I started at age 10, so that's what I put the age at.
That said, what passed for age 10 in 1908 [LOL that's a typo, I meant
1980, but 1908 is sometimes what it feels like!] is most definitely NOT what passes for age 10 in 2012.
My partner's nephews, ages 11 and 7 or 8, are Call of Duty afficianados! It is DISGUSTING, for me, to watch them play the "shoot-em-up/military/covert-ops" video games.
THANKFULLY D&D IS NOT A VIDEO GAME!!!!
As for gore and violence, I don't know how much the art in the books needs to portray this. I voted "Mild" (was that a choice? Maybe it was "Moderate"?).
Should there be depictions of combat? Absolutely! Should I see people clashing swords, denting shields and maybe wounded with some scrapes or [barely!] bleeding cuts? Absolutely! We have to let the players know this is not a "safe" game where they get whatever they want and always "win", after all!
People/creatures shrieking in obvious pain as the recipient of "X" spell? Absolutely.
The section on healing rules, should I see adventurers bandaged with blood seeping through or arms in slings and legs in splints? Absolutely.
Decaying undead and/or disease riddled people? Absolutely.
Maybe someone in a group/market kinda image who is using a crutch because he has no leg from the knee down? Sure.
Someone turned into a pincushion with arrows or monster quills? Sure.
Do I need images in the combat section of someone's arm being removed from their shoulder with blood spurting out? Do I need a "realistic portrayal" of someone being disemboweled?
NO! No no no. Again (in case it wasn't clear), NO!
Dismemberment (portrayed as it happens), decapitations, spurting blood and other gory guts strewn all over the place? NO!
That's the kind of thing I can take care of descriptively IN play at MY table...if I have a table who a) likes that sorta thing and/or b) is mature enough to handle it.
The GAME should be portrayed in the PG-13/Mild-to-Moderate Bloody Guts. It's "Dungeons & Dragons" not "Guts & Gore [literally]."
Also, wanted to second Gold Roger's comment and give props to [MENTION=17608]jon[/MENTION] Schindhette for really tackling the tough questions and really taking an interest in what we have to say...AND for giving us polls where the options are not just "1) What we want 2) What we want anyway, said differentlt 3)What we really don't want, make that clear in the wording and will obviously ignore it anyway."
Thanks for that.
--SD