[YA BoEF thread] Usefulness of BoEF in your campaign?

[SemperJase]

Re: Re: [YA BoEF thread] Usefulness of BoEF in your campaign?

I can imagine elves not caring about homosexuality but being shocked by S&M (well, except the drow I suppose).

I assume you are not thinking of the Tolkeinesque elves that most D&D is generally modelled on. Tolkein elves certainly would not approve.

Just how is the king's new concubine keeping such a strong hold on him? Perhaps she is using something more advanced and more difficult to detect than a simple charm person spell? Perhaps the king is literally addicted to her?

LOL. I don't think a "magical" explanation is necesary and possibly even takes away from the campaign. I would explain it as the mystery of women that men just don't understand (and that is a good thing). After all, magic can be dispelled, good old fashioned passion generally can't.

 

[buzz]

If it's anything like the GUCK as in pregnancy factors, in terms of spells and possible complications, it'd be very useful. It may not be useful in all campaigns, but every now and then something comes up where you wish "DAMN I wish I had rules for this situation." One rule from the GUCK that could be useful for all female PC's is the so-called b*tch rule. I.E. roll 1d6 to see if you're hormones are acting up! Imagine an epic Sorcerer waking up one day and burninating the countryside 'cause she's having her period.

If one of my GMs ever whipped out something like this, I'd quit the game immediately.

 

[Angcuru]

What, the b*tch rule? I can understand that, yes I can.

 

[buzz]

Re: Re: [YA BoEF thread] Usefulness of BoEF in your campaign?

What I'd like to see is lots of advice on tastefully dealing with various sexual topics... not so heavy on the "crunchy bits" but rather full of non-crunchy food for thought. This book is a perfect place for including info on half-breeds, including not just rules on half-breeds, but also an extensive discussion of how they come about (are all half-orcs the products of orc males raping female humans... seems pretty unlikely to me...). What would result in someone being attracted to another humanoid race, how difficult is it to overcome societal limits to the point of having a sexual relationship with someone not of your race? I see plenty of parallels to modern day issues surrounding fetishists (on one hand) and mixed ethnicity couples (on the other hand). Parallels can be drawn to both. Is a human who likes elven women seen as perverse, lucky, or socially rebellious?

Discussions of how different cultures view sexual deviation could be very useful in discussing plot issues. I can imagine elves not caring about homosexuality but being shocked by S&M (well, except the drow I suppose). But what do halflings and gnomes think of such things? It sounds frivolous until you think about just how many "black sheep" seem to exist in PC and campaign backgrounds. In real life, how many of these "black sheep" are so because they have lifestyles their families disapprove of. Also, think of how amusing and humourous a flamboyantly gay dwarven bard would be as an NPC (or PC for that matter).

This is what I'm asking, though: whether the book has guidelines for these things or not, when do they ever come up? They simply never do in the games I've played.

As for the flamboyantly gay dwarf, I can only hope the book is better than that.

 

[buzz]

Re: Re: [YA BoEF thread] Usefulness of BoEF in your campaign?

Anyway, I think there's a fourth option, which I would have chosen: No, I don't plan on using it, but it might be nice to have if such subjects come up in game. Note, I said might--depend on the quality of the book.

That would seem to me to fall into either the second option ("Now that this book exists, I will find a use for it") or even the first ("My campaign does deal with these subjects, but one just hasn't come up yet").

 

[Herremann the Wise]

Firstly, seeing as there is a wide variety of topics that could or could not be in it, it would seem difficult to speculate on the precise resourcefulness of the book. The confusion over content and the titillation factor involved has certainly provoked a reaction though.

Secondly, the softer and more informative aspects that Azul mentions would seem better packaged in a Social Anthropologists Guide to Fantasy, more so than a "Book of Erotic Fantasy".

Thirdly, Sex sells. Particularly to thirteen year-olds if they can get their hands on it. The marketing of this product has been nothing short of spectacular! I suppose for some (most) people, role-playing sexual encounters is very much taboo. I suppose busting open such virginal gaming terrain must have been a motivation - particularly given Valterra's now publicised background.

Fourthly, it would be a shame to see the max/min munchkins get hold of possible crunchy material in the book. The use of sexual and erotic material to beef a character up would set a new low in fantasy role-playing - My Charismatic Sorceress who has 4 levels in the Tantric Prestige class is pregnant meaning I get +3 to...
Please!!!

Finally, I like others will most likely have better things to spend my funds upon. There is so much material out there that is more relevant to the games I play in. This will not be the same for everyone and I'm sure some will deviate to include Valterra's material in their campaigns. I just feel sorry for those who would purchase this book when a cheap copy of Playboy would be more suitable.

Best Regards
Herremann the Wise

 

[kenjib]

In the forums over at the Valar site, I saw a few posts making statements like, "I have a PC in my campaign who was raped by a prison guard; this book will be great for helping work out the repercussions of that" and so on.

In his Q/A thread, he stated that rape was not in the scope of the book.

*Which I think was pretty deliberate; I don't buy that it was due to Valterra's supposed inexperience writing PR copy. But that's another thread...

He also confirmed that it was, indeed, deliberate.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Our campaign has addressed sexual topics for many years, and will continue to do so with or without this product.

 

[Fenes 2]

I guess that the book will be about as useful for my campaign as the majority any other Sourcebook I bought - I may be able to use a bit of it in my campaign. It is surprising how little of all the material, especially the crunch other gamers seem to desire, I use from the sourcebooks I own.

As far as sexual situations are concerned, they come up regularily in my campaigns. Never had much use for rules though, nothing that could not be solved by a stat or skill check (According to WotC Bluff covers seduction, f.e.). The Scarred Lands Courtesan of Idra PrC f.e. has only been used for idea-mining and flavor, not crunch.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Some of the questions that have come up in my games.

Effects of spells on unborn children? Will, a child born under the effects of a polymorph spell change after birth or be effected by dispeal magic?
What are the chances of VD? If people really knew, they would not have sex!
What can I get from having sex with a hag?
So, how much does it cost for a night with a Succubus? Answer: your life.

Okay, I am sure others have had questions along the same lines, if BoEF can help answer I am for it. Otherwise it is juist a collectable.