Or maybe I'll try something entirely different. I'm just playing around at the moment, and most cover design goes through several extinction events before you settle on the phenotype you're looking for. As Tim Harford says, success always starts with failure. Well, strictly speaking, not always - but often. It's in that spirit that I've been fiddling with these images. (And yes, I've read my Aristotle. I do know that failure often starts with failure too.)
However, I'm still thinking about doing two versions of the series (as discussed here) so that purists can have all the tactical maps and thumping great rule sets of the '80s originals, while gamebook readers with more streamlined tastes can play something more like the Critical IF series, where the emphasis is decidely more on "book" than on "game". Two editions will need to be differentiated by two styles of cover design.
Comments are very welcome - and no need to spare my feelings, either. It's just a work in progress. And, as such, it's meant to change.
TBH The colour work on Megara's WotT has put me off it. The original art style was very cool and part of the charm. Well that and the price, I just cannot afford it! But I hope you go with a much cleaner OS style with BS, maybe get Russ to do the art... pleeeeeeeeeeeease!
ReplyDeleteRuss most definitely will be doing the art for Bloodsword. Any other choice would be heresy, not to say insanity.
DeleteI'm keen on the third version... The Dragon Warriors mega-campaign! Their artwork aint too bad either. Unfortunately things move pretty slow at Serpent King Games. I'll probably have to get the your new release and deconstruct it myself!
ReplyDeleteAbout the covers, maybe its the font colour. It works ok for the large text but the small text gets lost.
That would be my preferred version too, as my whole reason for being involved in the hobby from the start has always been roleplaying, not gamebooks. SKG probably don't have the bandwidth to handle it, unfortunately, but we'll review that once the DW Players' Book is out.
DeleteI'm not so hot about the two-editions thing. I think we'd be better off with less collector's items and more good gamebooks.
ReplyDeleteYou've been toying with the idea of stripping some rules off Blood Sword for a while. If you think that's for the best, I'd say definitely go for it. Not much sense in offering the old version as well, IMO. Those really interested in the old ruleset probably already own the original edition. I'm sure newcomers will appreciate the books even if they're simpler and more streamlined.
I'm with you there, Efrem, but I have started to get quite nervous of angering the hivemind of gamebook fandom. Richard S Hetley has battle scars from merely venturing to suggest that some of the artwork from Way of the Tiger should be altered to reflect the authors' intent. (For instance, a horned Elder God in chains depicted by Bob Harvey as a large caveman.)
DeleteOne way to do it would be for the Megara edition to use the original text, and then the subsequent paperback edition could use my streamlined rules. The collectors would be the ones pledging for the hardcovers, after all, while new readers would be offered the less baroquely complex version in paperback format. But here I am trying to please everyone, and when has that ever worked?
I agree and disagree with some of the elements of the preceding two comments. If old gamebooks are going to be reprinted, then spruced-up collector’s editions are very welcome. I always like to get my paws on nicely produced, hardback volumes; but still, what I would prefer to see even more are *new* gamebooks.
DeleteMy view on interior artwork is that it is the least important element of a gamebook, but that’s just me; and I do like all those cover drafts, especially for Book 4.
It has been a cliché for at least a hundred years (and sometimes it’s also true) that each generation wants everything faster, shorter, and simpler than the last. I’m always happy to see that trend ignored or reversed, and for that reason alone it would be nice to have the original rules retained, but I think there’s a more important consideration… How “commercial” would this project be, to reprint Bloodsword? If it is, above all, a labour of love, then the hivemind of fandom is irrelevant: you, as the author, should do whatever you think is right.
One of the biggest impediments to doing new gamebooks is the cost of artwork. Call it 20 pictures, each taking the artist over a day, and then a cover painting on top of that. A couple of man-months' work. I suppose we could dispense with the interiors - nobody expects pictures when reading a novel, after all - but I suspect that would reduce sales even further.
DeleteMy preference is definitely for the streamlined version. But then, my preference is for interactive novels like Frankenstein, with no visible rules at all.
I can't immediately think of any gamebook that doesn't have illustrations, so, yes, I'm sure illustrations would be expected and that the gamebook community would notice and complain if they were missing. The relative unimportance of pictures was just my personal opinion.
DeleteIncidentally, it occurs to me that "The Hivemind of Fandom" would be a good title for a gamebook.
It's funny about the illustrations. I'm sure they were in gamebooks originally because they were meant for kids. When I was writing Frankenstein, I didn't want any illustrations except at the chapter headings - and that was a grudging concession. Inkle did a very nice job sourcing some evocative artwork, I just prefer to let my mind draw its own pictures.
DeleteThe Hivemind of Fandom will be a terrifying book indeed. I don't know what effect they have on the enemy, etc.
The WotT art for the Kickstarter editions seem like they will work for that series of books. Similar artwork for the Blood Sword books, in my opinion, would be a painful contrast to Russ Nicholson's incredible, vibrant, and striking illustrations.
ReplyDeleteAh, then I have good news, Jeremy. Assuming that a Kickstarter for Bloodsword goes ahead (which hinges on the success of the WOTT campaign) then the new hardcover editions will feature Russ's original artwork colorized by Russ himself. I'd take the credit, but that was Mikaël Louys's idea.
DeleteI'll just offer the same insights I might give my design students (I've been a designer for 25 years and been teaching for more than 13)... your problems are stemming from a couple of issues...
ReplyDeleteYhe background is very busy, having both light and dark tones, which creates a texture with a "medium value" (akin to filling the background with 50% gray). And even though red is a very intense color, it actually has a color value of approximately 50% gray (so does green - and that's why Psychedelic poster artists loved those two colors next to each other - because their opposite hues and similar value caused them to "vibrate"). So you've got a 50% value color on a 50% value background. (look at what happens if you make the type darker or lighter - like dark red, or maybe yellow, and see what happens). A different answer might be putting a color tone over the background (like the muted earth tones you're using) and set the layer to "multiply" which will darken the background overall. The goal here, whatever you choose, will be to create more separation in value between background and type. (Make one obviously darker).
Second, the type has some issues to overcome. The way programs tend to work when you stroke type, it actually "bleeds" into the form of the letter, making it harder to read (especially on very thin typefaces and typefaces with serifs). Then consider the stroke color in the discussion above about value. The white outline on the type is actually closer in value to your background, so instead of separating the type from the background, it's making it appear MORE like you're background.
I find that if my students are adding outlines and shadows to make the type more readable, then they've probably chosen the wrong color and the wrong typeface.
If you're working in illustrator or photoshop, there's actually a way to add a stroke to the type without degrading the form. Put the exact same piece of type in a layer on top of itself (so you can't see the one on bottom because it's perfectly hidden behind the one on top). Make sure the one on top has NO stroke. Then, start adding a stroke to the layer underneath. You can make that underneath stroke as bold as you want, and it will only add stroking OUTSIDE the type on top of it, so the type on top maintains it's original form, no matter how bold you make the stroke underneath (so you have no limits on the stroke weight).
Also, remember that condensing type more than few percent really degrades the form as well. If at all possible, start with the most condensed form you can and work from that. It looks like you might be using Garamond. See if this condensed version gets you closer: http://www.fontpalace.com/font-download/Garamond+Condensed+Regular/
Thanks for taking the time to explain those points, Richard. I feel like I ought to pay you :) I'm actually getting quite interested in cover design now. My approach to the subject up till now has been a little like learning to swim by diving over Niagara Falls, but at least I have got as far as realizing how much I still have to learn.
DeleteI'm currently trying an overlay background texture with a gradient, so that the bottom of the image, where the text is, will be darker. And I actually knew that tip about outlining type - I use it all the time for sound FX in my comics work - but hadn't thought of applying it to cover text. (Duh.)
Watch this space for new versions of the covers. Hopefully each iteration will get a little better.
In my view I prefer nice color covers - the original ones aren't too bad, although the logo could do with some updating. I say go for the dual system of books - I'll get both!!
ReplyDeleteTalking of the thumping great rule system - this might not be the time or place to ask, but could I get your verdict on 2 rules questions?
1) In book 4 you get a cursed mask that is stuck to your face and gives you more actions but you take extra damage. Are these lost in book 5 when your belongings are stripped at the start?
2 In book 1 there is a room with a skull that teleports the character to a room of scrolls - one type which lets you shift your stats around. Is there any limit on how many scrolls of each type you can take? (i.e. can my enchanter grab 4 scrolls to boost his psychic ability and reduce his fighting prowess by 4?)
My opinion of the original covers is on record. They are perfectly good pieces of artwork but I feel they don't fit with the style of the books. In any case we don't have the rights to use those.
DeleteThe trouble with getting new full-colour art done is that it's fairly expensive, and these reissued gamebooks are not exactly big money-spinners. I would love to get new paintings by Jon Hodgson, my favorite Legend cover artist, but Fabled Lands LLP can't justify that, so all costs must come out of my own pocket. Although maybe I'm being pessimistic; if others are willing willing to shell out for both classic and revised Bloodsword these could be a runaway success :-)
The dimensional portal takes away everything except the Sword of Life, including the cursed mask. And there's no limit on taking multiple scrolls of one type.
I want the scantily clad priestess of the first French version of BS1 back ! :-)
ReplyDeleteAlas, we are only allowed to have scantily clad males on the covers these days. PCs are just too PC.
DeleteI'm already in for the "Blood Sword" Kickstarter but not for "The Way Of The Tiger".
ReplyDeleteI would like to see the original tactical maps in some format, whether it is multiple versions, a stretch goal, or something else. That was one thing that really caught my attention with the "Blood Sword" series and really appeals to my numbers-heavy personality. Very few gamebook series have tried "interactive" maps. But in the end, you have to decide whether you can produce the same storyline with a simpler ruleset and that maybe has to be the way it is. I would be disappointed without maps but not destroyed.
I am a staunch opponent against major interior artwork in gamebooks. My big objection is that flipping through the book looking for your next section, you undoubtedly stumble across a picture of an upcoming enemy and it is usually a major confrontation in the story. The surprise is gone and you lose something. That and you potentially start building your characters around that upcoming battle. Little stock, "filler" pictures that break up the monotony of pages is nice but that is about it. The fun thing about books is you are allowed to see everything in your mind as you want and not have an artist taint your experience with their vision. Those people who whine about a lack of pictures need to go buy an imagination.
I suspect the only reason there are pictures in gamebooks is because they were intended for kids. Even as a kid, though, I preferred to read books without pictures. (Strange, in that case, that my main loves are movies and comic books...)
DeleteNeil Rennison of Tin Man Games was showing me Warhammer Quest recently. Now that would be perfect for Bloodsword - but if we did them as apps, what about the text? There is the dysfunctional marriage, I think. Are you immersed in a story, or are you playing a tactical wargame? Reading, or playing? You and I might be able to switch fluidly between the two, but most people can't. Most, in fact, would rather not even have to roll dice. The quandary is which audience to cater for, given that it would be nice if the new edition were to appeal to more than 75 people on Kickstarter.
Decisions, decisions!