I do appreciate you discussing this in such an even way given how clearly disappointed you were.
We're cool. I've done a lot of work on Kickstarter, so I know that leveraging possibilities and engagement in an emotional context can be a real boon --- or a total minefield when you zig and people expected a zag. There's an inevitable emotional release. Hopefully, the fuss people like me made today informs your process going forward. And I have much clearer expectations about what Restoration Games is and isn't.
Indulgence could click with me, the new developments sound interesting. However, the beautiful "homage" to the original game that I'd imagined with a breathtaking modernization and gold foil accents isn't going to happen. My attachment to Pepper's art also has to be understood in the context of its age -- when the art for fantasy-themed games was really pretty bad and often wasn't even in color except for the cover or board. That game didn't look or feel like anything else. This interview with Bob Pepper was helpful for me.
There will be a demand for a new improved version of the gameplay with beautiful art. I saw Chelsea Harper's online portfolio and she is very talented.
Also, a word of caution. When dealing with memory and the past, people remember the way things made them feel more than exact details. Specific sensory details can trigger a wave of feelings ("recognition is stronger than recall"). It's not just the game art of course, the sounds in a game like Dark Tower are essential triggers to the sense memory and perceived value of the experience. When I smell a pack of freshly opened Magic: The Gathering cards I experience temporal anomalies and forget what year it is. I don't think those elements should drive the design process, but they should inform it thoughtfully when mining nostalgic territory (i.e. games that have been out-of-print for more than 10 years).
Let's be honest, any theme in a trick-taking game is a lovely veneer at best.
In general, I agree. But I have found one exception. I'm fond of the thematic integration in the trick-taking game The Bottle Imp. It's between editions now, but an earlier edition even came with the entire short story by Robert Louis Stevenson that inspired the game. People marvel at the thematic integration. Great game, too.