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May 5, 2012 -- 2:46PM, Dewi wrote:

Axiom: the same standards should apply to female characters as to male characters.

Principle One: the character shouldn't be in the pose or clothes they're in just so that we want to look at the picture.  They should be in the pose and clothes they're in for an in character reason - for which reason we will want to look at the picture.
Lemma One: this is a game about adventurers.  Most women depicted will be either adventurers or antagonists.  Either way they should be portrayed as someone whose mind is on adventuring or on killing adventurers and who has dressed and prepared herself for that purpose.  (At least while they're adventuring.  In pictures of adventurers relaxing after their adventures they can be dressed to go out for the night leaving their armour at home.)
Principle Two: woman characters should not be there solely to be fought over or rescued.  Some woman characters who are being rescued are fine so long as there's no implication that being in trouble or being rescued makes a woman sexy.
Lemma Two: There's no need to always present woman characters as capable and confident.  Adventurers should get into trouble as an equal opportunity.  However, trouble should never be presented as making a woman in trouble more sexy.
Principle Three: the woman characters should not be portrayed as more alarmed or frightened than the equivalent male characters in the picture.
Principle Four: It's fine to present woman characters as attractive.  Most people like being attractive to other people.  The point should be that it's clear that the woman is in charge of her sexuality and the way she presents herself, not the other way around.  Also, if she's busy adventuring in a dungeon then it should be clear that her sexuality isn't part of her current priorities.
Lemma Three: there isn't any objection to nudity as such.  Merely to nudity where it doesn't have a good in-story reason to be there.

Some examples:

Morgan Ironwolf, from the Moldvay edition.  Good.  Yes, she has improbably large breasts and slender arms and waist and improbably form-fitting chainmail armour.  (I think it must be elven chain - it would make sense that reduced encumbrance chain is form-fitting.)  But that does not matter.  The immediate impression you get is that she is alert and ready for trouble.  Note that, although her breasts are improbably large her breasts don't form part of the outline of the image.  It's quite clear that she's not a supermodel posing as a fighter - she's a fighter who just happens to have the body of a supermodel.

The woman on the cover of the 1e AD&D DMG in the clutches of the efreet: bad.  What's she doing there?  Why's the efreet carrying her about?  Why's she wearing almost nothing?  It looks like she's only there to be rescued by the men in the foreground.  On the plus side, it looks as if she's about to try to stick the efreet with that dagger, so she's not purely passive.

1e AD&D DMG, again: The female magic user in the adventuring party under the random dungeon tables.  Good.  Her dress has a slit skirt that shows off her legs, but it looks like that's practical.  The illustrations show her solidly contributing to the party's actions.

Amber, from the 3rd edition.  Good.  She's baring her midriff, yes, but again it looks as if she's doing that to be practical rather than to be sexy.

4e: wizard on the PHB cover.  Bad.  Those clothes are not practical in a dungeon, and can't be justified by appealing to freedom of movement.  The pose makes no sense except to enhance her sexuality.  And, while her male dragonborn companion appears to be challenging the monsters to bring it on she's looking anxious.  So no.

1e AD&D Monster Manual: largely good.  Yes, there's lots of bare breasts.  There's nothing wrong with bared breasts.  The monsters with bare breasts are a good deal less exposed than the 4e wizard in her bra.  Yes, there's the succubus.  Good.  She's a succubus - of course she's not wearing anything and looking sexually provocative.  If you fall for her it's your lookout.  In a different way, a bra would just look silly on the gynosphinx.   And she's not there looking sexualised - she's looking at you like a cat looks at a mouse.

I don't have access to any books before 3E, can you post some of those pictures your talking about (or link to them if you can't post them). That way the developers don't have to dig up a book and thumb through it just to see what you are talking about (I hear they are really busy)...