D&D 5E (2024) Here's The Covers of BOTH of November's Forgotten Realms Books

We've known for some time that in November, WotC will be releasing not one but two Forgotten Realms books--one aimed at players, the other at Dungeon Masters. Thanks to Game Informer, we now have a look at the covers of Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun and Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerun. The article showcases more art, and is well worth checking out--and for those who want more, the print magazine has a full feature previewing the books.

 

[Scott Christian]

Where indeed. Where indeed.

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AD&D 2nd edition Players Handbook.

It's always been strange to me when people mock this picture. It's like they don't understand the game that it is supposed to represent. The game with levels. It instantly, with a mere one-second glance, conveys that this group of adventurers is level 1, 2 or 3. The dragon is young. Got it. Then, on a closer look, we can see that the dragon's horde is quite small. There are no glowing magic weapons. One of the adventurers still looks hurt. All those things point to a low-level encounter.
The danger has passed, but it is shown. The treasure was won. And no one died. Which, for 2nd edition, was saying something. This picture shows, not just the theme of the game, but also the ruleset.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

It's always been strange to me when people mock this picture. It's like they don't understand the game that it is supposed to represent. The game with levels. It instantly, with a mere one-second glance, conveys that this group of adventurers is level 1, 2 or 3. The dragon is young. Got it. Then, on a closer look, we can see that the dragon's horde is quite small. There are no glowing magic weapons. One of the adventurers still looks hurt. All those things point to a low-level encounter.
The danger has passed, but it is shown. The treasure was won. And no one died. Which, for 2nd edition, was saying something. This picture shows, not just the theme of the game, but also the ruleset.

Animal cruelty. The dragon looks like the victim here.

 

[Baumi]

You mean the dragon, the size of a Tiger that can Fly and spew Acid? Thats dangerous as f***!

 

[DavyGreenwind]

Nah, that art is messed up.

 

[SkidAce]

I find it strange that a lot of people love that picture, when to me it always came across as dorky—and I tend to like Elmore's work.

I think it was meant to look dorky.

Big bad adventurers beat up a (small) dragon. "We're dragonslayers now" lol.

 

[Scott Christian]

Animal cruelty. The dragon looks like the victim here.

Again. The entire point of my post was to show that the picture is taking the game's mechanics, specifically level, into account. That is like having a picture where a single rogue looks scared while fighting a single goblin. Then someone comes along and says, "Why is the rogue so scared of thing no bigger than a child?" It's the ability to understand the core ruleset of the game - a level based game - that allows you to look at the picture and understand it in context.

 

[Azzy]

You mean the dragon, the size of a Tiger that can Fly and spew Acid? Thats dangerous as f***!

That dragon's a lot smaller than a tiger, maybe puma-sized. It just sad looking.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Nobody was complaining about art done by Committee then at least before 4th edition and I don't think it was art done by committee then. They had other complaints certainly. Now they have gotten to a point where there is a lot of boxes they have to check. It is what it is.

I don't think "art done by committee" is a common complaint now either. Rather design of D&D by committee has been a common complaint (and often an unfair one) since 2E.

I mean, like, even if you don't like the current pieces, they don't look "done by committee". Art and design done by committee tends to be wildly overwrought, not clean like this, and tends to have tons of stuff that's been shoved in because it's someone's pet idea or pet project.

Re: boxes to check artistically, I think that's been an issue since at least 3E, in fact, I know for a fact it has. What the boxes are has varied a bit but the reality is that any time after the 1980s, artists doing cover work (as opposed to interior pieces) are getting some kind of real art direction as to what is being looked for by TSR or WotC, rather than just generalized "cool" pieces or vague concepts. Like, sure I doubt the artist decided all of the characters on that cover (indeed possibly none of them though the wizard choice is idiosyncratic enough that I wonder), but I don't think that's necessarily very different from what was going on in say, 1995, 30 years ago.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

That dragon's a lot smaller than a tiger, maybe puma-sized. It just sad looking.

Yeah, if that - like even with the tail and wings it doesn't look like it weighs as much as as the male human Fighter in the same picture (who is, admittedly, a big lad), let alone the rest of the party.

I think it was meant to look dorky.

Big bad adventurers beat up a (small) dragon. "We're dragonslayers now" lol.

Yeah as kids in 1989, that's absolutely how read it, like these people were kind of idiots - you could understand where they were coming from, but it was slightly sad/gross like a guy with a juvenile lion he'd shot or something, not like this was the result of a terrifying battle against an equal or superior opponent.

 

[Remathilis]

It's always been strange to me when people mock this picture. It's like they don't understand the game that it is supposed to represent. The game with levels. It instantly, with a mere one-second glance, conveys that this group of adventurers is level 1, 2 or 3. The dragon is young. Got it. Then, on a closer look, we can see that the dragon's horde is quite small. There are no glowing magic weapons. One of the adventurers still looks hurt. All those things point to a low-level encounter.
The danger has passed, but it is shown. The treasure was won. And no one died. Which, for 2nd edition, was saying something. This picture shows, not just the theme of the game, but also the ruleset.

I'm mocking it because the person was complaining how the the Forgotten Realms cover was a staged photo composition. There was "no drama, no action" and I responded with a LITERAL posed picture; an image reminiscent of a hunting safari image (which I'm sure Elmore used as a reference, replace the dragon with a tiger and put the adventurers in plinth hats) that is "stand in front of the camera" posed. Not an sign of battle damage, not a single 80s hair out of place. To me, the same drama as the Forgotten Realms cover. Heros posed.

I have no problem with "slice of life" artwork btw. I liked the species art in the PHB being family and gathering oriented. The 2e picture is similar. So I don't buy the "no drama/heroes posed" argument. I can find dozens of examples of similar "heroes standing for the camera" art in D&D.