If, like me, you grew up in the U.K. in the 1980s (I appreciate that you probably didn’t), then the covers of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels must exert a strong nostalgic pull on you. In fact, they probably do if you’re any sort of fan of Pratchett’s long-running comedy fantasy series. Josh Kirby’s artwork was an inspired pairing with Discworld, fully communicating the exuberance, irreverence, boundless fantasy, and riotous, bustling cast of characters. Kirby’s covers are completely synonymous with the Discworld books; I can’t think of one without thinking of the other.
Kirby sadly died in 2001, but his role was ably filled by Paul Kidby, whose slightly more grounded but still deeply characterful illustrations have formed the official look of Discworld ever since, up to and beyond Pratchett’s passing in 2015. Kidby is now part of the Order of the Honeybee, a group entrusted by Pratchett to keep his legacy alive and make sure the series stays true to his vision.
In that role, Kidby must have contributed to the decision to greenlight the first Discworld tabletop role-playing game in nearly 30 years: Terry Pratchett’s Discworld: Adventures in Ankh-Morpork by Modiphius Entertainment (publisher of Dune: Adventures in the Imperium and Fallout: The Roleplaying Game, among others). It goes without saying that Kidby would illustrate the cover of the collector’s edition of the game, too, which Polygon can now exclusively reveal.
As you can see, Kibdy’s cover is a playful riff on M.C. Escher’s famous 1953 lithograph Relativity, featuring a plethora of Discworld characters walking up and down the impossible staircases and peeking through stone archways. There’s the Luggage, eating a fool; Rincewind, running away; Nanny Ogg in her trademark tights; Death on his cool motorbike; and a Splatter troll on the door of the Broken Drum. It’s all coming flooding back to me now. Who else can you spot?
Adventures in Ankh-Morpork is the first new tabletop RPG set in Pratchett’s universe since 1998’s Discworld Roleplaying Game. Its Kickstarter campaign will run from Oct. 15 through Nov. 7, and there’s a quickstart guide available now.
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