D&D 5E Check Out Joy Ang's Alternate Covers for the D&D Gift Set

Next week's Dungeons & Dragons Rules Expansion Gift Set comes in at $169.99 and also includes a slipcase and a DM Screen. In addition to the standard version (featuring Grzegorz Rutkowski’s art on Modenkainen Presents Monsters of the Multiverse) there will be versions with alternate cover art as a hobby store exclusive with art from Joy Ang.

 

[Weiley31]

I think the "preview" looks of these Alternative Covers don't actually do these ones justice. From what I saw on the "released into the wild" post, the Metallic Ink on these really makes em pop.

Still, probably not the "best" of the Alternative Covers. But I've been collecting all the Alt/Special Covers since Tyranny of Dragons 2019 and my original Tasha's Cauldron Alt cover was stolen when it was delivered to my apartment during the holidays when it was released. And I got the Alt Cover gift set on sale for $124.95 new when it was announced. So I'm not gonna look the gift set horse in the mouth and complain about it at this rate.

 

[darjr]

Absolutely get a chance to see them in person BEFORE you dismiss them.

Unless they just totally don’t work for you.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

Absolutely get a chance to see them in person BEFORE you dismiss them.

Unless they just totally don’t work for you.

Where did you see them in person? Or have you already received preview copies?

I like the super simple design. The kirin is very nice. Tasha I think looks cool except for the "witch's hat", but she is a witch so... The beholder isn't scary, it is more cartoony. As someone who likes beholders, I'm disappointed.

 

[Superchunk77]

Reprints of reprints of reprints. Hard pass.

Covers are too cartoony, and too much white space.

 

[Weiley31]

Where did you see them in person? Or have you already received preview copies?

I like the super simple design. The kirin is very nice. Tasha I think looks cool except for the "witch's hat", but she is a witch so... The beholder isn't scary, it is more cartoony. As someone who likes beholders, I'm disappointed.

There is a guy on twitter who has his preview copies, and his pictures show off the covers/metallic ink waaaay better than any WoTC preview image.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I usually love the alternate covers.

These are ... underwhelming. I don't like the font. The white/silver makes me think of Hummel figurines, for some reason, and the art is uninspired- especially the Tasha's, where it seems like the artist thought, "Oh, I'll do a Halloween witch. That's cool, right?"

I feel these are fairly representative of the frequent failure of imagination that accompanies alternate "boxed set" covers with RPGs. All the way back to the early '90s (or earlier?) we see stuff where boxed sets get extra-bland covers with some specific stylization replacing, y'know, art. Often the quality of the cover, physically, is a bit higher (i.e. textured faux-leather or the like), but they're really boring-looking.

Looks like they took a similar approach here. Other alternate covers have been true art-replacements, without attempting to go for some sort of bland-ifying "unified feel", and so have often been good - often more interesting/risky/cool than the original. These are just meh.

 

[Demetrios1453]

All of you complaining about Tasha's hat and outfit really need to look at the illustrations of her in this edition. She's wearing them in a lot of them, including the regular cover of TCoE...

 

[THEMNGMNT]

Beautiful covers.

 

[Richards]

I think that's about the "lippiest" beholder I've ever seen depicted. Throw on some lipstick and we're well into clown territory.

Johnathan

 

[pauldanieljohnson]

I like 'em. They aren't my favourite covers ever -- for that I'd probably pick the alt cover Eberron book -- but they're different and very clean. I don't even mind buying the same books over again because I just give my old ones to my nephews to use. But I can imagine not everyone is thrilled about buying Tasha again after barely a year.