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The Grifter
Hey everybody, your friendly neighborhood gun-slingin' PhysAd here. Been awhile since I've been on here.

Well, there's something that has been irkin' the frag out of Your's Truly since I've been playing Shadowrun, and it is this. The cover illustration on the front of The STreet Samurai's Catalog. OMFG, it is one of the worst pictures I have ever seen in my LIFE. Had I been shown this picture before learning what Shadowrun is, I would have never played it. That's how bad I hate this picture. Let me explain to you my reasoning, and perhaps you will be able to provide some insight. I'll use a bullet-format to make my reasons clear:

* Where in the frag IS this guy? He's standing on a bare piece of asphalt with fog all around. What is this, Silent Hill? I mean, come on, you're in a fraggin METROPLEX, not Indiana. Where are the lights? the traffic?

*Those ghouls (at least I think they're ghouls), are not very hostile looking towards this lamer, yet he feels the need to have katana in hand, along with his assault rifle. One of the ghouls looks like he's waiting for a bus (God knows when it's coming, seeing as to the aforementioned lack of traffic), and the other has a big soup bone. What, is he gonna take this guy on with a bone, versus an assault rifle? Yeah, right.

* On the back of the guy's right hand, the one holding the katana, he has these three fleshy port looking things. What is he, Wolverine? I mean, Wolvie had metal one, and they looked a hell of alot cooler.

* Look at his Cleveland Browns jersey he decided to go shadowrunning in. Orange isn't a very good choice for stealth, ass. He reminds me of Bazooka from G.I. Joe.

* I think that's supposed to be a smartlink plugged into his head. Jeezus, that looks awful. And that puckered looking scar tissue around it. That's just nasty.

* What is that, his Trid remote wired into his neck?

* Okay, I don't know what those tubes running into his left leg are, but they look like some kinf of colostomy device. Yech!

* What's with the white shock of hair? Who are you, Rogue?

* Stupid hockey shinguards. Why you need these I have no idea. Unless that ghoul with the soup bone decides to slide-tackle you, I guess.

* Are those rubber-bands wrapped all around his katana hilt?

* The guy has a mullet. 'Nuff said.

* His headband defies gravity. somehow. Right by his ear, it goes striaght up and just hangs in mid-air.

* I guess with all the money this guy spent on his leg colostomy and remote control wired into his neck, he couldn't afford a razorblade. Nice shave, jackass. Oh, and the pr0n-star moustache is definately tres-chic.

That's all I got for now guys. Questions? Comments? Anything I missed?




holychampion
At least you got to enjoy the game before seeing the picture.

And Wolverines Spurs have the same look on his hands. It was the gloves he wore that had the metal sheathing. Later on after Magnus stripps Wolvs of his Adamantium he is depicted much the same.
The Grifter
Ah, but Wolvie didn't have spurs, he had CLAWS! *L*
Abstruse
The picture never bothered me, and the SSG was the second Shadowrun book I bought.

The Abstruse One
Solstice
I totally agree with the original poster. That picture makes me grind my teeth everytime I have the misfortune to see it. The interior art itsn't much better IMO.
hobgoblin
about that bare asfalt and fog, ever heard of the barrens?

allso, the ghouls, dont they have bad eyesight? they may be smelling him but they may not know what he is packing.

i must say tho that i have never seen the pic myself...
TheScamp
Funny, that's one of my favorite pieces of SR art.
Backgammon
Who gives a shit, it's out of print. It's not scaring newbies away anymore.
Kagetenshi
Do we have a picture handy?

~J
Sunday_Gamer
Don't do it! DOn't look directly at the picture!!!

There are some pieces of art in SHadowrun that were obviously drawn by people that simply have zero understanding of what SHadowrun is.

Take a gander at the cover of the critters book some time, or the magic book for that matter.

The elf on the cover of MitS is the single most foci addicted crazed thing I've ever seen, she's summoning some sort of sity spirit and she's using...bah... 30 foci?

The critters book is my favorite. Someone obviously told the artist vaguely what shadowrun was about. Check out the elf with both arms replaced by Stuffer Shack cyber cannons... HE HAS NO ARMS!!! Could his cyberwear be any worse?!?

It happens... I like to think that a monkey shaman made an illusion of something silly to put on the cover... that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Kong
Kagetenshi
She's a Shaman. What do you expect but tons of trinkets and beads? Most of those probably aren't magical.

~J
TheScamp
QUOTE
It's not scaring newbies away anymore.

See, that's just my point. In my case (and I include all of my friends with whom I first played), it had exactly the opposite effect.
BitBasher
Okay, to recap and add...[anal retentive mode on!] biggrin.gif

(None of this is really serious)

QUOTE
* Where in the frag IS this guy? He's standing on a bare piece of asphalt with fog all around. What is this, Silent Hill? I mean, come on, you're in a fraggin METROPLEX, not Indiana. Where are the lights? the traffic?
As stated above, he's in the barrens, Pullyup or Redmond, where the conditions above definitely do happen, or more specifically it could be a slow area of Tar Aslar or Glow City. Glow City would explain a lot. Dong ma?

QUOTE
*Those ghouls (at least I think they're ghouls), are not very hostile looking towards this lamer, yet he feels the need to have katana in hand, along with his assault rifle. One of the ghouls looks like he's waiting for a bus (God knows when it's coming, seeing as to the aforementioned lack of traffic), and the other has a big soup bone. What, is he gonna take this guy on with a bone, versus an assault rifle? Yeah, right.
Mayve they AREN't hostile, but he doesn't know that. That's an assumption you made, and you know what happens when we assume. maybe he armed for some threat he is goign to encounter outside of the frame of the drawing, because that's where he is looking.

QUOTE
* On the back of the guy's right hand, the one holding the katana, he has these three fleshy port looking things. What is he, Wolverine? I mean, Wolvie had metal one, and they looked a hell of alot cooler.
To nitpick, no, wolverine didn't have those on his hand, he had those on his costume, there only thing those were for was to stop the blades from cutting the costume when he stuck out his claws. He popped his claws out through his skin, because he regenerated. This guy doesn't regenerate so he needs the ports of synthskin thqat separate so he doesnt give himelf a light wound popping out claws.

QUOTE
* Look at his Cleveland Browns jersey he decided to go shadowrunning in. Orange isn't a very good choice for stealth, ass. He reminds me of Bazooka from G.I. Joe.
Obvoiusly he's not going for stralth, in the middle of the barrens no police will show up anyway, so he's not too out of place.

QUOTE
* I think that's supposed to be a smartlink plugged into his head. Jeezus, that looks awful. And that puckered looking scar tissue around it. That's just nasty.
Not everyone can afford a top of the linbe surgeon, and theres rules for pulling a smartlink to a datajack, and it was very very common in earlier editions.

QUOTE
* What is that, his Trid remote wired into his neck?
Skillwires.

QUOTE
* Okay, I don't know what those tubes running into his left leg are, but they look like some kinf of colostomy device. Yech!
It's not nice to make fun of those with a disability wink.gif

QUOTE
* What's with the white shock of hair? Who are you, Rogue?
And what are you, the fashion police? this was over 10 years ago. It is the Distinctive Style Flaw. rounding out characters is good biggrin.gif

QUOTE
* Stupid hockey shinguards. Why you need these I have no idea. Unless that ghoul with the soup bone decides to slide-tackle you, I guess.
On a real life note, if you plan to get in a fight and know what you're doing, you have no idea how nice shinguards are. I have players often take shinguards, the equivalenht stats as the forearm guards already in the book. And im actually not joking about that.

QUOTE
* Are those rubber-bands wrapped all around his katana hilt?
No, it's just self wrapped with leather cord instead of professionally wrapped with string more than likely.

QUOTE
* The guy has a mullet. 'Nuff said.
Again, time period, so did a lot of people.

QUOTE
* His headband defies gravity. somehow. Right by his ear, it goes striaght up and just hangs in mid-air.
He could of just jumped to see something and just landed, theres a dozen valid excuses for that one that all make sense in context.

QUOTE
* I guess with all the money this guy spent on his leg colostomy and remote control wired into his neck, he couldn't afford a razorblade. Nice shave, jackass. Oh, and the pr0n-star moustache is definately tres-chic.
I never shave unless I have to for work, thats a really lame nitpick. Also lots of people have facial hair. of course since you dont liek it let's bash the guy for it. very mature. again, pay attention to the time it was drawn.

biggrin.gif grinbig.gif biggrin.gif
RedmondLarry
You can find photos of the cover on Ebay. Just look for items named "Street Samurai Catalog".
Kagetenshi
Is it just me or should that be spelt "catalogue"?

~J
Ancient History
"spelled"
Kanada Ten
SSC

Gotta love The Shaodwrun Image Archive.
Kagetenshi
QUOTE (Ancient History)
"spelled"

Or spelt.

QUOTE (Dictionary.com)
Spell (v. Spelled, or Spelt)

1. To name or write in order the letters constituting (a word or part of a word).

2. To constitute the letters of (a word): These letters spell animal.

3. To add up to; signify: Their unwise investment could spell financial ruin.


Link.

It's partway down.

~J
Ancient History
Well, I'll be Damned. Makes sense, in an "English-language-has-no-absolute-rules-whn-it-comes-to-spelling" way. my bad.<looks_sheepish>
Shadow
I think a bigger beef with the drawing would be the fact that none of the fraggin gear he is carrying appear within the book that the picture graces the cover of. But most SR art is like that, including the SR Duels. It pisses me off to no end. It is like the artist has to be creative so he makes his own drek up. I don't want to see the artists crap, I want to see the stuff in the books.
Voran
Personally the Fields of Fire cover illustration kinda bugs me.

7 people. 6 guys and 1 girl, everyone in armor, cept the girl wearing the girdle and kneepads of protection...I guess. Kinda one of those 'chainmail bikini' stereotypes. Its an overall nice picture, but just the fact that she'd get killed in the first volley kinda irks me.
Herald of Verjigorm
Obviously, she's a mage with a force 15 armor spell anchored to start when it detects anything traveling over 140km/h.
Kagetenshi
QUOTE (Ancient History)
Well, I'll be Damned. Makes sense, in an "English-language-has-no-absolute-rules-whn-it-comes-to-spelling" way. my bad.<looks_sheepish>

It's a temple of [neither] rhyme nor reason smile.gif

And no worries. I'd've been surprised if it didn't trip somebody up.

~J
broho_pcp
What would be the best cover art?

My vote is for Renraku Arcology Shutdown
Kagetenshi
RA:S rocks. I personally also really like Queen Euphoria and the Underworld Sourcebook.

(Edit: I'm talking about cover art, of course)

~J
Connor
I really got a kick out of the cover of Survival of the Fittest...
FlakJacket
Shadowtech!
A Clockwork Lime
State of the Art: 2063, Shadows of North America, Threats 2, and Harlequinn's Back are amongst my personal favorites.
hobgoblin
personaly i get a kick out of the awakenings book. there is something about a 2d tattoo suddenly becomeing 3d that spikes me (oh and the girl is nice to silly.gif )

if you want my personal bad, take a quick look at the troll with black and white tiger stripes on the front of cannon companion eek.gif

oh and thanks for the link to the gallery smile.gif
Raptor1033
Is it just me or does the guy on the cover of Shadows of North America look kinda like Charlie Sheen?
Austere Emancipator
Re: Spelled vs Spelt
That's really weird, because it's not only a spelling difference, but also (and possibly more importantly) a pronunciation difference. Maybe the early literate Americans thought /l/ should be unvoiced...
Crimson Jack
QUOTE (Sunday_Gamer)
The critters book is my favorite. Someone obviously told the artist vaguely what shadowrun was about. Check out the elf with both arms replaced by Stuffer Shack cyber cannons... HE HAS NO ARMS!!! Could his cyberwear be any worse?!?

LOL. Indeed. I like how he's got the word "poison" engraved on those cannons. Yeah, the same ones he's firing over his head. What a tardling.

On which books are my favorite covers:

1. Tir Na Nog
2. Lone Star
3. Harlequin's Back
4. Target: Wastelands
5. Shadowtech

On which I think have some goofy ass drek on them:

1. Shadowbeat (takes the cake)
2. Street Samurai Catalog
3. Germany Sourcebook
4. Tir Tairngire Sourcebook
5. Seattle Sourcebook (not the red backdrop version... the one with the Jetson's vehicle flying around in it, bout to lose a runner to a falling death)

The cover to SR2 wasn't great really either though. I prefer the SR3 cover to it.
TechnoDruid
I'd have to agree, New Seattle Source Book's cover is lame. What the hell is that car/hover/aircraft thing supposed to be, anyhow? <irritated> Never fails, whenever I'm browsing my books, and I stumble on it, I get a twinge of annoyance.
The Grifter
Bit Basher-Well, since you so obviously had so much beef with my post, let me offer some insight.

1) I don't care WHAT kind of a fashion statement it was, mullets suck. No matter what. The guy looks like red-necked Browns fan with a gun. He's stupid looking.

2) Point taken on the Wolvie thing, though technically incorrect. The metal ports were not part of his costume, they were on his hands. Read any old Wolvie comic, and look for a picture where he's not in his costume. They're right there on his hands. And I really don't think Wolvie's gonna be too worried about putting a couple of holes in his gloves, since his costume invariably gets shredded eveytime he fights someone. That's why we don't fight in spandex, kiddies.

3) Maybe the ghouls AREN'T hostile, but that doesn't make sense for the picture. It's the street samurai catalog, a book dedicated to combat and the tools of that trade. It would make sense to have combat on the cover. It's not the Street Diplomat Catalog, where maybe, just maybe, these ghouls have come to ask the guy about the bus schedule, and perhaps offer clever insight on how to prepare an oh-so-delicious soup from a bone. It would make more sense to put whatever he's fighting ON the illustration, not "Off-camera".

4) I think the guy is located in the I-Didn't-Feel-Like-Drawing-A-Background-Or-Went-And-Shot-Myself-After-Drawing-The-Horrible-Picture Barrens. Yah, he could be in the barrens or Glow City, but there's no way to determine that, since there's practically NOTHING to base that on. Remember, the Barrens are inhabited, and there are buildings there. Granted, they're shoddy and falling apart, but still there.

5) Skillwires go INSIDE your body, not stapled to your throat.

6) I wan't making fun of anyone with disabilities, I just said it looks like he has some kind of colostomy device. I wouldn't wish that on anyone (well, maybe my boss), but it looks like he has one, and on a Street Samurai, that's funny.

7) Once again on the fashion thing, the Rogue stripe is not, nor ever was, cool. Nor a "Destinctive Style to round him out". It's 100% Ass, that's what it is.

cool.gif I got no problem with facial hair, hell, I have a goatee myself, not to mention I'm Scottish so my beard grows like a weed. But it just adds to this guy's image of Scum Of The Earth. Street Samurai are supposed to be professional, right? I mean, if I came into work looking like that, they'd think I was sick or something was just wrong. It's unprofessional looking. I wouldn't hire this guys for a shadowrun if it looked like he couldn't even remember to shave in the morning.

Well, that's my 2 nuyen.gif
TheScamp
Someone obviously didn't live through the 80's. At least not at any age able to appeciate fashion trends.

QUOTE
The cover to SR2 wasn't great really either though. I prefer the SR3 cover to it.

Blech. I personally hate the cartoon/comic book style the artwork has taken in in the past years. Makes things look goofy, IMO.
Kagetenshi
TheScamp: agreed.

Regarding the SSC and the wires to his throat, subvocal mic anyone?

~J
Thistledown
The wires to his leg could easily be for a cyberleg too.
TheScamp
Or a blood filtration system, or maybe something (*gasp*) not mentioned in the rules.
Solstice
LOL @ Grifter

lmfao!
RedmondLarry
QUOTE (The Grifter @ Mar 20 2004, 08:50 AM)
Something has been irkin' the frag out of Your's Truly since I've been playing Shadowrun, and it is this. The cover illustration on the front of The Street Samurai's Catalog.

If this has been the bane of your existence for a decade, there must be not much happening in your life.

Or perhaps you're a starving artist, and lost out on the bid to do that cover?

Or maybe your Ex-spouse did that cover and is now famous in art circles?
The Grifter
[/QUOTE]
QUOTE
TheScamp Posted on Mar 21 2004, 01:09 PM
  Or a blood filtration system, or maybe something (*gasp*) not mentioned in the rules.
A tube running from his body to his leg? What, like if he gets a kidney infection it's gonna pump it into his leg? And given that tech in the 2060's is at the point where they have nanites and microtronics, they just decided to stick a huge garden-hose sized tube onto him. Yeah, okay.

QUOTE
Thistledown Posted on Mar 21 2004, 12:57 PM
  The wires to his leg could easily be for a cyberleg too

It's not a wire. It's a tube, with yellowish brown fluid running through it. Maybe it's brake fluid. *L*

QUOTE
TheScamp Posted on Mar 21 2004, 10:09 AM
  Someone obviously didn't live through the 80's. At least not at any age able to appeciate fashion trends


You're on fire today, chummer. Yes, I did live through the 80's, and the mullet wasn't a fashion trend, it was a fashion NIGHTMARE. You know, you guys seem to be pretty hardcore about defending my mullet comment over everything else. You guys part of the 10-90 Club?

QUOTE
Kagetenshi Posted on Mar 21 2004, 11:42 AM
  TheScamp: agreed.

Regarding the SSC and the wires to his throat, subvocal mic anyone


No, a sub-vocal mic fits over your throat, you only need to sub-vocalize for it to pick up what you're saying. Try this, close your mouth, and try to talk very quietly. Notice the vibration your throat makes? The mic picks up that and transmits it as intelligible speech. And they are small, used for covert-ops, that kinda stuff. Definately not some huge thing wired into your neck.

QUOTE
OurTeam Posted on Mar 21 2004, 02:08 PM
  QUOTE (The Grifter @ Mar 20 2004, 08:50 AM)
Something has been irkin' the frag out of Your's Truly since I've been playing Shadowrun, and it is this. The cover illustration on the front of The Street Samurai's Catalog. 


If this has been the bane of your existence for a decade, there must be not much happening in your life.

Or perhaps you're a starving artist, and lost out on the bid to do that cover?

Or maybe your Ex-spouse did that cover and is now famous in art circles?


No, no, and no. Try again.








Kagetenshi
QUOTE (The Grifter)
No, a sub-vocal mic fits over your throat, you only need to sub-vocalize for it to pick up what you're saying. Try this, close your mouth, and try to talk very quietly. Notice the vibration your throat makes? The mic picks up that and transmits it as intelligible speech. And they are small, used for covert-ops, that kinda stuff. Definately not some huge thing wired into your neck.

Nope, sorry, try again. Subvocal mics aren't used for covert ops missions because people can't see them, but because people have difficulty hearing when you're using them. On another note, I've known how subvocal mics work for, quite possibly, longer than you've known of their existence, so I'll thank you to leave the lectures until a lack of knowledge is demonstrated.

Speaking of demonstrations, place your fingers on the back of your neck (yes, the back). Say something or hum a bit. Feel that vibration? You'll get the best results from directly on the throat, but you can probably stick the things wherever you want. Thus, I would hardly say the side of the neck as in this picture is particularly unusual for that.

But I'm sure you were thinking of magically invisible patches ohplease.gif

~J
Slamm-O
first off id just like to say that his 'stash is not a porn 'stash, its obviously a cop one.

well that was last off also i guess.
TheScamp
QUOTE
And given that tech in the 2060's is at the point where they have nanites and microtronics, they just decided to stick a huge garden-hose sized tube onto him. Yeah, okay.

Well, it's pretty obvious that the guy didn't really get any high-quality gear or surgeons. Who knows what kind of crappy old-school ware the ripperdoc might have chosen to use?

QUOTE
Yes, I did live through the 80's, and the mullet wasn't a fashion trend, it was a fashion NIGHTMARE.

Your opinions on fashion trends, past or present, has no bearing upon the existance of those trends.

But you're right, it really doesn't make a whole lot of difference, especially considering that the guy doesn't actually have a mullet.
hobgoblin
allso, this image isnt about 2060 tech, its about 2050 tech or maybe even late 2040 tech. there could be some osrt of cheap/old cyberleg solution going on with those tubes. allso, what makes you think there is fluids in them?

as for fashion sense, if i where to hire someone to walk into what amount to a combat zone then i would not care about fashion sense. he looks like someone that can get the job done, thats it.
Mensche
first off: wow. I can't believe this awesome piece of art is the bane of your existence. why aren't you dead yet? Why?

second: when you're bored and are around a computer, don't ever go to dumpshock again an diss somebody else's art work, because you sounded like a fraggin idiot complaining about some guy's hair, the shirt he was wearing, what he had wrapped around the handle of his katana, etc.?? He is clearly a street sammy from the barrens, CANT AFFORD (you know what that means?) high grade cyberware, or tres chic clothes for that fact (or a haircut). I could go on for hours picking apart what you have said, but then I'd be sinking to your level, and few other people did a good enough job already.

ShadowPhoenix
I think those hoses/cables/wires are cables, powering a cyberlimb of some sort. they don't look shiny enough to be fluid, it is hard to tell if they are or aren't. otherwise, posting a argumentative thread like this and putting PLEASE comment and then slamming people for commenting is backwards thinking, please don't do it again. flame wars are never good for anyone, and this is why I am avoiding doing such a thing. I think the picture is fine, it lacks depth, but isn't the worst piece of shadowrun evidence I've seen.
Siege
QUOTE
Ghouls coming out of the mist.


Ya know, I'd rather assume they're hostile and be proven wrong. At least I won't be picking bits of ghoul teeth out of my hide. grinbig.gif

QUOTE
The silly leg-tube thing


I'd assumed it was a variant of an auto-injector. Something for combat drugs or trauma drugs or ghoul-antidote (?). The metal "port" would be an "IV jack" to facilitate bloodstream access.

And with the number of critters immune to small arms fire, yanking two weapons out might not be a bad idea until you know which one you need.

QUOTE
Wolverine-spurs


Or they could be program carriers from 1st edition --> meaning he's a multi-functional samurai. grinbig.gif

-Siege

Edit:

QUOTE
Clothing choice


A lot of shadowrunners are portrayed as street punks and not professional soldiers, spies or specialized operators.

Which explains the attrition rate, I suppose.
Solstice
He has the right to not like it. He also has the right to voice his opinion that it sucks. Which it does. No one needs to tell him how he should percieve(sp) it. If he thinks it sucks, it does in his mind and all the crap you spout is not going to change his mind or mine.

Do I have an artsy-fartsy mindset? No.
Am I still qualified to give an opinion on a piece of "art"? Yes as is everyone.

I think the confusion lies in this: That particular picture may not be an abomination had it not occured on the cover of a SR sourcebook. But IMO, it clearly does not portray the SR that I see in my imagination, nor want to see.
John Campbell
I don't see anything wrong with most of it. I mean, yeah, the guy's got no fashion sense and bad hair, but last I heard, those weren't requirements for shadowrunning. To judge by most of the other artwork, having reasonable taste in clothing and a normal hairstyle actually disqualifies you from being a shadowrunner.

There's just one thing... WTF is up with the white mist? Mist that thick on what appears to be an otherwise clear and brightly lit day isn't normal. It looks like a crappy movie visualization of Heaven. With ghouls. Who knew Heaven had ghouls? Maybe moustache-boy actually just got killed and has arrived at the Pearly Gates and is trying to figure out why the guy that was pointing the gun at him a second ago isn't there.
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