So THAT's why Regdar gets no love...

[beepeearr]

About 3rd editions artwork, I didn't like it either, but couldn't put my finger on why at first. It was the lack of action scenes. It seemed like everything was either a portrait, a pose or cut outs around the character (see Lidda shooting the crossbow bolt into the ogre's head). There was hardly any full page pictures, and when there were it was usually the heroes posed like they were about to fight, but rarely showed what they were fighting. I think that's why a lot of people liked Eberron, lots of dynamic art, with great covers.

It might also explain why more people like the Pathfinder Iconics more than the D&D ones. Pathfinder usually has their Iconics depicted in the midst of battle, not posing before the battle begins

 

[pawsplay]

Also, Krusk looks like the guy from Sin City wearing a cheap Halloween mask.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Also, Krusk looks like the guy from Sin City wearing a cheap Halloween mask.

That's very true, and also scary. Because Marv (who I presume you are referring to) kind of looked like he was wearing a halloween mask at the best of times.

 

[Voadam]

There's a black woman on Ruins of Intrigue, but I can't tell if she's meant to be a drow.

Ruins of Intrigue is an Arcana Evolved book. There are no drow in AE. She also has black hair, not drow white/silver.

 

[lukelightning]

Last I checked, there were several white males among the iconics before you factored in Regdar.

Like Mialee.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Also, Krusk looks like the guy from Sin City wearing a cheap Halloween mask.

I always thought Krusk looked more like Ernest Borgnine, who happens to be white.

 

[Bump2daWiza]

"discount on the books", (You make a choice, I gave up certain things when I was younger so I could scrape together the money to buy my books. The question is how to make this more appealing than xbox 360 or PS3 games?).

My point is if they want to reach out to blacks, rather than talk about how great they are because they fought the marketing department to keep too many white faces on the cover, it would be more productive to do something where the racial disparity is real: wealth. Everyone has a different situation. But we didn't have enough money for me to buy a 20$ book when I was growing up (I think that is how much PHB for 2E cost). I had to go to the library and take it out, until someone stole it. Eventually I did get the players handbook for Christmas. With books priced as they are now, they are out of reach for many inner city kids (where most of the non-white population is).

Everything you list above, except using dumber language, isn't something the creative team has any control over.

Not dumber language, but lets be honest black inner city kids use different language than white suburban kids. The books as written apeal more to upper middle class whites than the former.

 

[Obryn]

Although I was never particularly fond of the iconics, I think they were a good marketing & art tool.

I think it was a poor decision to get rid of them, lame or not.

-O

 

[antion]

What's the representation like in Pathfinder iconics?

I won't go into most of my thoughts on the race in art argument, because it was already masterfully (and for the most part politely!) done in the other thread, but as a Amerindian/Filipino gamer I could definitely see myself buying the Pathfinder books specifically for diversity in the art.

 

[Darrin Drader]

What's the representation like in Pathfinder iconics?

Bard - white halfling male
Cleric - Black or possibly arab female
Druid - skin color indeterminate female gnome with gree spiky hair
Fighter - White male human
Monk - black male human
Paladin - black female human
Ranger - white male dwarf
Rogue - albino female elf
Sorcerer - skin color indeterminate female elf
Wizard - white old human with long silver hair