Disclaimer: this discussion may provoke; read at your discretion.

In the thread discussion the newest pilot (Cho), I was debating the need for decent looking pilot card portaits in the game. Do you feel that such art plays an important part in the game's ability to attract players?

Any quick glance at games aimed at the 15-25 age gap reveals that most provide some form of visual stimuli in the formed of attractive females to entice an audience. From the barely-clothed characters in Everquest to Battletech's own Natasha Kerensky (who's been in pin-ups more than once), can one argue that it's a sound marketing technique to flaunt fantasy figures to sell their product?

Sure, you may say that it objectifies women, but that's not the point of the art. It's to draw in the hormone-filled young men who make up the gamers they are trying to draw in. Why else would Anastasia Kerensky be portrayed as a sex-crazed Clanner? Or to a certain extreme, Katana Tormark's non-platonic relationship with Antonia Chinn? Just one glance at recent card portraits shows it in art like Kerensky's and Dot Nostra's profiles.

With the Vanguard expansion featuring somewhat less attractive faces (which people have duly commented on in the comments section for each pilot card), could it possibly lead to Wizkids' trying to balance the beauties (previously released) and the beasts (Vanguard females)?

Your thoughts?

(Please try to keep all responses civilised without resorting to personal attacks!)

I do believe that aesthetics plays a key part in any collectible endeavor and that includes games. I am not in this game just to play. I am in it to collect. I am sure many of you are in also in this for the same purpose. I look at other CCGs, and generally the artwork on the cards reflect a high level of quality and artistry, or at least that is also what I would expect with any CCG or CMG.

I do not need busty scantily clad women in my collectibles. I do not expect the handsomest of men or the most beautiful for women. I don't believe of stereotypes of beauty is appliable to a sci-fi genre, which is predominantly intellectual. I do expect realistic looking women just as I expect realistic looking men, all drawn in portraits that reflect a lot of artistic care and detail. I do expect, that my pilot cards should be an expression of art itself, and that means artful and well done portraits, just as I expect my miniture sculpts to be well designed, well finished and well painted.

Well, I'll have to say I'm quite indifferent to whatever appearance the WK designers choose to give their pilots. So far there has never been a case where I thought "so and so" doesn't look right. As long as I can easily associate the pilot's name and personality with their imagery, I believe the art department has done their job.

Though it might seem to draw in more players to have attractive pilots, IMHO that effect is very volatile. Those who like the game are those who will be investing a lot into it, not those who just like the art. I would have to say that having an inviting and dynamic player base will attract more actual players than the art. Heck, I think even just the mechs probably have a more lasting appeal.

In any case, the question of a pilot's looks is really just individual taste. I don't feel that, after the work that goes into making a unit, WK should really bother to make the most attractive pilot imaginable. I feel the game is better by having them continue to bring the diversity they have shown in their artwork.

Just my two cents.

I appreciate being able to place a face to the name of a unique pilot.

Whether attractive or not doesn't really bother me, as long as every female mech pilot doesn't look like a supermodel.

What we should see is portraits that look like warriors. Scars, steely gazes, and military uniforms.

I cannot speak for everyone else, but I was drawn into this game because it featured two things I really like: 'Mechs and tanks. I'm in this game for the military hardware, so to speak. Of course it doesn't hurt to know what some pilots actually look like, but it's not like I won't play a card if I don't like the artwork. It's the stats and the special abilities that count, not the mugshot.

While it's true I've commented on the appearance of one Vanguard pilot (Danai),
from a purely fluff perspective, looks have ZERO influence on whether or not I play
a particular pilot. The pilot's stats are the bottom line. ;)

I like to see well drawn imagery on the pilot cards I collect. Whether ugly or pretty it does not matter to much to me. What I like to see is a portrait that reflects that the artist took the time to make a good two dimensional representation of a three dimensional form. While this is by no means easy, I feel that most of the Vangaurd art looks half finished. Most of the cards we have seen so far come off more like sketches than finished pieces. I also do not like the "electric static" effect they have brought to prevalence. Do we need cheesecake bunny babes and schwertnager(sp?)-esque men? No, but I would like to see well finished portraits.

All this being said, the pilots look usually has little or nothing to do with whether or not I play them. Stats and ability are my key factors.
Really the only pilot portriats I have liked so far are Jurgens (he looks battle hardened), Pliskin (just good work), and Liao-Centrella (she looks deadly).

I agree, the art for the new set looks incomplete of all the portraits previewed only Plissken's, Fabur's, and Levin's look like the were finished

;) I want WizKids to produce more pilots that look like supermodels, so that my opponents will be mezmerized to total distraction by the pilot card while I stomp all over them on the battlefield :p :devious: :p :devious: :p :devious: :p

Really, I don't care what the pilot looks like, just so long as it has useable combat stats, and I can match it up with its preferred 'mech.

well Knok it should seem that you are nearly alone in your thinking
I agree with the above stated

I don't think that the appearance really matters so much as if the art that creates them is effective. These fingerpainted cards just don't look good. As for the appearance of people depicted who cares? I can totally believe that Felix jarta looks like a gnome. Heck my girlfriends brother looks just like him. That is funny. Clean art is perferable. Oh and having characters look like their book descriptions would be nice. But that is just me.

Yeah, but some of the art in Vanguard makes the people look as if they were freshly dug out of a grave or something (Mazur). Another example would be Shizuka Findlay... look at the shape of her head/neck!

And why did they have to make both Liao female pilots complately squinty eyed? It's stereotyping in action! I don't think either one could see properly squinting like that!

I prefer the cleaner art style to the scribbly art. As someone who knows nothing about art, I'm sure that what I see as scribbles are actually very artistic from another's point of view. However, I just like the clean, realistic pictures that many of the card have, such as Judith Faber, Dave Reese, etc.

As for whether they are hot or not, I really do not care. A pilot can be ugly as sin, but if they are a good pilot, then it doesn't matter. But if they ar ugly and a bad pilot, then I'm wondering why they are here in the frst place :cheeky:

I think that artwork makes a huge difference in sales of a gaming product. Quality is important. You are trying to appeal to the masses here. The artowrk on the cards for Domination was excellent. Vangaurd went the other way...

As far as looks go, I don't think that every woman needs to be drop dead gorgeous but Danai looks like she was beaten with a toaster.

"He treats objects like women, man!"

-The Dude