Wargame Design: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

 

Recently, I have run across wargame rulebooks without pictures in them.  I mean, no pictures of models on table.  No artwork of the setting. Sometimes, not even diagrams of play.  This has taken me aback.  Frankly, I am also a bit jealous!  One of the hardest things in post-production is creating, sourcing, and inserting images into a rules document.  I am no lay-out expert, not much of a photographer, and even worse illustrator so the idea of excluding all of these things is really appealing to me!  

I can also understand the choice from a publishers prospective.  Images are much harder to reproduce, has an added detail of doing all the right things legally to use them, and/or having staff to make reproducible charts and diagrams.  All of that costs money and time.  Often times, printing stuff that isn't text is also problematic and an additional hurdle for a publisher. 

Despite all these reasons, I think making a decision to remove artwork and miniatures images is ultimately a mistake.  I think we have all heard the old saying, that a picture is worth a thousand words.  

Cover for Osprey's Wars of the Republic by Giuseppe Rava

What Can Pictures Do For You? 

A good rulebook design uses pictures and images to do a variety of things, these can range along the spectrum of schematic to thematic.   

1. Demonstrate how mechanics actually work! 

Pictures can help quickly and illustrate a complicated idea.  It might take several paragraphs to right, but can quickly be intimated with a quick illustration of the point.  This could be a diagram, artwork, or even pictures of models in action.   

2. Act as a quick explanation for game play

Very similar to the first one, except this is setting the "idea of the game".  It gives an idea of unit sizes, space to play, amount of terrain, etc. in a quick easy to look at snapshot.  It essentially sets the tone for the players without having to tell them.  I.e. forces deploy on opposite board edges.  Units are about 10 models per squad.  50% of the board is terrain.  

A picture like this tells you a lot about the game, without reading a single word about the game.....

3. Clarify edge cases

Pictures are a great way to clarify edge cases.  You don't want to spend a great deal of time and space in the rulebook on these, but a quick image can often convey how to play a particular mechanic quickly and easily.  

You can see a good example in the With Hot Lead and Cold Steel rules here: 

4. Provide examples of how the game is supposed to be played

Similar to point 2, it gives a quick visual short hand to the way a game is suppose to be played.  This can be especially helpful for setting up a game or scenario, it sets the tone of what the game should look like before you begin.  The players can follow all the written rules for set-up, but a quick image will allow them to feel confident they did it right.  

The set-up for the above scenario can be complicated to describe in writing, but a quick image give an immediate impression of the right way to go about it. 

5. Set the theme and tone of a game

Artwork and Photos are also a great way to reinforce the hooks, themes, and tone of a game.  Your text may emphasize certain points, but the images really drive the ideas home.  

For example, in Under the Martian Yoke it is easy to give the idea that the Martians are a big threat, by having a picture of a Martian Tripod hovering over a survivor.  It gets a key concept and explanation of the game across and reinforces the rules of the game visually. 

6. Unlock game potential 

Warhammer 40K would not be as popular as it is today without the accompanying great imagery from 1st edition onward.  The artwork conveys more of a feel and presence than the words alone could provide.  It allows a player to immerse themselves into the world of the game and capture a part of their imagination.  

   

I mean, this cover is iconic of what you will find inside! 

7. Wargaming is a Visual Medium

Most of us got into wargaming because it looked cool!  We saw an awesome picture of a game, some artwork that inspired us, or the pictures of some minis on the table that made our imagination race!  Very few of us read some rules and thought that wargaming would be fun!  

Wargaming is a spectacle, and to capture that spectacle you need images and artwork! 

The Dark Side of Pictures

Of course, there are downsides to using pictures and images within your rulebook.  

1. They are hard! 

Most of us are not professional photographers or artists!  There is a skill to taking photos and making art.  Sadly, it is not one that is easily mastered either!  People spend lifetimes learning these skills.  

2. They are expensive! 

.... and since these are skills people can take a lifetime to build, that means they cost money to access their skillsets for your benefit!    

3. They are time consuming! 

And trying to do it yourself can take a long, long time.  Modern tools make it much easier with better cell phone cameras, digital editing tools at the palm of your hand, and online resources for public domain images.  However, all of those require a bit of time to learn how to use, much less master.  If you are lucky enough to commission some professionals, these things do not appear overnight.  They take to create on their own.    

In addition, you need things to photograph!  That means getting paint on miniatures.  Making appropriate terrain.  Setting it all up in a useful scene that is photogenic.  It is not as easy as you would hope!  

It is also important to note, that many of the most popular platforms for distributing content are not A.I. generated content friendly.  It is important to know the rules and regulations for these tools based on your distribution model.  

Brigade Models painted and photographed by Tony Francis from Brigade

Integrating Pictures and Words 

The main thing you need to know when deciding how and when to use images is understanding, who is this for?  

• If your target is to create accessible rules for new players in a genre or period, than the bar for images is higher.  
• If it is a new twist for old grognards, their need for images is more functional than spectacle.  
• If you are intending players to enter new worlds they have not explored before, than the needs for scene setting and thematic pictures increases.
• If you have a very crunchy ruleset, then the need for schematic images like diagrams and demonstrations increases.
• If you want to reinforce your POV of the game, some artwork and photos can help demonstrate the choices you made in game.      

Ultimately, there are a number of reasons to add pictures and artwork.  As the designer, it is up to you to decide where, and what is needed.  Like Wargame Design itself, you need to decide what your vision is and then apply the right tool for the job.   

The Games: Blood and Spectacles

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, artwork, photos, and diagrams are just a tool to do a job.  Use the tools to make your vision come to life.  I would argue that reading a set of rules with few or no images is an exercise in tedium.  Wargame rules are not just about playing a game, they are intended to entertain in and of themselves!  Without images, the chances of a potential player finishing the rules and then translating them to table drop.  Excluding visuals cues, reducing rules ambiguity via images, and sharing the potential of a game in visual form is vital to reduce the barriers of entry a player will cross to play your game.  

In short, put in the extra work for effective images in your rules please. 

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