You find an artist for your game who will work for free. Whether they be a player or DM. However, all of the characters are rendered in their artstyle. They refuse to change it whatsoever. They are a very good artist.

Taking into account that generative AI is not allowed (due to reasons), which would you rather have: a cartoony artstyle or a realistic artstyle?

Realistic.  It's a better fit for the games I play.  Also, welcome to the boards.  Interesting first post

Realistic. Elmore, Parkinson, Bradstreet, Geier are probably my favorite RPG artists. The last two are a bit stylized, but still realistic.

Whatever you would consider 80s-early 90s comic book style to be - that's the art I want to see in more rpgs.

I prefer anime aesthetics, but with realistic armor/armaments/accoutrements. So while I wouldn't (necessarily) have moe-style art, SOME art might be moe and some might be older school anime style (or something modern like that of Vinland Saga).

Either, but be consistent.

One of my favorite games is Dungeons & Delvers Dice Pool. It has cute Chibi art through the whole game. Despite looking like Funko-pop figures the game is great. 

The book with the best art in it is a toss up between the D6 Star Wars 2E (blue cover with Darth Vader), or Heavy Gear & Jovian Chronicles from Dream Pod-9. 

Star Wars 2E has a black and white pencil drawn comic book style, but it's realistic. 

Heavy Gear or Jovian Chronicles both have an unrealistic anime art style. 

The big thing I like is that they're all the same style. 

I think the answer is realistic. Here's what my fantasy heartbreaker would look like if money was no object: The covers and color plates would look like Frazetta, and the rest would be black and white and resemble Savage Sword of Conan. Every time you opened the Player's Handbook, you would yearn to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women.

Quote from: FishMeisterSupreme on March 19, 2025, 12:11:24 AMYou find an artist for your game who will work for free. Whether they be a player or DM. However, all of the characters are rendered in their artstyle. They refuse to change it whatsoever. They are a very good artist.

Taking into account that generative AI is not allowed (due to reasons), which would you rather have: a cartoony artstyle or a realistic artstyle?

I want consistency. The exception is when its a "do anything" sort of book.

Cartoony art has too high a tendency to make players not take a setting seriously. Think Dark Sun done in some modern cartoon style like WOTC used for the last Dungeon! Board game.

It can work in the right occasions. But overall it can send the wrong message.

Then theres too realistic art. While I can appreciate the skill. Some artists have a realistic style I just dont like. 2e had an artist who was like that. Contrast that with Corben's insane skill that had a very organic feel but was not too realistic. Or Caldwell.

But honestly what works for me might not work for someone else.

Also for a pucblished work. Heres a big secret. All that glitzy flashy interior art means absolutely nothing. The cover and premise sells the game. Not the interior art.

What do you mean by Cartoony?  What would be some examples?  Jeff Dee's art was very comic-booky.  Do you consider that to be cartoony?

I prefer cartoony art, but with a serious -- not comic -- tone. Trampier and Otus both produced prime examples of what I mean (though Trampier also did realistic pieces; I like Treasure! better¹ than the Gamma World cover, for example).

¹ even better I should say.

Quote from: Crusader X on March 19, 2025, 06:29:13 AMWhat do you mean by Cartoony?  What would be some examples?  Jeff Dee's art was very comic-booky.  Do you consider that to be cartoony?

That's certainly what I mean by it, and Dee is perhaps the best example of all.

Doesn't matter to me, as long as it captures the feel I'm going for.

It does depend on the game and it's feel, though I prefer more serious games thus more realistic (but not photo-realistic) art. If it's a retro game, getting retro art is perfectly fine, though I'd reject any kind of anime look - never been my thing.

Generally the art in the more recent Free League publications all seem to match the vibe of the game they're published in and I think they're great. For a look at what not to do, look at Dolmenwood. What a mishmash of cool stuff and garbage with many different artists and styles.

It depends a lot on the cartoon or comic style. A good cartoon style is usually better than realism, with a few applications preferring realism, anyways, for verisimilitude reasons. But being real, a lot of cartoon styles don't actually look that great.

This is a decision which needs to be made on a per-artist per-project basis.

Generally, though, if the artist is actually good and can work with your style needs, I'd say go for it.

Cartoony - Anywhere between the styles of TSR games, and amateur fan-art that appeared in house organs and DIY games with rule books that were letter-size sheets of paper folded in half, where the artist has some skills, but lacks discipline.

In one of my RPG modules, Radical High: Freshman Orientation 1985, I drew an entire NPC student body, which is somewhere between the two, but intentionally leaning toward the amateurish side for a nostalgic charm.  Two of them are the PCs played by my wife and I.