D&D (2024) Comeliness and Representation in Recent DnD Art

[Incenjucar]

WotC should generally be stopping at acknowledging a variety of relationships and moving on.

Noting that sometimes Elminster invites Drizzt over for cuddles is fine, but we don't need an adventure to find the magic shackle key that fell out the tower one night and got eaten by a passing wyvern.

 

[Fifth Element]

I think that the risk is probably easily justified in this case. WotC could play it safe with old art styles, and based on this and the Wizard thread, there is certainly some pushback from established D&D players. However the number of the people complaining about the new art WotC is using to broaden its appeal seems to be quite limited. The intersection of "Is currently a 5e player", "Was intending to pick up the new 2024 5e", and "the new art is the dealbreaker that means they won't be playing 2024 5e" is pretty inconsequential compared with what they stand to gain by continuing to broaden the appeal.

Absolutely. Mine was more a commentary on the use of "playing it safe" in a pejorative sense.

 

[Fifth Element]

The cut bodybuilder look popularised by Frazetta and Schwarzenegger to appeal to the men buying D&D isn't particularly realistic. (There is a reason that a lot of the swordplay in that Conan film looks somewhat stilted: Arnold was unable to perform some of the moves due to overdeveloped muscles.)

This is a very good point, not often raised. The modem idea of a muscle-bound warrior is not very realistic in itself. Bodybuilder muscle is very showy but not overly useful in practice. Much better to have more wiry strength like most pro athletes. But that complaint doesn't seem to apply to that end of the spectrum.

 

[Ancalagon]

Lookism?

The belief that good looking people are "better"

Lookism - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[MGibster]

I mean, it may just be because I live in a college town (and work at said college) but by far the biggest influx of new D&D players I've seen over the last decade have been young queer people, who are typically not shy about exploring that sort of material. I mean, there's clearly an audience for Monsterhearts and Thirsty Sword Lesbians these days.

I think most of us have a somewhat narrow view when it comes to the demographics of players. Not because we're myopic, but because our social experiences are necssarily narrow because we're just individuals. I don't know if young queer people are the biggest influx of new players, but I've certainly seen their presence. In 2018, I ran Curse of Strahd and another campaign for a group I started gaming with and half the players were gay. They were in their late 20s which is young to me. I'm glad I had that experience because they were fun to game with.

 

[MGibster]

This is a very good point, not often raised. The modem idea of a muscle-bound warrior is not very realistic in itself. Bodybuilder muscle is very showy but not overly useful in practice. Much better to have more wiry strength like most pro athletes. But that complaint doesn't seem to apply to that end of the spectrum.

I raise it every chance I get. If you're going to fight someone like Arnold or The Rock, do it when they're at their absolute most shredded. They're starved and dehyrdated themselves to look like that and odds are good they're going to get tuckered out in the middle of the fight.

 

[LesserThan]

Plasmoids

I just cut it down to this, otherwise a nightmare to try to reply scrolling around the typing area.

You would not have a slime in the humanoid shape. Vampires are humans, or were, so they would have 2 eyes, 2 arms, 2 legs. Slime creatures never did, nor do they have bones. There is no reason for non humanoids to have human body "problems", as they dont have human style bodies.

Half elf or orc, silly and pointless. I stand by that.

We would have to go into semantics and pedantry over humanoid and demihuman meanings to go further, and neither really has to do with the art and "beauty" stat.

...2 points you numbered.

1. Realism, fantasy game, not real. Who cares?
2. Representation, fantasy game, not real. Who cares?

I am not interested in RPPUNDIT simulation games. If I wanted "real", I could do that Society re-eanctors medieval fighting stuff instead of playing a tabletop game where my fat ass in sitting comfortably in my wheelchair. To repeat what I said earlier to Charlequin, I told her, I have zero interest in "being represented" or FORCED to have my character in a wheelchair in game. If anyone offered me a wheelchair character in a game I would be grandma unfriendly words well beyond being offended by it.

I want characters and art that depict the FANTASY world, not this one.

Things burn down when Bessie kicks over the lamp, I better not see any firetrucks sirens blaring coming to put the barn out.

People seem to be blurring the line of fantasy and reality a bit too much in modern escapism.

 

[LesserThan]

Well...

Wouldn't be the first time that a D&D book covering that sort of topic was written.

Not to butt in, but fan creation for older edition, called NetBooks written in Word, has a Book of Carnal Knowledge in the 1990s. So not even 3rd was the first.

 

[LesserThan]

The belief that good looking people are "better"

Lookism - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

So mating rituals as normal for ALL known species then?

They will make a word for anything just to sell more dictionaries I guess.

 

[Argyle King]

Not to butt in, but fan creation for older edition, called NetBooks written in Word, has a Book of Carnal Knowledge in the 1990s. So not even 3rd was the first.

I'm not surprised that older material exists.

3rd Edition was the first edition for which I knew the material existed, but that is largely due to 3rd being the edition with which I started playing D&D.

I was aware that D&D existed before 3rd; I just didn't play it before the era of 3rd.
______

Upthread, different demographics coming into the game has been mentioned by others.

In general, I think the ttrpg audience is likely very different than many people would assume.

I have a lot of colleagues and friends from the military (or military-adjacent careers) who play ttrpgs.