realistic, Mine also lacks the flaws Harem has. I just happen to find realism boring, and to like oddballs and cartoons. Also, things that are generally liked don't need somebody to defend them.
Either way, the nature of this thread will mean people will disagree, and i didn't intend to offend you, honestly. Your thread has been very enjoyable, and the way you talked about the art, with all the little weird details you pointed out, made it worth reading on its own - regardless on whether i agree on a particular position or not.
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I'm not offended, I just felt the need to respond and defend my position a little since that post seemed to draw a lot of criticism this time around.
Also, nothing against you guys posting other pictures, but for people reading the thread through it might be kind of distracting, so for the sake of others I'll politely ask it be toned down unless there's a funny picture to entertain people or something.
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The shanty-owner's head, although horrendously giant, somehow still manages to look as though its skull is nearly bursting through, in an almost reptilian way.
That central detail distracts me intensely from the rest of the card, which I think is at least not poorly drawn.
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Also, nothing against you guys posting other pictures, but for people reading the thread through it might be kind of distracting, so for the sake of others I'll politely ask it be toned down unless there's a funny picture to entertain people or something.
Can you at least use the better quality pictures on the wiki? I'm assuming you're getting these from dieherstraits.
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As I said in the last attempt at this thread, there's nothing wrong with Kalusky's style inherently, but the lack of consistency is a perfectly legitimate complaint to make about Dominion's or any other game's art (which I have seen in plenty of reviews) and it's something that I'm not fond of personally. It doesn't ruin the game at all, but it's very much there.
And at any rate, I feel like Harem could at best be seen as #21 or so out of Intrigue by most, so it's an awfully strange card to jump on defending, but I of course have no intention of shutting down discussion.
I actually really dislike Kalusky's style. I'd totally put Harem at #25 and Shanty Town at #24 just because of the face of that guy inside the house... I really don't like it... Shanty Town is probably more okay because there are less people on it. The ladies on Harem are really atrocious.
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If you folks want to be interactive, feel free to post your own ranking list of the Base Set here (I'd recommend a single post) and we can see how much you disagree with my wild claims.
I'll plan on doing this sometime soon.
My art ranking for the base set:
25 Chancellor (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Chancellor) (tier 5)
24 Woodcutter (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Woodcutter) (tier 5)
23 Smithy (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Smithy) (tier 5)
22 Council Room (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Council Room) (tier 5)
21 Cellar (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Cellar) (tier 4)
20 Chapel (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Chapel) (tier 4)
19 Moneylender (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Moneylender) (tier 4)
18 Militia (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Militia) (tier 4)
17 Witch (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Witch) (tier 4)
16 Festival (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Festival) (tier 4)
15 Gardens (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Gardens) (tier 3)
14 Bureaucrat (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Bureaucrat) (tier 3)
13 Workshop (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Workshop) (tier 3)
12 Moat (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Moat) (tier 3)
11 Remodel (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Remodel) (tier 3)
10 Throne Room (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Throne Room) (tier 2)
9 Market (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Market) (tier 2)
8 Adventurer (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Adventurer) (tier 2)
7 Mine (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Mine) (tier 2)
6 Feast (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Feast) (tier 2)
5 Village (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Village) (tier 2)
4 Thief (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Thief) (tier 1)
3 Spy (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Spy) (tier 1)
2 Library (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Library) (tier 1)
1 Laboratory (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Laboratory) (tier 1)
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I feel like you should add the ranking list to the original post with links to the individual posts. Of course it's a pain and takes time, but think of all the internet points you could get!
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Can we get an official ruling on the gender of the person in the red robe in the middle of the card?
I'm a woman and I'm very glad that Harem is painted in a "funny way". It feels strange to buy a Harem anyway so at least the picture is ironic.
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Can we get an official ruling on the gender of the person in the red robe in the middle of the card?
I'm a woman and I'm very glad that Harem is painted in a "funny way". It feels strange to buy a Harem anyway so at least the picture is ironic.
I like that they're all smirking.
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22. Steward (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Steward)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/steward.jpg)
I think that more than anything it's the colors here that look gross, both in the scans and on the physical card. That weird blurry/foggy effect, which I assume is supposed to be some kind of shadow, does not seem artful. The man on the right's posture is strange too. I do like that the man on the left (I assume he is the actual Steward even though the guy in green is the focal point of the image) is offering what appears to be a plate of chicken vest to the snooty man. Now that I look, the guy on the right is doing the same. So we've been wrong all along and this card should be 'Stewards' plural.
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The snooty man is the steward. A steward is in charge of a household.
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The snooty man is the steward. A steward is in charge of a household.
It honestly can work either way looking at the definitions of the word. Either he's managing the two servants or they are stewards bringing him stuff.
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And in regard to the box cover, I actually had that impression of it as a war game when I saw the cover. I didn't look too closely at the game at first because of that. Fortunately, I later took time to look closer at the mechanics and components of the game and gave it a chance, which I am extremely glad I did.
I had the exact same impression (and was almost completely new to boardgaming, so it wasn't like I was thinking "Oh that's like ASL" or something). I wonder how common this is.
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And in regard to the box cover, I actually had that impression of it as a war game when I saw the cover. I didn't look too closely at the game at first because of that. Fortunately, I later took time to look closer at the mechanics and components of the game and gave it a chance, which I am extremely glad I did.
I had the exact same impression (and was almost completely new to boardgaming, so it wasn't like I was thinking "Oh that's like ASL" or something). I wonder how common this is.
Which is precisely why the german edition used another cover back when Hans im Glück published it:
(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic469397_lg.jpg)
(Left is Intrigue, right is Base - together they are one big image)
They blew it on several occasions, but HiG's cover art looks much nicer than the original, i dare say.
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They subtitled it "What a world!"? :o
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Am I wrong in thinking that the perspective in that is off? Those look like some very small mountains.
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They subtitled it "What a world!"? :o
Yes. Adding unneccessary subtitles is a thing german translatores tend to do. It's also very common with movies. To be fair, "Dominion" isn't a very well known word in germany and the direct translation would be "Reich". Now imagine the game box saying that ;)
Also sorry for derailing the thread but i felt it might be interesting to take a look at international covers, even if they are not included in the ranking.
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They subtitled it "What a world!"? :o
Yes. Adding unneccessary subtitles is a thing german translatores tend to do. It's also very common with movies. To be fair, "Dominion" isn't a very well known word in germany and the direct translation would be "Reich". Now imagine the game box saying that ;)
Also sorry for derailing the thread but i felt it might be interesting to take a look at international covers, even if they are not included in the ranking.
I guess it's better than the Dutch version, which has 'In naam van de Koning' as a subtitle, translated: 'In the name of the King'. Just... why?
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I am loving the box art discussion. I have to agree that the Dutch version's art fits the game much better.
21. Nobles (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Nobles)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/nobles.jpg)
I'm not sure how Ken Jeong made it on to a Dominion card (If you ever need to cast a Dominion movie, Donald, there you go); maybe he had some deal with the artist. What's there to say about Nobles, anyway? It's not that interesting of a picture. The art is competent but not great. I'll give it one thing: the scene depicted here fits the theme of political intrigue better than many other cards in the set.
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I did agree with JSH (for the most part) with the base cards, but man, in my opinion, he's really screwing up Intrigue (I say that meaning as little offense as possible). I have only agreed that 2/5 of the cards that he has talked about should be low (and I think Scout would be a big higher for me) but I do not agree with Harem, Nobles or Steward being this low. I mean, where is Bridge?
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I did agree with JSH (for the most part) with the base cards, but man, in my opinion, he's really screwing up Intrigue (I say that meaning as little offense as possible). I have only agreed that 2/5 of the cards that he has talked about should be low (and I think Scout would be a big higher for me) but I do not agree with Harem, Nobles or Steward being this low. I mean, where is Bridge?
What? I love Bridge, I think it has the best art in the whole set. Having said that, I have to admit that I don't think Nobles deserved to be this low.
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I did agree with JSH (for the most part) with the base cards, but man, in my opinion, he's really screwing up Intrigue (I say that meaning as little offense as possible). I have only agreed that 2/5 of the cards that he has talked about should be low (and I think Scout would be a big higher for me) but I do not agree with Harem, Nobles or Steward being this low. I mean, where is Bridge?
What? I love Bridge, I think it has the best art in the whole set. Having said that, I have to admit that I don't think Nobles deserved to be this low.
Well, I am sorry that our opinions differ, but my statement still stands (for me).
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I think we should've seen Minion by now.
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20. Minion (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Minion)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/minion.jpg)
The power of the beard keeps Minion out of the bottom five, but it can't do much else for him. He's got terrible taste in portraits and is just asking to take his left hand out. Hold it at the hilt, dude. If you zoom in you can make out lots of arm hair and wrinkles, too. I think the artist overdid it a bit on the details there.
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called it.
I never realized that thing he's holding was a dagger. and his beard is funny looking. That's why he's angry: he wishes he had a real beard like the guy in the portrait.
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called it.
I never realized that thing he's holding was a dagger. and his beard is funny looking. That's why he's angry: he wishes he had a real beard like the guy in the portrait.
To be a man and not have a beard in Dominion is blasphemy.
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called it.
I never realized that thing he's holding was a dagger. and his beard is funny looking. That's why he's angry: he wishes he had a real beard like the guy in the portrait.
To be a man and not have a beard in Dominion is blasphemy.
Hence Chancellor
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19. Upgrade (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Upgrade)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/upgrade.jpg)
It's been like a year since I did the last list and they're STILL working on it. Get it together, guys.
18. Baron (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Baron)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/baron.jpg)
I don't always make card ranking lists, but when I do Baron doesn't place very highly.
17. Duke (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Duke)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/duke.jpg)
the Duke is wearing a fine chicken leg vest that looks like the inside of my winter coat. I bet he's proud of himself. His window overlooks a very close-by river (seriously, take a look at that perspective) and his chair is cut from the same chicken as his shirt. I don't know what else to tell you people. It's not a downright ugly card but I'm not letting it perch any higher on the Intrigue list.
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What's wrong with Baron?
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So, to you, jsh, "chicken leg" = "quilted"?
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Baron and Duke? Wow, now I'm wondering what the top 10 could possibly be. I really don't know about your look on Intrigue cards...
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I'm pretty confused about the whole chicken leg thing.
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I'm so sorry everyone here is terrible jsh.
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I love Upgrade's art.
Baron's face looks like that of a war criminal, and Duke is clearly a seller of snake oil.
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The power of the beard keeps Minion out of the bottom five, but it can't do much else for him. He's got terrible taste in portraits and is just asking to take his left hand out. Hold it at the hilt, dude. If you zoom in you can make out lots of arm hair and wrinkles, too. I think the artist overdid it a bit on the details there.
It was a scroll originally. We complained that he looked like an evil secretary, and the artist changed it to a dagger.
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16. Wishing Well (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Wishing_Well)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/wishingwell.jpg)
Flavor text followed by nonsensical joke then meta commentary on the art of listing. Commentary on how odd the placement of the art seems since a lot of people like the picture, then weak justification that invites angry comments. Something about bacon and/or chicken for good measure. Note about blurriness, fuzziness, or some other notable quality of card art to leave the reader questioning their perception. Lack of surprise when they get defensive anyway. Reference to f.ds meme and or stream to end on a snappy note.
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Witty comeback at protracted meta-joke.
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Wait, why is there light coming out of the well? Is there some sort of literal wish-granting magical being down there?
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"I wish this well had a light in it": Guy standing at the wishing well, probably.
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Posting of better scan of card.
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/f/f7/Wishing_Well.jpg)
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Posting of better scan of card.
Keep on keeping on, wero. I too wish jsh would use the better scans you've made.
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Posting of better scan of card.
Keep on keeping on, wero. I too wish jsh would use the better scans you've made.
Indeed. Looking at the better scan, I can see that the guy on the right is not in fact wearing his hood and the woman is definitely holding a letter.
Hrm the scene doesn't make all that much sense.
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Posting of better scan of card.
Keep on keeping on, wero. I too wish jsh would use the better scans you've made.
Indeed. Looking at the better scan, I can see that the guy on the right is not in fact wearing his hood and the woman is definitely holding a letter.
Hrm the scene doesn't make all that much sense.
You have to write up and seal your wishes ahead of time. Otherwise someone could overhear them and they wouldn't come true!
Also, so you can be held accountable.
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Posting of better scan of card.
Keep on keeping on, wero. I too wish jsh would use the better scans you've made.
Indeed. Looking at the better scan, I can see that the guy on the right is not in fact wearing his hood and the woman is definitely holding a letter.
Hrm the scene doesn't make all that much sense.
A forbidden love? A murderous intrigue? Secrets, hopes and danger. Not even we know.
After looking at it closely for the first time now, i think i actually like this quite a lot. Not sure what it depicts, or whether it's supposed to be clear, but i like to believe it's a couple meeting at a secret spot, "wishing" for happiness <3
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Posting of better scan of card.
Keep on keeping on, wero. I too wish jsh would use the better scans you've made.
Wero's are good, but ghacob's are the best.
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The Duke's beard, though not awesome, is still better than the Baron's and the Minion's.
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15. Tribute (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Tribute)
(http://i.imgur.com/QSp07WP.jpg)
I think I said it all last time. It's hard to make out what's going on in this picture at all, especially on the actual card. Apparently whoever painted this portrait was the same guy who decorated the Throne Room too. At least it gets points for consistency.
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I think they're paying tribute to the guy.
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Troll-bute.
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Duke >>> Tribute. He is a clever guy, using the nearby river as a moat.
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14. Saboteur (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Saboteur)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/saboteur.jpg)
The Saboteur lives in a kingdom of horror, where folds in the dimensions are cracking open in the clouds in perfectly straight diagonal lines. He's set ablaze a tower belonging to a once fair maiden and waits, grasping yet another explosive in his hand. It's lit, so we can only assume he plans to plant it and teleport away at light speed. Either that or this guy is a moron. I'll let you be the judge.
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14. Saboteur (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Saboteur)
[img]http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/saboteur.jpg[/img It's lit, so we can only assume he plans to plant it and teleport away at light speed. Either that or this guy is a moron.
Or he could throw it?
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14. Saboteur (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Saboteur)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/saboteur.jpg) It's lit, so we can only assume he plans to plant it and teleport away at light speed. Either that or this guy is a moron.
Or he could throw it?
He throws it, and causes damage to a random target somewhere in the vicinity. Which is pretty much what the actual card does.
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Everybody knows that bombs only explode in orthogonal directions, so he just has to move to the other side of the corner and he will be safe.
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Why isn't he attacking with wooden shoes? What kind of sabotage is complete without them?
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13. Pawn (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Pawn)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/pawn.jpg)
If you haven't noticed yet, things are starting to turn around. We're approaching the better art in Intrigue, and Pawn basically begins the set of pictures I like. His facial expression continues to confuse me. I can't tell if he's depressed, ill, disappointed in himself, or what. At the very least he has some fashion sense. I think the room is sort of uninspiring, though it's drawn at an interesting angle.
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13. Pawn (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Pawn)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/pawn.jpg)
I can't tell if he's depressed, ill, disappointed in himself, or what.
He is obviously constipated.
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"Yes, I must poop here, in the middle of the room, just in front of the fireplace."
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"Yes, I must poop here, in the middle of the room, just in front of the fireplace."
I think he looks like a LotR human. Also one does not simply poop in the middle of the room.
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That's why he has that face. He really has to go but has to wait until whomever he is kneeling in front of makes up his/her mind about which 2 of the 4 choices has been made.
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Man, last thread nobody even believed me that he was constipated. Look at you all now.
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Man, last thread nobody even believed me that he was constipated. Look at you all now.
*ahem*
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Man, last thread nobody even believed me that he was constipated. Look at you all now.
I actually thought it was one of the funniest things you wrote on the previous rankings. I have gone back and corrected my error of not giving you +1 on that at the time.
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12. Bridge (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Bridge)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/bridge.jpg)
It's a pretty all right bridge. If you add some cartoon eyes up in the sky it might look like a really groovy mustache too. Can we dig deeper on this one? No, I don't think so. Such a pursuit is a bridge to nowhere.
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Always makes me think of this bridge.
(http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/4/46/ThomasandtheTrucks3.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130811202329)
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(http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/4/46/ThomasandtheTrucks3.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130811202329)
oh my goodness... i was watching that show today with my 2 year old (introducing her to the Ringo Starr edition of course) and thought the exact same thing!
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(http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/ttte/images/4/46/ThomasandtheTrucks3.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130811202329)
oh my goodness... i was watching that show today with my 2 year old (introducing her to the Ringo Starr edition of course) and thought the exact same thing!
If you play the show backwards you can hear, "Donald X is dead."
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11. Conspirator (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Conspirator)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/conspirator.jpg)
Doctor Who is back on! Whoo! Thanks for rocking the Tardis blue in celebration, guys. Yeah, Conspirator has some cool art. If nothing else it's a spiffy concept that fits the theme of Intrigue well. I dig their masks; they seem to resemble Oni masks from Japanese folklore, but the intent could be some culture I'm not as studied up on. If those aren't masks, then whoa, these guys need to see a Doctor right away. See what I did there?
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I never noticed this before, but do those streaks imply they're meeting in the rain? That's cool.
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I'm not convinced they're wearing masks. I think that guy may just have a really big shnoz.
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10. Masquerade (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Masquerade)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/masquerade.jpg)
Sorry to be late. A natural consequence of doing this list this way in the middle of grad school is I may not feel like writing much some days, but I'll still update the list. Boy, that man is having a ball, huh? The image implies he's some kind of wizard or otherwise magical being, but the name of the card just implies a dance. Well, it looks sinister and evokes that shady feeling we want out of Intrigue, so I guess it's a winner.
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I think the Masquerade art is really good.
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Upvoted, because jsh357 is a PROFESSIONAL, and he BEHAVES LIKE ONE.
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A professional hack
9. Torturer (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Torturer)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/torturer.jpg)
The Torturer has spent so much time in the Throne Room that the redness has sunk in to his skin. Either that or he's got a wicked sunburn. I'm not too big a fan of Mr. Torturer's overall design, but you have to admit he looks threatening, which is the entire point. That belt buckle, though. Wow.
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It looks like he's sporting a pair of headphones (Beats I assume). I wonder what his torturing playlist is.
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It looks like he's sporting a pair of headphones (Beats I assume). I wonder what his torturing playlist is.
Alice in Chains.
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It looks like he's sporting a pair of headphones (Beats I assume). I wonder what his torturing playlist is.
Alice in Chains.
Watch me Watch me (Whip) Watch me Watch me (Flog) Watch me Watch me (etc)
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I've said it before and I'll say it again, it looks like there is top hat flipping off the top of his head.
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Man, I feel like I haven't been berating Jsh enough. The fact that you 'can't dig deeper on Bridge' should put it lower, but whatever, I think Bridge looks okay. I do think Masquerade is one of the best looking cards in Intrigue, and I feel like it should be higher.
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Man, I feel like I haven't been berating Jsh enough. The fact that you 'can't dig deeper on Bridge' should put it lower, but whatever, I think Bridge looks okay. I do think Masquerade is one of the best looking cards in Intrigue, and I feel like it should be higher.
I don't think this is true. If I have a skillet covered in bacon and it all looks glorious and crispy, but I don't have anything else to say about it, does that devalue the bacon? No way, man. I can appreciate the bacon on its own terms. Bacon is truth; truth, bacon. That is all we know on earth, and all we need to know.
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Man, I feel like I haven't been berating Jsh enough. The fact that you 'can't dig deeper on Bridge' should put it lower, but whatever, I think Bridge looks okay. I do think Masquerade is one of the best looking cards in Intrigue, and I feel like it should be higher.
I don't think this is true. If I have a skillet covered in bacon and it all looks glorious and crispy, but I don't have anything else to say about it, does that devalue the bacon? No way, man. I can appreciate the bacon on its own terms. Bacon is truth, truth, bacon. That is all we know on earth, and all we need to know.
That doesn't devalue the bacon, but if you are explaining the bacon to people who haven't seen the bacon, it gets devalued. Instead of saying that it was glorious and crispy, you just tell them that you had bacon.
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I'm sorry. But it's all okay. In just a few lengths of time, you will be able to elect a more serious Dominion Card Art Commentator to satisfy your never-ending hunger for academic, post-modern analysis on cartoon bridges.
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Bacon is truth, truth, bacon.
Your first comma should have been the most obvious semi-colon in the long and violent history of punctuation.
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Bacon is truth, truth, bacon.
Your first comma should have been the most obvious semi-colon in the long and violent history of punctuation.
You are correct. If it's any consolation for me, you can always blame that John guy for getting it wrong in the first place.
8. Great Hall (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Great_Hall)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/greathall.jpg)
Is it truly fair for the beyond amateur art critic to speak for these images? What I say is only a truth defined by my own perceptions, and many would argue that the art should speak for itself. Let's satisfy a thought experiment. Great Hall, can you, an image created by a person, defend your placement on this ranking of card art from an expansion to Dominion, a game created by a different person? What are your thoughts on the value of art in our lives, Great Hall? Speak up; don't be shy.
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I think Torturer looks horrible. Talk about impossible body standards. And about how to draw realistical abs, too.
What I love about Masquerade is that the art sort of reflects the mechanics of the card. It's cute.
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As long as people are still annoyed by my presence, I don't like Great Hall very much, either.
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Oh, so Great Hall has art? I never noticed it.
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The Great Hall is so dark, and tinged with green, that it always looks like a forest to me at first glance. In any case, if they couldn't afford a working chandelier it can't be *that* Great, can it?
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Is it truly fair for the beyond amateur art critic to speak for these images? What I say is only a truth defined by my own perceptions, and many would argue that the art should speak for itself. Let's satisfy a thought experiment. Great Hall, can you, an image created by a person, defend your placement on this ranking of card art from an expansion to Dominion, a game created by a different person? What are your thoughts on the value of art in our lives, Great Hall? Speak up; don't be shy.
Great Hall is a piece that defies criticism. Oh sure, you can complain about the colors, or how they're arranged. But while Great Hall the card does nothing, the art for it does nothing. And in doing so it leaves nothing left for the critic, who resorts to critiquing himself; they form a Venn diagram with no overlap. Great Hall forces this situation; it creates a vast gulf between itself and the critic, or perhaps an empty corridor of some kind.
When seen in proper context - being gained with an Ironworks - Great Hall is like the whole human experience, rolled up in a ball and served on a plate - and still warm. jsh357 replaces the ball with a cube, and serves it raw.
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7. Trading Post (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Trading_Post)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/tradingpost.jpg)
I think this is a pretty great picture, not just because it looks nice, but since it's open to interpretation. Is the person hiding behind the tree waiting for an opportunity to steal something? Planning to trade in that sword? Admiring the view but being super-cautious about it? You can never be too safe in Dominion Land. It could be that this person's story is only a small sub-story of the overall daily routine at this trading post, and I like that. We're getting a peek at a larger world with subtle implications. Of course, it could also be that the art was submitted for another card name, but that doesn't lessen what we have here. Score another point for Intrigue having art that fits its overall theme if my interpretation is right.
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I would have liked this artwork for Black market. It's pretty good nonetheless, though
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Admiring the view but being super-cautious about it?
You'd be cautious too if you went near a trading post that can trash you for a Silver.
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6. Ironworks (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Ironworks)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/ironworks.jpg)
This is what, the fourth card with some weird overuse of red? Oh well, it looks cool. Got to love that lighting on the ceiling, and the workers are all carrying giant steel beams like you'd expect to see at the ironworks. They must pump a lot of iron to be able to lift those things.
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Pardon me saying this, but i think the fact that you might actually mistake the hideous pseudo-cubist faces on Conspirator for grotesque masks shouldn't be taken as a sign of quality.
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7. Trading Post (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Trading_Post)
I think this is a pretty great picture, not just because it looks nice, but since it's open to interpretation. Is the person hiding behind the tree waiting for an opportunity to steal something? Planning to trade in that sword? Admiring the view but being super-cautious about it? You can never be too safe in Dominion Land. It could be that this person's story is only a small sub-story of the overall daily routine at this trading post, and I like that. We're getting a peek at a larger world with subtle implications. Of course, it could also be that the art was submitted for another card name, but that doesn't lessen what we have here. Score another point for Intrigue having art that fits its overall theme if my interpretation is right.
Relevant! http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=13124.msg486863#msg486863
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Allright guys, let me clear this up for you. As we all know, the Recipe for creating Intrigue card art is as follows:
1. Depict the thing the card actually names.
2. Add two people acting suspicious.
Unlike Wishing Well, Shanty Town, Nobles and Baron, Trading Post only has one visible person acting suspicious, which explains why all of you are confused. What you are missing is that the other person is simply very well hidden, and that THIS is where the actual Intrigue lies. I must say i'm disappointed that none of you got this obvious fact. I mean, really, when will you stop falling for troll posts with over-the-top theories like "He's going to rob the Trading Post"?
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Intrigue is so meta!
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5. Mining Village (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Mining_Village)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/miningvillage.jpg)
Not much time today. It's snowy and nice. The artist didn't have to use this type of environment, but it paid off, I think. The guy in the cape climbing up that tower looks pretty rad as well. Also there is a man in a pointy hat.
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Wow, i didn't even know that was a guy climbing up the tower. I always just looked at the outline and thought it was some kind of weighting mechanism in a machine, like you see in an oil rig.
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5. Mining Village (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Mining_Village)
Not much time today. It's snowy and nice. The artist didn't have to use this type of environment, but it paid off, I think. The guy in the cape climbing up that tower looks pretty rad as well. Also there is a man in a pointy hat.
Shanty Town has a guy in a pointy hood, but it got to be just about at the bottom.
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5. Mining Village (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Mining_Village)
Not much time today. It's snowy and nice. The artist didn't have to use this type of environment, but it paid off, I think. The guy in the cape climbing up that tower looks pretty rad as well. Also there is a man in a pointy hat.
Shanty Town has a guy in a pointy hood, but it got to be just about at the bottom.
The moral of the story is that hats are better than hoods.
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Wow, i didn't even know that was a guy climbing up the tower. I always just looked at the outline and thought it was some kind of weighting mechanism in a machine, like you see in an oil rig.
Man, me too. I thought both of those guys were machine parts of some sort.
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5. Mining Village (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Mining_Village)
Not much time today. It's snowy and nice. The artist didn't have to use this type of environment, but it paid off, I think. The guy in the cape climbing up that tower looks pretty rad as well. Also there is a man in a pointy hat.
Shanty Town has a guy in a pointy hood, but it got to be just about at the bottom.
The moral of the story is that hats are better than hoods.
I will continue arguing because I think hoods are better than most hats.
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So that leaves Courtyard, Secret Chamber Coppersmith, and Swindler.
I hope Courtyard is number 1, but I bet it will be Secret Chamber. Second guess, Coppersmith.
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5. Mining Village (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Mining_Village)
Not much time today. It's snowy and nice. The artist didn't have to use this type of environment, but it paid off, I think. The guy in the cape climbing up that tower looks pretty rad as well. Also there is a man in a pointy hat.
Shanty Town has a guy in a pointy hood, but it got to be just about at the bottom.
The moral of the story is that hats are better than hoods.
I will continue arguing because I think hoods are better than most hats.
Then why is Shanty Town so much lower than Mining Village?
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5. Mining Village (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Mining_Village)
Not much time today. It's snowy and nice. The artist didn't have to use this type of environment, but it paid off, I think. The guy in the cape climbing up that tower looks pretty rad as well. Also there is a man in a pointy hat.
Shanty Town has a guy in a pointy hood, but it got to be just about at the bottom.
The moral of the story is that hats are better than hoods.
I will continue arguing because I think hoods are better than most hats.
Then why is Shanty Town so much lower than Mining Village?
I blame Jsh's personal opinion.
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4. COPPEE SMITH
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/coppersmith.jpg)
g
Paying from mobile today, no internet access. Excuse any would misspellings. Fourth place is the copper medal right?I think so.I wonder if these guys are considering to mind illegal copper. They must not be aware of the value of pennies.I'd at least move up to nickels.
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What the what? Some of us always type from mobile, it's really not that bad.
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My avatar is Rank 4 for Intrigue. Not bad. I wish your post was easier to read. I post on mobile all the time and my posts don't look like that.
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Is criticizing jsh over everything a forum joke?
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I ask because if it is, it hasn't been explained yet. I need to know if I should find it funny or not.
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In not sure but my post was intended to b a joke
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In not sure but my post was intended to b a joke
I thought maybe you had big fat fingers or something.
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In not sure but my post was intended to b a joke
Yeah, but I wanted to hear more about your thoughts on Coppersmith. More of that red overdose. It emanates warmth that makes you wish it was good more often.
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It's good as an opener if there aren't any (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/2/2a/Coin4.png/16px-Coin4.png) Attacks and there's at least one Village on the board. It likes draw, too.
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It's good as an opener if there aren't any (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/2/2a/Coin4.png/16px-Coin4.png) Attacks and there's at least one Village on the board. It likes draw, too.
Don't forget +Buy.
Every time I think of Coppersmith I'm reminded of that time it did weird things to Adam's payload (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEXqH5pgWvA)...
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Sorry for not having a post. It's been a heck of a weekend. You'll get three today if I'm up to it.
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Sorry for not having a post. It's been a heck of a weekend. You'll get three today if I'm up to it.
Is this an apology or more avant garde art criticism? I don't even know what's real anymore.
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3. Secret Chamber (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Secret_Chamber)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/secretchamber.jpg)
Continuing the theme of bad cards having great art, here's Secret Chamber. Let's look past the fact that the head ornament looks ripped right out Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; it's still a baller detail that makes the image visually striking. The open panel on the roof is another nice touch. It definitely looks like some screwy stuff goes on in this chamber, and I don't think we could ask for much else.
2. Swindler (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Swindler)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/swindler.jpg)
The Swindler is one of the best-dressed gentlemen in the entire game's canon. That look on his face is absolutely perfect for what the card does too. He's offering you nothing but garbage and it couldn't be more apparent. You know you're in for a fun game when you see this charming gentleman in his dapper pink attire.
1. Courtyard (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Courtyard)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/intrigue/courtyard.jpg)
The majestic Courtyard has the best art in intrigue. I love this picture. The plants are all beautiful, the building clean and wealthy. Even the cute detail of the young lady about to fall in a well stands out here. It's one of my favorite pictures in the game and I couldn't rank it any lower. How far we've come.
Thank you all for bearing with me. Or not. We'll wrap up Intrigue tomorrow and see how it compares to the Base Set. You all seemed interested in just sticking with linear release order, so Seaside will follow.
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one would be led to believe that mr. swindler is all too conscious of what his left hand is up to, he could have at least borrowed one of the glass things from his uncle to hold instead of that uncomfortable thumbs-up he's doing
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He's giving a thumbs-up to all the wonderful merchandise he has waiting for you inside.
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(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91hgkUcF0KL._SY355_.jpg)
That's it for Intrigue. The set has its artistic ups and downs. I feel as if the lows are lower than the Base Set but the highs are mostly higher. I think the theme I perceive in the set is the strongest thing it has going. Seventeen of the kingdom cards feature either shady characters, people whispering to each other, or some kind of meeting of questionable moral. It is nice that the artists all seemed to get the memo on that one; even innocuous cards like Wishing Well fit in to the theme.
The box art is not my favorite. I don't care for the way the trees look like they were glued on to the landscape, and the evening colors look just a little too pink, which is even weirder since the sky is blue above the logo. Still, it's got a shady meeting going on, so it has something.
My average rating for the cards in Intrigue is 6.02, a bit lower than the Base Set overall. Some of this has to do with the inconsistency (Harem/Shanty Town really stick out) and some drawings I'm not entirely sure were finished. It's still above average, but hey, the best is yet to come.
Next time: Seaside
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Seaside has a lot of really beautiful art; that should be a fun list to make (after Navigator). Intrigue is definitely hit or miss, but some of the top cards (Courtyard, Mining Village) are some of my favorites from all of Dominion.
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Part 3: Seaside
24. Navigator (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Navigator)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/navigator.jpg)
Is anyone surprised by this? If you are, man, I don't know what to tell you. Look at his massive arm. I'm not sure what Bruce Banner is doing out on the open seas, but hopefully the poor guy found some peace out there.
I guess some of you probably are fixing to type "THERE ARE MORE THAN 24 CARDS IN SEASIDE." Chill. Have faith. Have I ever steered you wrong before? Don't answer that.
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Massive arm? What about his massive... lips?
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So you're doing the Native Village/Pirate Ship/Island triptych as one piece of art, huh? I'm not sure how much sense that really makes. I mean yes they connect together seamlessly, but they're pretty disjoint apart from that. You might as well just rank each artist for their art across all the cards.
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Navigator art is I think the worst among all Dominion cards with other obviously bad ones not even being close.
If you want to gravely insult someone just throw all ten copies at them.
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By this point, I doubt anyone is surprised that I like the Navigator art.
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By this point, I doubt anyone is surprised that I like the Navigator art.
I think your profile picture was enough to stunt our surprise.
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By this point, I doubt anyone is surprised that I like the Navigator art.
I think your profile picture was enough to stunt our surprise.
I cri every time
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So you're doing the Native Village/Pirate Ship/Island triptych as one piece of art, huh? I'm not sure how much sense that really makes. I mean yes they connect together seamlessly, but they're pretty disjoint apart from that. You might as well just rank each artist for their art across all the cards.
Stop ruining my plan to do less work
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You might as well just rank each artist for their art across all the cards.
Jsh should totally rank the artists at the end.
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Those aren't big arms, just poofy sleeves.
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Those aren't big arms, just poofy sleeves.
Thank you!
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Those aren't big arms, just poofy sleeves.
I'm not sure replacing "massive arms" with "poofy sleeves" really invalidates the criticism in any way.
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I also dislike navigator's four-finger-hands. This man wasn't created for any Disney or Simpsons cartoon!
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23. Treasure Map (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Treasure_Map)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/treasuremap.jpg)
It took me this long to realize that the picture is meant to be half a map, which explains why it looks like the artist stopped drawing it on one side. I still dislike how the scope device looks and think the coins look weird. Aside from that, it's not that bad a picture, but Seaside is a step beyond the first two sets in terms of art so Treasure Map ends up ranking pretty low.
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but Seaside is a step beyond the first two sets in terms of art so Treasure Map ends up ranking pretty low.
Perhaps you could say that with Seaside, you don't have to go diving for its pearls.
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22. Treasury (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Treasury)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/treasury.jpg)
The way all these coins are stacked up looks silly and unrealistic. They are all 'facing' the same way too. I like the little dragon near the middle and the small assortment of gems sitting around, but meh, this picture doesn't do it for me. I hope whoever opened that door has an insurance policy because it sure looks like those fat stacks are about to crash down on a brother.
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I've always had mixed feelings towards Treasury. On the one hand the perspective is weird as all get out; on the other it's very distinct and fits the card name very well. Plus Treasury has been one of my favorite cards from the beginning.
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21. Sea Hag (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Sea_Hag)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/seahag.jpg)
The Sea Hag resembles a Cabbage Patch Kid. A Cabbage Patch Kid gone wrong who just left an anime convention. I still have no idea why there are black pencil marks drawn all over her torch fire. Aside from succeeding at looking vaguely inhuman, there's not too much for me to love here.
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21. Sea Hag (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Sea_Hag)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/seahag.jpg)
The Sea Hag resembles a Cabbage Patch Kid. A Cabbage Patch Kid gone wrong who just left an anime convention. I still have no idea why there are black pencil marks drawn all over her torch fire. Aside from succeeding at looking vaguely inhuman, there's not too much for me to love here.
Is this the spell to summon Adam H?
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The lines are a cage.
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21. Sea Hag (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Sea_Hag)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/seahag.jpg)
The Sea Hag resembles a Cabbage Patch Kid. A Cabbage Patch Kid gone wrong who just left an anime convention. I still have no idea why there are black pencil marks drawn all over her torch fire. Aside from succeeding at looking vaguely inhuman, there's not too much for me to love here.
Is this the spell to summon Adam H?
Oh baby :P
You may have ranked her low, but this lovely lady is number one in my heart <3
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Is it a tiny moon or a giant laser pointing at her head? We shall never know.
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20. Pearl Diver (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Pearl_Diver)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/pearldiver.jpg)
The Pearl Diver is secretly one of the many sons of Stretch Armstrong. His special ability comes in handy when diving for pearls that are slightly out of reach. This card is also probably Maura Kalusky's best contribution to Dominion, so credit where credit is due. I do think the head looks really funny in Dominion Online's fortune teller ball thing too. I was going to claim that Pearl Diver was actually blue and feign ignorance about how he's underwater, but you guys can never detect any of my jokes so that seemed a little risky.
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Why is he trying to retrieve Pan's flute?
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but you guys can never detect any of my jokes so that seemed a little risky.
It is because you never put it in the super silly joke format!
That would make it way more obvious
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That's supposed to be Wei-Hwa Huang (designer of Roll for the Galaxy). A prize for winning a little tournament at the Gathering of Friends.
(http://archive.fortune.com/assets/i2.cdn.turner.com/money/galleries/2008/fortune/0801/gallery.BestCo_Googlers.fortune/images/wei_hwa_huang.jpg)
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19. Lookout (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Lookout)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/lookout.jpg)
The Lookout is standing over downtown Columbia, ever vigilant. Too soon? (For anyone wondering, I'm fine. The flooding wasn't bad in my area) He's got some style, not unlike his Ambassador buddy, but the man is in a pretty boring stretch of the ocean. Ho-hum.
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Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Navigator is supposed to be a depiction of one of the developers, Dale Yu. I'm not sure which is the bigger slap in the face to Dale; jsh ranking the card last in the set or the artist for actually drawing such a lame picture.
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Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Navigator is supposed to be a depiction of one of the developers, Dale Yu. I'm not sure which is the bigger slap in the face to Dale; jsh ranking the card last in the set or the artist for actually drawing such a lame picture.
In her defense, Kalusky preventively punished herself by appearing on Harem.
Oops, no, that's yet another game developer. Uh... Those lucky fellows...
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Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Navigator is supposed to be a depiction of one of the developers, Dale Yu. I'm not sure which is the bigger slap in the face to Dale; jsh ranking the card last in the set or the artist for actually drawing such a lame picture.
In her defense, Kalusky preventively punished herself by appearing on Harem.
Oops, no, that's yet another game developer. Uh... Those lucky fellows...
Also, Maura Kalusky is male.
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My intention wasn't to slap anyone in the face... I've made plenty of posts that weren't masterpieces. It doesn't mean I should be beaten up over it. OK, maybe you guys disagree.
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Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Navigator is supposed to be a depiction of one of the developers, Dale Yu. I'm not sure which is the bigger slap in the face to Dale; jsh ranking the card last in the set or the artist for actually drawing such a lame picture.
In her defense, Kalusky preventively punished herself by appearing on Harem.
Oops, no, that's yet another game developer. Uh... Those lucky fellows...
Also, Maura Kalusky is male.
Wow, and i even googled him before i posted to make sure i write his name correctly.
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My intention wasn't to slap anyone in the face...
I read Epicurus' statement as "What's worse, his picture being ranked so low, or his picture being ranked so low justly?". After all, he concurred that the picture was lame. Either way i'm sure it wasn't directed against you or your ranking.
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My intention wasn't to slap anyone in the face...
I read Epicurus' statement as "What's worse, his picture being ranked so low, or his picture being ranked so low justly?". After all, he concurred that the picture was lame. Either way i'm sure it wasn't directed against you or your ranking.
This is correct.
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18. Fishing Village (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Fishing_Village)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/fishingvillage.jpg)
Doesn't everyone get excited when they see this card? You just can't wait to lay a stack of them down and get a million actions! You're almost excited as this boy with his fish! Sure his town is poor, but his sea is as blue as Tampa Bay, so what's he got to complain about? Fishing Village is the best of the weaker art in Seaside, I think. We're going places.
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Fishing Village is the best of the weaker art in Seaside, I think.
Weaker than what?
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Ugh, stop using those blurry-ass diehrstraits scans.
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/3/3b/Fishing_Village.jpg)
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Ugh, stop using those blurry-ass diehrstraits scans.
Ugh, stop complaining.
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Ugh, stop using those blurry-ass diehrstraits scans.
I think you should, for each Dominion card, rank the available scans.
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Fishing Village is the best of the weaker art in Seaside, I think.
Weaker than what?
*sigh*
Allright, i'll say it: "Weaker than stronger art."
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Fishing Village is the best of the weaker art in Seaside, I think.
Weaker than what?
*sigh*
Allright, i'll say it: "Weaker than stronger art."
I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the Seaside art, which is not weaker than stronger art.
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Fishing Village is the best of the weaker art in Seaside, I think.
Weaker than what?
*sigh*
Allright, i'll say it: "Weaker than stronger art."
No, those are the weak Hinterlands cards.
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17. Smugglers (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Smugglers)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/ambassador.jpg)
I really like the black-haired guy's mustache. A mustache can bring a picture together. It's kind of a dull scene, but at least there are a bunch of knives to stare at. This image makes for good background viewing, nothing more and nothing less. It's effective.
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Ummmmmmm.......
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Not sure if meta joke about blurry card scans, political comment on power abuse of ambassadors, or genuine mistake...
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Clearly the Sumgglers image was smuggled.
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There are also no knives on the Smugglers picture. Presumably, they're hidden away in various secrete compartments throughout the ship.
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Uh...I though we were done making jokes about how the card art is low quality? Or am I missing something?
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A true surrealist, JSH is only pretending to rank card art. The hidden depths of his commentary won't be fully understood until they are rediscovered by scholars in the 26th century.
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Last time I played a game with Smugglers, my opponent played it and I expected him to gain a gold, like I had done last turn. Instead he returned two curses to the supply and I gained one. I didn't even see it coming. What a confusing card.
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16. Bazaar (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Bazaar)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/smugglers.jpg)
This card has a lot of fine wood to gaze in wonder at. The well-dressed man brings a nice glass of wine for his distinguished Tuvaluan guest; he has already prepared a fancy goblet in anticipation. We can only hope it isn't poisoned. Oddly, I don't think I could describe most games with this card as quite as friendly, though I do love giving gifts. It's a good thing Messenger came along.
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::)
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Aha. So the text of 17 was actually the description for Bazaar. I'm not sure what's the real ranking now, though ;). If Ambassador's is not next, I'm becoming really confused. :-\
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I'm guessing he's rating Ambassador, Bazaar, and Smugglers as equal in terms of their art.
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The 3 cards went to a Masquerade and had to pass their art and descriptions around. Don't ask me how a Bazaar goes to a party, though.
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They're troll quotes, but for Dominion.
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They're troll quotes, but for Dominion.
jsh is a visionary.
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I feel like we are spreading rumors about JSH, so here is one that I found interesting. His avatar on Goko Dominion is an African American woman.
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I feel like we are spreading rumors about JSH, so here is one that I found interesting. His avatar on Goko Dominion is an African American woman.
I heard he once shot a man at a game con, just to watch him die.
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Random trivia: I picked the avatar that looked the most like my wife. (It doesn't look like her at all)
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Random trivia: I picked the avatar that looked the most like my wife. (It doesn't look like her at all)
Your wife is a catmuffin?!
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15. Tactician (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Tactician)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/tactician.jpg)
I'm not sure why this card hasn't become a facepalm image macro. Anyway, I like the pictures with a bunch of sneering dudes, but the room looks like an alternate reality of some kind so it's not perfect. That is an amazing hat, though. I also enjoy the detail of him marking out tactical spots with a knife; you can feel the blood lust emanating from the card art.
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@$&#!!!
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At least he's back to posting the right picture with the card title.
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I always imagine the dude on the left of the Tactician art to be the same guy as the dude on the right, like the image is a time-lapse and the same guy shows up in two places as he waits for the damn Tactician to hurry up and take his turn and come on enough with the AP already.
But I'm surprised that the extreme pointiness of the Tactician's hat didn't count for more for jsh.
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I'm not sure why this card hasn't become a facepalm image macro.
if i stream a bunch again and get more subscriber emotes, i've thought about using the tactician face. twitch already has a native facepalm emote but this could just be a parody of that or something!!!
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14. Ambassador (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Ambassador)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/bazaar.jpg)
Am I finally out? Phew. I've been trapped in this mist for days, and it's been really confusing. Those two guys sure look happy about it for whatever reason. Something tells me I'm in the wrong part of the seaside. Gotta admit, the weather adds a nice aesthetic to the place.
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The notorious "Bazaar Sword Show exception" to background checks, thanks to lobbying from the National Rapier Association.
Also that is some super confusing mist because I think the guy thinks he's an Ambassador. Or maybe he's just bluffing Ambassador to block Captain.
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::)
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Bazaar has obviously better art than smugglers and ambassador, so I'm glad to see it on the highest rank here.
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13. Cutpurse (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Cutpurse)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/cutpurse.jpg)
Everyone here has such wrinkly clothing. It's almost as if their skin is lined with huge wrinkles forming those shapes in normal cloth. What a grotesque thought, huh? Let's be honest. The guy here deserved to get robbed, keeping his purse at such a convenient spot on his belt. We undervalue pockets sometimes, I suppose. Cutpurse doesn't have my favorite art, but it's a cute scene that gets the idea of the card out there well enough.
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I'd just like to express my surprise and disappointment in seeing that jsh still hasn't explained what was going on with amb, smugglers, bazaar, and then tactician in the middle. I mean, it's almost like he doesn't know it will get funnier once he explains it!
This by the way, is funny because criticizing jsh has become (or really is becoming, (and hopefully this joke and explanation will help it all along, but seriously, enough of these parenthetical thoughts within parenthetical thoughts already, jeeze! (Yeah, it's like we're in Inception))) an inside joke on this forum.
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Inception)))
Sounds like a drone metal band.
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I don't understand. What's wrong with Amb, smugglers, Bazaar, and Tactician?
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Playing the role of the dunce who doesn't get anything:
JSH, go back and look carefully at the posts and try to match the title to the picture.
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Well, now it's just getting hurtful. Let's change topics! Art is boring! Literary question: who is the blinder between Tiresias and Oedipus? Who the bigger fool between the Fool and King Lear? Are jesters to be ridiculed because of their profession, or is it ridiculous to ridicule them in the first place? Share your thoughts and turn them in at the end of class. This will be two points toward your semester participation grade.
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i think in this metaphor, you're the jester and i'm tiresias. how many points is that worth
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Why don't we just post vacuum cleaner ad's here?
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Gods, this has become one of the
best weirdest pieces of performance art on the explored web.
I wonder how high that would rank against -say- art from different Dominion cards.
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12. Embargo (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Embargo)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/embargo.jpg)
Ghost Ship isn't the only card in Seaside with an undead theme. Look at that rotten haze over the sea and tell me this embargo wasn't keeping people out for their own safety. The world of Dominion is a terrifying one sometimes.
11. Wharf (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Wharf)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/wharf.jpg)
The Wharf is nice for the most part. Great use of color that looks good with an orange border. My one problem is that parts of the picture have this glossy, "too shiny" feel to them. Take a look at the guy in the foreground for an example of what I meant. I can't put a finger on why it bothers me as much as it does. I guess part of it is that the guy looks so different from the other dude standing in the background that it's almost as if they are two different species.
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Man, Wharf is super good. It probably bothers you because of the crappy scans.
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Take a look at the guy in the foreground for an example of what I meant. I can't put a finger on why it bothers me as much as it does. I guess part of it is that the guy looks so different from the other dude standing in the background that it's almost as if they are two different species.
One of the guys in the foreground is a cat, so maybe that's it.
Or maybe that was the joke and I'm explaining it instead of making it.
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Man, Wharf is super good. It probably bothers you because of the crappy scans.
I am gonna blow you guys' minds. You can use the hover text version I ALSO include in the posts to see the good scans! :O I've been including those scans all along!
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Man, Wharf is super good. It probably bothers you because of the crappy scans.
I am gonna blow you guys' minds. You can use the hover text version I ALSO include in the posts to see the good scans! :O I've been including those scans all along!
You monster.
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Man, Wharf is super good. It probably bothers you because of the crappy scans.
I am gonna blow you guys' minds. You can use the hover text version I ALSO include in the posts to see the good scans! :O I've been including those scans all along!
Isn't that an f.ds Chrome extension feature? I can't use it, I'm not using Chrome.
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Man, Wharf is super good. It probably bothers you because of the crappy scans.
I am gonna blow you guys' minds. You can use the hover text version I ALSO include in the posts to see the good scans! :O I've been including those scans all along!
Isn't that an f.ds Chrome extension feature? I can't use it, I'm not using Chrome.
I'm looking at these in my phone. Hover text is tricky to view on it.
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Man, Wharf is super good. It probably bothers you because of the crappy scans.
Placing wharf on rank 11 rather than rank 1 was perhaps jsh's way of saying that it is so good it deserves to be ranked first twice. There is no level of interpretation too deep when we are dealing with an artwork of this scale and magnitude.
I can't wait for jsh's self reflective thoughts on the card most like his criticism:
Masterpiece.
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Man, Wharf is super good. It probably bothers you because of the crappy scans.
I am gonna blow you guys' minds. You can use the hover text version I ALSO include in the posts to see the good scans! :O I've been including those scans all along!
Isn't that an f.ds Chrome extension feature? I can't use it, I'm not using Chrome.
I'm looking at these in my phone. Hover text is tricky to view on it.
Put your finger over it!
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10. Warehouse (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Warehouse)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/warehouse.jpg)
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The card whose art needs no introduction, apparently.
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He wrote three sentences, and then he deleted three sentences.
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Witherweaver is a smart person. She should really take over the thread from here. Thank you for understanding me.
9. Caravan (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Caravan)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/caravan.jpg)
Camels are awesome animals, so what's better than a bunch of camels? Some glorious dunes? A quiet sky? A scope implying a greater adventure than what is present in the picture? Sure, Caravan has all of those things. It's a simple image that says a lot, and the kicker is that you are likely to set down a group of them together, making it look like you have a big string of camels, which is a neat visual. (Those of you who only play online may have never noticed this) Hi, I'm JSH. And I'm a camelholic.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIYL-PQa010
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Witherweaver is a smart person. She should really take over the thread from here. Thank you for understanding me.
The funny thing is that you got 0 respect and he got 20 (at the time of writing).
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Witherweaver is a smart person. She should really take over the thread from here. Thank you for understanding me.
The funny thing is that you got 0 respect and he got 20 (at the time of writing).
I actually thought I had respected his post.
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Witherweaver is a smart person. She should really take over the thread from here. Thank you for understanding me.
The funny thing is that you got 0 respect and he got 20 (at the time of writing).
I actually thought I had respected his post.
Stop trying to clear your conscience.
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I don't need your pity respect. I get plenty of respect from my high-quality, well thought-out posts as-is.
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I don't need your pity respect. I get plenty of respect from my high-quality, well thought-out posts as-is.
I just get respect from posting random shit. Seems to be working so far.
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I dare say that the desert landscape and the visible ocean make it seem like the scene is set in africa, not the middle east, so the expected animals should be Cameli dromedarii, not Cameli bactriani. Curiously, the one at the far left has a hump visible in front of the position the person is sitting on - this does not, however, imply a second hump, as sitting just above a Camelus dromedarius'* gluteus maximus is common riding practice.
*With respect to readers not speaking latin, i refrained from declining Camelus dromedarus into genitive. Correctly it would have to be Camelus dromedarii.
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8. Merchant Ship (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Merchant_Ship)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/merchantship.jpg)
The eastern setting and beautiful sunset give Merchant Ship a unique flair, making it a standout picture in the set, even though it's mainly the colors and not the content that make it work. I am actually not sure if the ship in the background is the titular Merchant Ship or if the man carrying the crate (ouch) is departing from it. Dominion art.
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I dare say that the desert landscape and the visible ocean make it seem like the scene is set in africa, not the middle east, so the expected animals should be Cameli dromedarii, not Cameli bactriani. Curiously, the one at the far left has a hump visible in front of the position the person is sitting on - this does not, however, imply a second hump, as sitting just above a Camelus dromedarius'* gluteus maximus is common riding practice.
*With respect to readers not speaking latin, i refrained from declining Camelus dromedarus into genitive. Correctly it would have to be Camelus dromedarii.
My Latin is a bit rusty, but I really think it should be Cameli Dromedarii Gluteum Maximum, since "on" arguably calls for an accusative, as does Latin Super/Supra. In Taxonomy, the species (Dromedarius) is generally considered an adjective to the Genus (Camelus), so Camelus gets the genitive and Dromedarius follows suit.
Please correct me if I'm wrong. Otherwise, you may return to your regular art ranking activities.
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I didn't even realize that the thing on the right is a ship.
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I didn't even realize that the thing on the right is a ship.
Huh, yeah, I thought it was just part of the docks.
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I am actually not sure if the ship in the background is the titular Merchant Ship or if the man carrying the crate (ouch) is departing from it. Dominion art.
Lift with your back!
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I didn't even realize that the thing on the right is a ship.
Huh, yeah, I thought it was just part of the docks.
To clarify, I am not actually sure either. I also assumed it was part of the docks, but it's not 100% clear to me.
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I have a new theory.
JSH is only doing the art rankings to get respect, so he is only telling us what we want to hear. It is an evil plot, but I think I have enough evidence to convict him!
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I dare say that the desert landscape and the visible ocean make it seem like the scene is set in africa, not the middle east, so the expected animals should be Cameli dromedarii, not Cameli bactriani. Curiously, the one at the far left has a hump visible in front of the position the person is sitting on - this does not, however, imply a second hump, as sitting just above a Camelus dromedarius'* gluteus maximus is common riding practice.
*With respect to readers not speaking latin, i refrained from declining Camelus dromedarus into genitive. Correctly it would have to be Camelus dromedarii.
My Latin is a bit rusty, but I really think it should be Cameli Dromedarii Gluteum Maximum, since "on" arguably calls for an accusative, as does Latin Super/Supra. In Taxonomy, the species (Dromedarius) is generally considered an adjective to the Genus (Camelus), so Camelus gets the genitive and Dromedarius follows suit.
Please correct me if I'm wrong. Otherwise, you may return to your regular art ranking activities.
My latin is much rustier than yours, it seems. I was treating Camelus Dromedarius as a name, but apparently didn't think enough about that. I did not even consider that, to be consequent, Gluteus Maximus would have had to be in another case, too.
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The eastern setting and beautiful sunset give Merchant Ship a unique flair, making it a standout picture in the set, even though it's mainly the colors and not the content that make it work. I am actually not sure if the ship in the background is the titular Merchant Ship or if the man carrying the crate (ouch) is departing from it. Dominion art.
It was submitted too dark, and brightened.
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7. Ghost Ship (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Ghost_Ship)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/ghostship.jpg)
I will admit the rankings are getting tougher for me now. I like Ghost Ship's art a lot, but I was forced to only put it here. The cool thing about Ghost Ship is that it has a simple style that still succeeds in making it look otherworldly and a little spooky. The sky colors are an excellent backdrop and I love how you can still see the sky through the ship's sails, implying translucency. There seems to be a party going on in the back of the ship too. I hope the skeletons realize that punch is going to go right through them.
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My favorite part about Ghost Ship is that it translates into Dutch as "The Flying Dutchman".
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My favorite part about Ghost Ship is that it translates into Dutch as "The Flying Dutchman".
I agree. One of the few really nice translations.
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6. Haven (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Haven)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/haven.jpg)
Gorgeous stuff here. A statue holds a flame as a makeshift lighthouse. Two stylish boats enter the haven on water that glimmers in the flame's light, creating a sense of the tranquility of night. What are they headed for? An all-you-can-eat bacon breakfast at the local Waffle House. It's worth traveling the entire way just for that.
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I will probably get tons of hate for this, but Waffle House isn't even that good.
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Waffle House is on the level of Eggo waffles.
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5. Explorer (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Explorer)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/explorer.jpg)
In the middle of writing three different huge writing assignments, I am of course obligated to write about this charming Explorer. She's cute and this is an example of good cartoony art in Dominion. inb4 tired Donald X quotes followed by explanations of said quotes, followed by an explanation of "inb4" and then an existential post about the role of the internet in man's struggle to interpret the world. You guys never let me down.
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it would be fun to skip the last part if it couldn't be summarized by 'wikipedia'
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So I guess Outpost is the best $5 Seaside art card ... ever. I mean, I guess they can't all be.
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I think the ships in Haven aren't actually going anywhere. They aren't using sails nor oars and aren't making a wake.
Yet, you can still wonder what will they be headed for as soon as they'll leave. :P
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4. Salvager (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Salvager)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/salvager.jpg)
Swimming with a broken leg... this guy is just asking for it.
Come on, I wasn't being serious. You can stop writing that reply now. The colors are great, the lighting is nice, and he made Goko tolerable. I'm also a fan of the way the salvager's hair is drawn.
Now someone is going to explain how the person is not the salvager somehow because I'm usually wrong about these things. I hope we've all come to expect that at this point.
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The salvager is actually the pink sea anemone in the foreground.
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3. Lighthouse (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Lighthouse)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/lighthouse.jpg)
The thing that impresses me most here is the sky. There are an ominous assortion of colors that blend well with the orange background and make us fear the oncoming storm. This, with the lone details of a ship in the distance and a man eating a BLT near the coast, create a captivating piece. Say the artist's name five times fast.
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2. Native Village (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Native_Village), Island (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Island), and Pirate Ship (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Pirate_Ship)
(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic586961.jpg)
So none of these cards have the best art in the set. I don't think so, anyway. I'm giving extra points for effort here. The concept of three interconnected cards with a similar theme and even some player mats as a novelty is super cool. It's the kind of divergence from the norm I would have liked to see on the cards more often, though at least in this case it makes these cards stand out. (We'll see a similar thing in Adventures)
Tomorrow I'll be wrapping up Seaside and then entering the misunderstood Alchemy expansion.
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Outpost does have quite nice art.
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+1 for calling alchemy misunderstood.
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I've always been puzzled by the art in Island. Is that a snowy mountain or just a weird-looking cloud?
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1. Outpost (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Outpost)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/seaside/outpost.jpg)
A fitting end to the Seaside rankings; the Outpost has some of the best-looking water seen in the Dominion canon. This lone building seems strong and defended by nature itself, marvelously looking over fierce waves that threaten any unsavory invaders. What are they hiding in there? Perhaps the ruler himself. Perhaps his Halloween candy. None will ever know.
(http://a3.res.cloudinary.com/csicdn/image/upload/c_pad,h_300,w_300/v1/Images/Products/Misc%20Art/Rio%20Grande%20Games/full/rio_dominionseaside.jpg)
Seaside was overall a marked improvement artistically. The addition of metal tokens and mats add some flavor that improve the experience too, and who can dislike that lovely shade of orange? The box art is pretty good too. Men in pointy hats are standing around the bay, the ship looks awesome, and the sky/buildings reflect the flavor of the art within quite well. Dominion had found its aesthetic footing. What could possibly go wrong? (Remember that line for when we get to Guilds)
My average rating for Seaside is 6.73. Seems lower than expected, but it's mostly because there are a lot of middling cards, one outlier in Navigator, and the great art isn't up to the level of what's in, say, Hinterlands.
Current ranking:
Seaside 6.73
Base 6.4
Intrigue 6.02
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The bridge on the left is man-made, but the one on the right is natural?
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outpost reminds me so much of the 5th island in Riven
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Part 4: Alchemy
I hope you all will understand that a day spent marathoning Back to the Future with some old friends was more valuable than posting on internet forums. 3 is still my second-favorite, but I'll admit I enjoyed 2 more this time around than the first time I watched it. All three films are all-time greats, though. ANYWAY, Potions, right?
12. Philosopher's Stone (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Philosopher's_Stone)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/alchemy/philosophersstone.jpg)
It's a stone in a box. Yeah, it looks fine, but is anyone really excited about it? Not this guy.
11. Scrying Pool (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Scrying_Pool)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/alchemy/scryingpool.jpg)
Alchemy doesn't have any bad art. I mean, these two are the bottom of the barrel and they're decent pictures. Nice touch with the village in the pool, and her magical hair rising power reminds me of some of my favorite anime.
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I honestly thought scrying pool would be higher in the rankings. I mean sure she doesn't look maniacal, but that is part of what makes her a maniac. Philosopher's stone doesn't even look like a stone to me.
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I honestly thought scrying pool would be higher in the rankings. I mean sure she doesn't look maniacal, but that is part of what makes her a maniac. Philosopher's stone doesn't even look like a stone to me.
That is because it belongs to a sorcerer... and he cast a magical spell on it for a disguise due to its supposed value
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How'd they get that stone into that bottle though?
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How'd they get that stone into that bottle though?
Philosophy.
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How'd they get that stone into that bottle though?
The Philosopher's Stone isn't a stone. It's a substance, typically imagined in powder form (as here).
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The Philosopher's Stone isn't a stone. It's a substance, typically imagined in powder form (as here).
Philosophers are really bad at naming things.
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How'd they get that stone into that bottle though?
The Philosopher's Stone isn't a stone. It's a substance, typically imagined in powder form (as here).
Sounds like Harry Potter got it wrong then.
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How'd they get that stone into that bottle though?
The Philosopher's Stone isn't a stone. It's a substance, typically imagined in powder form (as here).
Sounds like Harry Potter got it wrong then.
That was a Sorcerer's stone...
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How'd they get that stone into that bottle though?
The Philosopher's Stone isn't a stone. It's a substance, typically imagined in powder form (as here).
Sounds like Harry Potter got it wrong then.
That was a Sorcerer's stone...
Only in America.
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How'd they get that stone into that bottle though?
The Philosopher's Stone isn't a stone. It's a substance, typically imagined in powder form (as here).
Sounds like Harry Potter got it wrong then.
That was a Sorcerer's stone...
Only in America.
Because long words in the title would turn off the readers. Too much stuff to read, apparently.
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Oh, and Scrying pool for me is the example of cartoony artwork done well, and fitting in well.
I'd never thought of explorer as cartoony. :)
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10. Familiar (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Familiar)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/alchemy/familiar.jpg)
Familiar, I choose you!
9. Herbalist (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Herbalist)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/alchemy/herbalist.jpg)
I'm pretty sure the dude here is just me at the Indian market. I mean, my wife tells me to pick up a cup of the yellow stuff and I don't ask questions. It's hard for me to have real commentary about this picture since my perception has been permanently warped thanks to ADK's wonderful fanfic, which you should all read and give him respect instead of me: http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=10809.msg363315#msg363315
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It's hard for me to have real commentary about this picture since my perception has been permanently warped thanks to ADK's wonderful fanfic, which you should all read and give him respect instead of me: http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=10809.msg363315#msg363315
I linked to it, read the whole thing, loved it, and then went up to give ADK a +1 only to realize that I had already done so. Which meant that I must have already read it (I am not one to give out a +1 lightly). But had absolutely no memory of it! Which seems crazy given how wonderful it is.
Early onset Alzheimer's here I come?
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8. Vineyard (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Vineyard)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/alchemy/vineyard.jpg)
Those are some well-kept hedgerows. I like Vineyard's art more these days because it reminds me a lot of a Vineyard I visited last year. Clearly the owners of this place have class. The fine "lardo vino" prepared at this vineyard is enjoyed by people across the entire Dominion nation, except for those kosher non-alcoholics. You could buy your own bottle, but the jerks here only accept Potions as payment, and everybody switched to Coin because they decided you needed at least three Potion-costing products available to consider purchasing things and nobody wanted to stock any more of those. Madness, I tell you. I would have bought that bottle regardless. Wine makes a great future re-gift.
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How'd they get that stone into that bottle though?
The Philosopher's Stone isn't a stone. It's a substance, typically imagined in powder form (as here).
Sounds like Harry Potter got it wrong then.
That was a Sorcerer's stone...
Only in America.
Because long words in the title would turn off the readers. Too much stuff to read, apparently.
Three syllables = fine
Four syllables = WHAT? WHAT IS THIS...WELL, SORCERY?
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How'd they get that stone into that bottle though?
The Philosopher's Stone isn't a stone. It's a substance, typically imagined in powder form (as here).
Sounds like Harry Potter got it wrong then.
That was a Sorcerer's stone...
Only in America.
Because long words in the title would turn off the readers. Too much stuff to read, apparently.
Three syllables = fine
Four syllables = WHAT? WHAT IS THIS...WELL, SORCERY?
No, it's ph'losophy.
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It wasn't just that it was a big word. They just didn't think kids would want to read something with the word "philosopher" in the title. Like it would be a boring book about actual philosophers or whatever.
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i wonder if the issue in europe is some weird thing against the word "sorceror"? i know they had problems with "ninja" for a while, which is why TMNT was called Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles there
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i wonder if the issue in europe is some weird thing against the word "sorceror"? i know they had problems with "ninja" for a while, which is why TMNT was called Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles there
There wouldn't have been an issue in Europe since the original English title was Philosopher's stone (which is also the name of the mythical artifact). This was entirely a weird decision on the American publisher's part. What is hilarious to me is they re-recorded every scene of the films where someone named the stone for the American version.
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book about actual philosophers
Would have been more interesting though.
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i wonder if the issue in europe is some weird thing against the word "sorceror"? i know they had problems with "ninja" for a while, which is why TMNT was called Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles there
Well, I don't know about the rest of Europe, but they have always been ninjas in Italy, afaik.
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i wonder if the issue in europe is some weird thing against the word "sorceror"? i know they had problems with "ninja" for a while, which is why TMNT was called Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles there
Well, I don't know about the rest of Europe, but they have always been ninjas in Italy, afaik.
Well they like their motorbikes there.
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It's hard for me to have real commentary about this picture since my perception has been permanently warped thanks to ADK's wonderful fanfic, which you should all read and give him respect instead of me: http://forum.dominionstrategy.com/index.php?topic=10809.msg363315#msg363315
The fanfic is now in the most respected posts of the week. Again.
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7. Possession (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Possession)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/alchemy/possession.jpg)
Cute picture. Gotta love his hat. What on earth is going on with his body, though? At first I thought Possession Guy was RIPPED, but now I think he might just be wearing a shirt that's way too small. Either way, I don't think the awesome hat can make up for that fashion disaster.
6. Apothecary (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Apothecary)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/alchemy/apothecary.jpg)
He has a winning smile. That'll get you everywhere. Smile, everyone! Stevie Wonder said it best. "A smiling face is an Earth-like star / A frown can't bring out the beauty that you are/ Love within and you'll begin smiling." Pass him some Copper and drugs, everyone.
5. Alchemist (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Alchemist)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/alchemy/alchemist.jpg)
That beard tho
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Possession Guy is actually a lady-woman
As evidenced by his very pronounced breastage
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I suppose the nails should have been a giveaway too. That or she's trans. Oops, can I say that? I'm not sure what privilege laws dictate anymore. Better just let it be.
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I suppose the nails should have been a giveaway too. That or she's trans. Oops, can I say that? I'm not sure what privilege laws dictate anymore. Better just let it be.
"trans" is fine. "tranny" is not. General advice: if it sounds like it's probably a slur, it's probably a slur.
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Well then what's the gender of the person inside the crystal ball? It has the body of a male, but it's being possessed by a trans female. I'm so confused.
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Possession is clearly a transmission, because 1) it's very expensive and 2) when it works right, it's clutch.
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Possession is clearly a transmission, because 1) it's very expensive and 2) when it works right, it's clutch.
What Event was she before?
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I can't be sure, but she appeared to have a Ball bearing.
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Possession is clearly a transmission, because 1) it's very expensive and 2) when it works right, it's clutch.
What Event was she before?
I don't know, but it probably involves flipping your Gender token.
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4. University (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/University)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/alchemy/university.jpg)
Anyone want to go my homework for me? No takers? Well, at least I have this fine quadrangle to walk across and bemoan the loss of my humanity. I wonder if that is the official flag of the Dominion universe or simply this university's? Maybe their mascot is a wildfire. I could think of worse.
3. Apprentice (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Apprentice)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/alchemy/apprentice.jpg)
This isn't so much an apprentice as a pyromancer, but maybe he's just serving some greater mage we never see. I have to wonder why he summoned that flame elemental. Maybe he's just preparing for Dominion U's pep rally. We can only speculate. At least he looks good doing it. Those arms are so angular.
2. Golem (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Golem)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/alchemy/golem.jpg)
I want one! Just look at those cute little stubby arms carrying all those planks for the city otter dam. Golem is maybe the cutest card in the Alchemy expansion, and he's up against such juggernauts as Scrying Pool, Herbalist, and Alchemist.
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Whoa, Apprentice just burned himself out of the post.
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Maybe the University is in Wales:
(http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/g/gb-wales.gif)
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1. Transmute (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Transmute)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/alchemy/transmute.jpg)
Good heavens, just look at it! You can get lost in that mane for days. The blue and purple color scheme, while perhaps samey, gives Transmute a magical vibe befitting of the expansion.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71LX6k13YyL._SY355_.jpg)
I'm looking at my ratings of the cards and they are mostly uniform for this set. Numbers aside, that's basically how I feel. There's not too much spectacular art in Alchemy, but it all fits and it's all competent. I can't complain. The box art is average. The little kid warming his hands on the flask is cute if nothing else. I just noticed that the alchemist is wearing what looks like a trench coat with his silly old-school hat, which is somewhat jarring, but what can we do? Yeah, numbers. That's right.
My average rating for Alchemy is 7.12. The sets are continuing to look better overall, and the lack of particularly weaker art makes a big difference.
Current ranking:
Alchemy 7.12
Seaside 6.73
Base 6.4
Intrigue 6.02
Up next is Prosperity. I apologize for updates being more sporadic lately. As the end of the semester nears, I find myself under mountains of schoolwork that have been diverting my attention from what is truly important: ranking card art on the internet. If I miss days, I'll do my best to get multiple posts done whenever I do finally update.
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Love how we gave JSH a pass on describing apprentice for this set. He deserves the break guys. Probably he's working hard, and not just lying to us about it.
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Check #3 ;)
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Check #3 ;)
Lol.
Also:
Yay!! Transmute won something!
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Man, George R R Martin is really just taking any excuse to not finish writing Winds of Winter.
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Oh wow. I haven't even noticed that "line" and the fact that 2 came after 4 ;)
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Part 5: Prosperity
25. Mind (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Mind)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/mint.jpg)
All the man wanted was to work at the local Mint and produce coin to be used across the kingdom. Instead, he found himself in the middle of a nightmarish feast. His garment slowly threatens to consume his entire body, changing flesh to blue. Though his beard contains great power, it can only counteract so much. This is no age of Prosperity; he should at least be minting Silver.
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Oh god so blurry
Must resist urge to visit eye doctor
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Poor Mine. Ranked last out of the Prosperity card arts. At least it's a very good trasher.
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Mind?
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should be mend, people get the e and the i confused
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Oh, so that's what you Ment.
Anyway, how nightmarish can the Feast be if it has mint in it? At the very least, your breath will smell good after you eat. Or is Nightmarish Feast a new Ruin, which only lets you gain a card costing up to $1?
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24. Talisman (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Talisman)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/talisman.jpg)
The Talisman contains the soul of Lord Voldemort. When worn during your turn, you see images of Chancellor making out with Herbalist. Sometimes this causes the fabric of reality to break and you gain copies of objects recently purchased. Oh, and uh, art-wise. Something about scrolls, cool-looking candles, but nothing special.
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!
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!
Schadd has adapted to the point where he can breathe only art criticism. In the airless environment in which JSH has forced him to live, he is now suffocating. "!", while also most likely the only character that his trembling hand could reach on the keyboard, is also a subtle nod of appreciation for the project that has become his lifeblood.
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!
Schadd has adapted to the point where he can breathe only art criticism. In the airless environment in which JSH has forced him to live, he is now suffocating. "!", while also most likely the only character that his trembling hand could reach on the keyboard, is also a subtle nod of appreciation for the project that has become his lifeblood.
he would've had to hold the "shift" key and hit the "1" key tho. while his hands are trembling, no less. seems like a minor flaw in your otherwise totally reasonable hypothesis.
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!
Schadd has adapted to the point where he can breathe only art criticism. In the airless environment in which JSH has forced him to live, he is now suffocating. "!", while also most likely the only character that his trembling hand could reach on the keyboard, is also a subtle nod of appreciation for the project that has become his lifeblood.
he would've had to hold the "shift" key and hit the "1" key tho. while his hands are trembling, no less. seems like a minor flaw in your otherwise totally reasonable hypothesis.
Even while suffocating, Schadd's got skillz.
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He had the forethought to remap his keyboard for such things.
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call the fkn ambo you nerds
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!
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:'(
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(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/c/c6/Trashing_token.png/100px-Trashing_token.png)
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The current state of this thread has made me think a few times of this (very) short story by Jorge Luis Borges, called "On Exactitude in Science."
". . . In that Empire, the Art of Cartography attained such Perfection that the map of a single Province occupied the entirety of a City, and the map of the Empire, the entirety of a Province. In time, those Unconscionable Maps no longer satisfied, and the Cartographers Guilds struck a Map of the Empire whose size was that of the Empire, and which coincided point for point with it. The following Generations, who were not so fond of the Study of Cartography as their Forebears had been, saw that that vast map was Useless, and not without some Pitilessness was it, that they delivered it up to the Inclemencies of Sun and Winters. In the Deserts of the West, still today, there are Tattered Ruins of that Map, inhabited by Animals and Beggars; in all the Land there is no other Relic of the Disciplines of Geography."
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This thread is on hold until I finish the research paper I'm working on now, the one due a few days after it, and finals week is over (probably). It moves me to tears that you guys are looking forward to the rest, but I don't have the focus to write anything at the moment and I don't want to dissatisfy you with just the list and no extremely insightful analysis. Or skeleton jokes.
Hang in there, guys.
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The current state of this thread has made me think a few times of this (very) short story by Jorge Luis Borges, called "On Exactitude in Science."
". . . In that Empire, the Art of Cartography attained such Perfection that the map of a single Province occupied the entirety of a City, and the map of the Empire, the entirety of a Province. In time, those Unconscionable Maps no longer satisfied, and the Cartographers Guilds struck a Map of the Empire whose size was that of the Empire, and which coincided point for point with it. The following Generations, who were not so fond of the Study of Cartography as their Forebears had been, saw that that vast map was Useless, and not without some Pitilessness was it, that they delivered it up to the Inclemencies of Sun and Winters. In the Deserts of the West, still today, there are Tattered Ruins of that Map, inhabited by Animals and Beggars; in all the Land there is no other Relic of the Disciplines of Geography."
Ah, things to funny scales. Here's an interesting one (http://joshworth.com/dev/pixelspace/pixelspace_solarsystem.html).
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The current state of this thread has made me think a few times of this (very) short story by Jorge Luis Borges, called "On Exactitude in Science."
". . . In that Empire, the Art of Cartography attained such Perfection that the map of a single Province occupied the entirety of a City, and the map of the Empire, the entirety of a Province. In time, those Unconscionable Maps no longer satisfied, and the Cartographers Guilds struck a Map of the Empire whose size was that of the Empire, and which coincided point for point with it. The following Generations, who were not so fond of the Study of Cartography as their Forebears had been, saw that that vast map was Useless, and not without some Pitilessness was it, that they delivered it up to the Inclemencies of Sun and Winters. In the Deserts of the West, still today, there are Tattered Ruins of that Map, inhabited by Animals and Beggars; in all the Land there is no other Relic of the Disciplines of Geography."
Reminds me of the Steven Wright joke, "I bought a life size map of the US. It took me all summer to unfold it."
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23. Counting House (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Counting_House)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/countinghouse.jpg)
The stiffness in this patron's walk is humerus, to say the least. You almost never notice any of the details on the actual card, like the victory shield (which has nothing to do with Counting House's actual effect) and the fact that the counting guy on the left can move his neck like an owl.
22. Quarry (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Quarry)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/quarry.jpg)
Some would say that rocks are the backbone of a quarry. All these spare slabs sitting around are like heaps of spare ribs. It is nice that the artist so intently drew the ladder's shadow, but nothing can change the fact that we are looking at a pile of rocks.
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I don't think it's a coincidence that cards JSH considers to be bad have bad art as well.
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21. Royal Seal (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Royal_Seal)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/royalseal.jpg)
The stamping device is old and worn, like a slightly rusty trombone. We see the huge seal upon a piece of parchment... or is it a tile floor? We may never know the truth, but the truth is out there.
20. Bank (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Bank)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/bank.jpg)
This is not a bank; it is a bar. There are men gambling, which is one activity in which one handles coins, but there is no evidence that money is being stored here. Instead, we can infer that the men sitting around this establishment are of a rough sort; nothing gets under their skin.
19. Vault (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Vault)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/vault.jpg)
The Dominion Vault stores several lost treasures. There is a fine ornamental piece of armor, the crucifix Duchess was sacrificed on, a number of blue clock-like devices, and a generic portrait of Andrew Jackson. The hidden vault was uncovered by famous detective Sherlock Bones.
18. King's Court (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/_King's Court)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/kingscourt.jpg)
The King's Court is absolutely enormous. Santa sits at the throne, surrounding by his fairy tale brethren. But why is everyone confined to the court? Simply put, there is a plague going around, and everyone's been coffin.
17. Expand (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Expand)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/expand.jpg)
The engineer watches as an oddly-shaped man stands on the scaffold, painstakingly constructing the lovely tower. She was going to do more than stare at the guy, but it turned out physical labor wasn't for her because she didn't have the stomach.
16. Forge (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Forge)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/forge.jpg)
Yet another person who thinks this blood-red scheme is to kill for. Geez, woman, if you wanted the room decorated like this so badly, why are you skullking so much? And is it just me, or do the positions of her fingers look like she was original sewing and the artist cut her out of that picture and changed the scenery? Weird picture, but not bad.
15. Mountebank (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Mountebank)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/mountebank.jpg)
The mountebank is peddling that potion hard. Anyone on Boardgamegeek will tell you how useless a potion is. I had one myself the other day; it went right through me. I'm not a huge fan of how shiny everyone in this picture's clothes are, but at least the mountebank's doofy grin is amusing.
14. Worker's Village (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Worker's_Village)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/workersvillage.jpg)
If I saw this color fog rising up in my hometown, I'd be out of there in a hurry. If you wouldn't, I'd have to say you're some kind of numbskull.
13. Peddler (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Peddler)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/peddler.jpg)
The peddler, while cute, is actually dead on the inside. Her offering is driven solely by capitalistic motivations, and her smile is facetious. You might even say she's heartless. That said, even a heartless person can be beautiful. And I really want that hat. Come, participate in the exchange of funds like a good sheep.
12. Contraband (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Contraband)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/contraband.jpg)
Do you think there might be someone in the coffin stuffed under that tarp? I suspect there's nobody.
11. Monument (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Monument)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/monument.jpg)
Hey, I invited you for lunch over at the monument. What is it a monument for, anyway? Maybe it's a little blurry, but the scenery is nice. Anyway, here's your watercress sandwich. Bone appetit!
10. Venture (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Venture)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/venture.jpg)
I didn't notice there was a guy in a green cape there for several years. I thought it was just a picture of a bored lord. Geez, someone needs to tickle his funny bone.
9. Hoard (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Hoard)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/hoard.jpg)
I am gonna jump right into that pile, and there's nothing you can do to stop me! I'm a daredevil! Bone to be wild!
8. City (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/City)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/city.jpg)
They say that most conquerors have a glorious vision of the future. The ambition of the great Napoleon Boneapart was to wipe out all of Australia and replace its ruins with these majestic Cities. He had a thing for cobblestone.
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Either jsh is still fighting the skeleton war or he just had an anatomy exam <.<
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Either jsh is still fighting the skeleton war or he just had an anatomy exam <.<
Doot doot.
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Is it Christmas already??
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22. Quarry (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Quarry)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/quarry.jpg)
Some would say that rocks are the backbone of a quarry. All these spare slabs sitting around are like heaps of spare ribs. It is nice that the artist so intently drew the ladder's shadow, but nothing can change the fact that we are looking at a pile of rocks.
oh god. i will never be able to unsee the awful shadow of that ladder now.
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7. Goons (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Goons)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/goons.jpg)
Despite having a picture in which several men are holding scrolls, the art for Goons (originally Pawn) fares nicely. I particularly like how each of the men has a seemingly distinct personality, all implied by their facial expressions. On the left is one of my favorite actors, Toshirô Mifune. In the center, your average mob boss stereotype, and on the right, Inigo Montoya. There's a great bunch.
6. Loan (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Loan)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/loan.jpg)
The sneering loan...er... clearly represents the Bursar's office of Dominion University. He carries a veneer of distrust, implying some semesters he might try to take three times the amount of tuition he's demanding. But wait! I have it backwards. The man on the left is giving the money out. This means that the man on the right is grinning evilly about borrowing money. Does anyone ever actually feel empowered when they have to take out a loan? Not me. Perhaps this man is a criminal mastermind running a scheme. That's my best theory. Great art can carry a wealth of implications.
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I am pretty sure the guy in the middle of the Goons card art is the victim, not the boss. Look at the way the goon on the right is putting his arm around him, and how the guy in the middle is clearly trying to reject signing the scroll.
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Guy on the left of Loan could also be paying the loan back.
IT'S AmBiGuItY!
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The guy on the right has a degenerative brain disease and is not planning on paying the loan back. Although, Rocky has had a degenerative brain disease since 1990 and he's still ticking!
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I am pretty sure the guy in the middle of the Goons card art is the victim, not the boss. Look at the way the goon on the right is putting his arm around him, and how the guy in the middle is clearly trying to reject signing the scroll.
I really like the art on Goons. The way the tall, grinning guy with the many teeth reaches around the obviously wealthy, but nervous gent in the middle, pushing the pen in his hands, while his partner in crime pins him from the other side, ink allready prepared, both with an unhealthy look in their entire appeareance, has a lot of that over-the-top shadyness you'd see with classic animation movie villains. I don't particularly like playing with Goons, but the art is brilliant.
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5. Grand Market (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Grand_Market)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/grandmarket.jpg)
Though in some ways it looks smaller than the original Market, Grand Market gets the job done nicely. It's the Whole Foods of the Dominion world, where Nobles can buy loaves of bread with random crushed spices mixed in. The common man's money is no good here for sure.
4. Watchtower (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Watchtower)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/watchtower.jpg)
The lone watchtower stands near the mountains, majestically opposing the "all red" trend vampires have spread like a cancer through the land. Blue is clearly better, right? Well, that's what they want you to think. One feels like a true patrician playing this card, so professional and sturdy it seems. The art is truly fitting of one of the greatest Dominion cards. Liopoil, mail the check to my address by this Sunday so I can get it before the holidays.
3. Bishop (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Bishop)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/bishop.jpg)
I'm sure we all remember the most egregious misrank on the original card list. Are you happy now? Can I go home? I've paid my dues. Sure, I still think it doesn't look like a Dominion card, but you know, Borrowers can't be choosers. The magical and otherworldly atmosphere of the blue background adds a nice feeling to this one. I wonder if it was a reject from Alchemy?
2. Rabble (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Rabble)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/rabble.jpg)
Who doesn't love an angry mob? It's the internet personified. Or perhaps just the MakingFun Dominion audience. I like the work that was put in to the individual faces here. Sure, it could have been a faceless mob, but instead we get to feel the anger at an appropriate sunset. Rabble on.
1. Trade Route (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Trade_Route)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/traderoute.jpg)
It's fitting that the Trade Route got its own higher-quality mat. It's truly a lovely painting, with happy little trees that would make Bob Ross smile. These humble travelers are on a journey to exchange fine goods, possibly illegally, and they look fashionable doing it. When we think of the theme of Prosperity, big and bold comes to mind, so it's curious that the best art belongs to the manipulated masses and every-man traders. There's something of worth in that disparity for us all.
(https://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1747320.jpg)
In some ways, Prosperity amps up the art. We have some nicely minted tokens that are pleasing to the eye and touch, as well as some mats like those seen in Seaside. The overall artistic theme of the set feels a bit undefined, whereas the previous two sets' cards mostly looked good together. Maybe I'm just seeing things.
(https://boardgamegeek.com/camo/fc5221fdd5ffba25a38df15662046dfd68f8be90/687474703a2f2f63662e6765656b646f2d696d616765732e636f6d2f696d616765732f7069633830383231335f6d642e6a7067)
While it is nice having all these mats for holding tokens, I can't say I think the art on them pops. The walking couple is cute, the city walls one is great, the boat is sweet, and the one in the center reminds me of Courtyard, but a lot of it is, for lack of a better word, standard-looking. Well, it's nothing to complain about; mostly, these mats serve as a bonus.
My average rating for Prosperity is 6.56. It's about as good as Seaside, but lacking a bit in the visual theme that complemented that set.
Current ranking:
Alchemy 7.12
Seaside 6.73
Prosperity 6.56
Base 6.4
Intrigue 6.02
The next set we'll be looking at is Cornucopia, which I at one time considered to have the best art in the game, but we'll see how things are nowadays.
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Hey, we agreed to #1, not 4! I'm not paying.
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I would've paid double what he offered if you needed money back when you were doing the Intrigue cards...
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2. Rabble (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Rabble)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/rabble.jpg)
Who doesn't love an angry mob? It's the internet personified. Or perhaps just the MakingFun Dominion audience. I like the work that was put in to the individual faces here. Sure, it could have been a faceless mob, but instead we get to feel the anger at an appropriate sunset. Rabble on.
I like that they got Gérard Depardieu to grow a beard and join in on the mob.
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(https://boardgamegeek.com/camo/fc5221fdd5ffba25a38df15662046dfd68f8be90/687474703a2f2f63662e6765656b646f2d696d616765732e636f6d2f696d616765732f7069633830383231335f6d642e6a7067)
While it is nice having all these mats for holding tokens, I can't say I think the art on them pops. The walking couple is cute, the city walls one is great, the boat is sweet, and the one in the center reminds me of Courtyard, but a lot of it is for lack of a better word, standard-looking. Well, it's nothing to complain about; mostly, these mats serve as a bonus.
The mats are not new art for the mats. They're close-ups on parts of pre-existing art (sometimes with details tweaked).
upper middle: Seaside box
upper right: Base set box (with details added)
center-left: Prosperity box
center: Properity box
center-right: Vineyard
bottom-left: Intrigue box
bottom-right: Seaside box
The only one I can't find is the two people walking in the upper left. It's probably meant to be part of the art from the Base set box with the two people added in.
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Bonus round: find Waldo!
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The only VP token mat I've ever had a request for is the Vineyard one. I don't keep the mats with the set I carry around, but when I do tournaments I make sure that the mats are there for every game that needs them.
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The only VP token mat I've ever had a request for is the Vineyard one. I don't keep the mats with the set I carry around, but when I do tournaments I make sure that the mats are there for every game that needs them.
I just keep a tally on my phone when we play with VP token cards.
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The only one I can't find is the two people walking in the upper left. It's probably meant to be part of the art from the Base set box with the two people added in.
This is part of the picture on the front cover of the Base set rules.
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The only VP token mat I've ever had a request for is the Vineyard one. I don't keep the mats with the set I carry around, but when I do tournaments I make sure that the mats are there for every game that needs them.
I just keep a tally on my phone when we play with VP token cards.
I just use my abacus.
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The only VP token mat I've ever had a request for is the Vineyard one. I don't keep the mats with the set I carry around, but when I do tournaments I make sure that the mats are there for every game that needs them.
I just keep a tally on my phone when we play with VP token cards.
I just use my abacus.
Apparently in Japan they learn to do math with a mental abacus.
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Sorry. I hadn't looked at the forum for a few months and got behind reading this post. I have been enjoying catching up on things. It's amazing what you can find in these pictures if you look closely at them. Here are some thoughts I have:
Lookout - For the longest time, I thought the mast behind his head was some kind of weird hat.
Smugglers - There is no way I would ask those guys to smuggle anything for me. They both look like they are part of the "Several French Fries Short of a Happy Meal" gang.
Salvager - I never realized that was a big school of fish on the left side until I looked at the hi-res version.
Lighthouse - Outpost is a very good picture, but I love the excellent use of color and the detail on the stonework and the little stairs on the left of the lighthouse. The colorful flowers in the grassy foreground are the final touch to what has to be in the top five of all Dominion art. Outpost conveys its title well, but lacks the detail and emotional punch of Lighthouse.
Bank - I never looked close at that scene. How in the world is that supposed to represent a bank? I think if you are crazy enough to deposit money there, you shouldn't expect to get anything back.
King's Court - I always thought the white thing around the king's neck was some kind of ruffle, like they used to wear in Britain. Now that I realize it is a beard, is this Santa's summer job?
Worker's Village - Why is someone doing their laundry (specifically folding their white sheet) in the middle of a construction site? Perhaps he is looking for an engineer to help him figure out how to do it.
Venture - I never saw the guy in the green cape either. Now I finally understand how the picture fits the card. The king, or whatever he is, is offering the guy money to go on some venture for him. Or maybe he wants to hire him as a jester. With that bright red hair, he might be able to give the Joker a run for his money.
Goons - I always thought there were 3 goons, though the middle guy didn't look very menacing. Now that I look closely, I see that the 2 goons are trying to force Belle's father from Beauty and the Beast to sign over his wood chopping machine.
Bishop - Why does the bishop have a normal hand holding his staff and a scarecrow hand on the other arm where he is blessing the guy.
Trade Route - I like the choice of Trade Route for #1 in Prosperity.
Thanks again for doing this, Josh. It's a lot of fun to take a closer look at these cards.
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2. Rabble (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Rabble)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/rabble.jpg)
I'm particularly fond of the dude in the bottom left corner. You can almost feel the frothing spittle!
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i feel like you should do the next rankings...
... in character (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzo6L3wsf8c)
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Well, I guess with Empires announced, we can't expect any future updates here, right?
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The "s" in "jsh" stands for Sisyphus.
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5. Grand Market (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Grand_Market)
(http://dominion.diehrstraits.com/scans/prosperity/grandmarket.jpg)
Though in some ways it looks smaller than the original Market, Grand Market gets the job done nicely. It's the Whole Foods of the Dominion world, where Nobles can buy loaves of bread with random crushed spices mixed in. The common man's money is no good here for sure.
Somehow it was missed that there is a headless person in this art.
(http://i.imgur.com/NUknQqH.jpg)
Unless the guy is holding up a cloak that appears to have feet attached. And the guy next to Headless Nick is certainly horrified by what he is seeing...
Not sure if this should move the card art up or down in the rankings.
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I'm pretty sure he's trying to sell a carpet.
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I'm pretty sure he's trying to sell a carpet.
That might make more sense... But I like my theory more...
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Somehow it was missed that there is a headless person in this art.
This thread has revealed a lot of hidden details, but this monstrosity can't be unseen.
Also, did jsh go insane after only a couple of expansions?
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Somehow it was missed that there is a headless person in this art.
This thread has revealed a lot of hidden details, but this monstrosity can't be unseen.
Also, did jsh go insane after only a couple of expansions?
Yes, but that was because of grad school, not the thread
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Yes, but that was because of grad school, not the thread
Any chance you'll pick it up again?
The critique, not the grad school.
Or the insanity.
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Yes, but that was because of grad school, not the thread
Any chance you'll pick it up again?
The critique, not the grad school.
Or the insanity.
"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, when the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When Donald's mind quickens again, and he releases another expansion. Then he will return, and not before."
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Yes, but that was because of grad school, not the thread
Any chance you'll pick it up again?
The critique, not the grad school.
Or the insanity.
I'm going to say no. It just isn't worth doing, and I'm not the best judge of art anyway. If you had good times reading the thread(s), I'm glad, though.
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Empires Art Rankings is the most anticipated thing of 2016.
I think you should build up with some teasers.
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I'm not the best judge of art anyway.
Yes you are.
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"When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, when the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves. When Donald's mind quickens again, and he releases another expansion. Then he will return, and not before."
25th, then?
Lovely.
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I'm not the best judge of art anyway.
Yes you are.
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I'm not the best judge of art anyway.
Yes you are.
This is one of my favorite threads
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This is one of my favorite threads
Me, too.
And I should know: I've been here since yesterday.
Josh is the reason I haven't contributed anything halfway productive to this forum: I was in here reading every bit of it.
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Come back jsh. You are the Duchess f.ds needs.
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If jsh won't write card art rankings, I will take up the mantle when Empires drops the mic. Nobody is going to like it though. Save f.ds from my card rankings, jsh.
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I think I could have my teenage daughters rate the art. They don't really play Dominion so it could be pretty entertaining.
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I will definitely miss your rankings, Josh. Please let us know if you change your mind.
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I spoke to my daughters and they are willing to participate. I know we will not be nearly as entertaining as JSH, but I hope it will be at least fun.
Keep in mind that I do not have an artistic bone in my body and that my daughters all roll their eyes at the mere mention of Dominion.
If someone can point me to the discussion of how to include the card art in a post, that will help me out.
We will begin after the release of Empires.
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If someone can point me to the discussion of how to include the card art in a post, that will help me out.
To include art, first find the art source. The Dominion Wiki (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Main_Page) has great art thanks to Wero. Right click on the image and select the Copy Image Address
Next go to the image button on the Post Reply. It looks like this:
(http://i.imgur.com/CRUh1xe.jpg)
Click on that button. The following will appear [img][/img]. Go in between the two brackets and paste the image address that you copied from the Wiki. Like this [img]http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/e/ea/Prince.jpg/150px-Prince.jpg[/img]
If you want the image to be smaller or larger, change the [img] to [img width=100] or [img width=500] depending on how large you want it to be.
Hope this helps.
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Well, I'll write my stuff when Empires comes out then. I'll study the combined works of jsh and try to include him a little into my writing, since everyone loves jsh so much.
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since everyone loved jsh so much.
We should now talk about him in the past tense after he abandoned this thread
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since everyone loved jsh so much.
We should now talk about him in the past tense after he abandoned this thread
rip in piece jsh
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I'm going to miss him so much
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since everyone loved jsh so much.
We should now talk about him in the past tense after he abandoned this thread
rip in piece jsh
F
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I have considered moving my posts regarding art to 'Best Uninteresting Moments of Dominion 2016', but for the sake of consistency, I will leave them here until I start my own thread for the actual posts.
I have begun the process. We will attempt to rate the card art from all the sets together (including Empires). We will not include box art or mat art or the original Copper, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Potion, Estate, Duchy, Province, and Colony cards. We will include the new version of those cards.
My daughters and I will sort the cards into several groups from which I will average their group ranking and then resort them by the averaged score. We will then sit down together and rank them and provide whatever commentary comes about. Not all of the commentary will be original since I can't un-know what I have read from JSH's rankings and the other related posts from the community.
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Can't you just make a new thread? I mean, you are not jsh, and adding to his works is like spray painting on top of the Mona Lisa.
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Can't you just make a new thread? I mean, you are not jsh, and adding to his works is like spray painting on top of the Mona Lisa.
that seems like an extreme example.
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Can't you just make a new thread? I mean, you are not jsh, and adding to his works is like spray painting on top of the Mona Lisa.
He said exactly that
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Can't you just make a new thread? I mean, you are not jsh, and adding to his works is like spray painting on top of the Mona Lisa.
He said exactly that
Oh, he did. How did I miss that?
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I did say that I will start a new thread once I actually have some art ratings. I think that even JSH would probably agree that comparing his art ratings to the Mona Lisa is a bit of a stretch.
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Serious Question: What is the Mona Lisa of f.ds? Is it Bomb? Is it "everyone is WW"? Is it schadd? (favorite user besides Donald X. himself) Man, so many great options.
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Serious Question: What is the Mona Lisa of f.ds? Is it Bomb? Is it "everyone is WW"? Is it schadd? (favorite user besides Donald X. himself) Man, so many great options.
It's dominion. Obviously
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I did say that I will start a new thread once I actually have some art ratings. I think that even JSH would probably agree that comparing his art ratings to the Mona Lisa is a bit of a stretch.
I know / why the card art rankings smiled / dominion / must have been a really funny game / and laughter / is the only way into my heart
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Serious Question: What is the Mona Lisa of f.ds? Is it Bomb? Is it "everyone is WW"? Is it schadd? (favorite user besides Donald X. himself) Man, so many great options.
It's dominion. Obviously
Too obvious. It has to originate from f.ds
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Serious Question: What is the Mona Lisa of f.ds? Is it Bomb? Is it "everyone is WW"? Is it schadd? (favorite user besides Donald X. himself) Man, so many great options.
The Articles
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Serious Question: What is the Mona Lisa of f.ds? Is it Bomb? Is it "everyone is WW"? Is it schadd? (favorite user besides Donald X. himself) Man, so many great options.
The Articles
Aren't the articles more like a wing of the Louvre?
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This is my first forum post between 3:00 and 5:30. And probably the only one
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This is my first forum post between 3:00 and 5:30. And probably the only one
why this topic?
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This is my first forum post between 3:00 and 5:30. And probably the only one
why this topic?
He's drunk!
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This is my first forum post between 3:00 and 5:30. And probably the only one
why this topic?
He's drunk!
He's underage!
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This is my first forum post between 3:00 and 5:30. And probably the only one
why this topic?
He's drunk!
He's underage!
That's why he hasn't the discipline to not randomly post drunk yet
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I've already called the police. You're all in trouble now.
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Oops I meant to post that in Random Stuff III
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I was looking at Random Stuff in fear because I couldn't find my post and I was like 'man, it was just a dream!' But it wasn't.
And I was only drunk posting if a bottle of mouthwash is alcoholic ;)
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And I was only drunk posting if a bottle of mouthwash is alcoholic ;)
So, did you get drunk on mouthwash because they wouldn't sell you liquor or because you couldn't afford it?
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By the way, i'm not saying this to be rude. I'm just pretty certain most kinds of mouthwash actually contain alcohol (mine does) and your comment made you sound like someone who really desperately needed his stuff.
Also, i just explained the joke, hooray.
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A true Random Stuff poster not only randomizes their post content, but also the board to which the post is posted.
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A true Random Stuff poster not only randomizes their post content, but also the board to which the post is posted.
Okay, I'll give it a go.
Brighton Sex Maniacs and Antony Flew.
Was that random enough?
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And so we move on to Cornucopia. It's the heartiest expansion, full of feast, glory, and gloomy people. Fun times shall be had by all.
18. Tournament (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Tournament)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/c/c4/Tournament.jpg/376px-Tournament.jpg)
This looks like it was drawn with colored pencils during the middle of a Medieval Literature course, quickly adapted into a card, and turned in at the last minute. Taylor Bennett didn't contribute any other art for Dominion, and honestly, it's not hard to see why here. The perspective is all off and the colors don't mesh well. With that said, it's better than a lot of other art in Dominion. Cornucopia is simply a step up from previous expansions in terms of art.
17. Bag of Gold (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Bag_Of_Gold)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/b/b4/Bag_of_Gold.jpg/379px-Bag_of_Gold.jpg)
This is a bag of Gold. It's... fine. What do you want from me?
16. Diadem (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Diadem)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/3/35/Diadem.jpg/373px-Diadem.jpg)
Would Voldemort have worn this on his head? Maybe. I don't think I'd have hidden part of my mortal soul in it, though. It's pretty cool, I guess. I dig the swirl in the gem, and the background colors suit the diadem itself. Whee.
15. Hunting Party (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Hunting_Party)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/a/ab/Hunting_Party.jpg/375px-Hunting_Party.jpg)
Donald X has pointed out technical inaccuracies with the scene here in the past, and that's all well and bad. Aside from that, the scene itself is difficult to see on the actual card due to the contrast between the trees and animals. That has to count against it. I wonder if this is secretly some sort of Satanic sacrifice ritual; I'll have to ask my local deer.
14. Followers (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Followers)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/1/12/Followers.jpg/375px-Followers.jpg)
Well, speaking of Satanic rituals...Thematically, this card always confused me. It looks more like an angry mob of peaceful protesters picketing the government than some meanie followers I need to be looking out for.
13. Remake (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Remake)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/2/2b/Remake.jpg/375px-Remake.jpg)
Remake, much like its cousin Upgrade, is still in development. The red, vampiric fog is setting in, threatening to morph this pile of wood into an Ent demon. What is being remade here, anyway? The... other word for arch... there? What happened? Did someone buy a couple more feet of land and needed to set their wall a little bit farther? Imagine being the worker getting exploited to do THIS project. No wonder those protesters were up in arms.
12. Princess (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Princess)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/4/42/Princess.jpg/377px-Princess.jpg)
The Princess is cute, neckless frame and all. She carries a bow, has a friendly golden eagle friend, and is starring in an anime. I do have to wonder what's with her eyes. Perhaps we have finally found the source of the undead scourge haunting the realms of Dominion.
11. Trusty Steed (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Trusty_Steed)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/1/12/Trusty_Steed.jpg/379px-Trusty_Steed.jpg)
This image is begging to have a top hat and monocle Photoshopped in. Someone page the guy who does all that. While the Steed stands in a rather dull scene, s/he is quite attractive, befitting of the title. I'm not completely sure about the lighting on the blue plates there, but it looks nice enough that I can withhold criticism. Now somebody get this poor horse into the barn before the storm starts.
10. Fairgrounds (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Fairgrounds)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/7/7e/Fairgrounds.jpg/375px-Fairgrounds.jpg)
In before that one guy complaining about how I just don't ~get~ this deep, special picture. Dude, it's fine. I'm not even rating it that low. Lay off! Anyway, as I've said before, this is a rather drab depiction of a Fairground, not what you'd expect an artist to draw when assigned to do so. Though I have a bit of a post-punk attitude myself, I think a livelier scene may have fit the expansion better. Still, if the gothier vibes are what you want, here's your card.
9. Horse Traders (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Horse_Traders)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/c/c8/Horse_Traders.jpg/374px-Horse_Traders.jpg)
The group of shady Horse Traders exited the Ghost Ship, ready to pawn their wares off on the unsuspecting. Little did they know, their bodies would begin crumbling into an alternate dimension and they'd shortly be jousting in a tournament in a land where realism had been thrown out the window. This card is blue. The guys are all unique and expressive, and the horse seems the smartest of the bunch. It's a lovely image that makes the Reaction border pop.
8. Fortune Teller (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Fortune_Teller)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/5/55/Fortune_Teller.jpg/377px-Fortune_Teller.jpg)
A moment of silence for Ms. Cleo. I like everything about this picture. The outfit is classy, particularly the peacock feather hat. The pose, with the Fortune Teller gazing into a jewel to predict the great Bacon Rains of the next fortnight, is aesthetically pleasing. Even the candles mysteriously glowing in the dark room within the curtains add something here. And we're only at #8, folks. It's just shy of being in the top tier of Dominion art.
7. Young Witch (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Young_Witch)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/9/9e/Young_Witch.jpg/376px-Young_Witch.jpg)
Now HERE'S the winner of the Goth Rock Beauty Pageant. She doesn't care about you, this world, or any of our silly card games. The Bane is a Katy Perry record. There's a great atmosphere here with the gray mist and twisty tree. Her dress is finely tailored (you can buy one today at your local Hot Topic) and her pose cute and funny. I suppose this card fits the theme with Fairgrounds, but I feel it is more successful and relevant to the card title.
6. Menagerie (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Menagerie)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/7/71/Menagerie.jpg/376px-Menagerie.jpg)
Menagerie is unique in the Dominion world; who knew we'd get an animal exhibition when this game began? I like how the trees accentuate the bright atmosphere of the event, and the giraffe eating out of the child's hand is too cute. It's a nice, warm picture that fits the variety theme of the expansion perfectly.
5. Farming Village (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Farming_Village)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/5/51/Farming_Village.jpg/378px-Farming_Village.jpg)
A beautiful scene, complete with vasts fields of hay and even a butterfly. Some might say this is one of the less useful Village cards, but at least your deck will look nice with them around.
4. Hamlet (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Hamlet)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/d/df/Hamlet.jpg/374px-Hamlet.jpg)
Sometimes a scene doesn't have to be particularly striking or unique to be great. The Hamlet is finely detailed and well-constructed, with a fine dirt path and excellent shadow work. The little guy gets to win every once in a while. I do wonder what the man in the foreground is planning to do with that pipe, though.
3. Horn of Plenty (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Horn_Of_Plenty)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/2/20/Horn_of_Plenty.jpg/377px-Horn_of_Plenty.jpg)
Horn of Plenty is the centerpiece of the set, and it's a very fitting one. The wealth of fruits, gelatin, escargot, and chicken wing juice make a fine feast worthy of a patrician's deck. The still-life is a subject ancient as time, and today's artists can just crank one out like it's nothing for a picture on a card these days. We can't deny its effectiveness. If I ever switch to elementary school, I'll hang up a bunch of these at our historically accurate Thanksgiving play, right next to the pile of diseased indigenous people.
2. Harvest (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Harvest)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/1/1c/Harvest.jpg/377px-Harvest.jpg)
Maybe I'm weird. Maybe I just have a thing for serene, idyllic farmland imagery. Is this too yellow for you all? Let me start a Strawpoll. Those things are even more yellow, dawg! Anyway, Harvest continues the theme of bad cards having great art. Every time I play with this card I want to find some excuse to add more style points to my deck, but it so rarely happens.
1. Jester (http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/index.php/Jester)
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/1/1b/Jester.jpg/375px-Jester.jpg)
Well, duh. That iconic pose, that sinister mask, and those lovely bells work together to create one of the finest human characters on a Dominion card. This image is striking, and was my favorite card art in the game for a long time. It's still up there! It doesn't get more fashionable than all red and a loose choker.
(http://wiki.dominionstrategy.com/images/thumb/2/26/Cornucopia.jpg/402px-Cornucopia.jpg)
Cornucopia is when Dominion's art got good. Truly, I have few complaints about the art here, and I do wish the standard of quality was always this high. Well, things happen, stuff isn't always perfect. What can you do? The themes of the set are variety and plenty, and the art does evoke it. There's a bit of a random sub-theme of happy vs morose scenes that feels a little strange, but it's not a huge knock against the expansion at all. What we have here is good stuff. Rejoice.
My average rating for Cornucopia is 7.2. In terms of pure numbers, it may not look much better than Alchemy, but it does have more cards, and some of the weaker ones drive down the average.
Current ranking:
Cornucopia 7.2
Alchemy 7.12
Seaside 6.73
Prosperity 6.56
Base 6.4
Intrigue 6.02
The next set to look at is Hinterlands. When will it come? Nobody knows. Least of which me.
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JSH realized his respect ratio was going down, so he did this. That being said, +1
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See Roadrunner, look what a mouthwash-drunken-early-morning post will inspire.
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I wonder if the girl in the Fairgrounds picture, disappointed by the drab carnival, got herself a face tattoo and a new set of clothes and went off to become the Young Witch. It would explain why random cheap baubles scare her so much.
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I wonder if the girl in the Fairgrounds picture, disappointed by the drab carnival, got herself a face tattoo and a new set of clothes and went off to become the Young Witch. It would explain why random cheap baubles scare her so much.
As well as old men hanging out in the places one normally buys cheap baubles from.
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I wonder if the girl in the Fairgrounds picture, disappointed by the drab carnival, got herself a face tattoo and a new set of clothes and went off to become the Young Witch. It would explain why random cheap baubles scare her so much.
Thanks for that more narrative-based interpretation, ConMan. Every time I see YW, all I can hear is the artist's daughter telling her she "doesn't want to be in another stupid portrait, mom, coz, like, you're just going to make me a fairy goddess or an ent or something dumb, and then it's going to get published in a stupid fantasy game for nerds, and then all these even bigger nerds are going to post it on the internet and talk about the colors and motivations and other dumb stuff. Gawd!"
To which her mother invariably replied, "That's nice, honey, now stay still".
Hamlet: I do wonder what the man in the foreground is planning to do with that pipe, though.
To keep the horse traders away, obviously. Shadier than the smugglers, them lot.
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Good, Jester had to be rated number one. Best art in the game!
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Good, Jester had to be rated number one. Best art in the game!
I never got what was with the clouds. Does it symbolize that the Jester always has his head up in the clouds?
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hmm
Guess I hold an unpopular opinion here: never liked Jester art, seems too out of place.
And the card itself.. always stealing my Coppers!
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lol
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I hope that is a joke.
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I hope that is a joke.
Me too. The retro graphics are gorgeous.
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I read jsh's entire blurb in an irritated 1940's radio announcer voice
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The new post-post-modern interpretation of impressionism that pervades these inclusions to the Second Edition is evident of a truly troubling shift in aesthetic principles during our times.
A great man once said, "When the toils of the artisan are valued over those of the adventurer, the last great frontier has surely come to an end."
He just didn't know at the time that he was prophesying some relatively minor changes to a board game he'd never play.
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I can't even bring myself to look at Intrigue.
Proof that JSH is a horrible liar and he already looked at the box art for Intrigue 2: Conspiratorial Boogaloo - quite a few people have already had the same reaction to Sir Silky Codpiece and Lady Gurnsalot.
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The new post-post-modern interpretation of impressionism that pervades these inclusions to the Second Edition is evident of a truly troubling shift in aesthetic principles during our times.
A great man once said, "When the toils of the artisan are valued over those of the adventurer, the last great frontier has surely come to an end."
He just didn't know at the time that he was prophesying some relatively minor changes to a board game he'd never play.
I can't believe I actually fell for that and googled the quote.
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Jester's hands are amazingly done; the mark of a great artist.
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Jester's hands are amazingly done; the mark of a great artist.
Oh yeah! He knows it, too. He's basically laughing at you and saying: "Ha! Look at me, I'm the best art in Dominion!"
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Jester's hands are amazingly done; the mark of a great artist.
Oh yeah! He knows it, too. He's basically laughing at you and saying: "Ha! Look at me, I'm the best art in Dominion!"
Except he was not, even when Cornicopia was just released.
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Jester's hands are amazingly done; the mark of a great artist.
Oh yeah! He knows it, too. He's basically laughing at you and saying: "Ha! Look at me, I'm the best art in Dominion!"
Except he was not, even when Cornicopia was just released.
Excuse me?
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Jester's hands are amazingly done; the mark of a great artist.
Oh yeah! He knows it, too. He's basically laughing at you and saying: "Ha! Look at me, I'm the best art in Dominion!"
Except he was not, even when Cornicopia was just released.
Excuse me?
As to what picture that is, I leave as an exercise to the reader.