I’m reading through Durance and getting a kick out of how attractive the book is. Which got me thinking…
What is my favorite RPG book in terms of aesthetics? Art, typefaces, ink & paper quality, and so forth.
And then I couldn’t name a single book, so I broke it up into three categories:
Quality of materials – Burning Wheel Gold
Art – Dungeon Crawl Classics
Design (typefaces, logos, layout) – A tie between Shab Al-Hiri Roach and Lacuna.
Anyone care to share their picks?
This is something I’ve been thinking about today (I actually just looked up and downloaded the fonts for DCC), in part from appreciating the typeface and layout of “Ambition & Avarice”. It’s hard to pick, and my answers might change when my wife isn’t using the study where all my books are:
Quality of Materials – I might just copy you and say BWG, because I know it’s great. Daniel Solis makes really attractive books too (I have Happy Birthday Robot)
Art – Some of the Art in DCC is so so so good, but some of the other art is disappointingly close to perfect, and some is meh. But it does all work together, so I’d agree on art direction, but for actual art? I’m drawing a blank picturing stuff right now, so I’ll say that back in the day I loved the Bubblegum Crisis Art, but now that I’m looking at it again for a Fuzion game I’m about to play in, it leaves something to be desired.
Design – Though there are other games with design I admire more for different reasons, Apocalypse World’s design does a really good job of conveying the implicit tone and setting as much as the details of gear and moves and the playbooks.
This is something I’ve been thinking about today (I actually just looked up and downloaded the fonts for DCC), in part from appreciating the typeface and layout of “Ambition & Avarice”. It’s hard to pick, and my answers might change when my wife isn’t using the study where all my books are:
Quality of Materials – I might just copy you and say BWG, because I know it’s great. Daniel Solis makes really attractive books too (I have Happy Birthday Robot)
Art – Some of the Art in DCC is so so so good, but some of the other art is disappointingly close to perfect, and some is meh. But it does all work together, so I’d agree on art direction, but for actual art? I’m drawing a blank picturing stuff right now, so I’ll say that back in the day I loved the Bubblegum Crisis Art, but now that I’m looking at it again for a Fuzion game I’m about to play in, it leaves something to be desired.
Design – Though there are other games with design I admire more for different reasons, Apocalypse World’s design does a really good job of conveying the implicit tone and setting as much as the details of gear and moves and the playbooks.
Jeff Russell Good list. I’ve always enjoyed how premium the BWG book feels (despite only costing $25). It makes it a real pleasure to read.
I agree with your assessment of DCC. I think it gets my Art pick just because of the pure emotional response I have when I flip through the book. I’m not an OSR gamer, but that aesthetic is the best.
The design category is really tough because there are so many good ones, especially in the indie community, which often uses good design to make-up for the fact they don’t have a budget for a bunch of art.
Jeff Russell Good list. I’ve always enjoyed how premium the BWG book feels (despite only costing $25). It makes it a real pleasure to read.
I agree with your assessment of DCC. I think it gets my Art pick just because of the pure emotional response I have when I flip through the book. I’m not an OSR gamer, but that aesthetic is the best.
The design category is really tough because there are so many good ones, especially in the indie community, which often uses good design to make-up for the fact they don’t have a budget for a bunch of art.
My two favorite game books, aesthetics-wise, are Diaspora and Vornheim. I like the understated elegance of Diaspora, and the gonzo crazy art and “let’s cram it full of useful stuff” mania of Vornheim.
My two favorite game books, aesthetics-wise, are Diaspora and Vornheim. I like the understated elegance of Diaspora, and the gonzo crazy art and “let’s cram it full of useful stuff” mania of Vornheim.
Keith Nielsen I’ve been thinking about picking up Vornheim in PDF. Should I try to get the book instead, or will the PDF serve?
Keith Nielsen I’ve been thinking about picking up Vornheim in PDF. Should I try to get the book instead, or will the PDF serve?
The book, no question. Get it with the pdf, but the book is designed to be an aid at the table. Even the covers have useful things on them under the dust jacket.
The book, no question. Get it with the pdf, but the book is designed to be an aid at the table. Even the covers have useful things on them under the dust jacket.