D&D 4E 4E FRCS Cover: NOOOOOOOOOO!

[mara]

I have to say, I think 40 bucks is a good deal for a 300 page, full color hard bound. As for Drizzt, and as other's have pointed out, he's not really a high level character. I think he's actually pretty representative of a well grounded FR hero. He's notable only in his home region, and he has to rely on friends and allies to complete his adventures.

As for the cover, I like it. It's simple and clean, and I really like the format of the 4E covers in general.

A couple weeks ago I ran the 3e PHB price through an inflation calculator and it came out to be about what they're going to charge for the 4e PHB (2006 dollars, the calculator didn't have figures for 2007 yet).

Drizzt, meh, but it is a nice picture. I'd like to see more of a background, though.

 

[TerraDave]

However, one cover rocks (IMHO). The cover of the Character Record Sheets. We get a classic D&D party (fighter, rogue, cleric, wizard) battling a green dragon in a classic dungeon environment. The cover is filled with action, at the same time it slightly de-emphasises the "NINJA ROCKZR!" tendensies of D&D art (at least compared to, for example, most of Warhammer's art).

So that is what they did with that. I agree with the many other posters, it should be more prominent. It is the best we have seen so far for multiple reasons, including the fact that it is the best illustration of what the game is about.

 

[Agamon]

Indeed. I would think that based on book sales, the number of Drizzt fans outnumbers the entire population of people who play RPGs of any stripe by a considerably margin. And it's a darn nice picture, too.

Bingo! We have a winner!

 

[The Ubbergeek]

I still say I like the chap.

the pic is at least nice... And for once, closer to him btw than some older editions artists did...

But maybe a pic of Waterdeep would have worked more... or Icewind Dale pic.


Oh well, it's 80% I say.

 

[Reynard]

I disagree whole-heartedly.

The character record sheet looks too much 1E / quasi-2E. The PHB art is appropriate IMO.

Yep.

The charsheet picture is nice maybe for an intro boxed set, but ultimately it just looks like a pastiche of thirty years of similar dungeon setpieces.

This sentiment actually makes me kind of sad.

 

[BadMojo]

But maybe a pic of Waterdeep would have worked more... or Icewind Dale pic.

I don't really mind the Drizzt cover, but something a little less static would have been nice. Drizzt fighting Artemis or that whopping big White Dragon from the first book would've been fun.

I haven't read the books in a while, but I recall them as being light, pulpy fun. The first person bits, IMO, were painful...like reading an angsty 13 year old's diary.

 

[Mercule]

Drizz't on COVER!!! NOOOO! DO NOT WANT!!!!!!!!!!

Heh. 4E tidbits for FR had reduced my resistance to the setting quite a bit. There goes that.

Drizzt? It's a Dark Elf with twin-blades, alright! Millions upon millions of FR-Players will rejoice as WoTC decided to put their character on the cover!

And this is why drow are totally verboten in any campaign I run -- they don't even exist.

 

[GVDammerung]

Drizz't on COVER!!! NOOOO! DO NOT WANT!!!!!!!!!!

Here.

LOL! That was exactly my thought! Munchinkinly Drizzt as FR poster boy. I suppose it could have been worse - Elminster and (fill in the blank) inflagrante delicto.

 

[Zaukrie]

I KNEW this thread would come when I saw the cover, and yet I'm still amazed that anyone here is unhappy or surprised.

As someone else said, there are more Drizzt fans than roleplayers in the world. Why would WotC not try to take advantage of that? They'd be fools not to.

And, for anyone that already plays, what difference does the cover make, really? It is the contents that matter, not the book cover (again, as someone pointed out earlier).

I just don't understand why it bothers anyone that Drizzt is popular. I've NEVER met someone IRL that wanted to play a drow wielding two swords (anectdotal), and I wonder how many of you really have. Also, if people want to do that, isn't that what the game is about, having fun?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I think they should have had Driz'zt and Elminster both on the cover.

Making out.