Racially diverse artwork in D&D...does it influence you?

[Imaro]

This doesn't contribute a lot, but I thought the first link was more asian. In fact, I always thought it was. I mean, the top knot alone is a very asian hairstyle, isn't it?

Now that you say Native American, I can kinda see where you're getting it, but not completely.

No I agree the first pic is Asian influenced...Native American was in reference to the druid at the bottom of the screen.

And for the record, Todd Lockwood, for not only being aware of the lack but trying to promote greater diversity has certainly moved up in my respect for him.

 

[aurance]

Also, I never really noticed Redgar's face, because I never saw him without the helmet.

The helmet is the face!

 

[Snoweel]

I grew up in a pretty bigoted household and wasn't exposed to much diversity for the first 11 years of my life. It's a miracle I didn't turn out to be a little Archie Bunker.

Not at all.

Having limited interaction with people of differing cultures you would have been more likely to grow up in the belief that the only differences between cultural groups are the clothes we wear and the food we eat - harmless and banal differences to be sure.

 

[JediSoth]

Not at all.

Having limited interaction with people of differing cultures you would have been more likely to grow up in the belief that the only differences between cultural groups are the clothes we wear and the food we eat - harmless and banal differences to be sure.

I never thought of it that way. Clearly that was more impressive upon me than my father's constant use of racial slurs to refer to anyone who wasn't white (if he didn't know them...once he got to know you, he never again referred to you with the slur word in private).

 

[the Jester]

I prefer racially diverse art, but in the case of something in a setting, it should match the ethnicities of the setting; art set in a Frost Barbarian village should show a bunch of Suel, for instance.

In a generic product, such as the PH, I would prefer to see a more diverse set of heroes. TL's art linked is great, and very dnd. "Exotic peoples, clothes and styles" is a fantasy trope. I think dnd should celebrate and exploit that in its artwork.

 

[Imaro]

@Wyrmshadow...I don't know if I'd say the "baseline" for FR or Greyhawk is necessarily caucasian features. In FR the baseline features really are dependent on where in the FR your game is taking place, in Greyhawk there are different ethnicities (with a wide variety of features) as well, and Eberron is a total mish-mash. All this is to say I don't really think caucasian is the baseline anymore for WotC's worlds.

The real thing I'm wondering is, if there is an equal spread of ethnic diversity in artwork throughout the books...would it make you less inclined to buy them? It seems the R&D team for 3e felt this way and it just seems silly to me, when looking at the actual campaign worlds WotC puts out.

 

[Wyrmshadows]

i prefer racially diverse art, but in the case of something in a setting, it should match the ethnicities of the setting; art set in a frost barbarian village should show a bunch of suel, for instance.

In a generic product, such as the ph, i would prefer to see a more diverse set of heroes. Tl's art linked is great, and very dnd. "exotic peoples, clothes and styles" is a fantasy trope. I think dnd should celebrate and exploit that in its artwork.

qft.

 

[Wyrmshadows]

@Wyrmshadow...I don't know if I'd say the "baseline" for FR or Greyhawk is necessarily caucasian features. In FR the baseline features really are dependent on where in the FR your game is taking place, in Greyhawk there are different ethnicities (with a wide variety of features) as well, and Eberron is a total mish-mash. All this is to say I don't really think caucasian is the baseline anymore for WotC's worlds.

The real thing I'm wondering is, if there is an equal spread of ethnic diversity in artwork throughout the books...would it make you less inclined to buy them? It seems the R&D team for 3e felt this way and it just seems silly to me, when looking at the actual campaign worlds WotC puts out.

Well I should have clarified.

In the standard FR and Greyhawk campaigns you are generally hanging around in medieval lands analogous culturally to medieval Europe (superficially at best...because most PC have their teeth). In FR for example the default is the Dales, The Sword Coast (from Waterdeep to Baldur's Gate), and The North. Of course you can run a campaign anywhere, its just that these places are the most popular apparently and they just happen to be European analogues and more than likely to be populated most strongly by caucasian types. There is of course immigrants and tourists, but I am referring to the bulk of the given populations.

And to add, WoTC 3e R&D could piss off for thinking to pander to the narrowest and most ignorant denominator. Maybe I am blind to the reality of the world (never thought I was) but it never occurred to me that WoTC R&D would think along these lines. Very disappointing actually. Now can I tell you how I really feel?

I have a somewhat dim view of WoTC right now...thanks for validating those feelings with something more relevant than game mechanics. 4e may not be my cup o' tea, but ultimately who gives a rats arse. There are other games. However the very idea that racial considerations were a factor in 3e's art is beyond appalling to me.



Wyrmshadows

 

[Ruin Explorer]

In the standard FR and Greyhawk campaigns you are generally hanging around in medieval lands analogous culturally to medieval Europe (superficially at best...because most PC have their teeth). In FR for example the default is the Dales, The Sword Coast (from Waterdeep to Baldur's Gate), and The North. Of course you can run a campaign anywhere, its just that these places are the most popular apparently and they just happen to be European analogues and more than likely to be populated most strongly by caucasian types. There is of course immigrants and tourists, but I am referring to the bulk of the given populations.

I think this is pretty silly, and says more about you than the FR, frankly.

The Dales and the North are full of "pale caucasian"-types as the natives, sure, but they're also inhabited by MANY adventurers from foriegn lands, and travellers from afar. This is something that's a key feature of the Realms (and why it's not necessarily a good fit for PoL outside the North), the lengths and depths of trade and traders. Waterdeep is an extremely cosmopolitan city for example, as are many other places in the North and on the Sword Coast.

Traders and adventurers will be the bulk of the "non-locals", and many of them will settle down (indeed, or have specifically done so), not "immigrants and tourists". That's wierd 20th-century nonsense. I don't see much "mass immigration" or even "immigration" in the sense you mean it at all in the FR. Nor is there "tourism" in either the modern or original sense. There's certainly travel and trade, though.

 

[Huw]

Doesn't bother me. High fantasy has always been multi-ethnic. Think Earthsea, Lankhmar, Middle Earth, etc. Go back even further, many of Shakespeare's plays feature international casts. Also think of various iconic fantasy films with mixed casts, such as Conan and Beastmaster.