Adventuring Gear: Illustrations

When it comes to visuals, you just can't beat the human imagination. The ability of the mind's eye to envision evocative landscapes and fantastical creatures is unparalleled. But not all imaginations are the same, and sometimes it is hard to convey a visual to your players in the way you have conceived it... And sometimes you just need a little extra visual aid to convey a particular image to players. This is when having illustrations is a very good idea, and can improve the quality of your game and immersion of its players.

There are a number of sources for finding the right pictures to illustrate your campaign. The first and easiest place to go is whatever books you are using for the game. Whether it is Dungeons and Dragons or some other game system, most tabletop gaming rulebooks are filled with professional artwork that reflects the style and content of the game. Remember that those pictures included in the book are not meant to be exclusively for the eyes of the Game Master. Flip the book around and share the picture with your players (Without giving away any confidential game info, of course!)

You also might find appropriate images from magazines or book illustrations, or even printed off your own computer. If you use a laptop or a tablet, that makes for a really convenient and portable way to share pictures with people around the table. I have also used a strategically placed TV screen and a digital projector to display images to my game group. 

As for where to find the right pictures, a quick internet search is a good place to start. Anywhere from online art boards like Deviantart, to Pinterest, and beyond. There are many works available online, by terrific artists in every genre of fantasy and adventure. Photo references are great too, using images from the real world that stimulate your imagination. Whatever gets you inspired or sets the mood you are going for is a great choice to use as a visual aid in your tabletop adventure. If you have a copy of the image on hand, you may even want to leave it on the table or in the hands of your players as sort of a backdrop for the current scene. Art is meant to be appreciated, after all. 

For NPCs, I often choose pictures of actors or models to use as visual reference. It helps to create familiarity and identification among the group if they have a clearly defined face to associate with an NPC's voice. Once again, a basic google image search is the easiest way to go to have quick and easy photo reference, even on the spur of the moment.

Remember, none of this is a substitute for good description. You should always be conveying the sights and sounds of the game effectively through your narration and conversation with your players. And you should focus on conveying information as it relates to all five senses. Sound, feeling, scent... they're all important for setting a scene. But these tools can help bolster at least the visual aspect of the game, and clear up any confusions that might occur if the players missed or misheard some of your descriptions. It's up to you how and when you use illustrations to enhance your game, but consider how it can benefit both you and your group, and you will find that it will be a real boon to your campaign!

Happy ventures!