the Jester
Legend
We're pretty graphic and lighthearted; the combo leads to a lot of inappropriate laughter and humor.
How do you handle mature topics in your games?
- Thread starter Afrodyte
- Start date
Snapdragyn
Explorer
Much like the Jester, our group goes for graphic & lighthearted. The sexual themes run a heavily to the ribald, but we're all fine with that.
Example: we started a new campaign & in the first session my character 'got friendly' with an NPC paladin (great CHA!) while another character with fly cast on him was carrying us up the side of a tower. The mooncalf inside wasn't in such a friendly mood, though, & that char died (happy!) when it swatted the pally & me out of the arms of our chauffeur. That was the most fun TPK I've ever had!
Example: we started a new campaign & in the first session my character 'got friendly' with an NPC paladin (great CHA!) while another character with fly cast on him was carrying us up the side of a tower. The mooncalf inside wasn't in such a friendly mood, though, & that char died (happy!) when it swatted the pally & me out of the arms of our chauffeur. That was the most fun TPK I've ever had!
Last edited:
AFGNCAAP
First Post
Typically such stuff isn't included in games that I've played. I did add a romantic element into a Lankhmar campaign that I ran, but considering the feel of some of the stories written by Leiber, that element was quite appropriate for the setting.
More or less, there really isn't a mature element (that's up-front, at least) in the games that I run. Anything tends to be after-the-fact or off-camera; nothing really directed at the PCs.
However, the key exception for this is for a side adventure that I intend to run during my campaign (when the PCs are low-to-mid-level, on their way from point A to point B). The PCs will discover what appears to be the site of an ambush alogn the way, and a survivor barely holding on to sanity. What the PCs will find out is those who caused the slaughter are now hunting the PCs.
It's an idea more or less based off of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (minus the chainsaw--think of a big, nasty, serrated greatsword with a few gruesome vile enchantments on it). The "family" after the PCs are all rather monstrous, demented mongrelfolk with nightmarish behavior and practices (which are somewhat true to the film). It'll definitely be a mature-themed game, more or less added for a one-session, good horror element (though that certainly isn't the overall theme of the campaign).
Then again, it still ties into the main campaign since it'll be the first introduction of mongrelfolk into the campaign (which, for all intense purposes, never existed in the world before then); the existence of the mongrelfolk, and how they tie in to other monsters in the campaign, are going to provide a key clue for the PCs for events later on in the campaign.
However, that adventure definely is the exception rather than the norm.
More or less, there really isn't a mature element (that's up-front, at least) in the games that I run. Anything tends to be after-the-fact or off-camera; nothing really directed at the PCs.
However, the key exception for this is for a side adventure that I intend to run during my campaign (when the PCs are low-to-mid-level, on their way from point A to point B). The PCs will discover what appears to be the site of an ambush alogn the way, and a survivor barely holding on to sanity. What the PCs will find out is those who caused the slaughter are now hunting the PCs.
It's an idea more or less based off of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (minus the chainsaw--think of a big, nasty, serrated greatsword with a few gruesome vile enchantments on it). The "family" after the PCs are all rather monstrous, demented mongrelfolk with nightmarish behavior and practices (which are somewhat true to the film). It'll definitely be a mature-themed game, more or less added for a one-session, good horror element (though that certainly isn't the overall theme of the campaign).
Then again, it still ties into the main campaign since it'll be the first introduction of mongrelfolk into the campaign (which, for all intense purposes, never existed in the world before then); the existence of the mongrelfolk, and how they tie in to other monsters in the campaign, are going to provide a key clue for the PCs for events later on in the campaign.
However, that adventure definely is the exception rather than the norm.
Dark Jezter
First Post
Best. Reply. Ever.Sejs said:
Emperor Valerian
First Post
Sexual things tended to appear in the campaign I ran, but they were handled "off camera" for the most part (when 1/2 to 2/3 of the PCs have significant other NPCs, tends to appear often. Especially when the DM keeps them around to conveniently have kidnapped/attacked/etc.).
Violence tends to be rather descriptive... if you score a crit in my game, I'll tell you what you did (arms gone, hamstring cut, etc) and how it affected the target. So far I haven't had any complaints on the way this runs.
Violence tends to be rather descriptive... if you score a crit in my game, I'll tell you what you did (arms gone, hamstring cut, etc) and how it affected the target. So far I haven't had any complaints on the way this runs.
Inconsequenti-AL
Breaks Games
Sejs said:
is competing with this:
the Jester said:
We're about in that ballpark.
Both the groups I'm in tend towards:
Graphic violence = Yay!
Graphic sex = Boo!
Between that and the quick 'recharge' time from death, I've just had the horrible thought that we're playing a make believe Disney cartoon.
Whisper72
Explorer
Hmmm... as a DM for the past 20 years, it has never really come up.
Romance.. yes. But then meaning sexual innuendo and remarks, teasing etc, not the sexual act itself. It may take place, but I see no reason to 'roleplay' such things.
Rape and similar sexual atrocities have no place in a GAME as far as I am concerned. That it may happen in the game world, sure, maybe. But then in an off-screen way. I.e. players may meet the victim of a rape and hunt down the villain, but whether captured women are being raped by their capturers is left in the middle. It can be assumed that such a thing could occur, bringing an additional element of hastiness to the rescue operation to keep suffering to a minimum, but the PC's will never stumble upon a scene needing to be described of a rape in progress, maybe entering a room where it is about to take place, and the PC's are just in time to prevent it. The games I run are supposed to be heroic, not sordid (IMHO)
As for graphical violence / bloodshed, sure. As long as it suits the game. I.e. the suffering when a limb is torn off by a demon etc. but not torture and disgusting scenes just to be disgusting. I see absolutely no reason to put it in-game, as I play for fun, if I want to see atrocities, I can turn on CNN to see the latest suicide attack in Israel of Bagdad...
Romance.. yes. But then meaning sexual innuendo and remarks, teasing etc, not the sexual act itself. It may take place, but I see no reason to 'roleplay' such things.
Rape and similar sexual atrocities have no place in a GAME as far as I am concerned. That it may happen in the game world, sure, maybe. But then in an off-screen way. I.e. players may meet the victim of a rape and hunt down the villain, but whether captured women are being raped by their capturers is left in the middle. It can be assumed that such a thing could occur, bringing an additional element of hastiness to the rescue operation to keep suffering to a minimum, but the PC's will never stumble upon a scene needing to be described of a rape in progress, maybe entering a room where it is about to take place, and the PC's are just in time to prevent it. The games I run are supposed to be heroic, not sordid (IMHO)
As for graphical violence / bloodshed, sure. As long as it suits the game. I.e. the suffering when a limb is torn off by a demon etc. but not torture and disgusting scenes just to be disgusting. I see absolutely no reason to put it in-game, as I play for fun, if I want to see atrocities, I can turn on CNN to see the latest suicide attack in Israel of Bagdad...
Mostly I sidebar it but...you don't have to go into graphic detail to get your point across, you need to look at the words you are using to describe the situation, spending time on phase and turn to project the image you wish.
robberbaron
First Post
Mature stuff?
Do it and deal with it.
"My" group are all old (40/41) except for 1 late twenties player and we can deal with whatever we get dealt.
At least, we haven't found anything we can't deal with.
Our "baby" had one of his characters group rummaged by some ne'er-do-wells when his character (female) ventured into a dodgy area on her own at night.
Didn't give him nightmares.
Do it and deal with it.
"My" group are all old (40/41) except for 1 late twenties player and we can deal with whatever we get dealt.
At least, we haven't found anything we can't deal with.
Our "baby" had one of his characters group rummaged by some ne'er-do-wells when his character (female) ventured into a dodgy area on her own at night.
Didn't give him nightmares.
Arnwyn
First Post
Yep, that's pretty much exactly how my group does things. For us, "mature" often ends up "immature and juvenile", which we find great fun and results in this:Aust Diamondew said:
and this:Sejs said:
So violence related material gets screen time, but anything sexually related is strictly off camera.the Jester said:
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