Mikko Saari: Lautapelit.fi to Publish Modern Art in Finnish
Knizia’s favourite auction game Modern Art sees yet another edition, when Finnish board game publisher Lautapelit.fi publishes their version of the game. Instead of reprinting the game directly like they’ve done before, they’ve went and redone the art completely. That’s great, because the original Modern Art isn’t something I’d call beautiful (whether modern art is beautiful in real life is another debate).
Of course, gamers remember the fantastic art Mike Doyle did for the Brazilian edition of the game. When I first heart Lautapelit.fi was going to do Modern Art, I remember suggesting that they could use Doyle’s art instead of the original art. Well, they didn’t and now I’m glad of that. I’ve seen some samples of the new art and it’s really gorgeous.
What they did was to use actual modern art. They have a line-up of five actual Finnish artists with distinct styles. The result is wonderful. I can’t name the names yet, but I’m sure that once the game is out and pictures can be posted on BoardGameGeek, geeks will be lining up to get a copy – just like they did when the Doyle edition came out. Finnish gamers are treated with another exclusive game release, after Ticket to Ride Nordic Countries.
The use of real artists and real paintings will give the game extra credibility. The artists will be better known, too, if the game gets popular (and I certainly hope so). It certainly looks like Lautapelit.fi is doing well with the board games they’ve published so far (the list is impressive: Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, Thurn und Taxis, Puerto Rico, Caylus, Caylus Magna Carta, Bohnanza, Bang!, 6 Nimmt!, Coloretto, Zooloretto and many others), as they’ve been able to do something this gorgeous instead of taking the cheapest way out. A round of applause to a brave publisher!
© 2008 Mikko Saari
Posted by Mikko Saari on Feb 19, 2008 at 12:30 AM in Columnists, Mikko Saari - Finland / 966
Comments:
You must register with BGN in order to comment. Registration is free, but if you appreciate the news, previews, reviews and other material posted on Boardgame News, please consider becoming a member to keep the info flowing to your screen!|
Do you know if the Lautapelit edition will be sold in the other scandinavian countries as well? Posted by Håkan König on Feb 19, 2008 at 02:07 AM | #
|
|
There will also be a French version this year, edited by Matagot. I suppose this not the same as the one you’re talking about. Posted by Olivier Reix on Feb 19, 2008 at 02:44 AM | #
|
|
Well, so far all Lautapelit.fi games have been Scandinavian editions, so I’d guess that would be the case here as well. I haven’t seen any game materials so far, except some cards and the artist value board, and those had no text except the names of the artists and the paintings, so it would be strange if the game was Finnish only. I am sure this is different from the French edition. Posted by Mikko Saari on Feb 19, 2008 at 03:50 AM | #
|
|
I guess I’m the only gamer in the world who thinks the original Modern Art illustrations were both clever and very appropriate for the theme (i.e., they were *supposed* to be ugly, or at the very least, strange). Maybe it helps that I’m no fan of real life modern art! Posted by Larry Levy on Feb 19, 2008 at 11:03 AM | #
|
|
Yes, the game will be available in the other Scandinavian countries too (Norway and Sweden at least). Posted by Trond Braut on Feb 19, 2008 at 05:56 PM | #
|
Next entry: Board 2 Pieces: February 19, 2008
Previous entry: Convention Report: New York Toy Fair 2008 – February 18 (Part One)
