Full Version: SR4 cover has it's problems, but......
| QUOTE (tisoz @ Aug 14 2005, 01:29 PM) |
| Shadowtech's cover sold me on the book and tilted the balance to decide to get involved in roleplaying and Shadowrun in particular. I've been after my relatives to get a game going for years. I left Shadowtech on the table for about an hour prior to a family get together and they were interested. (They knew they had been manipulated when I said there was a new version of the book, M&M, but that cover didn't inspire them in the least.) So: 1: much of the cover is obscure 2: hints at contents, but possible? (I do not see any meat.) 3: Story? Definitely wtf? interest 4: Definitely cool |
If cyber (metal in man) tickles your fancy, that cover is going to do it for you.
I don't find it that obscure at all. It is says grizzled streetwise (stubble, leather, scar on right cheek/lip) hardass is packing a serious amount of gadgets in his head. For the same reason i don't get the sense he is totally artifical. The imperfections tell me this is something close to a person, and they hint at a story behind those scars and squinting eyes. Sure it could be a robot, but one that is close to being people.
Now i don't think this would be the greatest cover for the BBB. It is very limited in it's subject matter compared to what SR contains. Of course this item could be a be a big draw for you and your relatives to get you in, but the next person that is keen on magic would get drawn by MitS cover (which is a cool cover in it's own right IMO).
The sub-catagory books have it a bit easier for providing a picture. They have a much smaller set of information to convey, so it becomes less crowded. Easier to stay on a more focused message.
P.S. This also goes to show that there is some leeway in drawing new customes with cover art when you have an entire line of products.
Though some don’t like to admit it, covers are one of the primary means of attracting new players to RPGs; word of mouth and trade reviews are the others (assuming the company doesn’t advertise).
1. I thought it was easy to see, but I suppose not everyone agrees. I’m curious though, did you think it was too dark or too cluttered or something else.
2. I agree that it only hints at the contents, but IMHO that is exactly what it is supposed to do, you need to buy & read the book to get the meat.
3. As I said, I agree that the story is a bit bland, but it at least had something (more than I’ve seen on some other covers). Maybe they should have punched it up. But too late now, perhaps 5th ed
.
4. “Coolness” is always tricky, hopefully people will like the book and Fanpro won’t go out of business like FASA (though of course SR wasn’t really the cause of that).
1. I thought it was easy to see, but I suppose not everyone agrees. I’m curious though, did you think it was too dark or too cluttered or something else.
2. I agree that it only hints at the contents, but IMHO that is exactly what it is supposed to do, you need to buy & read the book to get the meat.
3. As I said, I agree that the story is a bit bland, but it at least had something (more than I’ve seen on some other covers). Maybe they should have punched it up. But too late now, perhaps 5th ed
. 4. “Coolness” is always tricky, hopefully people will like the book and Fanpro won’t go out of business like FASA (though of course SR wasn’t really the cause of that).
When it comes down to it, the art department flopped here. It's that simple. They've had some really great covers recently (especially with SOTA:2063 and Threats 2, the former of which, as an aside, gets across the Shadowrunner theme far better than this cover does). This one just blows. Period. It's going to hamper the product more than help it; they would have been better off with no picture whatsoever. At least that wouldn't repel people from even looking inside.
And shallow as it may sound, this cover and the metahuman pictures so far revealed, are exactly the reason I cancelled my preorder of the book. I'm just going to wait for it in the bargain bin then pick it up to have a gander. Maybe.
If the design team doesn't take enough effort to make a decent product and instead just shoves something out the door after making an unreliatic time frame for themselves, then I'm just not going to bother supporting them anymore myself.
And shallow as it may sound, this cover and the metahuman pictures so far revealed, are exactly the reason I cancelled my preorder of the book. I'm just going to wait for it in the bargain bin then pick it up to have a gander. Maybe.
If the design team doesn't take enough effort to make a decent product and instead just shoves something out the door after making an unreliatic time frame for themselves, then I'm just not going to bother supporting them anymore myself.
You know, I was just thinking to something.
For all of us, SR masters or players, we will play SR4 if the rules sticks to our conception of the game, without even really paying attention to the cover.
As Fanpro also wants to lure new players/GM, you have to keep in mind that those people won't have any clue about the game. And my feeling is that for someone who doesn't know anything, the cover can be successful... By watching it, even if it is motionless, you can understand that the ambience is based on magie (different races, the bolt lighting of the troll...), in the future (flying cars) and that it deals with undercover operation (a group without any uniform, trying to break through security apparently).
So even if I have to admit that I don't really like this cover (but I cannot remember of any SR core book cover that was really wonderful by the way), I think it fulfills its objective : giving a rough overview of the game.
I miss Bradstreet art if you really want to know...
Sorry for my english, it is not my native language
For all of us, SR masters or players, we will play SR4 if the rules sticks to our conception of the game, without even really paying attention to the cover.
As Fanpro also wants to lure new players/GM, you have to keep in mind that those people won't have any clue about the game. And my feeling is that for someone who doesn't know anything, the cover can be successful... By watching it, even if it is motionless, you can understand that the ambience is based on magie (different races, the bolt lighting of the troll...), in the future (flying cars) and that it deals with undercover operation (a group without any uniform, trying to break through security apparently).
So even if I have to admit that I don't really like this cover (but I cannot remember of any SR core book cover that was really wonderful by the way), I think it fulfills its objective : giving a rough overview of the game.
I miss Bradstreet art if you really want to know...
Sorry for my english, it is not my native language
I agree with you neon (and I think your English is fine). Of course my list really only applies to the core rulebook, the covers of other books need to follow different priorities to be successful (imho, purely from a cover art level, other things are far more important to those books to make them successful). I too really enjoyed the Threats 2 cover, maybe my favorite, but I hated Threats 1 cover.
| QUOTE (blakkie) |
| I don't find it that obscure at all. |
I mean the majority of the cover, all the stuff in the background. The stuff that hints at Da Vinci's man drawing, or who knows what because it is obscure. Like in the way things seem to be pealing off and going invisible.
| QUOTE |
| Now i don't think this would be the greatest cover for the BBB. It is very limited in it's subject matter compared to what SR contains. |
I heartily agree. I had a word of mouth description of the game and the guy took me to the FLGS and showed me the books. I was just relating it was this cover that made me decide to buy it, the core book, and RBB.
| QUOTE |
| Of course this item could be a be a big draw for you and your relatives to get you in, but the next person that is keen on magic would get drawn by MitS cover (which is a cool cover in it's own right IMO). |
I tend to dislike the magic book covers, even though I always try to play the magician.
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