Women in Costume

[Sir_Spirit]

Yet, in america women dressed like that would rightfully be assumed to be hookers.

Wow, you should check out the Baltimore Inner Harbor in the summer time, or Ocean City, MD. You'd probably think there was an international hooker's convention going on. And don't ever go to Rio De Janeiro! They wear outfits that would make vampirella blush.

No I wouldn't, I didn't include myself in that statement.

[Pepsi Jedi]

In our games we tend to have a few different sorts of situations.

1) Situation normal: You're a superhero, you dress in a costume. Mostly this means variations on the costumes you see in comics, so yes, women tend to be in skimpy, skin tight or spandex. They're superheroes after all.

2) undercover super heros: These are well. Undercover. The bright costumes arn't used then, but still it's a far cry from a walking clanking tank. or

3) Black ops. For a government or a staged strike on bad guys, where in yes, black might be dawned, faces painted cammo. and maybe some body armor added. Thing is this is alot more RARE in our HEROs game.

As somone said, body armor is expensive,and well we're playing superheros. You have pretty good SDC. If you catch enough bullets to where it's no longer "A flesh wound" and about to hit your Hit Points. TAKE COVER or RUN AWAY.

So few people realize these are options.

But yeah, the girls in our game are far more likely to be dressed like the Wasp or super girl or the white queen, over some bulked out combat wombat.

In our games if you want to play that, we can just play rifts and everyone has armor. *chuckels*

[Iczer]

My accessories include important staples such as black boots: tipped, or untipped.
Leather or canvas belt.
Fedora, or Beret.
Gloves: open-fingered, or full-fingered.
Sunglassess: black, or mirrorshade

so the Pimp/federal agent look?

[Pepsi Jedi]

Clothing doesn't make one easy bro. *chuckels and looks around nervously* And if it did. Hush up. do you want them to wear more?

[Marrowlight]

And people wonder why guy gamers and comic fans get a bad rep.

I don't know a single gamer or comic fan who actually wonders that....

[BillionSix]

Personally, I always liked Jenny Sparks.

"I won't wear one of this damnfool spandex body-condom things. I don't have the bust for it."

Brian

[The Baron of chaos]

I wan tot add some thought on this arguments about WHY women wear very revealing outfit in comis and spandex.
1) distract opponent, this is true if you are very good looking and most superheroine in comic are. As someone said once time, the good goblin if i reall correctly "how can Spiderman fight girl wiht body like that time after time without getting distracted!!".
2) As someone pointed out some powers just don't work well with armors. Actually some powers do not nee d to wear anything at all. Some APS powers, Shapechange(Mystica goes naked all the time , she morph her skin in clothes), Bio Armor(Wearing an armor in this case is well stupid)
3) Sometimes , for better use of your skills and ability you need ot be LIGHT Clothed, Martial artist and Speedster prefer very light clothes to any armor , in order to not be impaired in their movements even a -15% to their skill is not acceptable at all.
4) When your opponents generally chew kisentite, cut trough tanks like a hot knife butter, shot plasma from eyes and lift cars like they were air ballons, well armor is a mere optional useless and heavy. At least better show off wha tyou got girls, it help you better(Wasp in Ultimates was essential in distracting Hluk flashin him with her ahem *****..)
I preferred Angie over Jenny, Engineer is naked all the times and she is easy and proud of be that!
And I heard Super girl? Bahhh
Much better POWER girl
http://www.supermanhomepage.com/images/ ... ergirl.jpg
I'm on fire every time i watch this pic. How one could fight such girl without thinking "WOAAAHH MAMA ARETHOSE REAL?"

[The Baron of chaos]

Errr All men but me....I'm 100% pig and 100% idiot
And I'm proud of being one
And sincerle yi don't saying tha twould cause a serious distraction
but at least would give few seconds
ANd again armor in comics are useless unlessare power armors or super armors
Between armor piercing weapons, laser, boom guns, punch that deliver more than 1000 point of damage with asingle blow. Well if agilr has PB of 25 , at least give people a nige good looking target! So they will have wet dream while getting their arse whooped. .....
Saaaayyy alejandro you were beatend by agirl in your life? Becaus enever happeed to me ever, Unless I asked for it

[Pepsi Jedi]

*Tries desperatly to hault all comments that while I think are funny, others might not.*

[Kalinda]

I've had exactly one female character who wore skimpy outfits. It was in a recent Mutants & Masterminds game I was in and I discovered the feat called IIRC 'Quick change.' It allows you do do the 'jump into the phone booth/alley and emerge seconds later in costume' bit, and taken twice it allows you to change costume in no time at all, you can pass behind a lamp post and emerge in a different outfit.

This amused me greatly, so I made a young female superhero who was just starting out, and loves shopping and fashion. She hasn't settled on a costume yet, (Or a superhero name for that matter) so she keeps trying different outfits all the time, including in the midst of a battle. Going from skimpy and revealing, to full body armor, to iron age style with pouches everywhere, to 'normal' spandex and cape. It's been fun and has confused some NPCs to no end, it's also fun to use the quick change ability when not in costume, to change her civilian clothing to match her current mood/situation. (walking with the other PCs in a mall) "Sure, a sushii bar sounds great for lunch!) (walks on the other side of a tall man from the other PCs, suddenly she's wearing a Japanese schoolgirl uniform.) "Let's go!"

[Stone Gargoyle]

The way the female NPCs in the game I run dress is largely influenced by their alignment and disposition. Yes, I use the optional tables in the book. It is less likely for a principled character who is shy to dress seductively than, say, a cocky unprincipled or anarchist character.
The genre in general lends for revealing outfits, and if she works for an agency that wants her to dress a certain way, that can be taken into account too.

[taalismn]

My female characters tended to wear a functional body stocking or leotard under a a sensible tunic or long jacket and with boots and gloves....The close-fitting garmenture insured that everything was covered, there were few fabric handholds for an opponent to get a grip on, and they could easily slip into replacement/specialty clothing like a disguise, body armor, or protective gear as situations and availability dictated.

Concealing headgear on the other hand always posed a problem....masks don't cut it, IMHO, and helmets can be so clumsy(though functional) and clash with the overall ensemble....

[Stone Gargoyle]

Well, you have to have that fashion sense. Of course you could just make them take the color manipulation minor power and then all is well...LOL!

[Sir_Spirit]

when i was young my females wore skin tight verry revieling costumes. im no longer that horny, and i have a women so they now wear costumes that are functional and not so reaviling.

Depends on the character here. Some dress very revealingly, some don't.

Hmm, saw an anime the other day, aimed at kids, the female swere all clothed pretty well, but the legendary king(seen in a plashback) wore a dark brown mini skirt and a shirt with a bar midriff(left his belly exposed).
I just thought it was funny, since i't snot an outfit you'd think they'd have guy wearing, but then agian, he was hot enough to pull it off...

[Sir_Spirit]

[
Ever seen Project A-Ko?

Apparantly I need to?

[Marrowlight]

Even beyond Misfit's point, yes, yes you do.

[Sir_Spirit]

Even beyond Misfit's point, yes, yes you do.

WHy?
Are the guys that hot?

[Marrowlight]

Because it's a good anime, and a classic to boot?

[Shorty Lickens]

I know this isnt related to anything going on here but I just had to post it.

[MODERATED]

[Stone Gargoyle]

In some anime you can't tell the guys from the girls. It is the drawing style they use on the faces sometimes and the overuse of robes.

Speaking of robes, some of the best female outfits I have created involved them, with the character wearing skintight gear underneath.

[Stone Gargoyle]

is it a man or women?

It's PAT! Maybe androgynous characters are the wave of the future, the whole metrosexual revolution...LOL

[Prince Cherico]

You know after youve played a big hairy mussely man in a
french maid outfit any thing else seems tame

[The Baron of chaos]

I don't know if this was addressed before on the thread. But we hav efocused mainly on westerner heroine, right? Because eastern heoroines, on manga, anime and similar common mediums, tend to follow way different and wierder styles. I mena some typical heroines dress in very frekay way in japan, (expecially those so called "little witch" they dress in very ridiculous way! . Is also true tha tin japan everyone seem to follow their personal style in free time). Do Other culture will have different perspective on what superheroine should wear in battle?

[Stone Gargoyle]

I was recently running a campaign using Tokyo as the setting. It can be quite fun exploring the cultural nuances and differences in approach to superhero concepts.

[Uncle Servo]

I've had exactly one female character who wore skimpy outfits. It was in a recent Mutants & Masterminds game I was in and I discovered the feat called IIRC 'Quick change.' It allows you do do the 'jump into the phone booth/alley and emerge seconds later in costume' bit, and taken twice it allows you to change costume in no time at all, you can pass behind a lamp post and emerge in a different outfit.

This amused me greatly, so I made a young female superhero who was just starting out, and loves shopping and fashion. She hasn't settled on a costume yet, (Or a superhero name for that matter) so she keeps trying different outfits all the time, including in the midst of a battle. Going from skimpy and revealing, to full body armor, to iron age style with pouches everywhere, to 'normal' spandex and cape. It's been fun and has confused some NPCs to no end, it's also fun to use the quick change ability when not in costume, to change her civilian clothing to match her current mood/situation. (walking with the other PCs in a mall) "Sure, a sushii bar sounds great for lunch!) (walks on the other side of a tall man from the other PCs, suddenly she's wearing a Japanese schoolgirl uniform.) "Let's go!"

I love this idea. Sometimes I think Instant Wardrobe is a far undervalued super ability, if only for roleplaying purposes.

[Stone Gargoyle]

I think Instant Wardrobe is a far undervalued super ability, if only for roleplaying purposes.

I think that it can be modified also. The flash always carried his costume shrunken down in a ring and it expanded upon hitting air. There are numerous ways of carring a costume without wearing it all the time like a certain webhead and a certain man of steel do.

[Uncle Servo]

I think Instant Wardrobe is a far undervalued super ability, if only for roleplaying purposes.

I think that it can be modified also. The flash always carried his costume shrunken down in a ring and it expanded upon hitting air. There are numerous ways of carring a costume without wearing it all the time like a certain webhead and a certain man of steel do.

You're right, Flash did always store his costume in his ring (though I wondered how he compressed it down in the first place).

I also remember Quasar storing his outfit in one of the gems on his Quantum Bands... The Star-Spangled Kid (old version) used his Cosmic Converter to alter his clothes into his costume... Iron Man's armor could collapse down to fit inside his briefcase... Darkhawk actually switched bodies... just to name a few.

There's really no need to modify Instant Wardrobe though as the outfits are stored in another dimension... but I can definitely see making it as part of a Super Invention.

[Stone Gargoyle]

You're right, Flash did always store his costume in his ring (though I wondered how he compressed it down in the first place).

It was said to be some sort of gas which responded to air molecules.

Well, Sammy, my superheroienne from Ed3's HU game had an amazing knack for having her clothes burned or bombed off. She could have used spare costumes.

Well, Duh!!!!!

[BillionSix]

I remember The Question had a gas in his belt buckle that would seal his mask to his face, and change the color of his clothes, until he used a different gas to change back.

That's another variation.

Brian

[Stone Gargoyle]

People should not be afraid to create their own variations on powers. That is what the New Powers thread is all about, after all. I see nothing wrong with custom tweaking powers to fit the nature of the character a player designs so long as it fits with the spirit of the game. This is Heroes UNLIMITED after all.

[Nekira Sudacne]

Sometimes there's a benefit to having a nun older sister.

Like knowing you'll be the first one to get married, have kids, and be left alone by your aging mother who's bugging you for grandchildren!

Sure it doesn't sound like much....until the phone starts ringin' at 3am and she's nagging you for some grandkids.

Actually, that isn't one of the problems. Since they have different mothers and the same demon lord father. The nun is also better than 200 years her elder. It did severely crimp her sex life though.

Howso? I thought she did what she wanted anyway

[Stone Gargoyle]

Um, this topic is straying...

[Stone Gargoyle]

Um, this topic is straying...

And your point is?

No point really. Didn't think I needed one. Maybe I have a spare one in the back...

[Stone Gargoyle]

Um, this topic is straying...

And your point is?

No point really. Didn't think I needed one. Maybe I have a spare one in the back...

Then let the tangent continue.

Didn't know I was stopping it...

[Stone Gargoyle]

With me it varies on the attitude of the character.

For example, I have an APS:Ice character whose primary costume is her ice sheath armor. She is a hottie, and often uses her appearance to distract people (especially males). Hence, under her armor, she wears a bikini.

On the other hand, I have a characher who wears featureless body armor that give no hint at all to the gender of the wearer.

Really, I think it all comes down to the nature and preferences of the character. If by their nature/powers they would show a lot of skin, then I say its fine be they male or female. Yes, especially in comics, I do think costumes are often a factor of "sex sells". In RPGs this need not be the case.

Remember, technically the character themself most often came up with the outfit. Some times the nature of it has design specific requirements, other times it is a reflection of inner self (mystically bestowwed), and still other times it is purely fabricated to the character's taste. No matter the reason, as long as the player has thought out why the character made the costume choices they did, I say "go for it".

I think it needs not be the case, but I like playing adventures very close to the genre rather than just using it as subject matter. What would this look like in a comic book format is very important to how I go about doing my campaigns.

[Stone Gargoyle]

With me it varies on the attitude of the character.

For example, I have an APS:Ice character whose primary costume is her ice sheath armor. She is a hottie, and often uses her appearance to distract people (especially males). Hence, under her armor, she wears a bikini.

On the other hand, I have a characher who wears featureless body armor that give no hint at all to the gender of the wearer.

Really, I think it all comes down to the nature and preferences of the character. If by their nature/powers they would show a lot of skin, then I say its fine be they male or female. Yes, especially in comics, I do think costumes are often a factor of "sex sells". In RPGs this need not be the case.

Remember, technically the character themself most often came up with the outfit. Some times the nature of it has design specific requirements, other times it is a reflection of inner self (mystically bestowwed), and still other times it is purely fabricated to the character's taste. No matter the reason, as long as the player has thought out why the character made the costume choices they did, I say "go for it".

I think it needs not be the case, but I like playing adventures very close to the genre rather than just using it as subject matter. What would this look like in a comic book format is very important to how I go about doing my campaigns.

And have at it. That's the beauty of choice, you can run your game how you prefer and Wubby can do likewise.

Good, I will. Try to stop me....

[Marrowlight]

Because that's just the type of guy you are.

[Stone Gargoyle]

With me it varies on the attitude of the character.

For example, I have an APS:Ice character whose primary costume is her ice sheath armor. She is a hottie, and often uses her appearance to distract people (especially males). Hence, under her armor, she wears a bikini.

On the other hand, I have a characher who wears featureless body armor that give no hint at all to the gender of the wearer.

Really, I think it all comes down to the nature and preferences of the character. If by their nature/powers they would show a lot of skin, then I say its fine be they male or female. Yes, especially in comics, I do think costumes are often a factor of "sex sells". In RPGs this need not be the case.

Remember, technically the character themself most often came up with the outfit. Some times the nature of it has design specific requirements, other times it is a reflection of inner self (mystically bestowwed), and still other times it is purely fabricated to the character's taste. No matter the reason, as long as the player has thought out why the character made the costume choices they did, I say "go for it".

I think it needs not be the case, but I like playing adventures very close to the genre rather than just using it as subject matter. What would this look like in a comic book format is very important to how I go about doing my campaigns.

And have at it. That's the beauty of choice, you can run your game how you prefer and Wubby can do likewise.

Good, I will. Try to stop me....

Why the hell would I want to?

[Marrowlight]

Because that's just the type of guy you are.

So?

So get to it!

[Stone Gargoyle]

Because that's just the type of guy you are.

So?

So get to it!

He does have a point.

[Stone Gargoyle]

Because that's just the type of guy you are.

So?

So get to it!

He does have a point.

Yes, but I feel like disagreeing with him more than you, so I'm not stopping you.

Always with the playing of favorites...

[Stone Gargoyle]

It's a funny thing. Ever since I started reading this thread, I've been considering skimpier costumes far more often. It's just so in-genre, and I'd never even considered it! Since most of my characters naturally trend to follow my conservative style of clothing, male or female, skimpy outfits usually don't come up. It's a little silly to think of it as a failing, but it really isn't very in-genre not to consider the matter.

Scantily clad women can be fit into any genre.

They are always welcome over to my house.

[Stone Gargoyle]

It's a funny thing. Ever since I started reading this thread, I've been considering skimpier costumes far more often. It's just so in-genre, and I'd never even considered it! Since most of my characters naturally trend to follow my conservative style of clothing, male or female, skimpy outfits usually don't come up. It's a little silly to think of it as a failing, but it really isn't very in-genre not to consider the matter.

Scantily clad women can be fit into any genre.

They are always welcome over to my house.

You're not a genre though.

I might be...I might be...

[Marrowlight]

13 pages

Dear god, fix your posts per page view....

[Sir_Spirit]

2. There are only so many things that you can wear that are practical for physical exertion, and that is how many super-hero costumes got their start. If your going to be doing a lot of acrobatics and stuff, your not going to wear "normal" clothing as it tends to get in the way or constrict you. This leads to a lot of tight and form fitting outfits. [snip]
The same applies to a minimalist approach. Shorts vs. Shorts & Haltertop.

Well, not if you're a martial artist.

Look at the book "Titans" by Boris Valejho <SP> and Julie Bell. They take a lot of liberties with the characters (look at how absolutly massive Daredevil is for example) but even where Julie Bell plays with some of the costumes in various ways they always include very similar elements.

Got a link to any artwork?

The bottom line is, don't worry about it. People who worry about cheesecake fantasy/comic art seem like those who need something to whine about.

Hmm, have to mostly agree here.I would point out that for guys aren't cheese cake, their beefcake.

[Stone Gargoyle]

The real test is to find out how many scantily clad women fit inside you. If any do, then you might be a genre.

Or a phone both.

[MASTERMIND]

I used Paragon City as my setting (or I will be once I get to run the game). In PC there is an entire industry of tailors devoted to the hero community. So heroes can look however they want and if slinky fits the characters personality then slinky is what they get. From a RPG perspective this also provides easy access to costumes and costume repair.

[Stone Gargoyle]

Well, not if you're a martial artist.

Good point. A modified fighting gi would make for a decent costume, too.

Personally, I find that a man wearing nothing but small "hero" shorts looks really, really exposed. Perhaps moreso than a similarly dressed female. However, I'll agree on the matter of body suits.

They never seem to make a fuss about the men, though. A lot of women claimed to be offended by the scantily clad women, though. Probably because more males read comics than females and the whole debasement of women issue.

[Stone Gargoyle]

I used Paragon City as my setting (or I will be once I get to run the game). In PC there is an entire industry of tailors devoted to the hero community. So heroes can look however they want and if slinky fits the characters personality then slinky is what they get. From a RPG perspective this also provides easy access to costumes and costume repair.

I try not to directly rip anyone off, but will base some NPCs on existing characters. I usually rename the cities, though.

[MASTERMIND]

I used Paragon City as my setting (or I will be once I get to run the game). In PC there is an entire industry of tailors devoted to the hero community. So heroes can look however they want and if slinky fits the characters personality then slinky is what they get. From a RPG perspective this also provides easy access to costumes and costume repair.

I try not to directly rip anyone off, but will base some NPCs on existing characters. I usually rename the cities, though.

Wow, you make it sound like what I did was a crime. I play in a lot of games and I don't always have the time to develop a complete setting. City of Heroes is a MMORPG, an online RPG game. We are playing a RPG game. I am just choosing to use that setting but with the mechanics of my choice. I don't see how that is a negative thing.



Next thing you will tell me I can't use the Rifts setting because I didn't come up with that. KS created it but I can't use his ideas.