Nudity in RPG books?

[Incenjucar]

There are far too few choices on this poll.

My personal feeling is that there could be appropriate images involving various levels of nudity. In the current culture, it shouldn't show more than T&A, but something akin to showing someone in typical Egyptian royal garb, which tends to be see-through, could have a place.

The trick is, most fantasy artists have a hard time seperating the porn from their art....

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

(ooh, a book on fighters and weapons... good place to pop in a pic of a topless chick! Puh-lease.)

I couldn't agree more if I tried... The only way I could see this, as being believable is if they’re talking about a class or PrC that believes there skin is all the armor they need or something along these lines.

 

[mmu1]

First of all, those are some of the most biased and ridiculous poll questions I've ever seen...

Second - I don't want sex and nudity (or gory violance, for that matter) in most of my D&D products because:

1. By and large, fantasy nudity tends to be gratuitous and tacky, and adds no value to the product.

2. Frankly, I don't want to be associated with people who get excited over strategically torn chainmail bikinis and cheap elf porn by virtue of playing D&D.

3. I like to be able to read my gaming materials anywhere I go, without feeling uncomfortable because there's a woman with a 10-year old kid sititng next to me on the subway or on a park bench and I'm flipping through something with pictures of a thing with twelve breasts cutting someone's heart out, followed by someone dressed in bondage gear with several pounds of nipple piercings.

4. I don't know anyone who'll be turned off the game because it has no sex and nudity, but I know plenty of people (women in particular) who would be, if I showed them a PHB filled with art that looked like it was done by Boris Valleyo.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

I took your first response but hate the way you phrased it (which will undoubtedly bias your poll if you were hoping to get any meaningful information out of it.) Nudity isn't "evil", but I would just as soon do without it so I don't have to worry about creating an uncomfortable environment for anyone at the gaming table. I especially object to gratuitous nudity unrelated to the topic (ooh, a book on fighters and weapons... good place to pop in a pic of a topless chick! Puh-lease.)

Ditto.

Like to add I've raely seen nudity in a gmaing product that worked. Every piece I see I always get this visual of an aritst with the maturity of a 5 year old yelling I want to see boobies. It fits at least in pictures like for the nymph or sucubus but other than that its usually doesn't fit the product or its content, and the use of "mature" content usually just shows a distinct lack of maturity.

 

[Thanee]

Or a book on amazon fighters.

Anyways, I also voted 2nd but think 3rd, altho sexual nudity should be reserved for adults and therefore has no place in regular RPG products.

Bye
Thanee

P.S. "As a [censored, since religion does not belong here] we belive in sex and nudity as a good thing not bad like the others think."

As a non-[censored, since religion does not belong here] (I am actually [censored, since religion does not belong here]), I am obviously among the others, so this statement is quite obviously false. qed.

Not everything is black and white.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

P.S. "As a [censored] snip.

That part of the discussion is over please don’t try to reinstigate it.

 

[Thanee]

Of course.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Elephant]

I voted option 2. Tasteful nudity is OK, but I don't play D&D for an interactive porn session. Frankly, I prefer other avenues for indulging my sexuality.

 

[Berandor]

[Bob Geldof]
I don't mind if you're nude
I don't mind if you think it's rude
I don't mind if I can see your flute
I don't mind at all

I don't mind if there is blood
I don't mind if there is not
I don't mind if there's a lot
I don't mind at all
[/Bob Geldof]

 

[hellbender]

I do. When I was 12 and I started playing, my parents took the time to have a few sessions with us and didn't pass judgement on the game until they thoroughly tried it. I don't think that parents who won't take more than 5 minutes to "protect their child" are doing their job very well.

I am aware of the fact that the existance of products such as the BoVD and BoEF may contribute to forming a negative opinion towards the entire game in the minds of parents. I think that this fact is stupid and unfair, because shunning RPGs because of the BoEF is not unlike shunning the entirety of literature because of Larry Flint. I think that accepting this fact as a given and refraining from publishing mature-oriented material is not the way to go. This is a problem with society, not with RPGs.

Zappo, I respect your outlook and I am not arguing your point, but offering my view here.

I started DnD at 12 as well, back in 1980. My dad bought the Deities and Demigods book for my birthday and he was a little concerned at the cartoon nudity, but overall, he was not bothered by the book or the game in general.

Fast forward to now. I go to my game shop and I can see the BoeF right in there with the DMG, PHB and the MM (and other books), which is locked in a display case. On the surface, it is packaged the same way (designed to look like an old tome). Hardly the same as going from the Classics section of the bookstore to the area with the wrapped magazines that says 'must be 18 and older to purchase', meaning that this book is integrated right in there with all the other rpg material. If this wasn't a concern, why is it already being locked up? I would not blame parents for not allowing their children access to the game until they are older. You might not let your little Billy buy the book, but Tommy's parents might not care or pay attention and I hardly blame parents for trying to shield their children from books such as this until they are at least old enough to understand the implications and consequences of sex itself.

If the BoeF turns away one new gamer, it does a disservice to our hobby. And you can blame parents for this? While I see your point of view, I hope you see mine as well. It is hard to blame a parental unit for the 'if it walks like a duck' syndrome with the books designed in a similar manner and all wedged together into the same locked case. When Jane Austin goes full frontal, I will agree with you, but until then.....

hellbender