The Proper Use of Nudity in FRPG Art

[Starfox]

The blond thief in the bikini on the cover of the 1E DMG is rather sensibly dressed when considering the environment. If she were covered head to toe in heavy leather armor in the heat of that place it would be more unbelievable.

I remember the old Pool of Darkness computer RPG. The best AC you could get was using ring of protection + bracers of armor (because the ring did not stack with the plusses or armor). This combo also let you cast spells. I imagine it made all the characters in my party looked pretty much like that thief - male or female.

Cheesecake mechanics?

 

[CapnZapp]

I wonder if anyone realizes this thread is nearly a year-and-a-half old.

I wonder that too (The thread is almost exactly fourteen years old )

What I wish for Christmas is that the tide soon turns - that tabletop rpgs can once again be discussed in similar ways to art, literature and film where there's no criteria for acceptability that all works need to please or even respect everybody. In art, literature and film you can have content that titillate or shock; annoy or offend. There you can openly discuss the incorrect and the avant-garde. There, the proper course of action if you dislike something is to ignore it, rather than argue for it to change and conform.

I have just fondly looked back at a bygone era, an era conjured by this very thread; an era where those people that didn't like nudity simply chose games without, instead of demonizing the games with. An era when liking games featuring things somebody else might dislike or feel excluded by (the nude female form, say) weren't cast with suspicion or projection or branded as attacking the sensibilities of others.

I have to believe the way forward to reach this turning of the tide is to see more games created that you like, so you can blissfully skip those you don't like. In the current climate of homogenizing the market to include everybody and offend nobody I worry for the future. And so should you, if our history of treating art is anything to go by.

And with that, cheers to more games that are offensive, lewd and generally just annoying! Not because we can then feel equally excluded and offended, but because diversity and risk-taking means we are more likely to both find something that astounds us!

 

[aramis erak]

Wouldn't she draw attention, though, and isn't that bad for a thief? A bard, on the other hand...



I would expect succubi to wear clothes... really revealing clothes, unless the art depicts a succubus in the act ... of draining energy.

It makes sense that Harpies wouldn't wear top, too. I guess artists should shy away from nudity unless they have a good reason to make the subject naked. If it's part of the concept (eg nymphs) it only makes sense.

Agree.
And I'll note, careful side views of nymphs can avoid most of the issue with the naughty bits... as can foreground foliage.

In no small irony, the "controversial naked sacrifice" on the OE sup III cover was done by a female teen...

 

[aramis erak]

To put it simply, if you put in pictures of naked men, there are going to be a LOT of teenage boys who WON'T buy the game.

If you put pics of naked anything humanoid, most teens shouldn't be allowed to buy it.

 

[MGibster]

If you put pics of naked anything humanoid, most teens shouldn't be allowed to buy it.

While I'm not chomping at the bit to add nudity to RPG books, I think that's a bit of stretch there. And I'm saying this as someone who refused to buy any of the Avalanche Press d20 splat books because of their covers even though word on the street was they contained pretty solid material.

 

[TerraDave]

It was funny to read back through this thread.

It is sorely lacking in examples, however.

 

[Dausuul]

It was funny to read back through this thread.

It is sorely lacking in examples, however.

By way of examples, I present unto you: The Internet.

 

[aramis erak]

While I'm not chomping at the bit to add nudity to RPG books, I think that's a bit of stretch there. And I'm saying this as someone who refused to buy any of the Avalanche Press d20 splat books because of their covers even though word on the street was they contained pretty solid material.

The covers were (just barely) not pornographic. The content within, however, was top notch.

I realized after posting that I'm letting my US biases show - but really, I'd rather kids weren't buying stuff with lurid art.
Hell, I'd rather not buy lurid art.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

The covers were (just barely) not pornographic. The content within, however, was top notch.

I realized after posting that I'm letting my US biases show - but really, I'd rather kids weren't buying stuff with lurid art.
Hell, I'd rather not buy lurid art.

I understand the sentiment, but if a kid has access to the internet, they've already seen worse.

 

[AnotherGuy]

I don't have an issue with the nudity reflected in the FRPG art I have consumed through the various D&D iterations. I think Boris Vallejo, Franzetta and Luis Royo had great art and likely some of that would be too much in RPG books consumed by young teens (not like they haven't seen anything worse on the internet), but I tend to think its pretty harmless overall.
I didn't have as many VtM books so I cannot comment too much about that.

Definitely agree with @CapnZapp's post.