D&D General Why Enworld should liberate D&D from Hasbro

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If you look at the gender of the people who are reading fantasy these days, it's more female.

My coworkers who ask to play -- running Heroes of the Borderlands for them this weekend -- are majority female.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

But are there any pictures of male female romance in 5e?

Pretty much every picture of domestic life in every edition of D&D's core books suggests a male-female relationship. People focus on the few exceptions, but they are definitely exceptions.

It's like asking a fish to notice water: The heteronormative aspects of pop culture are all around us and, thus, invisible to most consumers.

 

[NN]

I hate tieflings.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I hate tieflings.

Karlach disapproves.

 

[The Firebird]

Pretty much every picture of domestic life in every edition of D&D's core books suggests a male-female relationship. People focus on the few exceptions, but they are definitely exceptions.

It's like asking a fish to notice water: The heteronormative aspects of pop culture are all around us and, thus, invisible to most consumers.

In addition to the romance I will add the 'male gaze' artwork for many of the monsters. There is a lot of that, especially in the older editions, that is impossible to avoid. And the normativity probably occurs in adventure text for hardcovers.

I was curious about this so I paged through PHB 2014. It turns out there is basically no romance in that artwork, with one superficially heterosexual image associated with the charmed condition.

It would be cool to see information for the other core books.

My notes:

Part 1: Splash page of a party fighting a dragon.
Chapter 1: Splash page is folks in a bar. Some action, no romance.

Chapter 2: Splash page is a campfire scene of an adventuring party. No romance. The species are all individual portraits.

Chapter 3: Splash page is a combat. The classes are all individuals.

Chapter 4: Splash page is a Halfling dancing on a table. No romance. There's also a barfight and individual portraits for certain backgrounds.

Chapter 5: Splash page is adventurers digging through treasure. You also get some adventurers leaving town. No romance.

Chapter 6: Splash page is an individual.

Part 2: Splash page is adventurers fighting a dragon.
Chapter 7: Splash page is an individual rogue on a heist. Group shots of haggling and intimidating

Chapter 8: Splash page is adventurers making a map. No romance.

Chapter 9: Splash page is an individual fighting goblins. Other pictures show stealth and more fighting.

Part 3: Splash page is an individual.
Chapter 10: Splash page is an individual. Other pictures of camping and some guy getting fried.

Chapter 11: Splash page is combat. Other pictures show individual spell casters.

Appendix A: One intended heterosexual romantic drawing for the charmed condition.

 

[NN]

Karlach disapproves.

computer games are irrelevant

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

In addition to the romance I will add the 'male gaze' artwork for many of the monsters. There is a lot of that, especially in the older editions, that is impossible to avoid.

If the 1E Monster Manual succubus wasn't based on a photo from Playboy, I would be shocked.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

computer games are irrelevant

BMO disapproves.

 

[NN]

You cant be anti-sexy-succubus and pro tiefling.

 

[Maxperson]

computer games are irrelevant

You may regret saying that once our AI overlords arrive.