Artwork – My Line in the sand!
12/10/2025
So here’s the thing. Every so often I hear about a shiny new RPG book. Supposed to be brilliant. Everyone’s talking about it. It was crowdfunded (because let’s face it, no RPG company can afford to self-fund these days), so we the fans basically paid for it in advance.
I head to the bookshop (assuming you’re lucky enough to still have one nearby that sells RPGs), or more likely I jump online. And there it is: a gorgeous tome, full colour, stunning artwork on every page.
Then I see the price tag.
£40.
Instant turn-off.
But why are RPG books so bloody expensive? Small print runs are part of it. RPGs don’t rake in big profits for most creators. But the biggest culprit? Artwork.
Now, full disclosure: I used to be a graphic designer. I have huge respect for illustrators and artists. They deserve to be paid fairly for their incredible work. Honestly, they’re often not paid enough. Which is one of the reasons I held back from publishing for so long — I couldn’t afford the art.
Sure, I could crowdfund, get investors, or push for glossy collector’s editions. But this isn’t a business for me. It’s a hobby. A passion project. Something that, at best, I’d like to pay its own way. And I don’t want to slap a £40 price tag on a book, however pretty it looks.
Don’t get me wrong — if you’re into collecting beautiful things, that’s great. Go for the deluxe editions. I’ve spent silly money on collectibles myself (though, as you’ve probably guessed, not RPGs). But if you’re an old grumpy git like me, you’ll remember the early days of roleplaying games: black-and-white interiors, ropey sketches, minimal production values. And you know what? It didn’t matter. We didn’t need gorgeous books. We needed ideas.
If you’re a roleplayer, you have imagination by default. Otherwise, what are you doing here? Harsh, maybe, but I don’t think unfair.
So when I finally decided to publish Thayathorn, I made myself a promise: keep it affordable. As cheap as possible without bankrupting myself. That means putting content before cosmetics. If I can’t paint the vision with words, then the writing is at fault — no lavish illustration will fix that.
That doesn’t mean the books look plain. Far from it. I’ll admit it: I use AI-generated art. Yes, I’ve been called a sellout for it. And yes, my accusers are absolutely right. That’s why my books are cheap and accessible. That’s the trade-off.
But let’s be clear: the art is there to support the content, not overshadow it. Little bits, here and there, to break up the page and spark the imagination. If I’ve accidentally echoed someone else’s work, tell me — I’ll change it. I respect artists’ rights, and I’m trying to keep things as original as possible within reason.
In the end, Thayathorn is about three things:
- Content first.
- Imagination second.
- Price third.
I won’t compromise on the first two. They’re all you really need to roleplay. And the third? That’s my personal line in the sand.