Alien race artwork in corebooks

ShawnDriscoll

Cosmic Mongoose
I have the original edition of Mongoose Traveller. I like the artwork for the alien races in it. Yesterday I saw the newer edition of Mongoose Traveller at a local game store and looked through the artwork in it (90% of it is replaced) and saw the alien races in it. The artwork for the races seemed to be more of an iconized style rather than a realistic style of them like the first edition used.

So I thought that was interesting. Anyone prefer one art style over the other?
 
I like the old art style, but that might just be nostalgia talking.

I have some players who grew up with White Wolf games (one insists on calling Vargr "Vargs") who love the new art style.
 
Can they do something about the bleached-looking Zhodani in the Zhodani Alien Module? They're the most Benedict Cumberbatched Zhodani I have ever seen, and they should really have looked more like Ric - sorry, Alexander Siddig.

Or Richard Biggs. That would have been a really cool tribute: a Zhodani medic who looks like Richard Biggs in a turban and beard.

And maybe a few Zhodani women would look good, too.
 
Zhodani women...
belly_dancer_maiiah04.jpg

When you live in a society that can read minds, there is nothing there to hide.
 
Wil Mireu said:
Can we not post NSFW images on this board please? :roll:
That is a safe for work concidering one its clothed 2 a traditional belly danceing out fit. 3 one should not be on a role playing game forum while at work.
 
videopete said:
Wil Mireu said:
Can we not post NSFW images on this board please? :roll:
That is a safe for work concidering one its clothed 2 a traditional belly danceing out fit. 3 one should not be on a role playing game forum while at work.

NSFW is a phrase, it doesn't necessarily mean one is looking at this at work - but the point stands, which is that it's inappropriate. It's a random picture of a half-naked woman posted with no warning (or even the right context) on an RPG forum - IMO it's not appropriate for this thread, the subject matter, or this board. If the poster wants to post random titillating pictures, he should go do it elsewhere.
 
Wil Mireu said:
videopete said:
Wil Mireu said:
Can we not post NSFW images on this board please? :roll:
That is a safe for work concidering one its clothed 2 a traditional belly danceing out fit. 3 one should not be on a role playing game forum while at work.

NSFW is a phrase, it doesn't necessarily mean one is looking at this at work - but the point stands, which is that it's inappropriate. It's a random picture of a half-naked woman posted with no warning (or even the right context) on an RPG forum - IMO it's not appropriate for this thread, the subject matter, or this board. If the poster wants to post random titillating pictures, he should go do it elsewhere.
Except your wrong, the picture is there to show a representation of a Zhodani, who are described as Arabic looking. Belly Danceing is one of the more widely known things to come out of the middle eastern region, Arabic people are the main inspiration of a Major Race of in the OTU. The costume you see is infact just that a costume that is mean to emphasise the mid torso as that's the key area of movement of the form of dance. For the stage version of it as its key to show the practictioners skill in said dance. If you want to sexualise an art form go for you, but to come in and compaign about a picture of a girl as a representation of a Alien species, in a thread about pictures of alien species then well, I don't know. But here is what not safe for work means, It has nudity, foul language, violence, Gore, racist imagery. A belly dancer in a frankly modest costume is not one of the key points in NSFW and how does that make me a expert in NSFW because In real life I enjoy skirting the edge, because I am one of the most foul mouthed, sick minded individuals who will push your buttons because I think its funny, how ever I can also hold an intelligent conversation with a devout minister and discuss the finer points of theology and morality, I went through 4 years of seminary
 
Sorry tablet does not like to scroll. Any way. I can talk to a Minister with out showing just how dark and depraved my mind can get. I know whats bad and what's not. I am the first to compaign when something is trully horrific and offensives. I enjoy offensives material, in the right place. This isn't offensive in the least unless some one is a complete prude. Now I came to talk traveller so lets talk about genocide and manipulation prejump societies into economically disadvantageous situation for maximising profits, best ways to blow up planets, and my personal favorite planning horrific violence on unsuspecting targets for maximising treasure/xp gain. You know wholesome stuff.

Although I do have one complaint about the picture, its just too darn big, it needs to be resized for easier viewing.
 
Some Zho women http://malaysiaflyingherald.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/168429_1843270609823_1482341515_32029206_1427176_n.jpg

They're probably too short though.
 
I had to smile, it was an interesting take on a soceity with nothing to hide.

The idea of traditional Zhodani belly dancing seems worthy on inclusion IMTU. But if an Imperial crew landed and went looking to "see the sights" they would be stopped at the door by a telepathic bouncer who wouldn't let them in because of their inappropriate thoughts.

"But don't worry, the Thought Police will soon be here to adjust your attitude"

So yes, Zho belly dancing in as an interesting addition to their culture but boy does it go alongside political correctness
 
There's the old Zhodani pick-up line, "Are you interested in my body or are you just lusting after my mind?" ;)

The Imperial visitors would probably be fine, partly because anyone wearing such a costume is probably used to such thoughts and partly because the bouncers will know ahead of time if the visitors plan on doing anything more than thinking about it. "Look but don't touch" will be strictly enforced.

Besides, I am reminded of a joke from the B5 book "Dark Genesis" - "My wife is a telepath, when I want sex she gives me the headache". If the dancer is offended by what the viewers are thinking about her, they will soon find out about it...
 
Even if the dancer is a Prole, the viewers would probably let their intentions be plainly known to the dancer - whatever their intentions, since honesty is a core to the Zhodani Weltanschaaung.

That would include appraisals of her dance technique, perhaps envy in some cases from Adepts marvelling at her Awareness ability and the refinement of her control over the muscle groups in her abdomen ... as well as undisguised interest in various NSFW activities.

I think that a Zhodani reader who picked up the Alien Module would be somewhat bemused to see so many pallid, short people in the book, and wonder where half the population was.

A good Alien Module should have art which showcases the species, other than just its soldiers - women at work, parents, kids. Artists. Zhodani Intendants competing in an Olympiad at, well, belly dancing or some such.

A school - so we could see a Zhodani teacher demonstrating the unique Zhodani teaching techniques (all the kids standing, clustered about a free-floating hologram, with a globe-shaped drone hovering overhead looking down at them, all eyes ...)

It's just that I like to imagine what aliens' clothing, uniforms and the like would look like. I know that Zhodani Marines' combat armour looks vaguely Droynesque, for instance - but I would like to imagine what a Tvarchedle' police car or a Zhodani fire engine would look like, as well as the uniforms - designed with a "take-charge, professional" appearance to suggest calm to the population, because the authorities have arrived, for example.

And why turbans? Not as a homage to the Middle East (though it clearly is) ... you could say that turbans are the Nobles' style because Zhodani Nobles want to look more Droyne-like.
 
videopete said:
Although I do have one complaint about the picture, its just too darn big, it needs to be resized for easier viewing.

It's not that it's "offensive" or that I'm some kind of prude. It just would have been better to post a link to the picture saying what it was (like ShawnDriscoll did) instead of just suddenly slapping a huge picture into the thread like that. It's better 'netiquette'.

Agree or disagree if you like. I don't expect people to tell me I'm wrong and should shut up, and I'm not telling people that they're wrong either, I'm just saying that I think it's inappropriate and the way it was posted was inappropriate too. It's up to the mods to deal with it.
 
alex_greene said:
And why turbans? Not as a homage to the Middle East (though it clearly is) ... you could say that turbans are the Nobles' style because Zhodani Nobles want to look more Droyne-like.

With the exception of protective headgear, the Zhodani use the turban or some similar covering (such as the fez pictured in an old JTAS article) to denote the noble status of the wearer. There was some speculation years ago that color and pattern indicated a combination of family and/or homeworld and the psionic talents of the wearer. Only Nobles wear the turban. Intendants traditionally wear a headband of some sort, while Proles go bareheaded unless their profession calls for protective gear.
 
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