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Forget AI Art. If an RPG has no art at all, will you buy it?

Started by weirdguy564, April 10, 2025, 07:48:07 AM

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Svenhelgrim

#16
April 10, 2025, 02:27:22 PM
I bought the Traveller boxed set back in 1982.  Not one illustration.  So, yes.  I would buy a game with no art andI have.

But nowadays I would need to see what I am getting before any money drops.

DataDwarf

#17
April 10, 2025, 02:28:39 PM
As others have mentioned. Assuming good layout, formatting, and editing (Poor editing is a big detractor for me. Looking at you Mongoose), yes.

Corolinth

#18
April 10, 2025, 02:43:38 PM
Maybe.

If you had a 15 page book with no art and were charging a couple of bucks for the effort, I could get on board with that.

If you removed all the art from the 5E player's handbook and squashed it down to... however many pages it ends up being, then no I don't think I would.

I don't know where the inflection point is.

Also, if you make too big a deal about human art, I'm not giving you any money. Checking the hand-crafted box on DTRPG, or having a little blurb about made by human hands is fine. Once I start getting activist vibes, I'm done.

Mishihari

#19
April 10, 2025, 03:12:56 PM Last Edit: April 10, 2025, 03:15:53 PM by Mishihari
I'm wondering if this question marks a divide between those who buy an RPG to read it for fun and those that actually intend to play it.


Also, AI art is a big negative.  I'd probably pass on a book for that reason alone.  No art is definitely superior to AI art.

Omega

#20
April 10, 2025, 04:47:00 PM
Heres a big secret. Interior art doesnt sell a book.

Personally I do prefer there be at least some example art of at least the races if theres more than just humans. Gear and vehicle art are also nice to have but not a must.

SPI's Universe RPG has almost no art at all in it for example.

Many older gurps books were low on art. This was a bit of a irk for books like the Lensman, and others were knowing what these things look like would have been nice as a few gurps books barely even describe them on top of that.

Some TSR books were very art lite as well. Greyhawk and Mystara come to mind right off. But theres plenty more.

Cathode Ray

#21
April 10, 2025, 04:52:06 PM
Quote from: Kiero on April 10, 2025, 01:45:20 PMBetter one with no art, than one with bad art.

i disagree.  I love the bad art in older games.  There's also art that aren't bad, but amateurish.  A lot of smaller DIY games had art by people who had some skills, but lacked the discipline to make something that looks professional.  There's an oldschool charm to that kind of art, in my opinion.
Think God

RNGm

#22
April 10, 2025, 05:24:59 PM
I'm more tolerant of "bad" art in older games as it was the standard for better or worse.  You might only know one mediocre artist as an indie game creator in the 80s willing to work on your project so you were stuck with whatever you got.   Nowadays with the internet and instant free worldwide communication, that's not really the case.

Fheredin

#23
April 10, 2025, 06:52:29 PM
On rare occasion.

Art is essentially mandatory to spark imagination properly. This is not to say you need a ton of it, but you very rarely want the amount to be zero.

Steven Mitchell

#24
April 10, 2025, 07:26:46 PM
Quote from: RNGm on April 10, 2025, 05:24:59 PMI'm more tolerant of "bad" art in older games as it was the standard for better or worse.  You might only know one mediocre artist as an indie game creator in the 80s willing to work on your project so you were stuck with whatever you got.   Nowadays with the internet and instant free worldwide communication, that's not really the case.

Also, bad art is relative.  There are some talented 8-year olds with crayons that can produce better art than I.  If you were stuck picking between the two options, you'd take the talented kid every time.  Even with 8-year old produced crayon art.

weirdguy564

#25
April 10, 2025, 07:52:52 PM
I bring this up because one of my top three favorite games, Pocket Fantasy, doesn't really have art.

It does use stock art for each class, but that's it.  It really isn't a book, but rather a couple pages you can print yourself. 

If this tariff situation plays out like some think, we may see downloadable RPGs get more popular.  I would think being able to just print out a simple text game like Pocket Fantasy, Maze Rats, Cairn, or even True-D6 is a good choice.  Hell, True D6 has two versions.  The original is quite literally a text file (True-D6 Printable Edition is fully fleshed out with fantasy AI generated art, but is the same rules).
I'm glad for you if you like the top selling game of the genre.  Me, I like the road less travelled, and will be the player asking we try a game you've never heard of.

Wisithir

#26
April 10, 2025, 08:24:30 PM
I am buying a rule not an art book. I would pay extra for no useless filler, and the art budget or resources diverted to something that I do value. Info graphics are a different beast, but I am not in the market for anything crunchy enough to benefit from them.

Conversely, setting books do benefit from some art over pages of exposition and critter manuals are better with critter illustrations.

Spooky

#27
April 10, 2025, 08:32:17 PM
Quote from: Kiero on April 10, 2025, 01:45:20 PMBetter one with no art, than one with bad art.

haha, I say the same about women.

yeah but YES. I have tons of great hex and counter rulesets with no art.
Motoko Kusanagi is Deunan Knute for basic queers

RNGm

#28
April 10, 2025, 08:49:25 PM
Quote from: weirdguy564 on April 10, 2025, 07:52:52 PMI bring this up because one of my top three favorite games, Pocket Fantasy, doesn't really have art.

It does use stock art for each class, but that's it.  It really isn't a book, but rather a couple pages you can print yourself. 

If this tariff situation plays out like some think, we may see downloadable RPGs get more popular.  I would think being able to just print out a simple text game like Pocket Fantasy, Maze Rats, Cairn, or even True-D6 is a good choice.  Hell, True D6 has two versions.  The original is quite literally a text file (True-D6 Printable Edition is fully fleshed out with fantasy AI generated art, but is the same rules).

That sounds like a minimalist system and I'm a relative fan of them as well (though I'm not particularly familiar with Pocket Fantasy other than downloading it and looking at it a while back).   I'd be fine with that especially given it's free.

RNGm

#29
April 10, 2025, 08:50:58 PM
Quote from: Steven Mitchell on April 10, 2025, 07:26:46 PMAlso, bad art is relative.  There are some talented 8-year olds with crayons that can produce better art than I.  If you were stuck picking between the two options, you'd take the talented kid every time.  Even with 8-year old produced crayon art.

Very true (and that theoretical kid would probably beat me in an art contest as well!).
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