New Player's Handbook Cover Art!

[Arkhandus]

Where's the dragon?

I dunno. All I see is some wierd-lookin' lizardman with an absurd sword.

*sarcasm* Is this for the fabled 4th Edition D&D: Anime version? It is strangely lacking in bishi and chibi if that's the case. And mecha. Curiously devoid of ninjas on the cover, too. */sarcasm*


Overall, I'd say the pic is slightly better, maybe. Still not really right for what the 4E PHB should show, though. Still only 2 adventurers on the cover, no action in the scene ("ooh, look, we're menacing the unseen enemies outside the borders of the cover!"), no sense of exploration or wonder in the scene, no nothin'.

Could've at least had 1 adventurer of each power source in the scene, if they weren't going to bother with a whole adventuring party of 4 PCs (since it's 4th Edition) or 5 PCs (since that's what they're aiming for as the new average party size).

 

[Reaper Steve]

Looks like the DMG was updated, too. PHB in the crystal ball, and I think an overall zoom-in on the dragon as well.

 

[HeinorNY]

I still think the image with the green horned dragon was better, but I admit this one is far better than the previous.

I believe WAR was pretty bored while re-drawing this cover...

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I like it, I never liked the ones where it was "leather bound", etc. I prefer book covers which quite strikingly show what the book is about.

This shows it is about players, since it shows two distinct races and classes.

 

[hong]

*sarcasm* Is this for the fabled 4th Edition D&D: Anime version? It is strangely lacking in bishi and chibi if that's the case. And mecha. Curiously devoid of ninjas on the cover, too. */sarcasm*

Ninjae.

 

[HeinorNY]

I dunno. All I see is some wierd-lookin' lizardman with an absurd sword.

It reminds me of a purple sword from WoW.
What was its name.....hmmm

 

[Wolfspider]

They really, really need to use the picture of the party fighting the green dragon for the PHB cover.

I can't tell. Is there a boob-window in the new pic?

 

[Wolfspider]

I like it, I never liked the ones where it was "leather bound", etc. I prefer book covers which quite strikingly show what the book is about.

The game is obviously about standing butt-to-butt in a cave looking embarrassed.

 

[Almacov]

Looks like the DMG was updated, too. PHB in the crystal ball, and I think an overall zoom-in on the dragon as well.

Ah, I hadn't noticed that.
Can't say I like the new framing of that dragon. For some reason the absence of the space previously to the right really changes how I feel about it. Something's just out of balance now.
I still think it's the best of the three core covers though.

 

[WhatGravitas]

I believe WAR was pretty bored while re-drawing this cover...

And/or constrained by the art direction - it's a very similar setup, "dungeon/cave" as backdrop, two characters in focus, one male, on female, one of them exotic.

And considering the other things WAR has done over and over again (like for the Eberron books), that the art direction here is what makes it "boring".

Cheers, LT.