Out of the Darkness - what would you want on the cover?

[Malenfant]

(Note: If you like the CT-style black covers for the 1248 line above anything else, please don't comment on this thread. This question isn't aimed at you)

So OotD currently just has the normal black CT-style cover... but what if it didn't? I'd like people to describe here an actual image that you think would best sum up the setting for a cover. Don't worry about how much it costs or whatever, just describe what you think would an appropriate. And don't worry about specific artists, we just want an image description here.

One image that springs to my mind is of a ship trawling through some wreckage in orbit around a planet. Kinda like the opening scenes in the first ep of Firefly, where Mal and the crew and going through that abandoned spaceship. The scavenger ship is sitting in the background, people in suits are floating around this bashed up hull, maybe hauling out a crate with an imperial sunburst logo on it. Other wrecks can be seen floating around too. Maybe the planet in the background looks a bit bashed up too, with a brown haze and some big craters where the cities should be.

 

[mike wightman]

I'd like to see some sort of montage cover.

I'd definitely include that image Mal, but I'd like to see some of the other things suggested by the setting.

A brand new ship coming off an orbital slipway, a trading team talking things over with some natives, a ruined grav city in the background with farms or a castle in the forground - that sort of thing.

Something to show the destruction and the hope...

 

[Whipsnade]

I'm an old poop, so I'd rather see no art than bad art. Rush it, don't have enough money to do it right, and you'll end up with another GT:Humaniti.

Good art adds immeasurably to any product.

Bad art merely takes up space and reminds us that something more useful could have been there instead.

Just my 0.02Cr.


Bill

 

[kafka47]

Originally posted by kafka47:
So, I would agree with you that we don't need a space scene. Which is why I wanted Liz Danforth all the time do the things that she did with T2000. Imagine a hybrid between the T2000, 2300AD and Rebellion Sourcebook.

However, the above show what can be done quickly and cheaply. And, when I talk about Andrew but also some of the work Estranger has done for 2300AD is truly inspiring.

Let me say that we are chiefly in agreement, Mal, despite some fundamental differences...

To address your concerns...

Originally posted by Malenfant:
First, you seriously need to resize those images, they're screwing up the formatting bigtime.

Second, it would still look like a really bad hackjob to slap any 3D image in front of those.

Third, those images are generally too busy. (plus the Saturn one can certainly be done as a rendering)

Fourth, as I said, it's really unimaginative to take that approach.

First, just took a Google image search, I said in the prefix, just a quick dirty search with nasa.gov as a Domain search to see what is out there quickly. So naturally, resizing would the first task.

Second, I would not just slap any ship but one that could blend seemlessly in. The one with shuttle has the most potential despite its busyness. I could just see a SDB taking its place or the old fashioned Beowulf as was already rendered by keith in Far & Away just adding realism to give more depth.

Third, aesthetic judgements may vary but I like that my eye in not focused in one spot but takes in a large canvas.

Fourth, as I said, if one wanted a quick cover to attract the likes of the RPGNow crowd to a brand new game. Traveller is not really known and you want to be able to sell it as SFRPG quickly, so a space image is probably the best way to do that.

Now, for the cover of deadtree, either a pastiche or as I suggested a Liz Danforth containing the essemble above, I think would be a winner.

 

[Malenfant]

Originally posted by Bill Cameron:
I'm an old poop, so I'd rather see no art than bad art. Rush it, don't have enough money to do it right, and you'll end up with another GT:Humaniti.

That's all very well, but you didn't say what image(s) you'd want to see on the cover .

I'm not interested in hearing what people think is good and bad, or in who people think are good or bad artists, or anything like that - I'd like to see some descriptions of images that people would want to see on the cover of the book.

 

[Malenfant]

Originally posted by kafka47:
First, just took a Google image search, I said in the prefix, just a quick dirty search with nasa.gov as a Domain search to see what is out there quickly. So naturally, resizing would the first task.

All I want here is a description of a scene (or scenes) that you'd want to see on the cover. I don't care how you make it, I don't care who owns it or who took the picture, but I really can't believe that the best thing you can come up with is a 3D spaceship slapped onto a NASA picture. You've got to have more imagination than that, surely. What's the ship doing? Are there people in spacesuits anywhere? What is it in the scene that makes it relevant to 1248?

Fourth, as I said, if one wanted a quick cover to attract the likes of the RPGNow crowd to a brand new game. Traveller is not really known and you want to be able to sell it as SFRPG quickly, so a space image is probably the best way to do that.

I didn't say I wanted a quick cover to attract the RPGnow crowd though. I want ideas here for a professional looking, high quality cover. This is most definitely an "in an ideal world" scenario here.

Now, for the cover of deadtree, either a pastiche or as I suggested a Liz Danforth containing the essemble above, I think would be a winner.

I give up, who is this "Liz Danforth" you keep going on about?

 

[jcrocker]

Liz Danforth did a lot of character illustraions for GDW, among other stuff. Mostly Twilight: 2000 people, but some pieces for Challenge magazine and I think some 2300 character illustrations.

What else she's done, I have no idea.

 

[kafka47]

Ok, in reverse order...

a) Liz Danforth did most of the covers and gritty interiors of the Twilight modules, as I believe that I already stated. Twilight had the right amount of grit that would be reflected in 1248 of a civilization rebuilding through sweat.
Examples from the Twilight universe , combined with this one ... like this or maybe like this...

b) Right now ComStar has made it clear that they do not have enough money for a high quality cover. But, we in fandom must try think of ways of expanding our product. And, quite soon 1248 is going to be out there and we have to think of how better market it to the unconverted.

c) Creative, I believe can wait for dead tree. Attention grabing is what we will need in the first instance.

d) Go back to my first quote to find out what I would like to see.

 

[jfetters]

Originally posted by Jon Crocker:
Liz Danforth did a lot of character illustraions for GDW, among other stuff. Mostly Twilight: 2000 people, but some pieces for Challenge magazine and I think some 2300 character illustrations.

What else she's done, I have no idea.

A lot of portrait illustrations in Rebellion Source Book for MegaTraveller. If you received any of the "trading cards" in the MT CDROM release, the Norris card was hers also (which I think appeared in the Players Manual).

 

[Malenfant]

I'm not sure why this is so hard to understand, but let me rephrase the question in a clearer way:

"Picture in your mind's eye the ideal (in your opinion) cover for the Out of the Darkness book. Then describe it."

Comments about practicalities, money, attention-grabbing, time-frames, good or bad art or artists etc aren't relevant at all here. I'm just asking for descriptions of an image that you think would be a good OotD cover here. That's all.

Maybe I've missed it, but I've not seen a description of an image from you on this thread, kafka - you mentioned a 'pastiche' or an 'ensemble by liz danforth' but that's not a description.

(thanks for the Danforth links, now I know what you're on about ).

 

[MJD]

If OtD is to have a pictorial cover for the deadtree version, I need:

1. Ideas.

2. Enough sales of the PDF to pay for it.

Not in that order.

 

[Malenfant]

Well I'm hoping this thread will result in some ideas, at least, if people actually focus on what I'm asking

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

View looking Aft as two people repair stuff on an exposed hull area. Contrast is between the hull and the machinery, and the composition is not horizon based, but more "detatched" suggesting zero -g?

What is the central image that stuck out in it's creation?

 

[The Hinterworlds Rambler]

A "Groundling" Crowd perspective view , looking up a large ramp at emerging RCES (did I have that name right?) Team.

The contrast could be in the bleak, beat up landscape and crowd, and the bright starship. The people coming out of the ship should look almost supernatural in tone. Sort of a view from a Cargo Cultist.

 

[jfetters]

In the theme that Baron is presenting:

Front - The Imperial Capital at Usdiki (A painted variation of the B&W image. (Alternately, a montage of that with Avery's fleet - something aking to GT:IW)
Back - The Imperial Park on Capital with a destroyed Moot Spire, wrecked and crashed Palace (including annexes) and the ruined K'Kree ship in between.

 

[Border Reiver]

A merchant fleet about to enter jump, traders, scouts and escorts.

A cybernetic enhanced K'kree in hand to hand combat with a battledress equipped marine.

A pair of vacc suited scouts examining a starship bridge with human remains at each workstation.

A (insert biggest class of aerospace capable vessel here) over flying a ruined town (vegetation encroaching on the plastic and metal) with regressed humans in armour and polearms gazing up in awe.

A 2320 style montage, Marine, Scout, Merchant and (pick another) overlayed on an Imperial Sunburst upon a hex map of (Gushemege? Zarushagar?)

 

[kafka47]

MJD, sorry, in the order that they were presented...
Idea 1

A heroic battle scene with someone gripping the Fourth Imperium standard admist an onslaught from the Dominate charge. Battle could have many dimensions. Battle Above, between starships with FI seemingly winning. Battle Below, humans in heroic retreat. Bombed out Hiver buildings set against a world with two suns bearing down.

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For The Dominate, somehow the borgified K'kree need to really scare the pants off me, so not the odd piece of metal stuck on. Gibson's rendering was good of a K'kree but it not scare me. I want to be scared as much as I want to be inspired.

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What did scare me was the bombing of Vland. Very well done, now if that was in Colour and Terra, this would scare me.

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Good art to look at is some recent Chaosium art. The use of shadings amplify mood. Happy to send copies to any artist if I can track down items and a photocopier does justice to the work. But other Chaosium art is just downright ugly...line charactures that have surpassed their place.


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As to part 2, of your request. Part 1 already purchased and arm twisting others. Definately awaiting Book 2, any chance a sneak preview of the table of contents...

 

[kafka47]

Idea 2

Also, nice would be someone looking at a dead Dominate, its eyes still active (read: burning red with hate) and looking at the devisation of a boneyard world with an expression of: "What is the point of all this?"

Idea 4

First contact between a FI Rep and a peaceful species. Out the clouds, a flattened disc can be seen making its way to the ground.

Idea 5

A Hiver youngling playing with a human child whilst Aslan parents nodding approvingly.

 

[kafka47]

Idea 6 - don't most Traveller ideas come in sixes?

Something from the original New Era coming back to haunt the current milieu. The Man from the cold tank on the back showing off his latest cyberware.

 

[kafka47]

As much as I like Berg's work on the "Other" thread, it has already been done. Maybe Hunter will surrender his original T20 Ref screen that was somewhat like the cover of MT Ref screen.