Quote from: aramis;337842Dragon warriors in a nutshell:
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PDF is a good read, but as typical of Mongoose, rather high on the relative price.

Dragon Warriors is not by Mongoose! It's published by Magnum Opus Press and only distributed by Mongosse as part of their Flaming Cobra imprint.

The reprint is good, but it lacks the 80s-style charm of the old Corgi paperbacks. It's too good, too polished.

Quote from: KillingMachine;337752Wow, you'd really judge a book by its cover? I'm not that crazy about the Otus cover, but it in no way made me think "I don't particularly like the cover, so the book must suck". With any RPG book there is bound to be art you'll love and art you won't be as excited about. If some of the stuff I'm not digging as much happens to be on the cover, that isn't a deal breaker.

For a book that is the basic version of a new edition of a game I already have and for which an advanced version is in the offing? Fuck yeah. I have almost all of the HM 4e line, I know HM Advanced is coming. In a case like that, I don't see why a cover wouldn't be a deciding factor. What else is there about it that would draw me in? I have no real interest in a "basic" game. Hell, I already have plenty of basic games, including the Holmes and Mentzer editions of D&D, as well as Castles & Crusades and a number of the various retro-clones available as pdfs. You'd better believe a cover becomes an important factor.

Plus, I dislike Elmore's art, and I REALLY like Otus's.

Besides all that, how shocked could you really be that people buy or don't buy books for covers? I've bought books solely because Frazetta did the covers, and I know I'm not alone.

Quote from: ColonelHardisson;337995Besides all that, how shocked could you really be that people buy or don't buy books for covers? I've bought books solely because Frazetta did the covers, and I know I'm not alone.

Unless you plan to frame it or something, it just seems odd to me that a cover can become the deciding factor in purchasing a game. Each to his own I guess, but I don't think there is an artist that I find offputting enough to make me decide against a book with content that I otherwise wanted. Also, I could never see myself buying a game just because I loved the cover. Maybe I'm just not as attached to the art as some other people are. But hey, what do I know? I like Elmore's stuff.

The cover was enough for me to dismiss it at first glance, but not enough to make me not want to buy it. I don't have a problem with Otus, but this cover just looks stupid. The original on which it is based is more fantasy-like. This one is a little too jokey for my taste.

Quote from: brettmb;338048The cover was enough for me to dismiss it at first glance, but not enough to make me not want to buy it. I don't have a problem with Otus, but this cover just looks stupid. The original on which it is based is more fantasy-like. This one is a little too jokey for my taste.

Yeah, HackMaster Basic's cover sucks. Otus is pretty good, but this isn't good Otus.

Fortunately the game inside the covers is pretty cool.

I disagree with the criticisms of the cover.  It looks like classic Otus to me, including the shadowy fungoid dude in the background.

And I love Otus!

I would have preferred Bros. Fraim cover art.

I like the cover to the new Hackmaster. Even though I tend to prefer Elmore's artwork, I still think Otus's art style is more appropriate for this particular game. I'm not sure why that is, but that's just my feeling.

I love the new cover. Reminds me of the old basic set I grew up on and invokes a certain feeling of nostalgia. The game itself does the same thing. It's a lot like playing the old version, but better. Same feel, much more interesting mechanics.