tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post7747239573896436382..comments2024-03-28T06:20:47.668-04:00Comments on GROGNARDIA: Open Friday: Good Gaming CoversJames Maliszewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00341941102398271464noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-21737473212425096192011-12-25T04:44:54.558-05:002011-12-25T04:44:54.558-05:00The first edition of Heavy Gear: Life on Terra Nov...The first edition of <a href="http://thealexandrian.net/wordpress/8419/roleplaying-games/rpgnet-reviews-heavy-gear-life-on-terra-nova" rel="nofollow">Heavy Gear: Life on Terra Nova</a>. The mix of ancient stone heads, modern mecha, and sci-fi drenched adventurers is incredibly intriguing and evocative.Justin Alexanderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02227895898395353754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-8627608889518221862011-12-21T17:25:06.686-05:002011-12-21T17:25:06.686-05:00WFRP 1e was to Warhammer what the AD&D player&...WFRP 1e was to Warhammer what the AD&D player's guide was to AD&D, as you have described so many times before.Heironymus Blitzenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02861718801642050619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-30561865721766503342011-12-12T10:25:17.339-05:002011-12-12T10:25:17.339-05:00* In Nomine by SJG - the burning feather cover. A ...* In Nomine by SJG - the <a href="http://www.sjgames.com/innomine/Core/img/cover-lg.jpg" rel="nofollow">burning feather cover</a>. A complete stylistic whiplash from the trippy cartoony-ness of the interior art, but nice and evocative.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04072272223837426211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-12731000373289547512011-12-12T08:38:25.480-05:002011-12-12T08:38:25.480-05:00Nobody's mentioned them, I think, so I will. F...Nobody's mentioned them, I think, so I will. FGU's <i>Bushido</i> and Chaosium's <i>Ringworld</i> both have covers that to my mind stir the viewer's thoughts about what kind of feel the game could achieve (even if the rules themselves might not quite have been up to it). Luke Crane's <i>Mouse Guard</i>, more recently, also has this quality.Viktorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04867648528753994863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-24139494006943205132011-12-12T05:59:24.518-05:002011-12-12T05:59:24.518-05:00Fábulas:
http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6913/...Fábulas:<br /><br />http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/6913/fabulasyg0.jpg<br /><br />Albeit a bit finicky, it is a good and evocative example of the setting helping to visualize the dichotomy between the real world and the fairy tales one.Jorge Arredondo Sanabriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15277972688830194326noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-16474910282021888082011-12-11T16:40:39.896-05:002011-12-11T16:40:39.896-05:00Paranoia (2nd ed) by West End Games.Paranoia (2nd ed) by West End Games.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08863118245243138750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-24689595695076425972011-12-11T00:12:17.092-05:002011-12-11T00:12:17.092-05:00AD&D: Battle System boxed set
http://www.acae...AD&D: Battle System boxed set<br /><br />http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/miscpages/miscscans/battsys1.jpg<br /><br />When I was younger I could stare for hours wondering: how the battle started, who were those dinosaur riding barbarians, and how it would suck to be trapped in the jaws of a triceratops!<br /><br />That action scene is how I envisioned all the battles we had. Looking again, the red color treatment really helps to emphasize the element of danger.Moorhawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07859537118710762813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-17506322043462211862011-12-10T14:29:54.860-05:002011-12-10T14:29:54.860-05:00Oh, I see now Cthulhu 2nd edition just reused the ...Oh, I see now Cthulhu 2nd edition just reused the 1st edition art. That's the one I mean. What S'mon said. :)Spooktalkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09436639944558607691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-72775539019542874652011-12-10T14:26:44.147-05:002011-12-10T14:26:44.147-05:00Few of the awesome game illustrations that come to...Few of the awesome game illustrations that come to mind are covers, and fewer are covers to the main rulebook itself. In a number of cases the main rulebook was done by someone less invested/knowledgeable than the interior artists, and in some striking examples the covers are at cross purposes. I always saw this as an intentional move to appeal to a lower common denominator. The best example I can think of is Shadowrun 1st/2nd edition, where the (Elmore) cover seemed to my 12-year-old sensibilities a horrible throwback, and it was only some time later that I engaged with the world thanks to the straight up awesome Tim Bradstreet and Janet Aulisio art inside. There's some love for the WFRP 1e cover above but to a lesser degree I put this and the 2nd edition as well in the same category. My WFRP is drawn by Blanche with a little room for a select few others. There are many more obvious "painted by committee" Games Workshop examples, Necromunda being the the best (possibly a better example than Shadowrun). That Geoff Taylor cover, wow.<br /><br />Sometimes the move to get a, what, more legitimate or professional, or well-known? artist works ok, as for example the Under Ground cover (Geoff Darrow, though an action scene would have been an infinitely better choice), and the Champions 4th edition (George Perez, which I can appreciate now though at the time it seemed pretty stale and I largely ignored the cover art and interior illustrations altogether).<br /><br />If I think a little more of course I can come up some nominees, though. Call of Cthulhu covers are generally great and I'll throw my vote behind the 5th edition already mentioned. The 2nd edition is also fantastic. The interior Call of Cthulhu art has some basic utility but the cover is what draws you in and tells you what the game is about.Spooktalkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09436639944558607691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-24811280557287278442011-12-10T13:45:15.406-05:002011-12-10T13:45:15.406-05:00Yeah, the Twilight 2K box cover really grabbed me....Yeah, the Twilight 2K box cover really grabbed me... the ominous sky in the background.Timmy Crabcakeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14737954661234574830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-81250048668208099602011-12-10T12:25:18.895-05:002011-12-10T12:25:18.895-05:00First Edition Twilight:2000 cover. It captured the...First Edition Twilight:2000 cover. It captured the 'doom and gloom' of the setting perfectly.Mack Eyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03188439184400961414noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-44908522003925333312011-12-10T10:48:16.938-05:002011-12-10T10:48:16.938-05:00Apart from the 1st ed. PHB, I've always liked ...Apart from the 1st ed. PHB, I've always liked the Erol Otus pic on the Basic Rules, and the artwork for the 1st ed. MM2. Different styles, but each captures something. The stairway and archway in the Otus work was always, to me, a major part of early D&D. The MM2 cover just had something 'fictional/fantasy' about the whole forest, not just the giant. Both evoked a sense of what the game was about, at least IMHO.David Griffeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06629314279592541401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-28721497010726053392011-12-10T09:53:18.886-05:002011-12-10T09:53:18.886-05:00The original edition of WEG Paranoia has just the ...The original edition of WEG Paranoia has just the right balance of cartoonishness and seriousness to draw you into the world. Excellent cover.<br />http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/1a/Paranoia-1st-edition-cover.jpg<br /><br />Likewise their 1st edition WEG Star Wars is either a movie poster or based on one; it very effectively evokes Star Wars and makes me want to play.<br />http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6e/Star_Wars_Role-Playing_Game_1987.jpg<br /><br />The Call of Cthulu 1st edition cover with the investigators outside the mansion, the lightning sky, tentacle, female investigator clutching her bosom, is a personal favourite - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/33/Call_of_Cthulhu_RPG_1st_ed_1981.jpg<br /><br />I have to say, none of the main D&D edition covers are particularly good by comparison. The best would have to be the Moldvay (Otus) and Mentzer (Elmore) Basic Set covers, which both have Player Character like figures doing stuff, like the Cthulu and Star Wars covers - the Paranoia cover is odd because centres on IntSec troopers, not Troubleshooters, but we see from the screen that the IntSec guys are shooting down from cover on some unfortunate party of PCs...Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01173759805310975320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-29675502265914860172011-12-10T09:32:36.046-05:002011-12-10T09:32:36.046-05:00Mullen S&W WhiteBox cover -- the one with the ...Mullen S&W WhiteBox cover -- the one with the adventurers in the snow. Great color palette in this illo, plus an interesting scene unfolding. The snowy landscape, blue sky, and colored capes of the hapless party all really work for me.Carter Soleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01286436801953647693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-12697017806894504022011-12-10T09:28:11.120-05:002011-12-10T09:28:11.120-05:00No year restriction? Great XD !
Then allow me to ...No year restriction? Great XD !<br /><br />Then allow me to repost this German cover by Zoltán Boros and Gábor Szikszai:<br /><br />http://www.dasschwarzeauge.de/typo3temp/pics/f55a668fdd.jpg<br /><br />Thanks to Ray Harryhausen, I'm a sucker for skeletons, so this cover already sold me. It just has a certain "I wanna do that, too!"-effect one me...<br /><br />Another great The Dark Eye cover (by the same two artists) is this one:<br /><br />http://www.drosi.de/md/md2003_207a.jpg<br />(Can't seem to find a better picture for some reasons)<br /><br />What can I say? It's just an epic cover showing the eternal struggle between good and evil, with a griffon (basically celestial heralds of this setting's sun god) battling its demonic counterpart while paladins (or rather the game's equivalent to paladins) are ready to attack some hooded cultists (which are a bit hard to see). Good times.<br /><br />As for American RPG covers, I'm pretty fond of Pathfinder's Gamemastery Guide. It's a nice mix between 4E's DM cover with the dragon and AD&D's cover with the DM as an all-powerful wizard.Doreshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06287649794589606798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-86366289910232160602011-12-10T08:19:36.099-05:002011-12-10T08:19:36.099-05:00-Moldvay Basic and Expert D&D rule book covers...-Moldvay Basic and Expert D&D rule book covers (Erol Otus: Invokes the mysterious and unknown of RPGs...and the fact that the righter and females wizard look REALLY surprised.<br /><br />-Cover of module S4, Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth (Erol Otus): I think it really captures the weirdness of the adventure. How many of us knew what the behir was before this one?<br /><br />- 1st Edition AD&D PHB (Sutherland): That one for the longest time had me thinking "Where and WHAT is the City of Brass? How can I set up an adventure there?" THAT one had me wishing for years that TSR would put an official product for that setting.blackstonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11205963961656803303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-39722077004217857942011-12-10T06:36:02.936-05:002011-12-10T06:36:02.936-05:00Oops just re-read James' post and saw that he ...Oops just re-read James' post and saw that he only wanted core rulebooks! After me posting about a dozen supplements...<br /><br />I'll say: SpaceMaster 2nd ed, WFRP 1st ed, and Traveller. Honourable mention to Stars Without Number (original cover, NOT the Mongoose edition).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10126387416217327513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-32587511619012268372011-12-10T06:29:08.224-05:002011-12-10T06:29:08.224-05:00@kelvingreen
Yes I was also going to suggest the G...@kelvingreen<br />Yes I was also going to suggest the Green and Pleasant Land book. Great cover - even though I don't play CoC.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10126387416217327513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-43337781177822291262011-12-10T05:38:32.203-05:002011-12-10T05:38:32.203-05:00In Nomine by SJG. Either black or white version, w...In Nomine by SJG. Either black or white version, with the flaming feather.Barry Stevenshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01529200424589689180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-94932952486192992011-12-10T05:21:34.481-05:002011-12-10T05:21:34.481-05:00Favourite cover art of all time: the watercolor th...Favourite cover <i>art</i> of all time: the watercolor that graced the box of Lee Gold's <i>Lands of Adventure</i> [FGU]. I can almost honestly say I bought the game just for the cover.<br /><br />Favourite <i>cover</i> art: Some art of the French edition of <i>Nephilim</i> [Multisim]. Although up to <i>Nephilim Revelations</i> it was still fairly abstract. They do pull a nice consistent style though. Same with <i>Fiasco</i> playbooks, and even the original <i>Traveller</i> books (although generally only one game can get away with such simple iconography at any time). I feel that the cover art should inform you about the nature of the game. [An honorary mention must go in this regard to the covers of the three books of the first edition <i>Paranoia</i> boxed set - although that's just because they were in the box and couldn't be used to sell the game on their own.] Greg Stolze's <i>Dinosaurs in Space</i> emphasises the title of the game wonderfully. The artist that did Gumshoe's <i>Profane Miracles</i> [Pelgrane] did a wonderful piece of work that draws the eyes to the victim. So I'd have to say this piece strikes a strong chord. [Then again, all of Jerôme's art strikes a strong resonance - his interiors for <i>Trail of Cthulhu</i>...]<br /><br />Worst <i>cover</i> art: Probably the first edition of <i>Wraith</i> [WW], with the fluorescent title on a background which meant that the book had no title in your typical gaming shop. They didn't learn from all the retailer complaints that came with 1st edition <i>Vampire</i>.<br /><br />Worst cover <i>art</i>: Almost anything I've drawn.Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-90954444746912194482011-12-10T04:01:53.058-05:002011-12-10T04:01:53.058-05:00Original Traveller for me... seeing that box cover...Original Traveller for me... seeing that box cover still pulls me into the same mindset of potential scifi greatness as it did the first time I saw it. <br /><br />For runners up... certainly the box art for LotFP is one of my all time favorites... as is the box art for original Gamma World... and 5th edition CoC. <br /><br />I'll also mention my love of the cover of the old High Fantasy game. Technically it's crappy art but it really sparked something for me in a way that a better bit of painting probably wouldn't have.Timmy Crabcakeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14737954661234574830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-72776278819425249982011-12-10T00:00:46.852-05:002011-12-10T00:00:46.852-05:00Wraith, either edition. It'd dark, jaggy and i...<i>Wraith</i>, either edition. It'd dark, jaggy and inchoate, just like the game.huthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16502682297320819595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-17670143735536592292011-12-09T23:43:05.494-05:002011-12-09T23:43:05.494-05:00"...the best core rule book cover was the ori...<b><i>"...the best core rule book cover was the original 3rd Ed books. The whole thing as almost like a wizard's spell books. Something secret and just begging to be explored. Not something for everyone, but something that for the right person opens up other worlds..."</i></b><br /><br />I agree and don't know why I didn't think of those before.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14398295844409607075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-67790273710552049652011-12-09T22:31:08.233-05:002011-12-09T22:31:08.233-05:00* Call of Cthulhu 5th Edition
* Cyberpunk 2020
* V...* Call of Cthulhu 5th Edition<br />* Cyberpunk 2020<br />* Villains & Vigilantes 2nd Edition<br />* Witch Hunter: The Invisible WorldMThompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04966961814304031364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7487871339000666216.post-29000852237541220072011-12-09T22:17:16.530-05:002011-12-09T22:17:16.530-05:00I find it utterly surprising how many people dig t...I find it utterly surprising how many people dig the original Vampire; The Masquerade cover. While I still play the game, and love that cover, the effect has diminished since Twilight stole the idea. <br /><br />However, if I were to think of the best core rule book cover was the original 3rd Ed books. The whole thing as almost like a wizard's spell books. Something secret and just begging to be explored. Not something for everyone, but something that for the right person opens up other worlds...which I guess was the point.Infamoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13979774352890690528noreply@blogger.com