Players 'distressed' by gang-rape role-playing game

LordEntrails · Jun 2, 2019

The article was quite clear; What the GM did was against the written rules, was not included in the game description, and the person was thrown out and banned from all future attendance. Apologies were given by the Con, and they have done what they can to help those affected by it.

Exactly what should have been done, and nothing else should really be expected. No point in the community blowing up over this. Just like when someone is arrested for indecent exposure, etc. Their are rules to handle this, it was handled as it should have been. Event over.

Immortal Sun said:
Yeah, it was quite disturbing how willing these people were to be public with their "fixations" like they got some kind of extra kick about doing it in public.

Yep, some do. And the best thing to do is to handle it quickly, openly, and relatively quietly.

MGibster · Jun 2, 2019

I'm going to count this as a win for the gaming community. There was a bad actor and the organizers of the con not only dealt with the situation appropriately they also offered their apologizes as well as assistance to those affected.

I run a lot of horror games and I always ask my players to let me know what they don't want to see in the campaign. And I make it clear that I don't need to know why they don't want something in a game I just want to make sure I'm avoiding anything that upsets them. One of the examples I give them is that we'll never role play a scenario where anyone is being sexually assaulted. It might happen to an NPC off screen (unless a player specifically says they never want the subject to come up during the game) but we'll never play it out and I'll never have it happen to their characters. Even in a private setting I wouldn't role play that out and I can scarcely imagine someone doing it in a public setting with people he didn't know.

mrm1138 · Jun 2, 2019

Ancalagon said:
... I really didn't know what was appropriate for the title, so I just used the article's. I'm appalled that even in 2019 this is still happening. Who on earth thinks this is ok?!?

Unfortunately, there seem to be plenty of people who think it's okay. I just made the mistake of reading a Reddit thread in which it appeared the majority of posters were of the opinion that what the GM did was perfectly fine and that the players were just being too sensitive.

Riley37 · Jun 2, 2019

"The GM has been ejected from the show, which runs until Sunday, and is banned from future events."

Future UK Expo events, that is. He might show up at GenCon in August. Anyone here who has any pull with any convention organizers: please consider the option of contacting UK Expo, getting this guy's name, and making a plan for what you'll do if he registers.

A convention could accept his registration, and set someone to keeping an eye on his behavior. A convention could accept his resignation, send him a letter explaining that they're concerned about his track record and advising him explicitly of their code of conduct. A convention could choose to not accept his registration, refund his payment, and pre-emptively ban him; this is a strong move, but it also might be the safest and easiest.

From the BBC article: the GM "told us he enjoyed the shock factor of it". There is a somewhat politicized term: edgelord. "An edgelord is someone on an internet forum who deliberately talks about controversial, offensive, taboo, or nihilistic subjects in order to shock other users in an effort to appear cool, or edgy." How many threads on EN World have been closed by a moderator, after the usual regulars pushed them over the edge? How many threads here have included complaints that sensitivity is ruining TRPG?

John R Davis · Jun 2, 2019

Unfortunately D&D may get some bad press as that's the big game and mentioned in the bbc article
The game was Tales from the Flood...….how the GM thought a game about 14 year olds should have 18+ content is beyond me

UKGE dealt with it very well. Its a very well run con and I had a great time there yesterday

Ancalagon · Jun 2, 2019

John R Davis said:
Unfortunately D&D may get some bad press as that's the big game and mentioned in the bbc article
The game was Tales from the Flood...….how the GM thought a game about 14 year olds should have 18+ content is beyond me

UKGE dealt with it very well. Its a very well run con and I had a great time there yesterday

I thought that the system was irrelevant (ie this is bad, period), but it being Tales from the Flood makes it worse - the PCs are under-aged. I hope that [MENTION=6786839]Riley37[/MENTION] 's hope comes through - that major cons find who this is and pre-ban him.

MGibster · Jun 2, 2019

mrm1138 said:
Unfortunately, there seem to be plenty of people who think it's okay. I just made the mistake of reading a Reddit thread in which it appeared the majority of posters were of the opinion that what the GM did was perfectly fine and that the players were just being too sensitive.

In the latest version of Vampire the Masquerade the authors write about the importance of making sure everyone at the table is comfortable with the contents of the game. Even though Vampire is about horrible people doing horrible things that isn't an excuse to be a jerk and force something on the player they don't want any part of. I was surprised by a contingent of critics who argued that this infantilized the player base. After all, what do people expect from a game where the player characters are predators whose victims are people?

Rather than infantilize their player base they're treating them like adults. The authors are encouraging the players to communicate with one another to decide for themselves how they're going to play the game. But there are some people out there who see anyone with an aversion to a particular subject as being overly sensitive. Which just strikes me as silly.

mrm1138 · Jun 2, 2019

I just realized that the thread I saw was from the Kotaku In Action subreddit, so of course it's going to be full of edgelords who think people are sensitive snowflakes. Never mind, their view in this matter doesn't really count.

Dire Bare · Jun 2, 2019

ccs said:
Hmm. One failed Wisdom check later....

Should not run that stuff without the right group 1st & definitely not at a convention with/around strangers.

What's the "right group" for kidnapping and gang-raping the PCs without any discussion or consent? Hell, even with discussion and consent?

Xaelvaen · Jun 2, 2019

I'm fairly conservative when it comes to freedom of speech, so what people do in their private games is fine by me - key word being private of course. In a public setting, with strangers, and no forewarning, permission, or anything? Revolting.