Recommendations: Pretty games, awesome presentation

#1

Once in awhile, you crack open a book and are just completely, utterly blown away. Maybe it’s the artwork, distinctive and evocative. Maybe it’s the layout, clear and informative. Maybe it’s the packaging, the extra tools like dice or game pieces. Sometimes it’s all of these.

Quick List of Recommendations
These links point outward to the books, scroll down for individual posts-- often with pictures!

(If you include a link to more details in your recommendation, I’ll use that. Otherwise, for books still in print, I’ve defaulted to the publisher website. Everything else, I’ll try to link to RPGgeek or similar. Hope that’s okay!)

What do you like?
I really want to hear your recommendations about books to appreciate, not just as games, but as objects. Post a reply below and I’ll try and edit it into a list here.

8 Likes
#2

I’m going to start this off with a recommendation of my own.

Dialect is one of the most profoundly pretty books I’ve ever read. It’s “a game about language, and how it dies”, and on every level the presentation is perfect. The way the book is laid out, how the sections flow, the amazing artwork-- the use of quotes and color. It manages to be clear, modern, and whimsical all at once.
Dialect

13 Likes
#3

I think the new Troika Numinous Edition really hits the mark in layout terms for those classic english printed works. The font and art choices really do a lot of work but also layout. It uses lots of columns like the printed works it is referencing and only uses justification where it doesn’t cause too much space. The pages also have plenty of white space and keep one idea to its own page in a smart way. For different sections the white background color subtly shifts which can give it that old paper feel but also makes for useful reference.

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#4

Nobilis, the great white book edition. The layout, the art, the writing, it all comes perfectly together.

9 Likes
#5

I can’t believe I’m the first person mentioning Bluebeard’s Bride - it is exquisite.

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#6

I really love the presentation of Godsend. It’s just a beautiful evocative little book:

7 Likes
#7

Agreed on Bluebeard’s Bride: As objects of art, those books are exquisite.

Green Ronin’s Blue Rose: The AGE RPG of Romantic Fantasy is one of the most beautiful traditional RPG books that I’ve run across. The art and layout flow very well together. And that cover is gorgeous.

3 Likes
#8

Where do you get the Troika edition, I own the PDF but it doesn’t have art like that in it?

1 Like
#9

It’s the newly released Numinous edition. I think it is up on drive thru now. It is real pretty though I am really looking forward to getting the physical copy in my hands.

1 Like
#10

Shadows of Esteren is one my favorite books in terms of layout and graphic design. I love how each spread seems to be considered as its own piece of art, with the images informing some of the placement of the text boxes. I can only imagine how many hours it took the compositor.

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#11

Itras By is gorgeous, from the layout to the illustrations, although it is surprisingly difficult to find images online. The best ones I’ve found are of the German edition, but I think the production is mostly identical.

6 Likes
#12

Narrativa’s Italian edition of 1001 Nights is stunning. Hard to tell in these photos but the whole book is printed on a metallic highlight paper. Claudia Cangini’s art meshes well with the paper stock.

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#13

Storybrewer’s Good Society is just awesome. It’s not just the beautiful, lavishly colored book or the very pretty cards - it’s also the amazing online playing materials. That just blew me away!

Also: Fate to go, Steelcase Edition. It’s only available in German (ruleswise, it’s a streamlined Fate 3rd Edition), but look at all those goodies!

6 Likes
#14

The Korean edition of Night Witches has a high end option that is hardcover, in a debossed, foiled slip case, with a bookmark thread. It is intimidatingly beautiful and wonderfully restrained.

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#15

The Narrativa edition of Lovecraftesque is likewise amazing. They printed over a bunch of the art with ultra violet reactive ink. So if you shine a special light on it tentacles leap out of the pages at you!

11 Likes
#16

I am often embarrassed by how beautiful our translation partners make our games.

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#17

I impulse backed the Spire Kickstarter for the art alone:

I wasn’t disappointed.

Also, though the art was created before the RPG, the Tales from the Loop books are fantastic, both in terms of art and graphic design.

9 Likes
#18

I’m a huge fan of Blades in the Dark; I wish I could find photos online, but the compact form factor of the book, the slick feel of the hardcover, and the crisp interior layout of the book all sorta collide in this wonderful way.

7 Likes
#19

Tales from the Loop is also one of my favorites. Like you said, the art is amazing, but the general graphic design of the book is also pretty stunning.

I’ll have to check Spire out!

#20

Robert Bohl’s Misspent Youth does a wonderful job capturing the punk aesthetic.

Pretty? Depends on what you define as pretty. Badass? You betcha!

8 Likes