How much does art matter?

RPGPundit · May 21, 2009, 01:36:56 PM

How much does the art in an RPG book matter to you? Would it be enough to affect your purchase of the book, ultimately? Is it only quality which affects your choice, or style as well?

RPGPundit

Soylent Green · May 21, 2009, 01:43:33 PM

There are a handful of old roleplaying games I've owned for ages, never played but which have survived several culls because I kind of like the illustrations. First among these is Warp World. I am not saying the art work on that book is much better than any other game - itis comic book fare - but it speaks to me.

There are some game I will play depsite the art work, but I will curse them for it. I still feel deeply embarassed by the cover of 4th ed Gamma World.

Imperator · May 21, 2009, 01:55:03 PM

I don't care too much, unless it's awful. For me, the art is similar to the fiction. A little bit can spice up or clarify the rules, but it's not the goal of the product to me.

PaladinCA · May 21, 2009, 01:56:34 PM

Art in an RPG is like frosting on a cake.

If the cake sucks, then good frosting isn't going to save it.

If the cake is good, then frosting is a nice plus but not required.

One can always scrap bad frosting off of a good cake.

DeadUematsu · May 21, 2009, 02:00:58 PM

Not a lot.

The Worid · May 21, 2009, 02:17:18 PM

Very little. I would have no problem with an artless book that had good rules, and poor rules are not redeemed in the slightest by good art.

kregmosier · May 21, 2009, 02:29:27 PM

assuming you're including layout art (page design, margin dressing, etc.), i'd say it's pretty important. (i'm looking at you, Secret of Zir'An)

assuming you're talking about illustrations, then probably not too much. (looking at you, beautiful Traveller LBB's.)

being an artist, i'd like to think that quality evocative artwork will grab people sometimes based on that alone. granted, the game needs to be worth a damn first and foremost... (come for the artwork, stay for the great game.)

Ian Absentia · May 21, 2009, 02:48:24 PM

Quote from: RPGPundit;303734How much does the art in an RPG book matter to you?

I see the conspiracy has been foiled and your site access restored.

For the most part, I have to mention only one game: Traveller.

!i!

paris80 · May 21, 2009, 03:07:53 PM

good art . > . no art ................................................................................ > ................................................................................ bad art [-]

Abyssal Maw · May 21, 2009, 03:13:38 PM

Traveler had art in it, didn't it? Black and white line art- and plenty of it. I have the 1982 hardcover Traveller book- it has art from (shockingly) Kevin Siembieda, amongst others.

Siembieda mainly did weapon drawings, I think.

Melan · May 21, 2009, 04:05:33 PM

Quote from: Abyssal Maw;303789Traveler had art in it, didn't it?

The first boxed set had all of one drawing (of a character looking like a 17th century French dandy no less), so not much. It must have been a later print or product.

I prefer art and layout to be relatively unobtrusive - very good art is an exception, but I'd rather have none at all than bad. There are a lot of ways art can be good - from Otus to John Blanche to some of the White Wolf illustrators, even... unfortunately, the "realistic oil painting look" is far more common, and almost universally lackluster.

Spinachcat · May 21, 2009, 05:07:33 PM

Cover art catches eyes in the sea of books. All the pulp dime novels knew this. Interior art is important to help browsers become buyers.

"Judging a book by its cover" is how most people buy stuff.

Narf the Mouse · May 22, 2009, 07:14:30 AM

Art keeps me from being bored. It's one of the things that makes the difference between a 'Reference book' and a 'Book I read for fun'.

Be aware that, all other things being equal, I will buy more of the latter than the former.

jibbajibba · May 22, 2009, 07:51:49 AM

plenty of games sold well becuase of their art even thought eh system stank. I was at the UK Games Day when the first Judge Dredd the RPG was released. The background and artwork sold a game that stank worse than a 2 month old side of ham (I still have it and the PSI expansion needless to say :-) )

Bad art work can sink a product. The 1e AD&D DmG cover would these days ensure no one bought the game. So no art is better than crap art.
One of the elegant things about he traveller boxed set was that it realised this and expunged any poor artwork. Gamma World didn;t do so well.

mhensley · May 22, 2009, 08:17:48 AM

bad art will keep me from buying a game more than good art will sale me one