D&D 5E Let's talk about WoTC Book Covers

[Casimir Liber]

I recall teh first edition monster manual...and now looking at RuneQuest reboot...and it makes me think of the colour pallet used by WoTC. Why does there have to be a preponderance of slate/smog/mud/brown/grey/dark colours interspersed with laval red/orange. If I scan across all the covers really quickly or on a really low res screen or in a darkened room, none stand out as distinctive...they're all so muddy and dark.....does this bother anyone else? I mean part of doing these book surely is that the covers should render them instantly distinguishable from another sourcebook....? I mean I like the art...I just wish the pallets were a bit more distinctive....

 

[Urriak Uruk]

I'm honestly not sure what you mean... isn't this the 1st Edition Monster Manual? I mean, considering what they were working with at that time I'm not going to criticize it. I'd also like to see the cover of the Runequest Reboot to see what you're talking about.

 

[slobster]

I'm honestly not sure what you mean... isn't this the 1st Edition Monster Manual? I mean, considering what they were working with at that time I'm not going to criticize it. I'd also like to see the cover of the Runequest Reboot to see what you're talking about.

View attachment 141100

I love how the roper is exactly as derpy today as he was back in the day.

 

[Casimir Liber]

I'm honestly not sure what you mean... isn't this the 1st Edition Monster Manual? I mean, considering what they were working with at that time I'm not going to criticize it. I'd also like to see the cover of the Runequest Reboot to see what you're talking about.

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Okay - the art was.....interesting...but the colours were vivid - and all three original covers for the first three books were distinctive, but the reboots quickly became more homogeneous and murky I recall.


here is the link for latest RuneQuest cover art

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Runequest has always had a washed-out look to much of its art. I think it's intentionally going for a sword and sandals vibe.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Okay - the art was.....interesting...but the colours were vivid - and all three original covers for the first three books were distinctive, but the reboots quickly became more homogeneous and murky I recall.


here is the link for latest RuneQuest cover art

I quite like this Runeuest piece actually, however I don't find it very different (in color palette) to this cover in 5E;

 

[Casimir Liber]

True - this Theros cover is refreshingly lighter, though I think the bluish-shadows-as-stars detracts from it a bit but yeah.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Runequest has always had a washed-out look to much of its art. I think it's intentionally going for a sword and sandals vibe.

true - funny how the new art is stringly reminiscent of one of the 80s covers too. Agree it is homogeneous in its own way, but I just wish that maybe a couple of the WoTC sourcebook covers had used a palette like this...

 

[Hussar]

I'm not sure you can really claim that the 1e covers were "bright". Yes, that Monster Manual cover is, but, look at your 1e DMG and PHB. They are both very dark with no real bright colors. It was 2e that went for a much brighter color palette regularly with the PHB and the DMG both being pretty bright with vivid colors. And, of course, the Monstrous Manual was white, so that stood out pretty well.

The colors of 5e are pretty heavily banking on the nostalgia of 1e where almost all the colors were variations of black and brown.

For reference:

 

[Dausuul]

I can easily distinguish the 5E core books from across the room. The PHB is the orange one, the DMG is the purple one, and the Monster Manual is the blue one.

That said, I agree with the general sentiment that 5E cover art is a bit... smeary and dim. That's true even of the covers that I like, such as Tasha's. I miss the crisper, more photographic look of the Elmore days (though not the cheesecake that came with it). Sadly, I think the odds of that style returning are low; but I take consolation in the fact that the Reynolds era is also over.