D&D General What do you allow in your games? (NSFW)

[DammitVictor]

As a Dungeon Master, after years of avoidable mishaps, I've learned to make these decisions based on player buy-in and the consensus of consent. If the players want me to run a nasty game for them, I can run it as nasty as they want it.

With the occasional exception, I prefer my games in the Soft R range with violence and criminality and allusions to sexuality. Even the Good PCs are generally expected to murder and loot, slavers and evil wizards are frequent enemies, but the actual details of their atrocities are glossed over.

I want to say I'm willing to run a lighter and softer game if my players want it... but I'm not actually sure I'm capable. I can avoid most peoples' triggers, but one way or another the ugly comes out.

 

[Bitbrain]

Nothing sexual and no bigotry.

 

[Enrico Poli1]

Interesting poll, because I DM with themes that I considered "acceptable" (in my group we are adults). Murder and rape are accepted, paedophilia is not.

 

[delphonso]

As a DM, my games generally run light-hearted, so when I want to make dramatic impact, I just have to dip a little dark and that's enough. I've never involved sexual violence in any of my games, and wouldn't allow it at my table except perhaps as backstories for PCs.

Regular, warm-blooded violence is pretty regular, with PCs solving a few murders and doling out murders of their own. Cannibalism, surprisingly, has never come up, but I'd be alright to run it. Torture has happened by PCs, but I haven't doled it out on any PCs yet. I might try to implement it sometime, now that I think of it.

Slavery is pretty common in my games, and is a common force of evil. My games generally run in the Dark Ages periods as far as my inspiration goes, so servitude and slavery are pretty common.

As a PC, I haven't done much of this list. Outright murder is probably too much for the characters I tend to play.

 

[Umbran]

BTW, you forgot blasphemy.

That doesn't quite mean the same thing to a polytheistic world with multiple cultural pantheons accepted to exist by all. I mean, is it really blasphemy for an elf to throw shade at Gruumsh? It isn't like anyone expect there to be respect...

 

[billd91]

In the games I run or play in, most of these don't necessarily happen from the PC side of things, but they're present in the societies they live in, undertaken by the villains the oppose, and so on.

 

[Draegn]

I voted all. I explained to each of my players that anything they might see or read about in the real world can happen in game. Whether or not they find it depends on if they go looking for it or not. We are playing a fantasy "medieval" game where you often with much glee hack some poor sod to bobs and bits with cruel metal implements. You douse them with acid, fire, lightning or worse. War is both full of glory and horror.

 

[Quartz]

Certain things may be "implied." As Zardnaar put it, off-screen things that happen, but aren't described but everyone kind of has an idea.

Anything, but only as far as this. Apart from slavery and murder, concepts only in play. "The bas-reliefs describe disgusting acts like child sacrifice.", "You have been captured by the orcs. They take you to their camp where they proceed to do unspeakable things to you. Does Eric the Cleric's story end here?" Murder mystery and assassination are standard plots, and slavery was a norm in many cultures. While I might describe torture instruments when the PCs find a torture chamber, I'm not going to descibe what happens when those instruments are put to use. "The Cardinal's torturers ply their trade. (Roll.) If you want to resist, roll!"

 

[Celebrim]

I don't think that "which taboos will you play with while playing D&D" really covers the circumstances.

The game world is assumed to have at least all the evils of this world (and then some). But whether those evils are foregrounded in play is entirely different than assuming that they occur. Further, even if an evil comes to the foreground, it doesn't necessarily have to be dealt with as graphically (and as titillating) as 'Game of Thrones'. Some concepts which might be assumed to exist are dealt with as if they are taboo and tasteless.

I would also draw a distinguishing line between things that the antagonists are doing off stage, and things that the protagonists want to play out. There are things I'd be comfortable having as the background of the story or having a foil or villain do, which I would be very uncomfortable if it was in character acted out behavior by a player.

 

[Tonguez]

Nothing sexual and no bigotry.

No bigotry? Even with those stinkin’ Elfs thinkin theyre all high n mighty?