Cover art: Products that got it right/wrong

John Morrow · December 10, 2010, 12:21:25 AM

Quote from: ColonelHardisson;424655Here's one I think got it wrong. I remember cringing when I first saw it. If I hadn't liked GDW's products in general, I likely would never have picked it up. It's an example of the kind of Elmore art I really dislike, and it also doesn't really convey to me much about what the game is about - is it about blow-dried denizens of an 80s "teen" comedy facing off with the energy vampire/zombies from Lifeforce?

I actually liked the Dark Conspiracy cover, blow-dried hair and all. Star Frontiers was a more egregious example of 80s overdose, where the woman looks like she got lost on her way to the mall and the guy wears his sunglasses at night.

John Morrow · December 10, 2010, 12:23:52 AM

Here is a piece of art that should be a cover:

John Morrow · December 10, 2010, 12:25:04 AM

Quote from: winkingbishop;424580GURPS Basic Set 3rd: Looking at it today, I don't find it quite as charming, but GURPS and I had a bad breakup. When I first laid on eyes on it though I was compelled by the idea of one game that could let me be an army guy, wizard or space dude all in one book.

The original cover designs for GURPS 4th Edition were so badly received and got so much criticism on the web that they were redesigned. That's pretty bad.

winkingbishop · December 10, 2010, 12:40:26 AM

Quote from: John Morrow;424673The original cover designs for GURPS 4th Edition were so badly received and got so much criticism on the web that they were redesigned. That's pretty bad.

Can you post the image(s)? I didn't stick with GURPS for long so I doubt I could tell one cover from another.

thedungeondelver · December 10, 2010, 12:43:00 AM

Quote from: John Morrow;424665Warhammer FRP 1st Edition did a great job of capturing the tone of the game. My absolute favorite remains the 1st Edition Player's Handbook, though. For the most part, the covers for the 2nd Edition books were pretty good, too.

The WHFRP 1e book certainly does tell you a lot: it tells you those adventurers are gonna die in the next round.

(unless they've already hit career exits and advanced...)

All kidding aside, I do love the WHFRP 1e cover.

(I'm deliberately staying mostly out of this one 'cause how many of you guys want to see the PHB and DMG all 1024x1080 courtesy of me?

)

John Morrow · December 10, 2010, 12:44:36 AM

A good Conan cover and a bad Conan cover.

Cole · December 10, 2010, 12:47:25 AM

Quote from: Tim;424623The back cover of the boxed set...erm...backed this feeling up: Riders (a caravan) lost in a windstorm in a desert. Or so I recall. My box disintegrated years ago.

Benoist, no offense, but that French RQ cover is an example of someone getting it very wrong. At least in my eyes.

I no longer have the box, either just the contents. I think this image was also used on the cover of RQ basic (which I had first).

John Morrow · December 10, 2010, 12:50:05 AM

Quote from: winkingbishop;424677Can you post the image(s)? I didn't stick with GURPS for long so I doubt I could tell one cover from another.

I couldn't find them. They were single character covers with various genre quirks to play in the Infinite Worlds setting. They weren't awful, in my opinion, but they weren't that good, either. Fans revolted by posting their own versions and I think elements of those were adopted in what was actually used.

Caesar Slaad · December 10, 2010, 01:11:26 AM

I like covers that immediately translate into the image of awesome adventures in progress that I might be (or have been) in.

Cities of Mystery of AD&D 2e - An ambush about to happen. Which end of the ambush are your PCs?

MegaTraveller. I've been in an adventure like this. "What do you mean the guys in the combat armor are after you?"

FrankTrollman · December 10, 2010, 01:45:15 AM

I wrote part of this book, and the cover illustration is so bad that I don't hand it to people as an example of what I have written:

-Frank

DKChannelBoredom · December 10, 2010, 04:19:09 AM

Quite wrong. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if not for the fact that there is a very nice b/w version of the same artwork inside the book making it obvious how bad the coloring is and how crabbed and smeared it makes the cover look.

And I'm a bit split on the Dark Conspiracy cover. It caught our eyes big time back when we started picking up games in English, but now, yeah, it's kinda cheesy.

Lawbag · December 10, 2010, 05:24:07 AM

Ill second both the Ringworld and Star Frontiers front covers. Ringworld made me want to own it, Star Frontiers was my first group role-playing game...

Grymbok · December 10, 2010, 05:53:28 AM

Quote from: John Morrow;424671Here is a piece of art that should be a cover:

I like that - who's the artist?

mhensley · December 10, 2010, 06:44:29 AM

Quote from: thedungeondelver;424679The WHFRP 1e book certainly does tell you a lot: it tells you those adventurers are gonna die in the next round. (unless they've already hit career exits and advanced...)

Nah, they aren't all going to die. That dwarf is Gotrek, the worst trollslayer that ever lived.

Darran · December 10, 2010, 07:27:56 AM

Quote from: Benoist;424621Hawkmoon cover:

This was the same art for the Chaosium version as well.

I am quite partial to this Games Workshop cover for RuneQuest 2e. Not only was it used on the cover of the book but also the boxed set as well as all the miniature box sets as well.