PCs in love -- gender and the NPC connection

[lukelightning]

The last time I had a romantic subplot was when I was running Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil.

Speaking of RttEoEEIEIO and gay romance, I always thought Rufus and Burns were a couple.

 

[sckeener]

Also, I think most gamers are wise to us DMs' tricks, and know that romance is just another way for us to torture their poor characters with tragedy. Guess what? A dragon eats your boyfriend. Guess what? Your girlfriend is a lich! Guess what? Your husband is pregnant with Asmodeus's child!

too over the top...no need for tragedy....just start having them ask for bigger and badder things....SOs are a perfect way for the DMs to whittle the GPs out of the player's hands.

there's the engagement/wedding rings, the wedding, the stronghold to raise the brood in...clearing of the land so the kids are safe....tons of fun.

 

[lukelightning]

there's the engagement/wedding rings, the wedding, the stronghold to raise the brood in...clearing of the land so the kids are safe....tons of fun.

And after the divorce she gets half your equipment, your tower, and custody of your familiar (you get bi-weekly visitation rights...but have to keep paying imp support).

 

[Thaniel]

As for a male GM's NPC attempting to romance a male character's PC, that's not going to happen unless both the GM and player are gay, and right now nobody in our group is gay.

I have to say I'm taken aback by the idea that a relationship between the characters of two male players (or player and GM) has to be a gay relationship. I've had several male characters (myself being a straight male) hook up with female NPCs run by straight male GMs. They are pretty much behind the scenes, but it's there and it affects both characters.

I find it rather offensive for it to be assumed that a male GM's NPC romancing a male player's PC means they're both gay.*

* Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[Evilhalfling]

same-sex relationship the standard default

- doesn't this make procreation more difficult? Not impossible mind you, this is fantasy, just usually not that sort of fantasy.

Romantic sub-plots are not rare exactly - 2 PCs recenetly married IMG - male and female players, with similar characters. They had a bit of Hubris in thier invitational list and a dozen or so enemies showed up, but the wedding still went off.

I have had Gay NPCs but they were usually happy with their current situations and not intrested in the party. I have had gay players, one played a great motherly cleric and the other had charaters that tended to be too driven for romance.

I have also RP NPCs with interest in a PC, an affair and a 1-yr handclasping (they died togeather, tragically in a hail of fireballs.) As good taste would indicate, sex is all off stage, as are the more intimate conversations. With some players we pulled further back into 3rd person, but its all roleplaying.

I consider romance plots an important part of fantasy. Much is done in lit. and in life for reasons of the heart.

 

[Shemeska]

I'm not entirely sure what my answer to the poll should be. As the DM, I've had NPCs involved in M/F and M/M relationships with PCs of female players, and M/F and F/F relationships with the PCs of male players. So long as it fits with the characters in question, I can't say I have objections, my players are mature so there aren't any giggles or blushes or awkward moments when talking about PC/NPC intimacy rather than killing and taking stuff.

 

[Remathilis]

Heh, I've been all over the map on this.

PC/NPC, Hetero: Yes. I had a PC married with kids, another in a mixed marriage (human/dwarf), and a third that ended up a father from a one-night stand (tiefling/aasimar, how screwed up was that kid?)

NPC/PC, Hetero: Almost all of my games have had a PC who fell in love with an NPC. A couple love-triangles as well.

PC/NPC, Homo: Not really. The aformentioned tiefling was technically bi, but never hooked up with anyone else (pc/npc) after that incident with the aasimar...

NPC/PC, Homo: Yes. I had a gay PC who fell in love with the npc bard. It was brief and tragic.

PC/PC, Hetero: Yup. When my girlfriend and I gamed, our characters mysteriously hooked up round the same time we did. The game did last long enough to see what our break up would have done to it...

PC/PC, Homo: Not personally, but it has happened in games before I've played in.

NPC/NPC, Hetero: A couple times, for story element.

NPC/NPC, Homo: I was in a game where it happened. My character had a crush on a female NPC, who in turn had a crush on the OTHER female NPC.

3 different DMs. Lots of different players. Not a single closed mind between them. It does help to have a couple female players and two openly gay males in your group, there are few taboo topics.

 

[demiurge1138]

My players have never seemed terribly interested in romance in game... nothing long term, at least. I've been in an all PC romantic triangle in one of the games I've been a player in, though. So I didn't really have the capacity to vote in this one.

Demiurge out.

 

[lukelightning]

Brokeback Dungeon?

 

[Agent Oracle]

I've said it before. "Theonly thing sadder than never getting laid in real life, is getting laid in D&D."

It's highly uncomfortable to RP a romance in... well, let's just say it's uncomfortable under any circumstances. I mean, An NPC is going to be controlled by your GM...

(this is him. you KNOW this is him.) so having any kind of relationship is not comfortable... Likewise, inter-party romances never end well (unless the two players are allready married in real life). Frankly. I'm somewhat opposed to sex in D&D at all.