Practice and Research - Research 3.6: TTRPG Graphic Design

Having given myself permission to not replicate an existing 'house style', I set about exploring what felt like 'me' in the tabletop roleplaying space. The logical starting point for my research was to explore what the industry itself had acknowledged. I wondered if I would find examples of trends and style-chasing as in other areas of illustration and design. Would it be a celebration of executing a dominant aesthetic, or would it award art design that pushed the genre in new directions?

The TTRPG industry has its own awards, the 'Ennies'. Like other award schemes, there are multiple categories that one can be nominated for. I concentrated on the "Best Layout and Design" category (although there are other categories that linked to my illustration focus: Best Cover Art, Best Interior Art, and Best Cartography). I researched the nominees over a number of years, and then discovered their product websites or industry reviews to sample their designs and artwork. I pulled together a selection of images that interested and called to me.

I printed these images out, and pasted them into my sketchbook so that I could annotate and comment on each of them to work our what I liked, what I didn't and to inspire thoughts on my own approach.

Looking at the images as a whole, I was drawn to more graphic, stylised approaches. I was also influenced by elements of skeuomorphism, particularly in publications that made their game rules feel like they were practical guides. Many of the options I was drawn to had bold colour choices.

I want to explore how I can merge aspects of these disparate elements, whilst also blending in design cues from the 1960s to 1980s.

---

References

1. Exalted Funeral (2025a). Monty Python’s Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme - Sensible Middle Class Edition. [Digital] Amazonaws.com. Available at: https://s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/images.geeknative.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/14082720/mm2.jpg [Accessed 7 Nov. 2025].

2. Exalted Funeral (2025b). Monty Python’s Cocurricular Mediaeval Reenactment Programme - Sensible Middle Class Edition. [online] Exalted Funeral. Available at: https://www.exaltedfuneral.com/pages/monty-python-role-playing-game [Accessed 7 Nov. 2025].

3. Fria Ligan (2024). Into the Odd - Core Rulebook. [online] Free League Publishing. Available at: https://freeleaguepublishing.com/shop/into-the-odd/remastered/ [Accessed 7 Nov. 2025].

4. Howitt, G. and Kirkby, W. (2023). Eat the Reich. 1st ed. Sheffield, United Kingdom: Rowan, Rook and Decard, pp.28–29.

5. MeloView, E. (2021). CBR+PNK: Cyberpunk one-shots Forged in the Dark. [online] The Cabinet of Curiosities Blog. Available at: https://emanoelmelo.wordpress.com/2021/01/08/cbrpnk-cyberpunk-one-shots-forged-in-the-dark/ [Accessed 7 Nov. 2025].

6. Miall, F. (2025). Felix Miall Illustration. [online] Felix Miall Illustration. Available at: https://www.felixmiall.com/ [Accessed 7 Nov. 2025].

7. momatoes (2021). ARC - Quickstart. Final ed. [online] momatoes.com. Exalted Funeral Press. Available at: https://momatoes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ARC-Quickstart_final-1.pdf [Accessed 7 Nov. 2025].

8. Nilsson, P. and Nohr, J. (2022). MÖRK BORG — Preview. [online] MÖRK BORG. Available at: https://morkborg.com/preview/ [Accessed 7 Nov. 2025].

9. Tuesday Knight Games (2018). Mothership: Player’s Survival Guide. 1st ed. [online] Tuesday Knight Games, p.36. Available at: https://manuals.plus/wp-content/sideloads/mothership-sci-fi-horror-rpg-manual-optimized.pdf [Accessed 7 Nov. 2025].