Nudity in RPG books?

[techno]

The poll as written is crappy.

It makes objecting to nudity in RPG supplements sound puritanical. If you are going to make a poll, make it such that all the choices are valid.

I agree. The poll is biased and does not present a complete range of responses. I prefer to keep nudity completely out of my RPGs, but I do not think that, in and of itself, it is evil (as option 1 states).

 

[Glyfair]

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.)

Yeah, I think everyone understands what his opinion of his own first choice is.

Personally, I voted the first choice for nothing close to his stated reasons. Personally, I don't mind nudity in my roleplaying products. However, there are larger concerns, such as what others feel about nudity appearing there. I'm particularly concerned about how outsiders might react to it.

Take a look at the some of the things that have happened to comics books at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund site. In some areas, all it takes is for a local official to decide that a crusade against "obscenity" in roleplaying games will help his reelection chances, especially in areas where roleplaying has a stigma attached to it.

Yes, this might seem strange to some, but you'd be amazed at how many of these lawsuits against comic book shops have been won by the officials. I know businesses have been ruined because of these crusades, and I think some store owners/employees have served jail time (although I'm not certain of the second). Yes, some of the comics involved are far racier than anything in the RPG industry (including the BOEF). Still, I personally would want to keep this safe unless necessary for the product.

I'd rather not see anything of the sort hit the roleplaying industry. I'd prefer the "better safe than sorry" approach with only the occasional, appropriate product pushing the boundary.

 

[Ibram]

personaly I dont mind nudity, but I dont buy RPG books for... personal entertanment reasons.

Do I think that a BoEF is a bad idea, no. But I'm not going to buy it, but thats because I'd never use it in a game. My games have involved scantily clad women before, and PC's have even had sex (but I left it at the old "branch tapping on the window" bit). I dont realy want to get into the details of such an encounter.

For RPG books in general I dont think that it belongs. Scantily clad women are one thing but I dont want to catch a glance of Regdars short sword while I'm thumbing through the PHB.

 

[Agamon]

I think I like the way 1E did it. Semi-nudity (the naughty bits covered to the viewer's eye), and applied pretty much where it made sense. That's thinking with others in mind. Personally, I don't really care. I actually find tight-fitting clothing or a bikini more appealing than actual nudity.

 

[Gez]

I couldn't vote "Nudity of any kind doesn't bother me" because, "any kind" sorta implies "male nudity too", and that would be just ugly.

 

[Dark Jezter]

I agree. The poll is biased and does not present a complete range of responses. I prefer to keep nudity completely out of my RPGs, but I do not think that, in and of itself, it is evil (as option 1 states).

Exactly. I don't think that nudity is evil, and can sometimes even be artistic. However, I am against nudity in RPG books for a few reasons, such as...

• If nudity were present in RPG books, many stores would choose not to carry said books.
• Many parents would ban their kids from playing RPGs if nudity in the books bacame a more common occurance.
• There's no guarantee that the artist would make the nudity tasteful. More likely it would just be soft-core nymph and elf porn designed to appeal to the fanboys.
• I don't feel like hiding my RPG books every time my young cousins, nieces, and nephews come over to visit.
• Quite frankly, there's not much reason for nudity in RPG books. Yes, I know that creatures like nymphs and succubi resemble seductive women who wear little clothing, but I don't think that pictures of said creatures need to be any more explicit than the "wet t-shirt" versions found in the 3.5e Monster Manual.

So, I picked choice #1, despite the insulting nature of it. This is just a general statement, though; I don't object to nudity in such products as the BoVD or BoED because such products are clearly labeled as being for mature audiences. Heck, I'm a fan of artists such as Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo, whose artwork often features nude women, but I'd rather that nudity not become a part of RPG books. Nothing more revealing than chainmail bikinis, please.

 

[drothgery]

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.

I think I'm joining the chorus here (really hated the phrasing on #1, but picked it anyway).

Besides, offending parents and female gamers (almost any woman who wouldn't object in general would want equal time male nudity, and, well, I don't want to see any of that) seems like a bad move if you're trying to grow the hobby.

 

[hellbender]

I couldn't vote "Nudity of any kind doesn't bother me" because, "any kind" sorta implies "male nudity too", and that would be just ugly.

I think that has to be one of the oddest reasonings on the subject that I have heard yet. Does male nudity really bother you? I can look at ancient Greek and Roman (or various paintings through the ages) art and sculpture without being repulsed by the occasional male member or questioning my own heterosexual orientation. The idea behind art is the artist's execution, interpretation and skill, not the stimulation factor, unless, of course, the material is meant to stimulate the audience (I honestly do not believe that the occasional breast or nude picture here and there in a book like the Monster Manual is meant as stimulation, merely as artistic representation and interpretation). Portraying a nude (or semi-nude) human body serves many purposes, not all of which are sexual.

hellbender

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

As long as it's not a real explicit picture of people gettin' their freak on, it's cool by me. Adds somewhat, sometimes... like with Conan... scantily-clad women are a big part of the setting.

 

[Gez]

One can't be humorous, heh?

Well, it's not really bothering me, but I don't want to look at it. I don't find a male body to be beautiful or interesting, so the lads can keep their clothings, thanks.

And erotic arousement/disgust isn't relevant here. It's cultural. Maybe that's because society is machist, but I'm used to see, in life or in art, nude or scantily clad women, and clothed men.

So call me a chauvinist pig if you want, but I'm used to see the naked female body often in art, even non-erotic art; while the naked male body, nearly never.

And if you think that it's odd, you can read this article by the German photographer Wolfgang Tillmans, explaining all the trouble he had exposing photos of nude male, compared to how easy it is to get photos of nude women published.