RPG art that makes you want to play

#1

What gets me is any illustration that works like a bit like a map. If you can see a path through the landscape and can imagine yourself stepping into the picture and moving through it and visiting the distant locations that’s perfect. This illustration by Ma-ko https://twitter.com/blurring_my_day/status/1082627757530464261 does it, or like this one by Conner Fawcett https://twitter.com/thebadbucket/status/1087113016347320320 . I think the appeal for me is that the art is showing you a setting, and maybe some information about the world and the people in it, but there’s all this space for your character to explore.

What things do you see in an illustration and think I need to play this game right now?

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#2

pictures tend to inspire either characters or scenes for me, in this case its abit of both

cleric has made their way to a tower they saw in a vision, since there are no creatures visible i’m, thinking there are clues inside for the next part of the journey, or once she has been there another vision will be unlocked

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#3

I find it’s different if I’m a player or if I’m a GM.

If I’m a GM, I think your assessment is spot on. Give me grand, wild landscapes, filled with strange and interesting and evocative details—stuff I can plunder and draw inspiration from, to really get my juices flowing.

If I’m a player, though, I find what’s often most helpful is examples of common stuff. Seeing examples of characters, gear, scenarios we’ll find ourselves in—all super helpful, especially if it’s more like diagrams or stills, rather than in-actions shots. This table of weapons from D&D 3.5e is exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about: it gives clear examples of what each thing generally looks, and it helps me visualize both my character and the things I might be doing with them.

It’s kind of the difference between creating and learning: if I’m a GM, I want my boundaries to be pushed; if I’m a player, I just want to know what’s in this game.

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#4

I don’t know why but I’ve always loved RPG art that creates a heraldry. Whether it’s the symbols of the different gods in DnD or actual heraldry from 7th Sea. I just like that iconic stuff that gives a kind of branding to the world.

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#5

This is going to sound a little picky, but I’m trying to describe the style of art that immediately hooks me and makes me long to play a game! For me, that’s stylized landscapes, and specifically landscapes that are big and old and cyclopean. If they’re terrifying and majestic and imply ancient grandeur and older secrets, I am in. The Conner Fawcett art in @annabelle_lee’s post absolutely works for me. In other media, things like Shadow of the Colossus and images of Laputa in Studio Ghibli’s Castle in the Sky are exactly what I want. (I’ve been trying to homebrew a game that captures this particular sensation and imagery for ages…)

There’s other art that’s more useful, perhaps—anything that accurately represents what I can do in the game, lets me know what kind of stories are being told in this game, and so forth. But art that sets the mood, and very specifically that mood, instantly evokes a strong emotional response.

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#6

I have to say that the cover from Flotsam: Adrift Amongst the Stars has captured my attention. It simultaneously shows the fascinating and strange elements of the setting, along with the very human ones. Seeing the cover was enough to get me to jump on board and I am still eager to play. https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/021/628/921/747cb5ece455cc5b336edc13995276a0_original.png?ixlib=rb-2.0.0&w=680&fit=max&v=1529404995&auto=format&gif-q=50&lossless=true&s=c5d30c623bcb8defca87c43288d9db7f

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