I think in real life a bare chested overly developed female appearing on the battle field would definitely stun 99% of the male opposition at least for a second or two....it might be the key to winning the battle
As for Female...and male caster types, I think scanty dress is fine since ease of motion for intricate spells is important...though I understand the idea that there are gestures, somatic and components to spell casting is completely lost in CRPGs only rarely do you need spell components and you NEVER see the gestures and articulations required.
It is what we want to see in fantasy, I personally prefer to see clearly defined males and females; it is more interesting than having teams of ironclads in hermaphrodite armour, all looking the same.
There is impracticality, but that can be another word for "style," even the untouchable masterpieces or IWD portraiture had their strategically plumped out metal "cones" and-low cut, push-up, plate; not to mention bikini clad mages wandering the glaciers (maybe they used fire shield).
There is impracticality, and then there is absurdity, as long as we can avoid that.. what I want to know is, where are the codpieces?
Scantily clad, super sexy female fighters would tend to have the advantage of distracting male opponents. In RL (as opposed to game stats and mechanics) they would be at a disadvantage in terms of sheer brute strength. So I would think they would have to rely on quickness and less encumbrance anyway. I think it is all entirely plausible.
@Lemernis - you can certainly RP a dex-based build for femmes if that matches the reality you want for your character. I like that BG sidesteps the issue and lets the character be that rarer-than-rare individual. Then, again, I was okay with AD&D gender statistic differences, females gaining some benefits and males gaining others (I think 18/50 ended up being the female fighter max, for instance). It also had age-based stat changes, which was not PC by any means, but somewhat matches reality.
@immagikman - Haven't played a female Shepard. I knew it was an option, but it didn't gel with me. ME had very low replayability IMO; I did it twice, only playing ME2 once. Eventually, I'll get around to ME3, I'm sure. I guess I'm not a big re-player
There is certainly a picture in the 2e Player's Handbook of a brawny, strapping female fighter in a fight with an ogre- she's chopped his club into slices and has him by the ring in his nose... The Title of the Picture is "With This Ring" and the artist is Jeff Easley.
I played through ME a couple of times as diferent builds but in the end there wasnt enough difference to make it worth going back to over and over, same with ME2 and ME3....well I only got through it twice maybe if there is enough DLC for single player Ill check it out again, Im ot into the multi-player option.
Having female warriors be viable in combat is fantasy itself, so I see no problem with them being dressed in fantastic ways. Personally though, I would like women to be portrayed modestly in RPGs.
Hahahahahaha! Oh, you're serious. Well, then, allow me to introduce you to a woman who could probably kill any man on the planet in armed melee combat. http://www.badassoftheweek.com/lamaupin.html
@LadyRhian Not a fan of her overdeveloped pecs, though I certainly wouldn't say she's ugly. (She'd probably beat me up.)
@Lemernis It's entirely plausible, in a leather jerkin, studded leather, or a chain shirt. A lot of the fantasy art we're talking about doesn't have women wearing real clothes, much less real armor.
LadyRihan: That picture is really gross- and not in the least feminine.
Schenidend: It seems that offering obscure references to a tiny number of obscure women who have been somewhat competent warriors historically is the method chosen to address the issue that women cannot stand with men in combat. Such examples are not worth a response really...but...in exchange for your French bi-sexual sword fighter, a Catholic saint, and a burly body-builder; I offer to you all the rest of millions of male warriors throughout history and all the rest of normal women who were in no way able to compete with them in combat. If you don't accept that, then you're living in a 21st century fantasy more remarkable than the Forgotten Realms.
It's hard to be sure but from the looks of it her umm frontal probes might look a bit odd sitting on top of the massive pecs....it looks a little weird with the suit...without its hard to tell how it would look. She has a cute face.
Umm that second picture doe not look to have the same proportions as the original clothed pic you posted earlier @LadyRhian......altho I have to say.... Thank You for the nice lunch time pick me up
Hmmm, I would say muscular women don't do it for me in the slightest. Then again I've always hated playing as a muscular male character, even if I'm playing something like a fighter or barbarian. Western games have always played up to this depiction a lot more than japanese media, which is probably one reason for it's rising popularity.
After doing some more looking at Ms. Hollitt's online images, I can say there are times when she is decidedly unattractive, usually when she is really pumped up and ready for competition, when she is a bit umm deflated and less well defined she is much better looking.....that aside I would be ok with AD&D being a bit more realistic in their portrayals of women and their role appropriate clothing.
@NancyButtpeach You're proving yourself wrong, here. Player-characters ARE the obscure, unusual, especially talented people, so providing examples that are the same only strengthens our case. The millions of male warriors throughout history are inconsequential, because they're the real-world equivalent of NPCs, not PCs. D&D characters are special, exceptional people, genetically pre-disposed to being awesome. "La Maupin" would be a player-character, while the men she easily trounced that would have been normally expected to put her in her place are at best minor characters, and more likely to be just another encounter designed to challenge a character of her level.
@LadyRhian My favorite pic you've linked here thus far was the one with the athletic lady slapping that ogre around. The usefulness of her armor is nill, but at least she looks enough like a barbarian to excuse that. That gal draped in fishnet is terribly sexy, but doesn't look very warrior-like.
That, and she's probably in the off-season during the second picture, in which case she doesn't need to be as sculpted. Still, pretty amazing difference!
So the point regardless seems to me that the people who find her attractive do so in spite of her muscles rather than because of them - in the picture that they are emphasised she is considered attractive by more people than the one where they are.
Personally, I'd be fine with a female warrior with the physique of Gina Carano, shes pretty much a modern female fighter (MMA), she looks and IS very capable and strong without being overly masculine / butch.
Name them... "etc"s don't count. 1 million people, historically important, name and surname. We were talking of military leaders that were proficient in combat after all!
Personally, I'd be fine with a female warrior with the physique of Gina Carano, shes pretty much a modern female fighter (MMA), she looks and IS very capable and strong without being overly masculine / butch.
Wow, nice. You can definitely tell she's very fit just by looking at her but she doesn't escape what most people define as attractive. Best of both worlds, there! =P
Also, can NancyButtpeach either actually defend himself or get out? "Such examples are not worth a response really" I mean seriously now? You're allowed to make points but we aren't ... funny.
So the point regardless seems to me that the people who find her attractive do so in spite of her muscles rather than because of them - in the picture that they are emphasised she is considered attractive by more people than the one where they are.
For me, I like women with some muscle, but it has to be more natural, athletic muscle. Bodybuilders tend to go overboard because of the rigorous aesthetic demands of their sport, and aren't strong in a practical sense as a result, but some of them are ludicrously attractive in their off-seasons.
But, then, my favorite superhero is She-Hulk, whose appearance varies more wildly than any female bodybuilder because everybody wants to draw her differently.
@LadyRhian I am sorry to say.. I dont find the woman on the first picture atractive at all. She have taken it to far.. Just like the railthin models used in most magazines as models... But then again.. I do prefer my women abit healthier than the thin model type that is the norm in most medias today.
As for the second picture.. she could win a wrestling match against me anytime!
@Woldan Now those pictures are more like it.. damn she is hot.
Fit, and not overdoing it. Im not saying I dont respect a woman that train herself to a degree as on the first picture that LadyRhian linked, I sure do, but she have just taken it to far, in my oppinion.
On topic.. The chainmail bikini are a standard of alot of fantasy settings, and although its very counterproductive when it comes to the armors actual protective abilities.. I do tend to enjoy the pictures
Comments
As for Female...and male caster types, I think scanty dress is fine since ease of motion for intricate spells is important...though I understand the idea that there are gestures, somatic and components to spell casting is completely lost in CRPGs only rarely do you need spell components and you NEVER see the gestures and articulations required.
I prefered Femshep
There is impracticality, but that can be another word for "style," even the untouchable masterpieces or IWD portraiture had their strategically plumped out metal "cones" and-low cut, push-up, plate; not to mention bikini clad mages wandering the glaciers (maybe they used fire shield).
There is impracticality, and then there is absurdity, as long as we can avoid that.. what I want to know is, where are the codpieces?
@immagikman - Haven't played a female Shepard. I knew it was an option, but it didn't gel with me. ME had very low replayability IMO; I did it twice, only playing ME2 once. Eventually, I'll get around to ME3, I'm sure. I guess I'm not a big re-player
http://www.csd.uwo.ca/staff/magi/personal/humour/images/archive/jpg/Jeff_Easley/with_this_ring__cutting_things_down_to_size-1280.jpg
Well, then, allow me to introduce you to a woman who could probably kill any man on the planet in armed melee combat. http://www.badassoftheweek.com/lamaupin.html
Not a fan of her overdeveloped pecs, though I certainly wouldn't say she's ugly. (She'd probably beat me up.)
@Lemernis
It's entirely plausible, in a leather jerkin, studded leather, or a chain shirt. A lot of the fantasy art we're talking about doesn't have women wearing real clothes, much less real armor.
Schenidend: It seems that offering obscure references to a tiny number of obscure women who have been somewhat competent warriors historically is the method chosen to address the issue that women cannot stand with men in combat. Such examples are not worth a response really...but...in exchange for your French bi-sexual sword fighter, a Catholic saint, and a burly body-builder; I offer to you all the rest of millions of male warriors throughout history and all the rest of normal women who were in no way able to compete with them in combat. If you don't accept that, then you're living in a 21st century fantasy more remarkable than the Forgotten Realms.
(enjoy the link while it lasts...I"m sure a mod will be here soon!
You're proving yourself wrong, here. Player-characters ARE the obscure, unusual, especially talented people, so providing examples that are the same only strengthens our case. The millions of male warriors throughout history are inconsequential, because they're the real-world equivalent of NPCs, not PCs. D&D characters are special, exceptional people, genetically pre-disposed to being awesome. "La Maupin" would be a player-character, while the men she easily trounced that would have been normally expected to put her in her place are at best minor characters, and more likely to be just another encounter designed to challenge a character of her level.
@LadyRhian
My favorite pic you've linked here thus far was the one with the athletic lady slapping that ogre around. The usefulness of her armor is nill, but at least she looks enough like a barbarian to excuse that. That gal draped in fishnet is terribly sexy, but doesn't look very warrior-like.
The only real difference is that in the second pic, she isn't flexing to show off her muscles.
Take a look:
http://combatclubfrisco.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/gina.jpg
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bEOYws2mf-Y/Ti3Ukv3TUlI/AAAAAAAAMkc/a74be6hrBtQ/s1600/Gina_Carano.jpg
Name them... "etc"s don't count. 1 million people, historically important, name and surname. We were talking of military leaders that were proficient in combat after all!
Also, can NancyButtpeach either actually defend himself or get out? "Such examples are not worth a response really" I mean seriously now? You're allowed to make points but we aren't ... funny.
But, then, my favorite superhero is She-Hulk, whose appearance varies more wildly than any female bodybuilder because everybody wants to draw her differently.
http://media.photobucket.com/image/recent/sean_izaakse/she-hulkmuseum.jpg
My favorite pic of Shulkie I can find with a Google search.
As for the second picture.. she could win a wrestling match against me anytime!
@Woldan Now those pictures are more like it.. damn she is hot.
Fit, and not overdoing it. Im not saying I dont respect a woman that train herself to a degree as on the first picture that LadyRhian linked, I sure do, but she have just taken it to far, in my oppinion.
On topic.. The chainmail bikini are a standard of alot of fantasy settings, and although its very counterproductive when it comes to the armors actual protective abilities.. I do tend to enjoy the pictures
Yes yes.. dirty man.. I know!