This week, I wanted to discussed a hugely important but sometimes overlooked or skimped on element of creating tabletop role-playing games, Artwork:
While it is, of course, hugely fun to muse about game mechanics or other aspects of a rule set, if a game is to be more than just a thought experiment or a creative outlet, it needs to be played by people other than just the designer's own group. However, with the advent of the internet and of desktop publishing, in addition to commercial products, there are literally thousands of FREE rule sets available nowadays! Moreover, learning a new tabletop role-playing game is usually a pretty big ask, since it requires a significant investment of time and energy.
So, how to make some noise on the teh interwebs and to convince people to bother to take a look at a new rules set? Like finding players, this problem is really about marketing, and perhaps the effective way to make a game stand out for a casual viewer is by adding good artwork to the game.
On the artwork meter, I also award bonus points for a game having a distinctive artistic style, such as the amazing and evocative work by Kevin Long in early Rifts/Palladium products.
Unfortunately, quality artwork is usually expensive, so unless one is an artist oneself or one has generous artist friends, there's a temptation to skimp. There are sources of low cost (e.g., stock art) or no cost artwork (e.g, public domain), but such works may not fit the rest of the game's art style, mood, genre, etc. In addition, excessive use of low cost or no cost artwork can make the entire game come off as amateurish.
However, even lesser quality artwork is often better than no artwork. Pages upon pages of unmitigated text can quickly become a chore for the reader, greatly decreasing the chance to hook a potential player.
Tables, sidebars and the like can help to break up text walls and improve readability, but usually are not much help from a marketing point of view. Perhaps the only example of a hugely successful no artwork RPG is "Traveller" (1977), which used a sleek minimalist look, superb writing and excellent production design:
Some RPG designers have been able to use Kickstarter or other crowdfunding strategies to good effect to address the cost of good artwork. The most effective crowdfunded RPG projects usually have the text of the game mostly or completely written before beginning. The rewards and perils of Kickstarter or other crowdfunding are complex enough that they are best addressed in another blog post but, suffice to say, one should not embark on that particular voyage without sufficient knowledge and preparation!
A great tabletop role-playing game is something that can be owned and used for decades, so good artwork often becomes part of the fun and experience of looking at the same document many, many times. In addition, good artwork not only adds value but is synergistic, though it doesn't have to track with the written words. I'm personally fond of old school RPG artwork that doesn't push any particular narrative/playstyle, because, when done properly, it can inspire all kinds of play that's only limited by one's own imagination.
Of course, the definition of "good artwork" depends heavily both on a particular game and on personal taste but, at a fundamental level, IMHO "good artwork" must at least:
- Be an artistic style that fits the intended flavor of the game, and
- Capture the spirit/mood of the genre/playstyle of the game.
On the artwork meter, I also award bonus points for a game having a distinctive artistic style, such as the amazing and evocative work by Kevin Long in early Rifts/Palladium products.
Unfortunately, quality artwork is usually expensive, so unless one is an artist oneself or one has generous artist friends, there's a temptation to skimp. There are sources of low cost (e.g., stock art) or no cost artwork (e.g, public domain), but such works may not fit the rest of the game's art style, mood, genre, etc. In addition, excessive use of low cost or no cost artwork can make the entire game come off as amateurish.
However, even lesser quality artwork is often better than no artwork. Pages upon pages of unmitigated text can quickly become a chore for the reader, greatly decreasing the chance to hook a potential player.
Tables, sidebars and the like can help to break up text walls and improve readability, but usually are not much help from a marketing point of view. Perhaps the only example of a hugely successful no artwork RPG is "Traveller" (1977), which used a sleek minimalist look, superb writing and excellent production design:
Some RPG designers have been able to use Kickstarter or other crowdfunding strategies to good effect to address the cost of good artwork. The most effective crowdfunded RPG projects usually have the text of the game mostly or completely written before beginning. The rewards and perils of Kickstarter or other crowdfunding are complex enough that they are best addressed in another blog post but, suffice to say, one should not embark on that particular voyage without sufficient knowledge and preparation!
A great tabletop role-playing game is something that can be owned and used for decades, so good artwork often becomes part of the fun and experience of looking at the same document many, many times. In addition, good artwork not only adds value but is synergistic, though it doesn't have to track with the written words. I'm personally fond of old school RPG artwork that doesn't push any particular narrative/playstyle, because, when done properly, it can inspire all kinds of play that's only limited by one's own imagination.
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