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Best Board Game Art 2017

More Games Please brings you interviews with the best board game artists and designers. We find out more about their inspiration, the challenges they've faced and how they created the games we love.

Games Featured

  • Barcelona: The Rose of Fire
  • Barenpark
  • Brass
  • By Order of the Queen
  • Checkpoint Charlie
  • Dawn of Peacemakers
  • Donning the Purple
  • Escape the Dark Castle
  • The End is Nigh
  • Flamme Rouge
  • Fugitive 
  • Gloom of Kilforth 
  • IUNU
  • Kingdom Death
  • KIWETIN
  • The Lady and the Tiger
  • The Lost Expedition
  • Mission: Red Planet
  • Neverland Rescue
  • Oniverse
  • The Open Road
  • Pandemic Legacy
  • Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu
  • Pyramid Arcade
  • Sagrada
  • Skyward
  • Side Effects
  • STEM: Epic Heroes
  • Stop Thief
  • Terror in Meeple City
  • Unearth
More Games Please
Telling the story behind the art in board games

Games Featured

  • Barcelona: The Rose of Fire
  • Barenpark
  • Brass
  • By Order of the Queen
  • Checkpoint Charlie
  • Dawn of Peacemakers
  • Donning the Purple
  • Dragoon
  • Escape the Dark Castle
  • The End is Nigh
  • Flamme Rouge
  • Fugitive 
  • Gloom of Kilforth 
  • IUNU
  • Kingdom Death
  • KIWETIN
  • The Lady and the Tiger
  • The Lost Expedition
  • Mission: Red Planet
  • Neverland Rescue
  • Oniverse
  • The Open Road
  • Pandemic Legacy
  • Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu
  • Pyramid Arcade
  • Sagrada
  • Skyward
  • Side Effects
  • STEM: Epic Heroes
  • Stop Thief
  • Terror in Meeple City
  • The Tea Dragon Society
  • Unearth
  • Vast
Featured
Anthony Coffey & Jesse Labbe: Art in Board Games #34
Apr 17, 2018
Anthony Coffey & Jesse Labbe: Art in Board Games #34
Apr 17, 2018

I have been into tabletop games since I could remember. Fireball Island was a pin in my childhood timeline. Soon after that, Hero Quest began to open my eyes to all the possibilities that you could create with a game; the worlds that could be designed and all the adventures to be had exploring them. With such a love for illustrations, games just felt like the natural next step.

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Apr 17, 2018
Nick Nazzaro: Art in Board Games #33
Apr 4, 2018
Nick Nazzaro: Art in Board Games #33
Apr 4, 2018

The first thing I showed the rest of the team were different color palettes that were very limited, for directions we could go in. Having a limited amount of colors was very important in establishing the style as unique and recognizable. The hope was it would be eye-catching and different enough to warrant a further look...

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Apr 4, 2018
Katie O'Neill: Art in Board Games #32
Mar 26, 2018
Katie O'Neill: Art in Board Games #32
Mar 26, 2018

I think there's so much to learn from traditional methods arts and crafts, and other things such as making and growing food. They can take a lot longer, but the products are so beautiful and there's so much more intention and engagement with the process.

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Mar 26, 2018
Kyle Ferrin: Art in Board Games #31
Mar 19, 2018
Kyle Ferrin: Art in Board Games #31
Mar 19, 2018

How a game works isn't always immediately clear, but you can say a lot about what the players will feel like by giving them at-a-glance information through visual communication

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Mar 19, 2018
Semi Co-op: Art Outside Boardgaming #1
Mar 12, 2018
Semi Co-op: Art Outside Boardgaming #1
Mar 12, 2018

At first I just started designing the characters that were going to be based on Heinze and me. I read ‘Understanding Comics’ and ‘Making Comics’ by Scott McCloud and just started drawing some. Three out of four were jokes about board games, so together with Heinze I decided to throw away the idea of a webcomic about geeky subjects in general and decided it would be better to focus on board games.

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Mar 12, 2018
Steven Preston: Art in Board Games #30
Mar 5, 2018
Steven Preston: Art in Board Games #30
Mar 5, 2018

When I first started on Skyward I made an inspiration folder on my hard drive and kept filling it up with artwork I found [..] As I'd never really drawn any isometric art before, I didn’t know how long it would take or what style to do it in [..] I started looking at more pieces still in an isometric style but with a lot more detail, like something out of an RPG.

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Mar 5, 2018
Donning the Purple: The Art in Kickstarter #1
Feb 26, 2018
Donning the Purple: The Art in Kickstarter #1
Feb 26, 2018

I wanted an old and detailed styled map. So I contacted Daniel Hasenbos who is a cartographer [..] and by intense research [..] added historically correct buildings and monuments throughout the Roman empire.

Joeri Lefevre provides the all the card art and the amazing box art. I wanted his art pieces to be classical and to depict different situations in the daily life of Roman people [..]

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Feb 26, 2018
Jacqui Davis: Art in Board Games #29
Feb 19, 2018
Jacqui Davis: Art in Board Games #29
Feb 19, 2018

When I started out I tried to do everything for fear of upsetting people, and I still catch myself falling into that mindset every now and then. But I think it’s better to be upfront with clients at the start about deadlines, or whatever the issue may be, rather than dropping nasty surprises on them later..

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Feb 19, 2018
Alex Crispin: Art in Board Games #28
Feb 12, 2018
Alex Crispin: Art in Board Games #28
Feb 12, 2018

Here's a special audio version of the Art in Board Games Interviews. This week I'm interviewing Alex Crispin the illustrator of brand new game Escape the Dark Castle by Themeborne. As we both live in Nottingham it seemed only right we meet up in person to have a face to face chat. 

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Feb 12, 2018
Jesse Riggle: Art in Board Games #27
Feb 5, 2018
Jesse Riggle: Art in Board Games #27
Feb 5, 2018

I'd also recently moved to Europe for a stint and loved seeing all the old castles and wanted to do something with that. So I combined that with my affinity for isometric projections and started to play around and liked where it went. The game features a bunch of unique environments, such as..

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Feb 5, 2018
Andrew Bosley: Art in Board Games #26
Jan 22, 2018
Andrew Bosley: Art in Board Games #26
Jan 22, 2018

Never stop learning and practicing! As my professors used to tell me, it’s the mileage that matters. There are plenty of people with pure, raw, exceptional talent, that have their path laid out for them. But the rest of us just need to work hard. For both art and game design..

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Jan 22, 2018
Tania Walker: Art in Board Games #25
Jan 8, 2018
Tania Walker: Art in Board Games #25
Jan 8, 2018

Achieving my life’s dream at 21 was eye-opening. Setting aside the 70-hour working weeks, what I found at Disney was that I didn’t enjoy being a cog in an enormous machine. Turned out what I really wanted was not to work with a specific company, but rather, the chance to shape my creative work in a meaningful way...

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Jan 8, 2018
Featured
Eileen Tjan: Art in Board Games #24
Dec 11, 2017
Eileen Tjan: Art in Board Games #24
Dec 11, 2017

[..] the biggest challenge is that there’s no literal interpretation of the game outside of the pieces. So, we had to concept an entire art style and brand around two pieces of information: there are many games you can play with pyramids, and the pieces themselves...

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Dec 11, 2017
George Doutsiopoulos: Art in Board Games #23
Dec 5, 2017
George Doutsiopoulos: Art in Board Games #23
Dec 5, 2017

The timing was perfect and so was the theme of the game. Some of my favorite things in the world are science, character illustration and board games, and STEM perfectly combined all three. What is more, I absolutely love vintage themes...

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Dec 5, 2017
Todd Sanders: Art in Board Games #22
Nov 27, 2017
Todd Sanders: Art in Board Games #22
Nov 27, 2017

In taking apart another designer’s work and re-visioning it, you learn the inner workings of the mechanics and how the game is put together, thereby learning something about the design process. I suppose the best thing I have learned is to be open with my work [..]

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Nov 27, 2017
Sami Laakso: Art in Board Games #21
Nov 20, 2017
Sami Laakso: Art in Board Games #21
Nov 20, 2017

As I do both the illustrations and graphic design for my games, I usually start with a crude layout for my prototype. While the first prototypes can be rough around the edges, I try to make them as user-friendly and clean as possible..

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Nov 20, 2017
Jade Shames and Ben Bronstein: Art in Board Games #20
Nov 13, 2017
Jade Shames and Ben Bronstein: Art in Board Games #20
Nov 13, 2017

I’ve had a lot of tragic experiences with mental illness, and I have a very dark sense of humor. Knowing that many of the drugs we’re prescribed to make us well also cause us to become sick in other ways, I started to develop a game where you were racing other players to treat a series of diseases...

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Nov 13, 2017
Chris Quilliams: Art in Board Games #19
Nov 6, 2017
Chris Quilliams: Art in Board Games #19
Nov 6, 2017

[..] I had the opportunity to work on Pandemic Legacy with my Z-Man team. I knew about the Legacy system at the time but had never played Risk Legacy, so I really knew nothing about the game mechanics. Everybody knew the game was going to be special, which really added to the excitement. So because of that there was a bit of extra pressure [..]

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Nov 6, 2017
Tristan Hall: Art in Board Games #18
Sep 25, 2017
Tristan Hall: Art in Board Games #18
Sep 25, 2017

I wanted to play a beautiful classical RPG adventure game that recaptured the feeling of playing Dungeons and Dragons in one evening, which meant epic adventures, meeting strange people, going on quests, exploring ancient places, enlisting allies and overcoming enemies and obstacles and finding great treasures, and no game I’ve played before..

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Sep 25, 2017
Mr Cuddington: Art in Board Games #17
Sep 18, 2017
Mr Cuddington: Art in Board Games #17
Sep 18, 2017

When we started working on Brass, we did not have much realistic art in our portfolio. We were lucky enough to have Gavan Brown trusting us for this big project. However, we could feel people were somewhat unsure that we could pull it off. Brass was already loved by many and we wanted to stay true..

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Sep 18, 2017
Élise Plessis: Art in Board Games #16
Sep 11, 2017
Élise Plessis: Art in Board Games #16
Sep 11, 2017

We’ve imagined another world or reality which is inspired by the one we live in but more dreamlike. Nature has inspired me a lot. There are so many different shapes and colors around us. So much creativity and diversity in the millions of creatures and plants that exist. I wish I could have helped designing them..

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Sep 11, 2017
Gary Paitre and Natalie Dombois: Art in Board Games #15
Sep 4, 2017
Gary Paitre and Natalie Dombois: Art in Board Games #15
Sep 4, 2017

The Canadian Woods and Nature in general were big inspirations but I also wanted to give the game a little “nordic” feeling, which shows in the characters that have warrior paintings and heads that looks a little like skulls. [..] KIWETIN should be mysterious and friendly without becoming too obviously magical...

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Sep 4, 2017
Justin Hillgrove: Art in Board Games #14
Aug 28, 2017
Justin Hillgrove: Art in Board Games #14
Aug 28, 2017

I love character design so creating the character art was a joy. The game designer and I both have daughters who enjoy gaming and we feel strongly about making games that appeal to men and women, so we took care to make sure that at least half of the characters were female, and that none of those characters were sexualized..

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Aug 28, 2017
Justin Wallace: Art in Board Games #13
Aug 23, 2017
Justin Wallace: Art in Board Games #13
Aug 23, 2017

I wanted to depict a diverse cast of characters, yet push each character just far enough to fit their given occupation/archetype. I wanted each character to feel distinct, and I based them off of people, faces, or characters that are memorable to me. I tried to capture those features the way that I see them..

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Aug 23, 2017
Jordi Roca: Art in Board Games #12
Aug 15, 2017
Jordi Roca: Art in Board Games #12
Aug 15, 2017

This project meant working on a game for the revered authors of War of the Ring, surely one of the best strategic games for two players that exists and a massively popular best-seller. For David and I, it was a challenge to accept and live up to the demands of this project..

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Aug 15, 2017
Ossi Hiekkala: Art in Board Games #11
Aug 9, 2017
Ossi Hiekkala: Art in Board Games #11
Aug 9, 2017

When I was asked if I would like to make illustrations for a bicycle racing game, it didn’t take me more that half a second to say ”YES!”. As a road bicycling enthusiast the subject was more than pleasing, but when I playtested it, I was thrilled. It really was a game.. 

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Aug 9, 2017
Roland MacDonald: Art in Board Games #10
Jul 31, 2017
Roland MacDonald: Art in Board Games #10
Jul 31, 2017

A project always starts with research. First broadly, everything to do with the theme. Then narrowing down to the different elements required for the illustrations. I make a new Pinterest board for each project and look at as many different approaches and sources as possible to get away from the obvious.

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Jul 31, 2017
Ryan Goldsberry: Art in Board Games #9
Jul 24, 2017
Ryan Goldsberry: Art in Board Games #9
Jul 24, 2017

The biggest issue with Fugitive was the amount of art that was needed. The cards are numbered (0 - 42) and we decided that each card would be unique and that if you laid the cards all out in order, you could see a story and a chase taking place...

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Jul 24, 2017
Atha Kanaani: Art in Board Games #8
Jul 18, 2017
Atha Kanaani: Art in Board Games #8
Jul 18, 2017

[..] it was my first “big” board. There was some art already done and I had to respect the style by making mine very similar. When you don’t have a lot of experience, it’s a little bit scary because the board is the part where players are going to live their adventure..

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Jul 18, 2017
Pierô: Art in Board Games #7
Jul 11, 2017
Pierô: Art in Board Games #7
Jul 11, 2017

This project should have been the best moment in my career. I was working with only friends (game designers and publishers) on a very fun and original game. Everything was supposed to be cool. Unfortunately, I’ve realised since then that it’s always when I think it will be cool and quick that it’s a painful and slow process..

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Jul 11, 2017
Lorinda Tomko: Art in Board Games #6
Jul 2, 2017
Lorinda Tomko: Art in Board Games #6
Jul 2, 2017

Nature is a big source of inspiration for me; nothing is creepier than some of the things that already exist here on Earth. I’ve based monsters on parasites, diseases, carnivorous plants and deep sea creatures - I like that the Kingdom Death universe isn’t filled with the same old thing! 

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Jul 2, 2017
Saskia Rasink: Art in Board Games #5
Jun 28, 2017
Saskia Rasink: Art in Board Games #5
Jun 28, 2017

I used to go to second hand book stores and search for hours to find the beautiful maps in old travel guides. One map I found, from 1970, inspired me to make a personal map of Copenhagen. This actually started my freelance career, with many map-based freelance jobs coming in..

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Jun 28, 2017
Phil Walker-Harding: Art in Board Games #4
Jun 25, 2017
Phil Walker-Harding: Art in Board Games #4
Jun 25, 2017

For me, the funnest part of these titles is when you get a piece to fit perfectly in a space and fulfil a plan you have been working towards. So when I started the design that became Bärenpark, I tried to make these moments happen often and be the real payoff for the players throughout the game..

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Jun 25, 2017
Garen Ewing: Art in Board Games #3
Jun 19, 2017
Garen Ewing: Art in Board Games #3
Jun 19, 2017

I think I always wanted to be an illustrator, perhaps more specifically a comic artist - so I’ve been lucky. I was in hospital a lot as a child and my mum gave me comics to read and paper and pencils to draw with to keep me occupied - so perhaps my fate was sealed...

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Jun 19, 2017
Peter Wocken: Art in Board Games #2
Jun 7, 2017
Peter Wocken: Art in Board Games #2
Jun 7, 2017

I had visited La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona when I was living over in France, and it was an amazing and beautiful structure! When the game was picked to me, I got really excited about the setting. I had also been playing around with stained glass as a graphical element in a couple of games before Sagrada...

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Jun 7, 2017
Joan Guardiet: Art in Board Games #1
Jun 7, 2017
Joan Guardiet: Art in Board Games #1
Jun 7, 2017

I wanted the art to somehow convey a story, to have that Cold War vibe that the game needed. But also wanted to keep it light hearted. Once I had the first character created everything else flowed from it..

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Jun 7, 2017
 
 

@moregamesplease

A Z U L 🌞 If there was ever a game that made me think of warm sunny weather, it would be this. I didn’t even mean to buy it, but when I saw it in stock today at my local game store I knew it was meant to be.
🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞
Azul (2-4 players/ 30-45 mins) places you in the role of tile laying artists creating beautiful displays for the Royal Palace of Evora.
🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞
Introduced by the Moors, “azulejos” (originally white and blue ceramic tiles) were fully embraced by the Portuguese. 
The gorgeous illustrations are by Chris Quilliams who I interviewed on my site last year. If you want to see behind the scenes art, go check it out via the link on my profile.
V I T I C U L T U R E 🍷 The sun is shining outside today which reminded me how much I love staying indoors, drinking wine and playing boardgames.
🍷🍇🍷🍇🍷🍇
Viticulture (1-6 players/ 45-90mins) is a worker placement strategy game where you try and create the best vineyard in all of Tuscany.
🍇🍷🍇🍷🍇🍷
Games takes place over several rounds and seasons. Plant and harvest grapes, age wines, give tours of your vineyard and sell to merchants.
Spend money on upgraded buildings and work your way to wealthy wine soaked victory.
H I G H S O C I E T Y 🍸 They say diamonds are a girls best friend. Me? I was best friends with every jeweler in town
🍸🏇🏻💎 💎🏇🏻🍸
High Society (3-5 players/ 15-30 mins) is an auction game about outbidding your opponents to gain the most material wealth. 
Just be careful you don’t spend too much as the person with the least money at the end scores nothing.
🍸🏇🏻🏖🏖🏇🏻🍸
Thanks to @ospreygames for this copy, funnily enough before I knew it was coming I’d already emailed the artist @medusadollmaker as I adore her Art Nouveau style. Keep your eyes peeled for her interview in the near future.
🍸🏇🏻🏖🏖🏇🏻🍸
This updated version of the Reiner Knizia classic is currently for pre-order, due to be released at the end of May.
🍸🏇🏻💎💎🏇🏻🍸
This game is an example of how much diversity you can fit into a game, even one with only 16 illustrated cards.
H I G H S O C I E T Y 🍸 I really couldn’t afford this lifestyle but I certainly wasn’t going to let them know it.
🍸🏇🏻🏖🏖🏇🏻🍸
High Society (3-5 players/ 15-30 mins) is an auction game about outbidding your opponents to gain the most material wealth. 
Just be careful you don’t spend too much as the person with the least money at the end scores nothing.
🍸🏇🏻🏖🏖🏇🏻🍸
Thanks to @ospreygames for this copy, funnily enough before I knew it was coming I’d already emailed the artist @medusadollmaker as I adore her Art Nouveau style. Keep your eyes peeled for her interview in the near future.
🍸🏇🏻🏖🏖🏇🏻🍸
This updated version of the Reiner Knizia classic is currently for pre-order, due to be released at the end of May.
 

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