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M20 The Art of Mage: 20 Years and More $4.99
Average Rating:4.7 / 5
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M20 The Art of Mage: 20 Years and More
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M20 The Art of Mage: 20 Years and More
Publisher: Onyx Path Publishing
by Björn L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 05/28/2021 13:04:02
More than trenchcoats and katanas - a Mephisto review

The Art of Mage - 20 years and more

For the anniversary edition of Mage M20, an accompanying artbook has been published, which tries to summarize twenty years of illustration history. Satyros Phil Brucato first looks back self-critically at the beginnings of Mage and the illustration style of "Trenchcoats and Katanas." Subsequently, the reader learns a bit about the workflow in the early years, when illustrations were still sent by mail, revealing glimpses into the early years of White Wolf.

However, the central part is titled Artistic Legacies, introducing many illustrators with a background, anecdotes, and stories - and especially their artistic work for Mage. The artbook impressively shows the range the illustrators have covered and how Mage's graphic representation has changed over the years. The last chapter also presents the illustrations of Mage M20 - and proves that Mage is not just a role-playing game of the 90s. In addition, chapters are dedicated to the signature characters as well as the creation of the Mage Tarot.

I enjoyed the mixture of texts and illustrations immensely because this excursion shows impressively how the complex topics of the most multifaceted game of the World of Darkness is also reflected in an incredible spectrum of artwork. Of the World of Darkness artbooks, this is my clear favorite so far.

(Björn Lippold)



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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M20 The Art of Mage: 20 Years and More
Publisher: Onyx Path Publishing
by John B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/10/2019 00:35:48

I've been fortunate enough to chat at length with a couple of these artists at RPG-related conventions, and I thought the book treats professional visual artists with well-deserved respect.

While it unfortunately doesn't cover every single artist to have ever had illustrations in a Mage rulebook, it does cover more artists than I was expecting. The text doesn't drop any lurid gossip, and it has the length and tone of informative art museum entries as you walk from exhibit to exhibit.

(and I don't mean to poke fun, but considering how many artists artistically place their own hard-to-decipher initials in their work, it IS nice to finally see their names clearly-spelled, front-and-center, surrounded by instant visual reminders of, "Oooo! I didn't know she did THAT one too!")



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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M20 The Art of Mage: 20 Years and More
Publisher: Onyx Path Publishing
by Charles S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 02/19/2019 01:20:29

I love this book.

It has all the great stuff of the Revised Art of Mage book, but updated. Similar amount of art, though slightly less dense. But that lower density is replaced by words describing the process and discussing the art, which is excellent. Best of all, most of the artists have links to their websites, in case anyone has it in them to commission or even just buy prints of pieces they love.

Also, though the Matt Korteling entry, I learned that Mage Minis exist, which...rather surprised me (WoD never seemed super great at tactical combat stuff that minis are good for) and I just hope that someday, whoever has the rights to them at the moment sells them or the files required to 3d print them.

The discussion of signature characters is excellent, covering characters from the beginning of Mage all the way through new ones created for Mage 20. Particularly nice given the lack of a Mage Who's Who book.

Overall, I recommend it even for people who aren't big into art books, it's also an excellent retrospective on Mage and includes bits of vision for its future.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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M20 The Art of Mage: 20 Years and More
Publisher: Onyx Path Publishing
by GEORGIOS M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/01/2017 05:59:49

I ordered the premium and it came with a minor flaw. On the top side of the book where the pages are glued together, there is some glue spilled over and damaged the upper corner of the book.



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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M20 The Art of Mage: 20 Years and More
Publisher: Onyx Path Publishing
by Talon D. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 11/01/2017 00:35:48

This is a fantastic book. It's one of the best "Art of..." books I've ever seen for an RPG line, and I'm not just saying that as a former White Wolf production intern and sometimes illustrator (alas, never for this iteration of MAGE). Most RPG art collections do just that: they collect artwork, artwork that, if you're a fan of that particular game line, you're likely already pretty familiar with. This volume certainly does that, but it surrounds that artwork with really interesting information not just about the art, but about the individual artists that created it, and about the creation of Mage The Ascension as a whole. Phil Brucato gives us an insightful and entertaining insider's look at how the game was created, including a step-by-step breakdown of the production and publishing process (ah, I remember it well), and tells some fun stories about his days at White Wolf along the way. What's more, the art isn't just randomly placed throughout the book, it's organized by artist, with an introduction to each that puts each artist's work in context. This focus really makes M20: The Art Of Mage feel like a personal journey. It becomes about the artists themselves and the creative spirit that they brought to the game as much as its about the art, and that's something I, as an artsit, really appreciate. Reading this book, you get the sense that Brucato feels very deeply for this material and has a great love and reverence for the artwork that graced its pages. One gets the feeling that the art of Mage: The Ascension played as important a role in the game as the words. And, again, as a former White Wolf illustrator, that notion warms my heart. It's a wonderful feeling to know that we bring something other than just simple decoration to the books and products we help create. Well, done, Phil (or is it Satyros, now? Whichever, you're still awesome).



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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