A thought occured to me today (actually it's one i've had before - it just re-surfaced). How would you feel about buying a product where instead of artwork, you had photographs detailing parts of the setting etc?

This has an inbuilt limitation of course, no monster or PC illustrations and no good for sci-fi books.

But it seems to me to be an ok idea for things like adventure modules and the like - a PC's eye view, if you like, of the places you are travelling through.

The concept is cool.  I don't know anything about the business of printing books, so my only concern, as a consumer of this product, would be if this type of book cost more than a book with normal (i.e. current standard) of artwork.

I use pictures I've taken or find on-line in my games sometimes (usually of outdoorsy things like mountains and such) simply because you can say "You're surrounded by majestic mountains...." but it dosn't work as well as "You see stuff like this..."

One of the things I liked about the old TSR modules (some of them at least, like Tomb of Horrors) is that I think they really benefited from illustrations, so I imagine photographs would be just as nice. I'd certainly be interested in the concept at least.

I like the idea of photos...I own a lot of the cheap picture books you can find in the bargain shelves at Borders or B&N simply for the visuals they can provide at the table.

Heck, if you get ambitious, a bit of skill (ok, more than just a bit) with Photoshop could allow for the integration of fabulous or SFX type effects and creatures.

I have no problem with that at all.

RPGPundit

i will (hopefully) be using a few for the Dead when i get the book printed, so yeah, i have no problem with them.

edit:  i should add that barring overuse of Photoshop filters, i have no problem with them.

Quote from: Drohem;300139The concept is cool.  I don't know anything about the business of printing books, so my only concern, as a consumer of this product, would be if this type of book cost more than a book with normal (i.e. current standard) of artwork.

I'm guessing that if you want decent resolution of the photos, the paper quality might have to be better than the average RPG product has. That could possibly put prices up. Balancing that is if the producer takes the photos themselves, thus cutting down on art commission costs and not needing to pass that cost on.

Quote from: kregmosier;300156edit:  i should add that barring overuse of Photoshop filters, i have no problem with them.

This is an excellent, and crucial, caveat...

Quote from: One Horse Town;300137A thought occured to me today (actually it's one i've had before - it just re-surfaced). How would you feel about buying a product where instead of artwork, you had photographs detailing parts of the setting etc?

It sounds expensive.

For online products that don't require actual printing, no problem. For my wiki, I'm using period portraits for people and period maps and illustrations for places, but I'm using photographs for landscapes.

I have no problem with it.  It has been done before. it can be a bit cheesey.

R Talsorian did it for some cyberpunk stuff.  That wasn't too bad.  

Age of Legacy (It was the Highlanders-esk RPG from a few years back)   they used pictures and pictures changed/ blurred.  It was a bit cheesy, but you had to give them points for artistic flare.

There was a monster hunter game three years back or so. It used pictures. It was awful.

Quote from: One Horse Town;300137A thought occured to me today (actually it's one i've had before - it just re-surfaced). How would you feel about buying a product where instead of artwork, you had photographs detailing parts of the setting etc?

Sounds good and would work well - but make sure YOU took the photographs or they are license-free or public domain photos. Also, somewhere on the web there are 'clip art' photos meant for free use in anything.

QuoteThis has an inbuilt limitation of course, no monster or PC illustrations and no good for sci-fi books.

What?!!??

Monsters?
With photographs ? - Entirely doable!!
You never heard of stage and film makeup? (says/types the guy known for wearing a "monstrous" makeup of some kind)
Find someone locally, preferably a friend or someone you trust that can do appliances , fake fur effects, and special effects makeup. Just make sure you give them a credit in the book just the way you for any artist that worked on an RPG book.

Science Fiction?
 OF course you can do photographs!!

You would just be doing a still photograph version of what TV or the movies do all the time.
Again, any futuristic high-tech equipment, weapons, or vehicles will have to be your own design.

That is where that thing called photoshop comes in real handy.


- Have fun!!,


- Ed C.

good quality professional photography is fine,
shit like Cyberpunk 3.0 isnt fine.

Quote from: Lawbag;300188good quality professional photography is fine,
shit like Cyberpunk 3.0 isnt fine.

Thank you Lawbag you beat me to it.

Yes, bad art is bad art, I think. Its about the same if its crappy drawn art or crappy computer art or crappy photos.

RPGPundit

Quote from: kregmosier;300156i will (hopefully) be using a few for the Dead when i get the book printed, so yeah, i have no problem with them.

edit:  i should add that barring overuse of Photoshop filters, i have no problem with them.

You're getting a print edition of The Dead? Fucking sweet! That game is currently our most favourite zombie game (we don't lik AFMBE)

On topic:

Quote from: One Horse Town;300137A thought occured to me today (actually it's one i've had before - it just re-surfaced). How would you feel about buying a product where instead of artwork, you had photographs detailing parts of the setting etc?

This has an inbuilt limitation of course, no monster or PC illustrations and no good for sci-fi books.

But it seems to me to be an ok idea for things like adventure modules and the like - a PC's eye view, if you like, of the places you are travelling through.

I like the idea As Pundit said, art is art.