Are Avalanche Press products good?

[Fenes 2]

I got the Nile Empire and Endless Sands.

Nile Empire has decent background information judging from what I gathered through National Geographic and history sites on the same topic (unfortunately, I had already gathered all the information about ancient egypt Avalanche put in their book before I bought it).

I'd guess that Endless Sands is about par for the course on the accuracy of the information presented. Both seem to me to give a more authentic than fantastic feel about their setting.

As far as the covers are concerned, they do not bother me at all. I like the artist's work, and I would rather have a scantly clad woman on the front cover than a strange set of runes or similar motives or a guy in spiky armor covered in blood.

I don't feel offended by a "Fabio Cover" of a novel at the newsstand, or by the Dragon beefcake cover (the God issue, I believe), and neither would put me off from buying a book I thought I could use.

 

[Ravellion]

I don't feel offended by a "Fabio Cover" of a novel at the newsstand, or by the Dragon beefcake cover (the God issue, I believe), and neither would put me off from buying a book I thought I could use.

Remember the letter in Dragon - that guy that couldn't lick up the issue because of that cover? It jsut screamed Classic Greek Demigod to me, an excellent piece of Art... but the article itself wasn't as good as the one the year before that, about clerics.

Don't judge a book by it's cover. It's a cliche, but it's true.

I actually think Avalanche Press's D20 covers are funny. they amuse me in a campy sort of way... I don't think there is anyone who is actually going to get truly sexually aroused by the covers in any way. There is more appropiate stuff for that.

Rav

 

[jgbrowning]

Don't judge a book by it's cover. It's a cliche, but it's true.
Rav

Actually, do judge a book by its cover. Its part of the book too. And given this industry, a pretty important part.

What the saying really means is don't judge it only by its cover.

joe b.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Blood Prince of Wallachia is an awesome supplement if you like the whole time period of Vlad the Impaler.

I ran an extensive Ars Magica campaign in that area, and my life would have been a lot simpler if I had had this excellent resourse.

Black Flags was likewise and excellent, well researched resource for the age of piracy in the Carribean. Again, I have run campaigns in this era (or inspired by this era) and would have loved to ahve a resource like this at my fingertips.

As for those who think the covers "spoil" the product for them, all I can say is what has been said up til now: don't judge a book by it's cover. The only "point" you are making is that you prefer to cheat yourself out of great supplementary product for the sake of political correctness.

 

[Crothian]

I enjoy the few products of theirs I have. I can somehow look past the cover and not let that hinder much on the actually written words that I bought the book for anyway. Avalanche does books that no one else covers, and in this usually over saturated market that's rare.

 

[Jeph]

I just looked at their covers in the reviews section, and I must admit, it scored pretty high on my 'WTF?!' meter. But hey, as Joe said, don't judge a book only by it's cover.

 

[La Bete]

waaaahh! the avalanche press cover discussion again....

Seriously though, Crothian has a valid point as regards to AP covering areas which no other publisher does.

Like any publisher though, they have some ups and downs. I would recommend borrowing one (if you can) or getting one cheap, to see if you like the style of their products. Unfortunately, the enworld reviews (which i normally use) werent much help to me when I bought mine.

As for the covers - they dont offend me, and I dont think they are p0rno, but I do think theyre largely pretty damn dopey - esp Endless Sands(?) - go disco girl!.....

Different strokes and all that - I certainly respect the opinion of those who are offended, and their right to say so/not purchase the product, etc...

(although - and this is not intended to insult or slight anyone in this thread - some people to tend to take any opportunity to loudly announce that they will be not buying a product, be it AP's covers, 3.5e, lack of errata inlcuded, etc.... etc...., whether or not they had any intention of buying the product in the first place!)

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Blood Prince of Wallachia is an awesome supplement if you like the whole time period of Vlad the Impaler.

I ran an extensive Ars Magica campaign in that area, and my life would have been a lot simpler if I had had this excellent resourse.

Black Flags was likewise and excellent, well researched resource for the age of piracy in the Carribean. Again, I have run campaigns in this era (or inspired by this era) and would have loved to ahve a resource like this at my fingertips.

As for those who think the covers "spoil" the product for them, all I can say is what has been said up til now: don't judge a book by it's cover. The only "point" you are making is that you prefer to cheat yourself out of great supplementary product for the sake of political correctness.

TB is totally right. Avalanche's books have some very good content to them, very well-researched. In addition, as has been mentioned above, the cheesecake covers are decreasing in number - the Celts book is devoid of such material, as is AP's book about horses, and the newest book about knights, which has a fully plate-clad knight on its cover. The content of the knight book looks very promising indeed; I'm a big fan of using knights in RPGs.

 

[gfunk]

Regardless of the covers, you need to buy Jade and Steel and the Atlantis sourcebooks.

My good friend Jim Lai wrote 'em!

<edit>
And get Denizens of Freeport too!! He did the design!

 

[megamania]

Never seen before this thread and doubt I'ld buy one. I enjoy my T&A but folks- the covers are a bit much.