Cergorach
The Laughing One
From other threads I'm seeing some people expressing either positive or negative views on the 2024 D&D PHB/DMG/MM art, but I often don't see a reason why.
From what I've seen from the PHB and the previews of the other books I can say I dislike the art/layout of the 2024 D&D PHB/DMG/MM as a collection. Certain individual pieces I find interesting or I actually like, but only if you completely separate it from the page. But that's where the layout comes in, the art is way too dominant, it feels way too present and 'screams' from the page. Too many art styles, to bright (again dominant) on the page and often way too much of it on a spread. I feel that D&D tries to be everything to everyone and thus not pleasing anyone and in the process making it a difficult to read book.
Let me take the previewed image of the homage to the D&D animated series in a new art style. I like the idea of the homage, I dislike the execution and that's what I find with way too many of the art pieces. And I find it difficult to lay my hands exactly on why I don't like it, but again it feels like WotC is trying to please the old crowd and at the same time please the new crowd and that;s failing from my prespective. If the image wasn't a homage to something old, I could have just ignored it or maybe even have appriaciated it for what it was.
Too me art is often very important in these kinds of books (don't need/want them in novels!), thus me actively disliking a PHB is a BIG deal (to me). I must admit that I've had the 2014 5E book for almost a decade and I couldn't remember the cover of that PHB and I have it laying behind me.... I would rate the art in the 2014 PHB as not great, not bad, just forgettable... That made it way less present in the book, and thus a better reading experience. Imho I would love great art/layout in a PHB, not everything has to be great, but overall...
There is of course the fact that we didn't play often until we started playing online and most things we now look up digitally without the PHB art present. That won't change anytime soon I expect. I suspect that even with the official PHB 2024 module for Foundry VTT I preordered, it won't overwhelm me with the art as the physical book apparently does. I wasn't expecting to buy the physical book right away, but at this point I'm extremely discouraged from buying it physically. And it seems I'm not the only one in my group that kinda feels that way. Maybe we'll be happy enough with the official electronic version we're getting and just stick to that...
This is of course a personal opinion. Myself and my group are older, we played 2E, played a TON of 3E (skipped 4E), and played 5E when it came out, played for a bit then not at all for years, then back to a couple of times per year and now about twice per month (via VTT). That will propbably influence how we see D&D art, especially new D&D art. I do wonder how other people see it, not just the negative ones, also the positive ones. Why do you see the art/layout positive or negative?
From what I've seen from the PHB and the previews of the other books I can say I dislike the art/layout of the 2024 D&D PHB/DMG/MM as a collection. Certain individual pieces I find interesting or I actually like, but only if you completely separate it from the page. But that's where the layout comes in, the art is way too dominant, it feels way too present and 'screams' from the page. Too many art styles, to bright (again dominant) on the page and often way too much of it on a spread. I feel that D&D tries to be everything to everyone and thus not pleasing anyone and in the process making it a difficult to read book.
Let me take the previewed image of the homage to the D&D animated series in a new art style. I like the idea of the homage, I dislike the execution and that's what I find with way too many of the art pieces. And I find it difficult to lay my hands exactly on why I don't like it, but again it feels like WotC is trying to please the old crowd and at the same time please the new crowd and that;s failing from my prespective. If the image wasn't a homage to something old, I could have just ignored it or maybe even have appriaciated it for what it was.
Too me art is often very important in these kinds of books (don't need/want them in novels!), thus me actively disliking a PHB is a BIG deal (to me). I must admit that I've had the 2014 5E book for almost a decade and I couldn't remember the cover of that PHB and I have it laying behind me.... I would rate the art in the 2014 PHB as not great, not bad, just forgettable... That made it way less present in the book, and thus a better reading experience. Imho I would love great art/layout in a PHB, not everything has to be great, but overall...
There is of course the fact that we didn't play often until we started playing online and most things we now look up digitally without the PHB art present. That won't change anytime soon I expect. I suspect that even with the official PHB 2024 module for Foundry VTT I preordered, it won't overwhelm me with the art as the physical book apparently does. I wasn't expecting to buy the physical book right away, but at this point I'm extremely discouraged from buying it physically. And it seems I'm not the only one in my group that kinda feels that way. Maybe we'll be happy enough with the official electronic version we're getting and just stick to that...
This is of course a personal opinion. Myself and my group are older, we played 2E, played a TON of 3E (skipped 4E), and played 5E when it came out, played for a bit then not at all for years, then back to a couple of times per year and now about twice per month (via VTT). That will propbably influence how we see D&D art, especially new D&D art. I do wonder how other people see it, not just the negative ones, also the positive ones. Why do you see the art/layout positive or negative?
