That Thing You Won't Ever Do

[The Shaman]

In game?

Child abuse is my inviolable line. Don't so much as hint at it, even as a joke.

Rape may happen in the background, such as soldiers sacking a city, but it's never something roleplayed.

Torture, murder - do it and move on, don't linger over it.

Out of game?

Drug use by players at the table, or even in the building where we're playing, is irresponsible, in my opinion.

Hooking up with another player should happen away from the table, and if a player rejects an advance, have the good sense and the better graces not to bring it up again - don't make anyone at the table uncomfortable with your presence or you will cease to be a presence at the table.

 

[NiTessine]

As a general thing, I don't forbid my players from bringing up any theme they wish. They're adults, they know the limits. Rape has come up, as has slavery, and we're all okay with that. It's not being fetishized.

That said, if I was running a game with underage players, or even players I don't know very well, I'd draw a few lines. One of the major Bad Player archetypes is a teenager who thinks playing a rapist is "edgy".

There's also a bunch of games I refuse to run or play. FATAL and RaHoWa are the obvious ones, but there are also some Nordic experimental games such as Fat Man Down and The Journey whose goal is to make the players feel terrible, and from what I've read, they're very good at it. Not my cup of tea.

 

[Zhaleskra]

SCA used to be cool back in the day, before people started wearing elf ears.

As I'd say at the state renaissance festival: damn forests, they're infested with elves!

There's a time and a place for elf ears, and historical enactment ain't it.

Yeah, I know the idea is that were were only supposed to list one or two things, and I just had to mention another. I've grown tired of the concept of creatures you can kill with impunity, perhaps as a result of growing away from systems with morality mechanics.

 

[ExploderWizard]

SCA used to be cool back in the day, before people started wearing elf ears.

Hahahahaha!! I met my wife in the SCA and had some good times, but yeah, elf ears suck.

 

[baxterzeppo]

Well, I suppose I'm in no position to defend a ruling I made when I was in high school.

We can just all be happy that you don't have to play with me.

Enjoy the game you like.

--SD

Actually, I really like what you did there. You kept a long-running PC alive but still managed to punish him for his stubbornness. He knows now that he can't swim across the river in heavy armor without consequence.

Now, if you'd just fudged all the die rolls and had him successfully swim across the river, or if he'd done something that REALLY taxed believability and survived (it wasn't a river of lava, was it?) I'd be in disagree mode.



EDIT: When it comes to things that are a personal no-go for me, I won't play with people who play Chaotic Neutral as Chaotic Evil (you know the kind I'm talking about: "I'm chaotic neutral, I can do whatever I want to! Why is your PC so PO'd about me slaying a TN halfling for no reason?") and then try to give it ye olde handwave.

I find it personally irksome.

If you want to play as an evil character, be an evil character. It's not like I sit at the table asking your alignment anyway; I react to what I see. Stop getting so butthurt that I won't let you metagame your way out of it.

 

[A flannel shirt]

I've been dwelling on replying on this topic.

Some good things here.

I don't have many reservations on the subjects for most games as I view them as a simulation of real life. Bad things happen to good people.

For the game purposes these bad things should "always" be done in the background.

It all depends on the people. In my group we are all adults and some of these themes come up, but not often. Recently I ran a game with my 11 year old nephew. For this type of game I would NEVER allow adult themes in. I also would never have adult themes in a con game.

As for the guy that didn't drown the metal clad character. I would probably do the same. I don't like killing characters, but in that situation I would put it all on the player. The "Are you sure you want to do that?" moment. I would warn him that if you fail you could drown and if he continued sans my warning then I would have no problem having the character drown.

 

[Diamond Cross]

One DM I had was a staunch socialist and would never let us have wealthy characters at all and would always do what he could to drive wealthy characters into the poor house and force them into squalid conditions, such as living on the banks of the Mississippi (in a Werewolf the Apocalypse game) in tents. If a DM wants to take away my money for any reason, without a chance for me getting something in return, I simply will no longer play in such a game.

 

[Scott DeWar]

Yup DC that would wear on me too. I find that frustrating.

 

[wingsandsword]

One DM I had was a staunch socialist and would never let us have wealthy characters at all and would always do what he could to drive wealthy characters into the poor house and force them into squalid conditions, such as living on the banks of the Mississippi (in a Werewolf the Apocalypse game) in tents. If a DM wants to take away my money for any reason, without a chance for me getting something in return, I simply will no longer play in such a game.

*blink* Seriously?

Wow. Okay, forcing one's political/economic outlook to mold the entire reality of the game is pretty bad GM'ing.

 

[Diamond Cross]

*blink* Seriously?

Wow. Okay, forcing one's political/economic outlook to mold the entire reality of the game is pretty bad GM'ing.

Yes, seriously. Every time I've had a wealthy character he always took it away. One time i was playing a billionaire batman type and he said I owed the IRS billions of dollars in back taxes for not paying them for years on end. My character ended up a homeless bum.