Best RPG Covers of All Time

[Baulderstone]

My vote is for the Shadowrun covers of first and second editions. You've got probably the best snapshot of all the different facets of the game in one picture.

That is very true. My FLGS had a poster of the cover up on the wall weeks before the game came out. The second I saw the poster, I knew exactly what Shadowrun was.

 

[Shipyard Locked]

 

[Shipyard Locked]

 

[Shipyard Locked]

 

[TristramEvans]

 

[Shipyard Locked]

 

[TristramEvans]

 

[TristramEvans]

 

[TristramEvans]

 

[Llew ap Hywel]

Hi first post and I love the cover choices. Here are three that reignited my game running mojo.

 

[Arkansan]

 

[Endless Flight]

 

[Ladybird]

Sadly, Halloween Jack is one of those cover characters that you can't play, or become, or even meet (Well... you could. Once.), but it's a bold, striking, cover.
I am so bored of the recent "three characters standing next to each other" gamebook cover fad

 

[noman]

These are just awesome.

The V:TM, D&D, and Shadowrun covers take me back.

But how about some diceless love:

Shadow Knight, largest pic I could find:

And Rebma, the hope that never was:

And finally, Lords of Gossamer & Shadow:

 

[Llew ap Hywel]

Always loved that Amber cover

 

[noman]

Always loved that Amber cover

It's one of my all time favorites. The French version is good too, but i couldn't find a decent sized version to show.

 

[Llew ap Hywel]

It's one of my all time favorites. The French version is good too, but i couldn't find a decent sized version to show.

I'll have to google it

 

[RunningLaser]

My favorite for D&D is from the Companion Set

Better pic here

Everything about it felt fantastic to me. Armored knight wielding a large magical sword against a huge green dragon in a very wild looking place, in the distance a very fairy tale castle.

 

[noman]

Man, that's gorgeous.

The length of that sword, tho. :confused:

 

[natty bodak]

I was always particularly fond of the cover art for the softback book from the Stormbringer boxed set.

 

[Shipyard Locked]

The length of that sword, tho. :confused:

 

[noman]

:eek:

I don't want to derail this thread, but I want to say one thing: I love anime, but I freaking hate the (mostly) unrealistic armor and sword designs.

Carry on.

 

[Lunar Ronin]

 

[Llew ap Hywel]

My favorite for D&D is from the Companion Set

Better pic here

Everything about it felt fantastic to me. Armored knight wielding a large magical sword against a huge green dragon in a very wild looking place, in the distance a very fairy tale castle.

Also the cover to the first Penhaligon (sp?) book.

 

[thedungeondelver]

c'mon guys it's like y'all aren't even tryin

 

[Sosthenes]

One of my first RPGs ever. As usual with Dark Eye covers, they had almost nothing to do with the setting itself, but at least this was before the mustachioed Elmore-clone era.

Apart from the name of the setting itself, this is still one of my favorites, as it just screamed "more historical than thou" in an era of cheesecake dragon fighters.

And this is my favorite party. Diverse, unique and each of them has an animal familiar of sorts.

 

[Tancred]

ws of the Six Serpents - simple but evocative:



Runequest 3:

 

[Stevethulhu]

I was always particularly fond of the cover art for the softback book from the Stormbringer boxed set.

The original was good, but the Games Workshop cover was the best for my money.

 

[BedrockBrendan]

I preferred Ravenloft as a GM but the Brim Dark Sun art always impressed me the most.

Don't know how to link it but the Neeva image from the Freedom cover is the one I remember being pretty awesome.

 

[Llew ap Hywel]

Don't know how to link it but the Neeva image from the Freedom cover is the one I remember being pretty awesome.

This one?

 

[BedrockBrendan]

View attachment 112

This one?

That is the one.

 

[RunningLaser]

Role

And this is my favorite party. Diverse, unique and each of them has an animal familiar of sorts.

The elf's hair always drove me nuts, but Angus McBride's art for Rolemaster was phenomenal. Far off, lonely, desolate, mysterious and wild places- amazing!

 

[TristramEvans]

Yeah, Angus is usually wonderful, but Ive always had a hard time with that cover telling where the forehead ends and the hair begins

 

[Endless Flight]

I had to do a double take myself. I was thinking "what a cool looking party except for the egghead on the left...Oh that's an elf??"

 

[Sosthenes]

It gets better on the Arms Law cover, where the elf is just standing there, pondering meaningful things when the rest of the group is trying to bring down a golem. I love that elf.

Bonus points for reminding me of J. Peterman from Seinfeld. Maybe the group will find an Urban Sombrero in the dark depths of the dungeon.

 

[Mook]

This is a totally great thread, really bringin' me back!
One of my faves, "GURPS: Bunnies & Burrows." Just look how pissed off those bunnies are!

 

[natty bodak]

c'mon guys it's like y'all aren't even tryin

I've heard a lot of criticism of the efreet/city of brass DMG art over the years, but I'm here to tell ya that stuff gets me fired up.

 

[Stevethulhu]

I've always been a sucker for this one.

And this one, too

And here's another one I like

Weird how each one is bigger than the one before...

 

[Mook]

I was poking around my books, a couple of my favorite GURPS 3E covers:

 

[Stevethulhu]

I was poking around my books, a couple of my favorite GURPS 3E covers:

That's my favourite edition of GURPS right there. With the two Compendiums, obviously.