The Proper Use of Nudity in FRPG Art

[CapnZapp]

I love the Frazetta Lord of the Rings art, but still feel it's misplaced. I'd rather see the art attached to a new story that mashes up heroic quest fantasy with swords and sorcery tropes. Tolkien needs Tolkienesque art.

Luckily it's hardly pervasive. You easily get twenty other depictions of Eowyn before Frazetta's take if not more...

 

[J.Quondam]

I especially appreciate the realistic drawing of the wings, instead of those use gravity-defying appendices we see far too often!

Personally, I'd like see more devils and demons with propellers. I feel that's an under-represented niche in fantasy art.

 

[Dioltach]

Personally, I'd like see more devils and demons with propellers. I feel that's an under-represented niche in fantasy art.

The Balrog scene in Fellowship would have been very different, for a start.

 

[Eltab]

Michaelangelo's David blends nudity and art. Doing so successfully is rare and to be appreciated.

 

[Hussar]

And despite that, people will still find reasons to complain about it unfortunately because of "reasons."

I know right? How dare people who want to join in the hobby complain about art that demeans, denigrates and promotes stereotypes? The nerve right? It's all just fantasy, after all. We shouldn't ever make room for other people. Keep the hobby pure and keep those lesser types outside.



Unless you were thinking of other "reasons"? What might those be?

 

[Hussar]

Another thought occurs.

I just don't get the mindset that thinks that their enjoyment of pictures in a game book is more important than the feelings of real people. If someone says, "Hey, this imagery makes me really uncomfortable. I would much rather we do without that. Can we get another picture?" and the response is, "No. My enjoyment of this image is more important." ... I just... there are no words. What kind of mindset does it take to think that way?

I just don't get it. If someone says they are feeling uncomfortable, and all it costs you is switching out the picture in a game book to make them happy, who says no to that?

 

[MGibster]

I just don't get the mindset that thinks that their enjoyment of pictures in a game book is more important than the feelings of real people. If someone says, "Hey, this imagery makes me really uncomfortable. I would much rather we do without that. Can we get another picture?" and the response is, "No. My enjoyment of this image is more important." ... I just... there are no words. What kind of mindset does it take to think that way?

I don't get the mindset that thinks because someone is uncomfortable with something in a book that the publisher should select another picture. Well, let's back that up a little, because, like I said, context matters. For a game like D&D where the publishers want to attract a broad audience, it matters a whole lot. But not every publisher is trying to attract the broadest audience possible and it's okay to release something even knowing some people will find certain images uncomfortable.

I just don't get it. If someone says they are feeling uncomfortable, and all it costs you is switching out the picture in a game book to make them happy, who says no to that?

It isn't just about the person reading the book. What if the people publishing it prefer that picture?

 

[S'mon]

I don't get the mindset that thinks because someone is uncomfortable with something in a book that the publisher should select another picture. Well, let's back that up a little, because, like I said, context matters. For a game like D&D where the publishers want to attract a broad audience, it matters a whole lot. But not every publisher is trying to attract the broadest audience possible and it's okay to release something even knowing some people will find certain images uncomfortable.



It isn't just about the person reading the book. What if the people publishing it prefer that picture?

I like the bland 5e art in the core books, I think the broadest broad church approach is well suited to what aims to be the generic go-to game of heroic fantasy adventure. But I would not want to see the same art style imposed on every work created for 5e. A Howardesque sword and sorcery setting should have Frazetta and similar art. Ravenloft I think should have Hammer Horror style art, like those 1e Caldwell Ravenloft covers - I am very much not a fan of the art in 5e Curse of Strahd. A Tolkienesque high fantasy or Game of Thrones low fantasy should have matching art. I appreciate that WotC' main aim is to avoid giving offence to favoured audiences but I do think this can sometimes get in the way of best presentation. I'm glad that eg Odyssey of the Dragonlords has a more adult feel than WotC stuff and I look forward to seeing how Raiders of the Serpent Sea turns out.

 

[S'mon]

I can appreciate that Frazetta portfolio for the transgressiveness of the genre-bending combined with its own aesthetic virtues. It's super fun fan-art.

It makes me want to run a campaign where that art would be appropriate!

 

[Jfdlsjfd]

It isn't just about the person reading the book. What if the people publishing it prefer that picture?

What would happen to the porn industry if they removed pictures someone finds objectionable? I really don't get the mindset of humans telling other humans what they should do. Unless illegal, everything is permitted is a fundamental concept of human rights. It does not mean that everyone has to like every single thing that is made or produced by another human. "I don't like it" doesn't mean "it's bad", as mothers told children around the world about spinash and turnips. Their wisdom should be honored, and turnips should be sold alongside potatoes despite being objectively offensive vegetables, close to the pineapple pizza level of offensiveness.

I think the demand for extremely mild erotism in fantasy has lessened since a significant part of the target audience can, thanks to the Internet, finds more explicit content with very low barrier of entry. A picture of breasts on your demoness doesn't thrill anyone when one can vision thousands of hours or sex orgies that would make the demoness proud, for free over the internet. The publisher's reaction to provide less of them in order to maximize sales may not entirely be driven by the intent to conquer the market share of people not interested in chainmail bikini pictures, but also because chainmail bikini no longer attract their former target audience as much as they used to in the past.