I'm fighting with myself and losing...
I'm in the process of playtesting a game with hidden agenda cards for each player. I'm also thinking ahead on how to design the cards and the overall theme of the game. Knowing the good art sells a game just as well as great gameplay I know I want a lot of awesome artwork in the game, however the game is mostly played out through scenarios that are read from cards - a lot like Too Mamy Bones Scenarios or the Crossroads cards from Dead of Winter. I bring that up because it seems difficult to put art on those scenarios. The agenda cards are the only other componeent that could have artwork. My fight is that I dont want character art on the agenda cards(the agendas are people with political agendas) because a player may get a character that they dont ifentify with. A male player getting a female character or whatever. So I want to put some sort of graphical design badge or banner on the agenda cards so their is something to look at but isnt going to offend a player if their character is a ginger. The other hand, limited components with artwork has limited aesthetic appeal.
Sorry for being long winded. Should I put character art on the agendas and forget about players maybe having a problem with the character art on the agenda they have or do i fhoose a benign path and make the agendas a badge/banner but lose out on art potential as it were?
These are the goals in the game. I cant really call them roles because to me role implies know information and different actions that can be taken in a turn - the agendas are hidden and only represent the goals. In my mind not roles....
However, the agendas are titled to specific classifications of people.... "the warmonger" and "the diplomat" and the "the treasure" for example. Given the names I can easily see characters on the agenda cards. BUT would a player be turned off/disconnected with the game if their chatacter card is a balding priest? I suppose when i play Sherriff of Nottingham I dont care that im a pansy yellow dressed bread maker so maybe that isnt a big deal.
Another question/ponderance. What is the point of putting character art on a card that only one player will see for the entire game? Is it worth it? I suppose Resistance does it.....