Cover of "The Warriors of Batak"

Somewhere in the last century, the boilerplate book cover for fantasy roleplaying products became a picture of two magical warrior women in cleavage-armour confronting each other from the backs of dragons¹.

Although one applauds Task Force Games' decision to depart from this formula in The Warriors of Batak, one can't help but wonder about the process that chose this:

http://www.sevenextraeyes.org/andy-social/batak.jpg

Footnote:

1. Miniatures wargames caught a blast of the same wind, although they favoured a more crowded-looking, homoerotic version of the same scene.
   Where the fantasy game or magazine had already used the dragon riders on a recent cover, the formula permitted five variations:

   • Cleavage-sorceress steps onto balcony with a ball of fire over her hands,
   • Cleavage-warrior holds a spear in front of her companions,
   • Man sits in room of astrological apparatus,
   • Group of friends consult map in a tavern
   
   and
   
   • Man in rich armour fights ogre in the snow.