Art for games

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Mark Skarr

I liked her face being more round. I thought her larger eyes emphasized her slenderness.

The fact that her eyes look slightly bruised (though that's probably supposed to be eyeshadow) works.

Originally Posted by Mark Skarr

I like long hair, so, she's going to keep it. Normally, she just ties it back behind her head.

Fair enough. Be interesting to see the tied up version.

Originally Posted by Mark Skarr

The character isn't being deliberate, she's just being self-destructive.

Meant deliberate by the artist.

Oh, now another question: what's the jacket material supposed to be? Judging by the way it stands out from her body, it's it's something pretty stiff (and it looks like it's a faux-leather sheen), which would also make her pretty much unable to freely move her arms. I'd consider converting it to a vest and then having the arms either bare or covered with cloth.

[Mark Skarr]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Oh, now another question: what's the jacket material supposed to be? Judging by the way it stands out from her body, it's it's something pretty stiff (and it looks like it's a faux-leather sheen), which would also make her pretty much unable to freely move her arms. I'd consider converting it to a vest and then having the arms either bare or covered with cloth.

Well, it's supposed to be leather. It's a strange, faux-material I kludged together by playing with my bump and texture maps.

I tried her in a vest, several times, and it never looked good. I'll null-out the arms and collar, and see how that jacket looks as a vest.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Mark Skarr

Well, it's supposed to be leather. It's a strange, faux-material I kludged together by playing with my bump and texture maps.

I tried her in a vest, several times, and it never looked good. I'll null-out the arms and collar, and see how that jacket looks as a vest.

FWIW, traceuses typically wear tank tops, track pants, and running shoes. If they accessorize, it's practical: sweat bands, open-palmed gloves, elbow or knee guards, etc. Those with long hair just about always tie it back in a kerchief; most have short hair. I don't lurk in locker rooms, but my wife* assures me that the only lingerie you might see peeking out is a sports bra (sometimes worn on its own, even).

—
* Who isn't a traceuse, but has trained with such.

[sjard]

I guess I'm one of those odd guys who doesn't like the 2x4 twig girls. I'm more attracted to the type you see in old paintings, the curvy type that these days seem to be called fat, even if they aren't. If I can make out the ribs, it is a major turn off.

[Mark Skarr]

Updated Version

• Vest
• Slimmer face
• Beefier arms
• I tried for some palm gloves, but was having trouble, 6am MDST is after my bedtime

Originally Posted by Kromm

FWIW, traceuses typically wear tank tops, track pants, and running shoes. If they accessorize, it's practical: sweat bands, open-palmed gloves, elbow or knee guards, etc. Those with long hair just about always tie it back in a kerchief; most have short hair.

Well, if this wasn't a family fora, she'd probably only be wearing the vest and skirt. Jessi's going through a hard time and is being self-destructive: Sex, drugs, theft, et cetera. She's an inch away from running with a gang when she joins the party (which is a gang, depending on how you look at it).

The stockings were there because, A, I like stockings, B, MonkeyFist likes stockings, and C, the original version was supposed to put off a "Naughty School Girl" vibe, which has since changed.

Originally Posted by sjard

I guess I'm one of those odd guys who doesn't like the 2x4 twig girls. I'm more attracted to the type you see in old paintings, the curvy type that these days seem to be called fat, even if they aren't. If I can make out the ribs, it is a major turn off.

I totally understand, I'm just wired differently. I've always liked long, slender legs, and you don't get those on a voluptuous body. Well, not without Frankenstiening them on. But, I don't find bolts and graft-scars sexy.

[quarkstomper]

Originally Posted by Kromm

FWIW, traceuses typically wear tank tops, track pants, and running shoes. If they accessorize, it's practical: sweat bands, open-palmed gloves, elbow or knee guards, etc. Those with long hair just about always tie it back in a kerchief; most have short hair. I don't lurk in locker rooms, but my wife* assures me that the only lingerie you might see peeking out is a sports bra (sometimes worn on its own, even).

An a CHAMPIONS campaign that my group back in Iowa once ran, one player had her character wear a simple costume: Wrap-around shades, sweatshirt and pants bought off-the-rack at K-Mart and a fanny pack. Our GM happened to be a costumer, and also hated the '90s comic book trend of putting super-heroes in street clothes; so she needled the player about her costume mercilessly. "A fanny pack? Whoever heard of a hero wearing a fanny pack???"

"It's not a fanny pack! It's... it's a utility belt!"

"IT'S A FANNY PACK!!!"

To make the GM happier, when I drew the player's character portrait, I put a heart on her sweater, (the character's name was "Heart of Darkness") so that it at least looked like she had some kind of hero insignia.

[Mark Skarr]

Updated again

• Added gloves
• moved right arm a bit

I'm not sure I like that texture on the gloves. It makes the back look tough, but it also makes it look rigid. As I'm not a climber, are good wrist supports important?

[Kromm]

Well, I guess people vary in how "realistic" they visualize their heroes being. :) Nobody in my group is artistically inclined, so I have no art, but the players of the actively played PCs all have clear looks in mind:

• Anabel, the social engineer, has an appearance that her player says comes closest to Rhona Mitra. She always dresses attractively but never in an overly revealing way. Her shtick is the latest styles and fashions from high-end designers – and preferably next season's stuff, if she can get it. Her clothing is conservative in the sense that it's from established names and not risqué, but not in the sense that it's matronly or demure.

• Qoqa, the cleaner and, er, "interrogator," is a Chechen woman of very average appearance and obsessive cleanliness (despite smoking a lot). She has astronomically poor fashion sense. As in, turquoise track pants and a blue sweatshirt, with a fanny pack for her smokes, and anything from bright orange running shoes to army boots on her feet. Her hair is often brain-surgery short, simply because long hair is troublesome when you're a cleaner. She's never without a cigarette unless she's cleaning.

• Vinnie, the driver and fixer, is an ex-Mafioso of Italian descent, and dresses the part. Think of any Hollywood goomba you've ever seen in a two-piece suit. With driving glasses, of course. However, he buys upscale, and always buys Italian . . . those will be expensive goomba shoes, designer goomba shades, and so on. If you can get past the stereotype, he's well-dressed. He very specifically has the sort of face that nobody would remember; that's one of his perks.

• Wen, the sniper and leg-breaker, is a visual freak. She's a short, skinny Chinese woman of above-average strength, making the only realistic interpretation possible a dense, sinewy, steroid-user build. Her player claims that the doctors told her they were vitamins, not steroids. However, because she is small, she's had surgery to more closely resemble an underage girl, which she uses as a cover. To hide her physique, she dresses in baggy skateboarder clothing: loose trousers, hoodie, etc. She favors neon colors. Her penchant for kicking people leads her to wear clompy boots, but she favors functional military or motorcycle boots, not heels (ever).

• Zhang, the traceur and investigator, is a very fit, photogenic Chinese man. He has a cut physique, rugged good looks, and only the minimum amount of body fat needed to score perfectly on a physical. He dresses strictly in athletic wear suited to Parkour: hoodie, track pants, running shoes, etc. Unlike Qoqa, his stuff matches and is high-quality, making his overall look closer to "cool hip-hop artist" or "professional jock."

There are also five playable NPCs, whom the players take over when their PCs aren't in the scene. As a result, these guys, too, have well-thought-out looks (although there are hints of design by committee):

• Hamid, the hacker and backup social engineer, is a young Algerian guy who's relatively handsome and well-dressed. He goes for a kind of "industrial goth" look involving clunky boots and a trenchcoat. He prefers dark colors and outfits loose enough to hide, not secret spy stuff, but a laptop computer. When he isn't hiding the laptop, he has a messenger bag over his shoulder at all times.

• Jili, the electronic surveillance and comms expert, is a young Sri Lankan woman. She's definitely attractive, though not a knockout, and exclusively dresses like the DJ at a rave or a nightclub. What that means depends on where she is and what the fashion is that week, but M.I.A. would be a good visual reference a lot of the time (yes, including M.I.A.'s stranger garb).

• Klas, the other sniper, is a big, blond Swede. He fits the stereotype of big, blond Swedish men, being athletic, ruggedly handsome, and rather tall. His former cover was as a member of a death-metal band, and he still has the hair and ink that go with that. Imagine Alexander Godunov (yes, I know he was Russian and not Swedish), but with stringier hair, more tattoos, and a much-abused leather jacket.

• Lev, the close-quarters submachine gun terror, is an Israeli of Russian-Jewish heritage. He has dark skin and eyes, fairly average looks, and wavy hair. He was in the same band as Klas, and also sports long hair and affects a bad-boy look. Being a high-end tactical operator, he wouldn't be caught dead in any outfit that didn't allow full freedom of movement, a concealed firearm, and some protection for his knees and elbows. Because, well, he might end up dead if he did. Likely duds are shooting glasses, leather jacket, camouflage pants, and army boots.

• Paul, the detective and stalker, is a rugged ex-cop from Belfast. He looks the part. He's a little older than many of the others, and doesn't go for metal-band or club-kid looks, or don neon colors. His typical outfit is a simple pair of blue jeans and a leather jacket over a knit jumper; the more working-class, the better. As he likes to kick bad guys, he always wears boots, not soft shoes.

The only time we see revealing clothing come out is when Anabel explicitly dresses as a pole-dancer type on a mission, usually because some mark likes sleazy women. On the typical operation, either everybody is in very generic, unremarkable street clothing, or else everybody is in camouflage fatigues, facepaint, and army boots. The incident with Zhang and the leather chaps, led on a chain by Wen dressed in a latex corset, was a disguise. :)

[Mark Skarr]

See, we do a lot of supers, where comic-book asethetics are the order of the day. We also have a lot of anime fans, who use pictures from anime to represent their characters.

From the IST game we have:

• AI: A digital life form based off of the Geth from Mass Effect
• The Facilitator: Based, originally, on Batman, but now going more for the Michael Douglas look from Falling Down.
• La Grenouille: Who looks like Jean Reno from just about anything he's ever done.
• Harmonix: A rockstar who dresses like Zorro: The Gay Blade, with frequent costume and color changes.
• The Patriot: Captain America + Cone Wars Obi Wan (for the Mullet and +5 Beard of Manliness) + Hippy Burnout.
• Shade: Full body stocking
• Vitaly: Based on Zangief from Street Fighter. Deceased

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Mark Skarr

See, we do a lot of supers, where comic-book asethetics are the order of the day.

Whenever I do supers, these are the comic books people seem to like. Not all are supers, and not many have the Spandex. Mostly, I get skulkers in camo, leather, and black, with clompy boots, armor vests, and balaclavas. This is regardless of powers or role. Even the completely bulletproof, scrape-proof, elements-proof flying hero will wear armor and rugged clothing. I've never seen a cape, not once!

Originally Posted by Mark Skarr

We also have a lot of anime fans, who use pictures from anime to represent their characters.

My current group consists of three active anime-haters, three neutrals who don't know much about it, and zero fans. Whereas the whole gang likes live-action horror and action movies. That's probably why I end up with so many unremarkable types who wear street clothes and have average looks and/or builds. If there's a slightly stylized recurring look, it's crew cuts and paramilitary garb.