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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mearls" data-source="post: 1178519" data-attributes="member: 697">I think that lots of color and great art is one way you can boost a book's appeal, but it's not the only one. Take a look at Arcana Unearthed. It's in black and white, and it has about an average amount of art. Yet, its presentation is clear and familiar to anyone who has read the PHB. It says it right there on the cover: "A Variant Player's Handbook." The book presents races, skills, spells, etc. in a familiar a order and format.The other thing about AU that impresses me is that the book presents a new setting in a very efficient, easy to understand method. If you read the chapter on PC races, you get an excellent overview of the setting in addition to game mechanics. AU is the first RPG setting that I understood (as in I know what's going on here and how to use it) within 15 minutes of opening it. It does a very good job of building a new game from the foundations of D&D's implied setting. Rather than go for full color layout, it uses a clear, easy to navigate presentation to pass the flip through test.I think both approaches are equally valid, though it bears mentioned that it's not exactly easy to do them well.One other thought: the more basic a book's content, the less it needs a good visual hook to pull readers in. The Quintessential Rogue pretty much explains itself with its title. Obviously it needs to be readable, but the concept is strong enough to pull in readers. It's familiar and fills an obvious need.</blockquote>

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