The Prettiest Book? [AKA Mr/Miss Prettiest RPG 2013]

Morrus · Aug 9, 2013

Four recent major releases. All four are gorgeous, full-colour hardbacks. But which one wins on the RPG beauty pagent? 13th Age, Numenera, Edge of the Empire, and Shadowrun are all in the running for Mr/Miss RPG!

I'm not just talking the cover - I'm talking the whole production quality, interior design, layout - everything. But for your delight, I have pics of the covers:

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Nytmare · Aug 9, 2013

To be fair, I haven't looked through 13th Age, but Numenera blew me away.

Morrus · Aug 9, 2013

Nytmare said:
To be fair, I haven't looked through 13th Age, but Numenera blew me away.

Yeah, I pretty much get that the reality of the poll will be "which one of these have you seen?" -- no matter; it's all in the name of fun!

gweinel · Aug 9, 2013

Having great respect to the creators of the Star Wars, 13th Age and Shadowrun, Monte Cook's Numenera really intrigued me and tingled my imagination to make a character in that setting.

dm4hire · Aug 9, 2013

I went with Numenera because it just has a better presentation and feel to it.

Star Wars looks cartoonish compared to past Star Wars books, but also has a vibe similar to some WotC products. I think they should have taken the time and created something truly unique and establish their own presentation of how Star Wars looks.

Shadowrun and 13th Age are just too busy and crowded. What I am seeing is a segment of a story but there is so much going on that I don't know what's really going on beyond the scene. While provocative they don't pull me in and make you want to learn about the world around them; I am interested in learning about the characters and why they are fighting, but that's it.

Numenera, on the other hand, has that classic sci-fi feel to it like I'm looking at a Frank Herbert or Edgar Rice Burroughs cover. I can see representations of heroes, but I have a good view of the world on the cover that pulls me in and makes you want to learn more about what I am seeing. I want to explore that world, not just be a character in a story of that world. Which exploration is the key thing that Numenera is about and I think the cover captures that perfectly.

Morrus · Aug 9, 2013

dm4hire said:
I went with Numenera because it just has a better presentation and feel to it.

Star Wars looks cartoonish compared to past Star Wars books, but also has a vibe similar to some WotC products. I think they should have taken the time and created something truly unique and establish their own presentation of how Star Wars looks.

Shadowrun and 13th Age are just too busy and crowded. What I am seeing is a segment of a story but there is so much going on that I don't know what's really going on beyond the scene. While provocative they don't pull me in and make you want to learn about the world around them; I am interested in learning about the characters and why they are fighting, but that's it.

Numenera, on the other hand, has that classic sci-fi feel to it like I'm looking at a Frank Herbert or Edgar Rice Burroughs cover. I can see representations of heroes, but I have a good view of the world on the cover that pulls me in and makes you want to learn more about what I am seeing. I want to explore that world, not just be a character in a story of that world. Which exploration is the key thing that Numenera is about and I think the cover captures that perfectly.

I didn't really mean to focus on the covers. I guess that's my fault for posting them. I was more interested in the interior layout, which is gorgeous on all four books. I - personally - love Numenera's sidebars, for example, and its character sheet is beautiful. But I think 13th Age has lovely color coded pages, and Star Wars integrates text and art very well (text flowing naturally around art, and the art's not all rectangles, for example, like some books). Each of them has strengths and weaknesses.

I'd agree that Numenera's cover is superb; though the Star Wars one is the one there that speaks to me emotionally. Advantage in existing image associations, I guess.

Tharian · Aug 10, 2013

Shouldn't the new FATE hardcover be on the poll as well?

Morrus · Aug 10, 2013

Tharian said:
Shouldn't the new FATE hardcover be on the poll as well?

I've not seen it; sorry. Is it pretty?

amerigoV · Aug 11, 2013

Write In - Hellfrost: Land of Fire by Triple Ace Games. (not a new game, but a major expansion of a setting)

Tharian · Aug 12, 2013

It's not a full color book the way the others on your list are, but the FATE book was clean, easy to read, and had (to me, that is) very inspiring pictures for conveying the feel of the rules.

The Prettiest Book? [AKA Mr/Miss Prettiest RPG 2013]

Vote for the prettiest!

Star Wars: Edge of the Empire

Shadowrun 5th Edition

13th Age

Numenera

Morrus

Well, that was fun

Nytmare

David Jose

Morrus

Well, that was fun

gweinel

Explorer

dm4hire

Explorer

Morrus

Well, that was fun

Tharian

First Post

Morrus

Well, that was fun

amerigoV

Guest

Tharian

First Post

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