Huge Cover Images from CNET article

[Incenjucar]

The thing with fantasy art is you have to make sure that the characters depicted will attract the eye of the people who will be PLAYING them.

This is why the Red Sonja thing is unlikely. While women generally like the idea of playing an attractive character, only so many women like the idea of parading around in their underclothes with what amounts to a scaly midget ogre.

 

[small pumpkin man]

Its probably been done, but here is what I would have picked

When I think d&d i think of the 80s even though I started playing when 3.5 already came out. These are the kind of covers I want to see.

I really don't like those, and I was gonna do the whole "Do Not Want!!", then I remembered the one we have isn't really any better.

*sigh*


(Note, a large part of my problem is that they convey a specific style, one which base D&D pretty much isn't, making them inappropriate, as opposed to just "bad")

 

[Knightlord]

Its probably been done, but here is what I would have picked

When I think d&d i think of the 80s even though I started playing when 3.5 already came out. These are the kind of covers I want to see.

What marvelous artwork. Those would make excellent backgrounds. If I may ask, where did you find these pics?

 

[WhatGravitas]

Its probably been done, but here is what I would have picked

When I think d&d i think of the 80s even though I started playing when 3.5 already came out. These are the kind of covers I want to see.

You want to see them? I don't. Why? First, I dislike the art style - but that's more a personal preference, these 80's covers are looking... slick. As in oil - I dislike that.

But more objectively: They're bad, because they're not conveying D&D. They show solo heroes, not the group-based heroes D&D centres upon. They only promote solitary (martial) heroes - that has nothing to do with D&D, because D&D is and was always quite "magic-rich". The wizard in the group is a staple, so is the thief/rogue, so is the cleric/healer.

That's why the green dragon cover is so great - it shows off the team-based efforts of D&D, showcases the classic classes, as well as their varied origins and abilities.

Cheers, LT.

 

[DandD]

I guess on the internet. All you have to type on google image search is vallejo. You'll find pictures for Conan and Red Sonja easily.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

snip

The first image totally reminds me of a Shadowrun Cover, except that the cyberware is missing. I think it was the SR3 Man & Machine cover.
That's not saying that it's bad, but I suppose we might want some magic in the picture. (And I generally think that the most appropriate picture for a cover should probably have a "full" party on it - preferably not half of them in the back...)

The second image *insert drooling over half-naked chick here*... is simply too cheesy. I like Chainmail Bikinis as much as the next guy, but it's simply not appropriate for a D&D cover with a "mass appeal".

 

[Knightlord]

I guess on the internet. All you have to type on google image search is vallejo. You'll find pictures for Conan and Red Sonja easily.

Just wasn't sure if there was some Grand art site i didn't and should know about.

 

[DandD]

The first image totally reminds me of a Shadowrun Cover, except that the cyberware is missing. I think it was the SR3 Man & Machine cover.

That one? Yeah...

That's not saying that it's bad, but I suppose we might want some magic in the picture. (And I generally think that the most appropriate picture for a cover should probably have a "full" party on it - preferably not half of them in the back...)

Yeah, it simply lacks D&D-typical elements.

 

[Wormwood]

When I think d&d i think of the 80s even though I started playing when 3.5 already came out. These are the kind of covers I want to see.

The line between retro-cool and retro-kitsch is thin and wavering.

The first image doesn't highlight anything that makes D&D distinctive: flashy magic, fantasy races, monsters. Instead, it's just some dude killing a bunch of other dudes.

The second image would look good airbrushed on the side of a van. not on a shelf at Barnes & Nobles.

 

[Pale Jackal]

Its probably been done, but here is what I would have picked

When I think d&d i think of the 80s even though I started playing when 3.5 already came out. These are the kind of covers I want to see.

The other posters do have a point about needing D&D-style "things" in the art, but the background (and picture in general) of the Red Sonja picture is just lovely... though she'd need y'know, some clothing, along with some D&D-style inclusions. Ugh, way to make me go back and look at the PHB cover with dissatisfaction. The Conan picture is superior as well... though I suppose that's not tough, given the competition.