What is the most evocative art you've seen in a TTRPG?

[Arnie_Wan_Kenobi]

Have you seen Pathfinder's homage to it?
View attachment 365098

I have, via another thread just recently! I had not beforehand. As a fan of both Valeros and Golarian Goblins, I dig it. Doesn't feel quite the same as it did at age 11 though!

Honestly, I'd love to have seen a straight homage with the PF Iconics, but this is a nice "wink" in the direction of history.

 

[MGibster]

Nobody ever says the cover art from Savant & Sorcerer for Exalted. This is actually not so easy a question but I'm going to take a stab at it. I'm going to eleminate any RPG based on a work of fiction including Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien, etc., etc.

The 1st edition cover of the AD&D Player's Handbook is the gold standard when it comes to evocative images. This is a game about kicking down doors, killing everything in sight, and looting some of that sweet, sweet treasure!

 

[overgeeked]

The art in the Merry Mushmen's edition of Black Sword Hack is amazing.

Can’t believe I forgot that one. Fantastic stuff.

 

[overgeeked]

Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG. The art is not messing about.

 

[MintRabbit]

I'm really interested and intrigued that so many of these examples are in black and white. Do you think the limitation to b&w contributes to why they stood out to you? Or is it more of a side-effect?

 

[cbwjm]

For me, I think it was the cover of the rules cyclopedia. It made me want to see what was inside the book which ultimately got me into DnD.

 

[Jahydin]

I'm really interested and intrigued that so many of these examples are in black and white. Do you think the limitation to b&w contributes to why they stood out to you? Or is it more of a side-effect?

Certainly for me.

I prefer my OSR like RPGs to look and feel distant, ancient, and cold. B&W art is the perfect medium for that.

Come to think of it, same is true with my favorite album art:

 

[Wofano Wotanto]

I'm really interested and intrigued that so many of these examples are in black and white. Do you think the limitation to b&w contributes to why they stood out to you? Or is it more of a side-effect?

Side effect for me, it's all about style, not color. It would be different if we were talking about (say) miniatures painting, but that's a whole other subject.

Worth noting that color art (even on covers) was not always a given in the early days of the hobby, and interior color isn't universal even today. A lot of OSR and retro stuff (particularly zines) still lean into B&W for that reason - it just feels old school, which is the vibe they're after. That means there's more B&W art out there to be evocative in the first place, and some of it is old enough to drive nostalgia - the interior art for the AD&D books, for ex.

Also, while I think they're examples of graphic design and good trade dress rather than art per se, the old Little Black Book Traveller products remain some of the most striking covers ever put on an an RPG. Instantly recognizable, and for folks who played the game back then they're as evocative of Traveller's particular approach to scifi as any piece of art. There's something to be said for the elegance of simplicity.

 

[Committed Hero]

This one from Timewatch is my most recent favorite.