Mature content

[The Ghost]

It really does not matter if we would buy the books or not. The thing is WotC/Paizo have a vision for what they want DnD/Pathfinder to look like. They want to control the look and feel of their respective games. Allowing a 3pp the ability to add material that some find objectionable could cause bigger image problems for WotC/Paizo in the future. Can you imagine the nightly news covering some ten year old boy and his mother holding up a copy of a book describing sexual acts in the roleplaying game? The potential damages to the company's image far outways what little profit they would extract from selling said books.

 

[maddman75]

I certainly play games with dark or adult themes, but I don't really want it in D&D. D&D I want PG13 heroic adventure. The Book of Vile Darkness I liked because cartoonish villany is all I really want from a D&D villain.

 

[messy]

i have no interest in vile or exalted content.

messy

 

[roguerouge]

I've used Book of Erotic Fantasy in my games as a DM. Basically, having an idea for how sex and procreation work in game is as important as having an idea for how economics, religion, racial relations, the law and geography shape your world. If you'd rather that your PCs and NPCs not have a sex life, that's fine for your game, obviously, but some players like to think that saving the fair maid might lead to something a bit more than a pat on the back from her father.

And if you insist that every dungeon have an outhouse and garbage pit... can you really claim that a book on sexuality is going too far?

 

[ProfessorPain]

I've used Book of Erotic Fantasy in my games as a DM. Basically, having an idea for how sex and procreation work in game is as important as having an idea for how economics, religion, racial relations, the law and geography shape your world. If you'd rather that your PCs and NPCs not have a sex life, that's fine for your game, obviously, but some players like to think that saving the fair maid might lead to something a bit more than a pat on the back from her father.

And if you insist that every dungeon have an outhouse and garbage pit... can you really claim that a book on sexuality is going too far?

Honestly, I don't think you should reduce this to mechanics or rolls. And players who want to explore their character's sex lives, should think of the other people around the table first.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

I voted other (which is to say, I didn't vote).

I have no particular interest in any of the above, but that's simply a lack of enthusiasm rather than any concerns about content.

This.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Not much else to add to what I have already said on my view of what be a mature book, ie; stuff like normal WoD books. But just wanted to add I agree with Shemeska I rather have it be integrated into whatever books would have that crop up not in its own separate book.

The closest thing I could see to having a "mature book" on its own that wouldn't be better split up into other books would be say a Criminals and The Underground. I say this since it wouldn't be mature for mature sake but it would include lots of mature subject matter. As it would describe the full range of activities the criminal underground would be involved in, in a D&D world.

 

[Quickleaf]

It's been interesting following the different ideas of what "mature content" includes. This brings up an interesting question for me as when our campaign comes to a close in May I'll be jumping in the DM seat. Our group is all grad students, two with a young son, and several people of faith.

There's been some scenes of violence... hearing the screams of slaves being killed by giants after we barricaded ourselves, the sorceress launching multiple fireballs into a room of sleeping giants, cutting off ears of giants as a trophy to usurp the giant chieftain. The closest we came to sexual content was implications of my PC taking over the giant's keep and my responsibility to his giantess harem.

However, I get the sense the group would like something with mature content - not sex, violence, cussing, vulgarity - but more complexity to the villains, the religions, the cultures, and even PC motives. In writing my campaign manifesto I'm incorporating bits of mature content, but nothing graphic or offensive. Ultimately they are playing to kick bad guy butt, however throwing in some complexity makes their decisions and victory feel more powerful and engaging.

 

[MechaPilot]

I would like to see the addition of more mature content. There. I said it.

If i'm playing a drow character and i visit a slave market, how much do they cost? For carrying capacity, do they generally have average strength? I would assume so. What is the cost of feeding and lodging them for a day? a week? or even a month? And how loyal can we expect them to be? As loyal as any hireling? less so? or more?

And we all know male adventurers frequent prostitutes (as do some female adventurers). How much extra coin are they losing while wasting away the hours in town? And what about high-class escorts to those posh gatherings they get invited to? I assume going with an average streetwalker would likely make your diplomacy checks more difficult (which could really mess with a skill challenge).

Furthermore, an intoxicated condition would be nice to see. Given the tendencies of many characters to drink to excess and get into bar brawls, it would be nice to have an actual condition in lieu of just using the dazed condition. I personally force the loss of a healing surge for hangovers, but it would be nice to have a little rules guidance on this as well.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Arcady wrote:
Vile Darkness failed for me because it was well, not an exploration of evil in roleplay, but of comic book villains. It was about as dark as the X-Men during the Goblin Queen run of the late 80s...

LOL!!

Celebrim wrote:
VtM in play tended to make evil banal, and to brush over anything that might cause cognitive dissonance in a game of sexy black wearing superheroes of the night as played by a bunch of horny nerds.

ROFL!!

Ah me. Interesting thread.

I have nothing against 'mature' material for gaming. I wouldn't expect to see it for DnD: as people have pointed out Hasbro is toy company, their main market is kids. But if it something of this nature were allowed to be published I might buy it,if it were well done. I do not think that the BoVD was any good. Not sure about the BoEF. Odds are against it being done well.