tattoos, spikes, punk, and goth in D&D images?

[Ghostmoon]

Sorry to post again, but I have to get this out of my system.

I gre up on animeish skinny pretty boys weilding unweildy swords with ease. As well as animeish women wearing little to no armor going into battle. And all I have to say is that.

I LIKE IT DAMNIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And there I believe is what mostly drives what styles of art you like: What you grew up with. My youth was spent watching 80's cartoons and pouring over moldering 1st edition AD&D books. While I love much of the art in D&D 3E (and for that matter 2nd Edition), I will always have a great fondness for those earlier styles, such as Erol Otus, that are tied closest to my earliest memories of the game and genre.

Along with that thought, I am pretty sure the art in 3E is not aimed at me, the long time gamer. Rather, it is aimed at the younger gamer, who probably grew up (or is growing up ) with all sorts of anime on the TV, manga-styled superhero comics, etc. I am sure that many of them will be complaining in 10 years from now, that whatever the art style morphs into, is not as good as back in good old days of D&D 3e.

 

[Numion]

Piercings, tattoos and even orange mohican hairstyle can be done with style in a fantasy setting. Like Dwarven Troll-Slayers in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

The art in that book was really great. The way they had different styles combined didn't bother at all . . just increased the division between normal folk and the chaos powers. Oh and I so liked the pictures of the different NPCs in the Enemy Within Campaign .. uh oh.

 

[hong]

Piercings, tattoos and even orange mohican hairstyle can be done with style in a fantasy setting. Like Dwarven Troll-Slayers in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

The first 3E game I played in featured a dwarf barbarian modelled on the trollslayers, mohawk and all. He was cool.

 

[ManicFuel]

My main beef with the artwork in 3.x isn't that there are piercings, tattoos, buckles and spikes, but that there are so many piercings, tattoos, buckles and spikes. I would be fine with this if it were more limited. For example, the gnoll in the 3.0 MM has 4 ear piercings. A gnoll has that? The magmin, athach, bugbear, centaur, dryad, efreet (but not the djinn), gnome, goblin, hobgoblin, etc have piercings. The kobold has a silly spiked ring on his tail. The locathah has a buckle that he couldn't possibly have clasped with his fin-hands. Check out the iconics and you'll see lots of piercings. My favorite though is the winter wolf with a pierced ear. Now who would do that?

As for buckles and spikes, I think it's a cool character concept, but most of the iconics must wake up at 4 in the morning just to get ready. It isn't cool if everyone's doing it. And how in the world does Hennet go to the bathroom? Not that it's safe for him to go - look at the fingernails on that guy!

The other thing I've noticed is the number of exotic weapons being wielded. Again, nothing wrong with the concept, just overused. Spiked chains, dire flails, and any other weapons that looks like it could harm the wielder more often than the target are not my cup of tea.

Not that 1e was so much better (I skipped 2e and can't comment there). I'm sure late-comers would be bored to tears seeing all the pot helms and longswords. Same issue - too much of one concept. I'd like the art to reflect my game, like all of us, but we all play different games. So I'd like to see more diverse themes in the artwork.

As for the styles, I'm pretty open there, as long as it tells a story. As mentioned already, there are lots of pics of scowling, posing creatures, which is a very kung fu movie thing to do. I guess that's the point. But I'd like to see less badass posturing and more badass action.

 

[Numion]

The first 3E game I played in featured a dwarf barbarian modelled on the trollslayers, mohawk and all. He was cool.

Could such a dwarf ever not be cool? Or, at least, I wouldn't say it to his face

 

[francisca]

Recently I was looking through my buddy's Dragon collection. It seems to me the Hennet style art was already showing up in Dragon a few years before 3E was released. I don't think this trend started with 3E, it was just one particular style that was common at the time.

I personally don't like the new art much, but that's OK. It really doesn't affect my opinion of the system and I certainly do not have an eye for art.

Frankly, I think I like the 3E stuff better than all of the Dragon-slayer Barbie stuff prevelent in 1E and 2E era material.

Now for those of you who dislike the 3E art, do you also dislike elaborate dungeon-punk style minis as well?

 

[Olive]

I love WAR, but I can see why you wouldn't liek the stylised aspect of it. Given that, his art is generally more 'realistic' than alot of other artists.

The only 3e artists I truely dispise the work of is Crabapple. Hate it.

But cartoony siollyness surely reached it's hieght in the mad magazineesque side pieces of the 1e DMG?

Plus Gothmog, I think that you're looking for something that isn't there, while I agree with a lot of your opionions, the p93 cleric is wearing a butcher's apron, not S/M gear...

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

I have to say, I love all the art. I've learned a lot from looking over all the styles, and its helped me to develop my OWN style....but really, WAR and Lockwood rock.

One thing I've learned from other things though, is that for some reason, anime is a style that people either love or hate. The interesting thing about this style is that when you look at a static picture, it breaks down. It just looks all wrong. This style shines in MOTION...so I guess I'd fall in the camp of not liking that in books. Well, unless we get moving pictures in our books.

 

[Mercule]

Piercings, tattoos and even orange mohican hairstyle can be done with style in a fantasy setting. Like Dwarven Troll-Slayers in Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

Ya know, now that you mention it, I never much cared for the art in Warhammer, either. I can't remember a single image of Warhammer that fit my taste. Technically skilled, yes, but not "cool". The art may very well have contributed to my never even browsing the rules.

 

[Gnarlo]

One thing I've learned from other things though, is that for some reason, anime is a style that people either love or hate. The interesting thing about this style is that when you look at a static picture, it breaks down. It just looks all wrong. This style shines in MOTION...so I guess I'd fall in the camp of not liking that in books. Well, unless we get moving pictures in our books.

Even this is not cut and dried, though I like anime style for sci-fi future and modern games. Hate it for fantasy games.