Rurik Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 What do y'all think? Quote Help kill a Trollkin here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golden wheel dancer Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 is it a game set in a world where spaceships attack gun wielding aztecs? The differentiation between the genres isnt clear enough. That wouldnt matter so much if the picture did it for me BUT...... ......I was hoping the BRP cover would make me go "WOW!" but it didnt it made me go "hmmm"....the monographs looked better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simlasa Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 Yeah... I mean, it's well done... not to harangue the artist... but if I was the art director I'd have to give it thumbs down... I'm kind of thinking it needs to be less of a cohesive scene and more of a collection of images... either of evocative but disparate elements/objects or several smaller scenes representing different genres (of which the current cover image might be one). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Paul Posted October 9, 2007 Share Posted October 9, 2007 I'm with Simlassa on this one, JP Quote __________________ Joseph Paul "Nothing partys like a rental" explains the enduring popularity of prostitution.:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enpeze Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 I dont like the new cover very much. Its bland and uninspiring. I mean do the Chaosium guys have such a bad taste? The 4th ed. Gurps books shows how good a cover of a generic rpg could be done. I am graphics designer and layouter in normal life and my customers would throw something after me if I delivered them such a picture. Alone the guy with the bow....big ouch. There are many young talented painters and designers out there. Why not using one of them? And I agree, the font for Basic Roleplaying is plain ugly and old fashioned. It looks like a typical font from the 80ties. Do the people behind Chaosium still live in the former century? If Chaosium is not able to put up a better cover, they should IMO use no graphics at all at the front page. Cover just in Black with big silver metallic BRP or similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Twig Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 While I kinda like the cover, I think it is obvious that the Chaosium guys are better at putting together rules than they are at marketing. Really I prefer it that way to the other way around. I don't understand how you can hate a font, but I guess I don't do that type of thing for a living. Quote The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts. Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970) 30/420 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trifletraxor Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 I think it is obvious that the Chaosium guys are better at putting together rules than they are at marketing. That's pretty obvious. It's also the reason why Chaosium isn't bigger than they are. Now, is there a contradiction between making a quality product and marketing it well too? This is the single most important picture for the entire product line! It should be stunning! Instead it's "Oh well, Chaosium was never known for it's artwork..." If they just draw stickfigures for the rest of the supplements, this cover should have been great, not meeh... Sverre. Quote Ef plest master, this mighty fine grub! 116/420. High Priest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enpeze Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 While I kinda like the cover, I think it is obvious that the Chaosium guys are better at putting together rules than they are at marketing. Really I prefer it that way to the other way around. I don't understand how you can hate a font, but I guess I don't do that type of thing for a living. Well I dont hate it, but I think its ugly and totally out of fashion. Its not even stylish retro, its just retro. If you have to work with fonts the whole day as I do, you get a different perspective about them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enpeze Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 That's pretty obvious. It's also the reason why Chaosium isn't bigger than they are. Now, is there a contradiction between making a quality product and marketing it well too? This is the single most important picture for the entire product line! It should be stunning! Instead it's "Oh well, Chaosium was never known for it's artwork..." /totally agreed. They should seek assistance from their collegues at Pegasus Press. These german Call of Cthulhu publishers are able to produce wonderful artwork and layouts for some years now. here are some of their covers: http://www.pegasus.de/cthulhu.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simlasa Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 Lots of designer have font's they love/hate... the woman who trained me HATED Helvetica... just wanted it banned forever. I'm guessing that the art is bought and paid for and their ain't a lot of cash sitting around to come up with another one... I agree that I'd just as soon them leave the cover blank except for lettering... compared to this attempt. White with an INTERESTING font... not that cheese-whiz thing they're using in the example. True it's the rules inside that are the only thing that really matters to ME in the long run... but I'd really like to see the game take off and grow a wider community of fans. This cover ain't gonna help with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Paul Posted October 10, 2007 Share Posted October 10, 2007 How big a print run do they intend to do for this game? Maybe a second printing can have a better cover? Like others here I would prefer to see the multi-genre application played up in a more recognizable way. Joseph Paul Quote __________________ Joseph Paul "Nothing partys like a rental" explains the enduring popularity of prostitution.:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason D Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Lots of designer have font's they love/hate... the woman who trained me HATED Helvetica... just wanted it banned forever. I agree with this. My wife cannot understand my "irrational" dislike of Copperplate Bold. She was going to use it on her website and business cards, and I kept saying "If you want to make people think you're prickly and old-fashioned, that's an awesome font for it." I'm guessing that the art is bought and paid for and their ain't a lot of cash sitting around to come up with another one... The cover is a new piece, actually. As the author of the book, I'm someone biased in any opinion about the cover, so I'm going to step out of any qualitative discussions about it. However, if people are unsatisfied with it, some constructive suggestions would be far more useful than just bashing it. I recall when GURPS displayed their initial cover, and then had the contest to produce a better cover, which resulted in the current look and feel. I wonder if anyone would be willing to post some alternatives in graphic format. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcat Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 The cover is all right, I guess. My major thought about this is that many of the covers a lot of people these days would like I would probably think hideous, you know, the 'edgy' busy look. Like a lot of the trash flicks they are putting out that are unwatchable. So 'all right' works for me. I would frankly be afraid to see what a lot of the people complaining so loudly WOULD like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atgxtg Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Well, I'm not somone who complained ludly about the cover. I did vote in the "neh" category. I think the problem is that nothing much is happening on the cover. It just doesn't grab you with a sense of urgency, nor does it realte well to what is under the cover. Plus, people will probably be looking for the "ADVANCED ROLEPLAYING" book that goes with it. Quote Chaos stalks my world, but she's a big girl and can take of herself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneLigon Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 Didn't see this poll before, so I'll just repost and expand on what I said elsewhere. I would vastly rather have that placeholder cover than the one posted on the announcement. Busy, flat, unappealing and looking like something that crawled out of a stock art bin from the 80's. The characters look odd, stiff and stilted, and the whole thing looks kinda rushed. His work from the Avalon Hill RQ3 box was vastly superior. I don't think that having the 'kitchen sink' approach really conveys the generic, multi-genre approach very well. Yes, it can do a tremendous range of genres but does it need to look like they all happen at once? That's generally a turn-off to me, personally. I don't like the idea that you'd actually have fantasy types attacked by Nazis weilding futuristic weapons or something. The older GURPS editions managed to get across the 'Generic' part without that implication. I'd prefer something either more abstract, like the current GURPS covers, or something that at least seems to emphasize one or more genres to give the book a clear-cut 'look and feel'. What would I like to see? Give the concept to Wayne A Reynolds and see what he came up with. I love his covers for the various Eberron and Freeport books. A dynamic-appearing action-adventure sequence with hints and such that it's a 'generic' product would be cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badcat Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 I kept thinking there was some game last year that would fit the cover quite well, and it just came to me. Hollow Earth Expedition. Yep, kitchen sink more than multi-genre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simlasa Posted October 12, 2007 Share Posted October 12, 2007 On a side note... Jason posted a link to one of the artists doing the interior illustrations and, though they were just initial sketches, I thought they were awfully good... interesting, energetic, and just a bit quircky. As for graphical examples of better covers... that might be worth a try... I'll fire up my paint program and see what I can do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest the Bromgrev Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 Now, is there a contradiction between making a quality product and marketing it well too? Sure there is. Microsoft? Apple? Anyone ever heard of Betamax? Ok, I think I've just given away why I like that 80's artwork and font ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enpeze Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 Sure there is. Microsoft? Apple? Anyone ever heard of Betamax? Ok, I think I've just given away why I like that 80's artwork and font ... Well I dont think that apple has a worse marketing than MS. (rather the opposite) But MS had much more luck and better lawers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trifletraxor Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 On a side note... Jason posted a link to one of the artists doing the interior illustrations and, though they were just initial sketches, I thought they were awfully good... interesting, energetic, and just a bit quircky. As for graphical examples of better covers... that might be worth a try... I'll fire up my paint program and see what I can do. I like the sound of that! ;-) Sverre. Quote Ef plest master, this mighty fine grub! 116/420. High Priest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarulf Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 I think the infamous comma is gone now, or is it just my eyes that filter it out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trifletraxor Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 Ai! You're right! Now they should change the font too at the same time! :-) Sverre. Quote Ef plest master, this mighty fine grub! 116/420. High Priest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzunder Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 Static, the people don't interact, it doesn't suggest 3 different genres but one very mixed up one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steffworthington Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 I think its horrendous. I'm not anti-the artist I just think the idea behind it is all wrong. I wish they'd have gone for a more 'grown up' style. We're all older now and not still stuck in the 1980's. 50's 'spaceship' reject from Twilight2000v2.2 cover 'camp' ranger straight from a LARP session in San Francisco. Awful. I can understand the font even if I dont like it. They've always stuck with it. Maybe its the only one theyve got a licence for! Can't slag off Chaosium boys too much.. they're releasing my monograph. My idea wouldve been to have a much more detailed artist (Bradstreet or detwiller maybe) with something similar to the MegaTravellers players book. A portal of a craft with characters on the viewers side hiding from a figure on the outside. A realistic medieval man at arms(blood, scars, dark chainmail), a very modern NATO soldier(ar15,clips, kevlar), and a toned-down super (jacket, glowing fists) with maybe a war droid on the outside in the trees looking for them. just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trifletraxor Posted October 13, 2007 Share Posted October 13, 2007 Can't slag off Chaosium boys too much.. they're releasing my monograph. Which one is that? Sverre. EDIT: Cthulhu Adventus! :-) Quote Ef plest master, this mighty fine grub! 116/420. High Priest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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