Re: GURPS/4E... could be more attractive?
 

You know, it never occurred to me before but this is exactly why I didn't buy it. I bought everything else but not it...

Re: GURPS/4E... could be more attractive?
 

~.^ Phallic fight of the Technology Levels! I think a whole chapter of Traveller's Aide#69 Marital Aids of the Third Imperium wrote itself when I saw those covers. O.O

I've been tempted to pick up Game of Thrones despite being unable so far to slog through the first novel. It's very eye-catching and BIG. So far I'm trying to hold out for the Tri-Stat version so's I can crib from it for Tekumel: Empire of the Petal Throne. T:EPT also wins points for being eye-catching & different, though more conventional in presentation. A full-color T:EPT would have been amazing and really shown off the setting.

So far GURPS: Interstellar Wars is looking pretty good illustration wise though we've only seen the book equivalent of a movie trailer. I think one thing GURPS 3e had going for it was a fairly standard art style which worked. Okay it wasn't too shiny but there was a good bit of art. I take it 4e either doesn't have a standard art style, not "enough" art, or just a m3h standard art style? From what I've seen it's a mix of the last two.

Personally I think presentation is better that say a lot of art pieces. HARP’s a good example for me of a current game that works presentation-wise without have full color slick layout. The art’s b&w but there’s a good bit of it and it’s usually topical. See Harp Lite and harphq.com .

Re: GURPS/4E... could be more attractive?
 

I know I'm on the extreme end, but I believe every GURPS book should have artwork on a level with an Osprey publication. Unrealistic, but one can always hope.

Re: GURPS/4E... could be more attractive?
 

Hello Marketing guy,

You want to help me to sell your products??

Put the GURPS LITE 4th ed on better quality paper. Like the pound count or rag you used for the 3rd edition ones. I tried to photocopy a bunch (like I mentioned in the older thread) - and the high-speed self-serve copier shredded the orginal. The very helpful printing place worker - told me that I needed better paper to do what I want.

SO, once I get more ink for my printer - the guy said he would do the pagination off of my personal PDF printout - so I can staple them and recruit more players for my games...and for GURPS in general.

For the love of the game - PLEASE improve the quality of the paper GURPS LITE is printed on that you include with the GM screen and that you had out at cons.

- E.W. Charlton

Re: GURPS/4E... could be more attractive?
 

NO, it's not just the art it's accessability, GURPS is too big and scary. There needs to be some better entry points. I'm thinking Prime Directive, but with better art would be an excellent example of what I'm thinking. Cheap and setting complete, no sorting out what you want to allow.

Don't get me wrong, I love big reference books, but I'm a long time fan, not a new customer. GURPS lite is too small to do the job. What might do well is some 16 page world books for say, Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction. Put a floppy cover on them (with an overleaf of cardboard heros) and the lite book and price under $20.

Diskworld and WorldWar II were along the right lines but too specific and too expensive. Yes two $20 books are as expensive as one bigger book, but smaller books aren't as scary looking.

I'd suggest: GURPS Bane Storm lite, GURPS Autoduel lite, GURPS Ogre lite, and GURPS Traveller lite (which needs the William Keith art, or all new Dave Detrik no substitutions please).

Re: GURPS/4E... could be more attractive?
 

And (I hope I get these names right, it has been awhile) Blair Reynolds, Michael Vilardi, and... Rob Caswell.

Re: GURPS/4E... could be more attractive?
 

Nope ,
Jesse deGRaff space ship art work ...and Glenn Grant for TRAVELLER

Re: GURPS/4E... could be more attractive?
 

I'm pretty sure that the idea that more attractive products sell better is a done deal. The only question I see is why let a product go out the door that didn't look as good as the competition? Maybe there were monetary concerns with that amount of artwork. Maybe the designer in question had not looked to see what he was up against. Maybe everyone liked the way it looked when it went out.

To me, this is a more interesting question.

Re: GURPS/4E... could be more attractive?
 

The answer is embodied in the old line, "An artist's work is never done, simply abandoned."

My guess is that there has never been a book in the history of man that the publisher was completely satisfied with. (Especially in the days of cuneiform; you just don't want to mess with errata on clay tablets.) There's always going to be a piece of art you don't love, or one more misspelled word that you didn't catch, or a phrase that could have been smarter or funnier.

So you do the best you can, and you resign yourself to the fact that there will come a point -- usually ten minutes before the last FedEx pickup on the day it absolutely has to go to the printers -- when you have to say, "This book is as good as we can make it this time," and let it go. And then you go out and do the next book better.

So it's really not about comparing yourself to other publishers. It's about doing the best you can with the time and money and talent that you have, and always trying to improve your work. The market will let you know if what you're doing is good enough, and SJ Games seems to have done all right on that front.

best wishes,

Re: GURPS/4E... could be more attractive?
 

Chris Aylott,
I wasn't knocking your efforts - just need better paper for "LITE" I wanna help you push your stuff.

- E.W. Charlton