PB 'realism'
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@Auspice Oh I agree. I think the PB should be appropriate for the setting.
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I prefer drawn art PBs rather than photographic/live ones, but I feel even worse about using someone's art without permission in a way that I strangely do not feel when using movie stills or photo editorial shots.
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@Auspice ...countdown to the totally reasonable 'pick imagery appropriate to the game you're playing' being represented as overly picky and bigoted and the reason the hobby is in a death spiral. I'll get the vodka ready if you want some.
Oh fucking well.
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I don't particularly care about PBs (I'm a little oldschool and even used to kind of 'specialize' in character descs to the point where friends used to ask me to write theirs) and while I understand the value of the quick visual shortcut I think it's really easy to get lost into everyone using the same ~30 faces, with some slow rotation based on who is currently big in theaters (I have a friend who used Ana de Armas before she was big and now bitches about her being taken in the first five minutes on every game!). It basically becomes self-defeating, especially as people so often lean into the PBs to the degree that they're playing the actor or their most famous role.
@Auspice said in PB 'realism':
@Arkandel said in PB 'realism':
For example if you're playing a thuggish fighter type but your model is a slender more delicate looking person, or it's a figure skater as depicted by Chris Hemsworth, etc... is that okay? Not okay? Do you notice when people do that?
I 100% notice.
I'm not gonna call people out on it, but if someone is a strength 5 MMA fighter (without being, say, supernaturally enhanced) but they're using some really thin, reedy sort of PB... It throws me off a lot.This one is my peeve as well.
It bugs me if there's an obvious stats mismatch. When I had my Size 18 Pendragon character, I picked a 6'5" actor. I onced changed a roster's prior PB from a prettyboy choice to someone with muscles because he was strength 5. I realize it may be harder for female characters since these body types are not well represented in media, but I appreciate the effort in at least picking someone who's a little athletic vs. exceptionally tiny, fragile-looking, etc for your hardcore warrior character.
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@bored said in PB 'realism':
It bugs me if there's an obvious stats mismatch. When I had my Size 18 Pendragon character, I picked a 6'5" actor. I onced changed a roster's prior PB from a prettyboy choice to someone with muscles because he was strength 5. I realize it may be harder for female characters since these body types are not well represented in media, but I appreciate the effort in at least picking someone who's a little athletic vs. exceptionally tiny, fragile-looking, etc for your hardcore warrior character.
In fairness to people picking tiny, fragile-looking characters for their hardcore warriors that has been something of a trend in Hollywood and other visual media. I think the only athletic looking action star that comes to mind is Michelle Rodriguez.
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Crop the face really tight, assume the actress bulked up for the role! Like Christian Bale. Solved.
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@peasoupling I ended up finding a second pic for build and just labeling it as 'build only' the one time I needed this. It helped some, combined with the face closeup.
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@peasoupling said in PB 'realism':
Crop the face really tight, assume the actress bulked up for the role! Like Christian Bale. Solved.
This reminds me of my #1 peeve with PBs. Which is when other players take it upon themselves to google search for more pictures of the same actor/actress in less clothing and link them to you because they think your PB is sexy.
I picked that specific picture with them in that specific pose with those specific clothes because that expresses the personality I want get across. Please don't try to create your own sexier version of my character.
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@Groth said in PB 'realism':
In fairness to people picking tiny, fragile-looking characters for their hardcore warriors that has been something of a trend in Hollywood and other visual media. I think the only athletic looking action star that comes to mind is Michelle Rodriguez.
Silje Torp! Gwendoline Christie! Kaley Cuoco! VJ Bani! Sydelle Noelle! Angela Basset! Olivia Munn! Brie Larson!
Ok maybe I have a type.
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@Groth said in PB 'realism':
In fairness to people picking tiny, fragile-looking characters for their hardcore warriors that has been something of a trend in Hollywood and other visual media. I think the only athletic looking action star that comes to mind is Michelle Rodriguez.
Like I said, I accept it to some degree where media doesn't give you an option, which applies to women even moreso (although I think saying Michelle Rodriguez is the only one is... not true). But there are extremes that bother me. Also, again, its peeve territory, not 'omg I hate you and wont RP' territory.
It also kind of depends on the game genre and its own expectations. I am OK with 'lithe' PBs for fighters in genres & systems where Dex/agility/etc style builds are a thing. Your elf can be whatever, as can your Jedi. And if you're a badass with a gun, it probably doesn't matter what your build is at all. But if you're a medieval badass with a giant axe or something, it might bug me a little more.
And yeah, if it's face-only I don't care. I think this is also an evolution of PB use - when they first came in, they generally were just faces ('faceclaim' is another term for PB in non-MU RP communities) but bigger and more elaborate galleries have become more prominent.
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@Kanye-Qwest said in PB 'realism':
@Groth said in PB 'realism':
In fairness to people picking tiny, fragile-looking characters for their hardcore warriors that has been something of a trend in Hollywood and other visual media. I think the only athletic looking action star that comes to mind is Michelle Rodriguez.
Silje Torp! Gwendoline Christie! Kaley Cuoco! VJ Bani! Sydelle Noelle! Angela Basset! Olivia Munn! Brie Larson!
Ok maybe I have a type.
Frankie Adams!
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I'm with the 'no PB' Luddites.
I used to find one that matched after making/describing my PCs but I always kind of resented having to. Right now I'm on a roster PC so I had no part in making the wiki/selecting the photos even though I apparently can change them if I'd like, but I'd prefer to be stuck in the Stone Ages of getting all my information from the finger command.
I don't even like that there are wikis, although I understand that they create depth and visual stimulation/inspiration/motivation/whateveration for the game to try to attract new blood with and thus understand that they're probably here to stay, but meh. I'd rather just use my imagination.
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Gina Carano's arms
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Also, to be fair, delicate waifs with Strength 5 happens even in descriptions, without PBs.
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I guess while we're at it, I should nominate Neetu Chandra, Priyanka Chopra and Caity Lotz.
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The very first PB I ever used was for my monk on Ennersea and was a minor circuit wrestler. She had the most gloriois box braids, too. I wish I could remember her name.
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@surreality said in PB 'realism':
@Auspice ...countdown to the totally reasonable 'pick imagery appropriate to the game you're playing' being represented as overly picky and bigoted and the reason the hobby is in a death spiral. I'll get the vodka ready if you want some.
everything is why the hobby is in a death spiral
My preference for shells over elbow macaroni is why the hobby is in a death spiral.
Saying the quiet parts out loud since 1996.
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@Auspice said in PB 'realism':
My preference for shells over elbow macaroni
OMFG NEVER SPEAKING TO YOU AGAIN
(Actually, I'm the same way. They're just prettier goddammit and they scoop cheese gloop better and if I'm gonna carb, that all fucking matters.)
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@surreality
It's spiral pasta or nothing! Especially if you fry them in a pan after boiling so they become crunchy on the outside.What is obvious to you may not be obvious to me and vice versa.
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@mietze said in PB 'realism':
I prefer drawn art PBs rather than photographic/live ones, but I feel even worse about using someone's art without permission in a way that I strangely do not feel when using movie stills or photo editorial shots.
This reminds me, in the old days I used to draw all my characters for visual references; on a D&D Mush I even did that for a bunch of people I played with, but these days I'm so out of practice I probably can't do it anymore. I would love if this is more common place, but to be realistic not everyone can draw, and certainly no one should be expected to pay to commission character art; more to your point, it's arguably even more iffy using an artist's work without permission than using a celebrity's face, so this is never going to be a widespread solution.
