[Capes] Cover for critique

[Tobias]

"Power is fun, but do you deserve it?" - cover:

The hero stands triumphantly on the trodden-down robot, bulbs flashing, camera's at the ready from reporters. In the back, in an alley behind recognizable Hero HeadQuarters (similarities between logo on building and hero costume), some homeless people starve from the cold (burning scraps in a barrel for warmth).

There's one example.

[TonyLB]

On Manga:  Yep, I've got a lot of manga in my artistic roots, and it comes out all over.  Also, it sells well in a lot of demographics, and doesn't sell poorly in... well, basically anything.  So for the sake of commercialism I think I'm going to stick with it.  It is only representing one possible visual ouevre you could bring to the share imaginary space, but that's sort of a necessity.


On Cover and Premise:  Wow, you guys are grim!  Homeless people starving in the alleyways?  Yeeesh!

I'm getting the impression that folks assume a game can either be filled with childish glee or address serious Premise, but not both.  But that's just not true.  It's no more true than the idea that you can either roll dice or tell a story.  All of these things are in the "two great tastes that taste great together" category.

So yes, the game is "Punch, kick, save the girl!"  It is also and at the same time "Doubt, brood, question my worth."  If the cover is getting across the games unabashed adoration of its cheesy, four-color, silver-age source material then I'm happy.  If it doesn't get across the potential for deep introspection?  Ah well... I've got a whole 'nother cover around on the back of the book.

[Tobias]

I'm getting the impression that folks assume a game can either be filled with childish glee or address serious Premise, but not both.  But that's just not true.  It's no more true than the idea that you can either roll dice or tell a story.  All of these things are in the "two great tastes that taste great together" category.

So yes, the game is "Punch, kick, save the girl!"  It is also and at the same time "Doubt, brood, question my worth."  If the cover is getting across the games unabashed adoration of its cheesy, four-color, silver-age source material then I'm happy.  If it doesn't get across the potential for deep introspection?  Ah well... I've got a whole 'nother cover around on the back of the book.

I don't think we assume it - I think we're trying to peek into the game-buyer and how his reaction to the cover is going to color his assumptions.

What sells games, in the post-goth era? If it's P,K,STG! then the cover's fine. After all, you like it, it's your baby. Discerning buyers can read reviews and be pulled in that way... :)

[TonyLB]

Fair enough.  I don't know what sells games.  (EDIT:  I don't know, in fact, that anyone really does...)

Sorry to get all defensive... the marketing side of this makes my brain hurt and my skin itch.  Which is, you know, totally not anyone's fault but my own, but still.

[jdagna]

::snip:: "Power is fun but do you deserve it?" - although how you would convey that through a cover, I'm afraid I don't know.

You'd have to show some sort of consequences suffered despite winning.  So, perhaps a picture of him unhooking the girl as he frowns, troubled by the dead bodies lying on the floor or something like that.  A lot of the Batman comic covers (the ones emphasizing the "Dark Knight" aspect) also provide some sense of the burden of power.

Artists can also change pictures pretty dramatically just by shifting colors and tones though I don't think that's enough here.  One of our illustrators for Pax Draconis showed us a pair of sample pictures of a meadow in the mountains.  Just by shifting colors and adding a few clouds, they turned a peaceful, beautiful scene into something that was ominous in an undefinable way.

[John Harper]

I don't know what sells games, either, Tony. For Capes, I think a lot of its appeal is that it isn't just another supers game. This cover is just another supers cover, though. The system and design of Capes is special. It would be nice if the cover conveyed the idea that the material inside the book is not the same old stuff that's been done with the genre before.

[timfire]

I don't know what sells games, either, Tony. For Capes, I think a lot of its appeal is that it isn't just another supers game. This cover is just another supers cover, though. The system and design of Capes is special. It would be nice if the cover conveyed the idea that the material inside the book is not the same old stuff that's been done with the genre before.

I'll add this: If the cover is all "punch, kick... etc." without premise, people looking for games with premise may pass the book by. Also, people who only want "punch, kick... etc." may pick it up, but then become disapointed that the game doesn't live up their expectations. Even though that may not be as big an issue with interent-based sales, its still something I would think you would want to consider.

That said, there are tons of books out there with really bad covers and they still sell. (**I'm NOT saying your cover is bad, I'm just making a point**). I also can't say how much the above issue will affect sales and the general perception of the game. So take my post for what its worth.

[TonyLB]

Okay, the advice from here has been preying on my mind.  So here's my first thought at a solution:  This wrap-around cover.  The way I figure it, at conventions (at least) I can control which side gets displayed facing up, and adjust based on crowd.  Plus, it makes it fun for anyone who picks up the book to look at the back.

Have I gone off the deep end here?  It seems, in my sleep-dep-addled state like there are two distinct messages (if you simplify the one message down to "get it across on a cover" mode) that need to be gotten across, and two distinct sides of the book.