Cover to The Laughter of Dragons

[Corvo]

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Featuring 6 linked adventures, The Laughter of Dragons takes your heroes on a nail-biting series of adventures across the lands around the Mountain in a desperate quest to save both cities from ruin.
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GREAT.

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After the high standard set by Oaths of the Riddermark, I'm very much expecting this one as the "quintaessential fantasy campaign, TOR-style".

I feel too that Oaths raised the bar for fantasy adventures

[Southron]

Is the time set during or after Darkening of Mirkwood?

[Falenthal]

This should, probably, be the ground-breaking supplement for The One Ring that shows how to use dragon(s) in a Middle-earth campaign, in comparison to how they are usually used in other games.

You assume that there will be a dragon in these adventures? Interesting...

Maybe...

What I think will be there is the taint of the dragon (Smaug) in the region, that can't be washed away in just a few years. But that doesn't mean other dragons from the North couldn't have heard about Smaug's death and plan to claim his hoard for them, the same as many Free Folk have come to Dale and Erebor after hearing the news. Bad guys have ears, too. And some of them even wings.

[Falenthal]

(...)
After the high standard set by Oaths of the Riddermark, I'm very much expecting this one as the "quintaessential fantasy campaign, TOR-style".

I feel too that Oaths raised the bar for fantasy adventures

I agree, but I'd say that what Oaths makes wonderfully is to spin a web of human and political relations. The fantasy aspects and creatures that appear are never the core of the plots. I am very grateful for this effort and change in perspective in a game that could be a dungeon-crawler with tons of monsters.

But Erebor should probably have some more "fantasy" in it, I guess.
Unless it's all about a Thieve's Guild in Dale trying to smuggle tainted jewels stolen from Smaug's hoard.

[Majestic]

Yet another gorgeous cover!

[Falenthal]

I'm personally not a fan of the cover; I don't think it's particularly evocative (I had the same feeling toward 'Oaths', although I liked Bree) and feels flat and uninspiring even though it's technically excellent.

Sadly, I have to agree. I feel the extraordinarily evocative covers by Jon Hodgson have disappeared from the TOR line. Probably (hopefully) reserved for the great titles (Gondor, West Eriador,...), but Sam Manley's pictures are not my cup of tea.

[Terisonen]

I'm personally not a fan of the cover; I don't think it's particularly evocative (I had the same feeling toward 'Oaths', although I liked Bree) and feels flat and uninspiring even though it's technically excellent.

Sadly, I have to agree. I feel the extraordinarily evocative covers by Jon Hodgson have disappeared from the TOR line. Probably (hopefully) reserved for the great titles (Gondor, West Eriador,...), but Sam Manley's pictures are not my cup of tea.

I'm afraid I have the same feeling. Not to say they are bad, but not totally in line with the rest of the general graphic. Something in the light treatment... However, the cover of Erebor was excellent too.

[Rich H]

Sadly, I have to agree. I feel the extraordinarily evocative covers by Jon Hodgson have disappeared from the TOR line.

That's my worry too; and the books are weaker because of it. I may start a government petition; enough signatures and it has to be discussed in parliament!

[Yepesnopes]

Holy s**t!!

[Kurt]

I disagree. I dont think that the covers on Oaths of the Riddermark or Laughter of Dragons are 'weak' per se, rather a different style. I do like Jon's covers as well but also want to give credit where it's due, Mr Manley has done a great job. Jon's work is stylised and does not aim for realism but rather uses composition and colour to draw out an emotion or feeling, it suits Middle-earth and is quite a unique style ... I love his work for this reason. I can imagine it would be a challenge for Mr Manley to walk that fine line of producing artwork which is consistant with products already out on peoples bookshelves whilst also displaying and exhibiting his own unique talents as an artist. I think he has done a good job of finding that balance. As someone who has a mild case of OCD where I like everything looking like it's part of a set (grrr .... one book is glossy) I feel that Mr. Manleys work is not out of place on the bookshelf and for me it does have that feeling of Middle-earth about it, all be it in a different way.

My first books and look at artwork from the Lord of the Rings was Roger Garland's cover on The Lord of the Rings paperback set released by Unicorn, Unwin Paperbacks in back 1986. I wish I still had that set.

Cheers,
Kurt