Comments

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  KenSee

  Posts: 93 February 2012

  I tell my players to keep it out. I, as a player(DM's are players too!), are made uncomfortable when my friends start describing sexing each other and the NPC's (which is by extension me) up. So, I tell them to keep it out for me at least.
  
  Its a personal choice, at least I feel.
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  arsheesh

  Posts: 850 February 2012 edited February 2012

  Hm, this is one of those taboo areas isn't it. I mean, let's face it, many of us got our start in this game as horny teenagers who used (abused?) D&D as a medium to live out our budding pubescent fantasies. But most of us eventually grow out of this juvenile stage of life and sex just sort of fades into the background; it's there, but you don't really talk about it as much. Like KenSee, I'd be mighty uncomfortable sitting in on a session wherein the PCs and/or NPCs engaged in explicit love-making scenes; that's just not something I want any mental images of! On the other hand though, in terms of realism, I expect those sorts of activities to be going on in the game world. In addition, sex can also figure significantly into both certain PC profiles (e.g. the womanizing scoundrel, the seductress), as well as to certain major plot threads (e.g. court intrigue). Given this, as a DM I don't generally discourage players from having their characters engage in sexual acts in the game world, just so long as I don't have to here any of the details! For instance, if Thaylen Twinblades is hanging out at the Falcon's Nest (a seedy tavern in my world) and tips Hara a little extra that night, he and I both know that that means he's bedding her that night. But of the night's affairs, little mention is made at the table, other than perhaps "Thaylen puts one of his blades to good use".
  
  Cheers,
  -Arsheesh

  Post edited by arsheesh on February 2012
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  optimus_mush

  Posts: 28 February 2012

  I think we all assume that the inhabitants of our campaigns use the toilet without getting into details. Sex can be treated the same.
  
  If it furthers the story or rounds out a character (as in the aforementioned example of the seductress or womanizing scoundrel) it happens. It just doesn't need to get explicit.
  
  Actually it can be pretty funny. One of the PCs in a previous game that I GMed had been away from home for many years. When he returned he found that his father had passed away and that his sister was now earning the family's income down at the local wench house. One of the other characters made a beeline for the house of ill repute and in a hilarious bit of metagaming made negotiations with the woman in question. The other character burst in before things went any further, but it made for a funny night.
  
  wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more!
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  GamingMegaverse

  Posts: 2,999 February 2012

  The above comments are exactly what I am getting at- it does not need to be described in graphic detail, but it does add to the experience. Besides, any good pun (Arsheesh) or Python reference (Optimus mush) should never be passed up in my opinion- but I give experience to people for making everyone laugh...
  killervp
  "A God...Rebuilt":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/a-god-rebuilt
  "Duskreign's First Ever COTM":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/wyrmshadow/wiki_pages/112011

  Just trying to help out.

  
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  vstraydogstrutv

  Posts: 209 February 2012

  This past Sunday one of my players seduced another's mother. Much to the chagrin of the offending player, his rolls did not make for an enlightening experience for the mother, which lead to many a sexual joke at his expense. We're a pretty raunchy group, though, so it was all very embarrassing and enjoyable.
  
  Could be. Could be taken on a holiday. Candid, eh? Caaaaaaaandid photography?
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  vstraydogstrutv

  Posts: 209 February 2012

  I want to point out the discussion cloud above and how very small the word "sex" is versus "rpg" and "table."
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  DreadGazebo

  Posts: 218 February 2012

  Also, an "RPG Sex Table" sounds like a very niche product.
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  Baalshamon

  Posts: 585 February 2012

  My game is very adult and sex is a part of it as is graphic rape scenes and various degrees of other taboos. I admit the whole thing is a touchy area. If my wife is present I tone things down a bit but in general we go with the flow. We have even written rules for sex and since slavery and brothels are nearly everywhere the characters go, the whole subject is unavoidable.
  
  Sex is a part of life and if we are to explore the world of fantasy I dont understand the general taboo in the gaming world. It is ok to torture, kill, beat, poison, betray, and a whole slew of other things but if you want to descibe a sex scene, people get wierd. I made the choice with "Star Trek Late Night":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/star-trek-late-night To explore every vice, every horror, and every possible scenario that I could imagine. We obviously edit the logs for public view but I can tell you that what happens in game is quite graphic and in many cases extreme. If it offends a player then I suggest he leave this game and join us for the next one. We actually lost one player early on because he was uncomfortable with the path STLN was taking. He is chomping at the bits to come back but until this campaign is done, he is out. I get why you might want to tone it down, make it a dice roll, and move on but you are missing a great RP possibility.
  
  Sex is a good thing. So why not enjoy it in your fantasy world as well as the real one. Just saying...
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  arsheesh

  Posts: 850 February 2012

  StephenWollett said - "Sex is a good thing. So why not enjoy it in your fantasy world as well as the real one. Just saying..."
  
  Hm, well I don't think one can really say that "sex is a good thing" without qualification. There are plenty of examples of sexual acts/desires that are not good (e.g. rape, child molestation, incest etc). A better evaluation of sex would be that "Sex is a good thing _in it's proper place_" where the "in it's proper place" clause is meant to cover a range of criteria, such as proper objects of sexual desire (e.g. not children or animals), proper location of sexual acts (e.g. not in public settings), proper motivation of sexual acts (e.g. not to degrade or otherwise harm one's sexual partner) etc.
  
  Once this more careful evaluation of sex is made however, it doesn't follow that one ought to "enjoy it in [one's] fantasy world as well as the real one". For it may turn out that the fantasy world is _not_ the proper place to enjoy sex; at least in some contexts. I leave this as an open question, but the point is simply that at the very least, it is not clear whether or not the fantasy game world is the proper place for some kind of mediated form of sexual enjoyment.
  
  Cheers,
  -Arsheesh
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  GamingMegaverse

  Posts: 2,999 February 2012

  Ah, Arsheesh, it is always enlightening when you step in to contribute. I think that sex, in its proper place, with the entire groups approval, is a great role-playing opportunity- and if there are those in the group that are uncomfortable the sex or the player needs to leave.
  killervp
  "A God...Rebuilt":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/a-god-rebuilt
  "Duskreign's First Ever COTM":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/wyrmshadow/wiki_pages/112011

  Just trying to help out.

  
• Sorwen

  Posts: 64 February 2012

  Star Trek sex(fade to black). There is no reason to go into great detail. If they want to see how well they did something like a stamina roll for whatever system as a lark and that is it.
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  AnthonyDluzak

  Posts: 69 February 2012

  Well....
  
  You can rate it as they do in movies... G, no sex... kissing maybe. PG, kissing, petting but not much else. PG-13 --- it goes all the way up to XXX, you guys see where Im going with it.
  
  Same with storytelling, which is essentially what we are doing.... So, you can describe it like a children's book, a teen book, a love novel, a penthouse letter or a full on dirty porn!
  
  I tone it down when my gf is at the table, and I don't feel it really adds anything to the story regardless... I agree with most of the posts above on the subject.
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  The_Eel

  Posts: 4 February 2012

  I don't think sex belongs at the gaming table. It makes the other players feel awkward, and it shakes the battle map around and knocks over the drinks.
  
  All kidding aside, it varies wildly from group to group what is acceptable and what isn't. As long as everyone is comfortable and game, it's really no one else's business. The minute the line is crossed for someone, it's no longer ok. For me, it's like the example Arsheesh used in his first post. It's alluded to, it's winked at, but the act is left to the imagination. Fade to black. I'm all for using taboos and adult topics in my games, I just don't want to listen to the details, nor do I expect my players listen to me go on in the same manner.
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  Baalshamon

  Posts: 585 February 2012

  True enough, it all depends on the group and each one needs to base the content of the games by who is playing and what is fun for everyone.
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  Black_Vulmea

  Posts: 277 March 2012

  It would be very hard for me to run a cape-and-sword campaign and NOT include seduction, trysts, and romance. It's part-and-parcel of the genre.
  
  In fact, seduction was the major theme running through our last game-day - one of the adventurers celebrating with a pair of wenches in a tavern then arranging a clandestine meeting with his mistress, and the other being unexpectedly seduced by a courtier to the princess of Piedmont.
  
  This is the swashbuckler's life.
  
  Mike aka Black Vulmea
  "_Le Ballet de l'Acier_":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/le-ballet-de-l-acier - swashbuckling adventures in the age of the Three Musketeers and Captain Alatriste
  Featured Campaign of the Month - August 2011
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  GamingMegaverse

  Posts: 2,999 March 2012

  Comments in the recent campaign logs, where the session included an opposite sex partner for all in the party, (except the soon to be married Dwarf) provided to the players by a grateful King (the pcs delivered their first piece of Osiris to his kingdom)
  
  "I have now made a new friend or something more in her as well"
  "The king then, to celebrate this news and the return of Cava, brings to the dining hall, a group of women and men. Each one a compatible race with each member of the party. The centaur male was beautiful to behold, and I welcomed his presence and walked with him out of the hall. It was not until the next morning when I emerged."
  
  Sex can be a lot of fun in your games, but it does not need to be graphically shared. You can read the full logs, if you choose, "here":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaign/a-god-rebuilt/wikis/campaigns
  
  killervp
  "A God...Rebuilt":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/a-god-rebuilt
  "Duskreign's First Ever COTM":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/wyrmshadow/wiki_pages/112011

  Just trying to help out.

  
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  bluesguy

  Posts: 127 March 2012

  This is interesting because I have five (soon to be six) players in my group. There is my wife and out two teenagers (~17 yr old boy & 14 yr old girl) and neither one has dated yet. Then there is the other mom and her 14 yr old son. And finally there is the other 17 yr old young man, a friend of my son's. So how to handle sex. All the characters range in age from 17 (my wife's character) to late 20's. So here is how I am handling romance & sex in the campaign:
  
  # My daughter decided she was searching for her character's lost love. They had not yet been 'married' and so the relationship was PG-13.
  # My wife's character, a 17 year old noblewoman on the run from her family who wanted to marry her off to a boring older man, has caught the fancy of the Prince's captain of the guard. As the character is a 'fencing' style fighter and she meet the captain while on an adventure and they fought side by side. Since then they have been training every morning. He invited her to a ball that he wasn't too happy about going to but was glad she was going with him. She brought him two very fancy dress swords they found on an adventure. The relationship is classic high society chaste relationship with a lot of overtones. Everyone is having a good time with it. My kids love the whole thing.
  # My son's character has meet a women, who is older than his character and she has a past. He started out only being interested in having her as a contact. But has become interested in her. He has started courting her.
  # The other mom's character has become infatuated with a Dr. in town. Little does she know he is basically 'Jack the Ripper'.
  
  The 5th character has no interest in romance. And who knows what will happen with the 6th character since he is just being introduced in the next session.
  
  =============
  In a campaign I ran in college there was plenty of wenching and 'fade to black' events. In fact one time a player asked "Did my character have a good time?" and after a weird conversation about we came up with the following formula
  * The amount of enjoyment you derive from a sexual encounter = (your testerone level [d100] / d20 ) * 6 plus charisma modifiers for all individuals involved
  
  Yes it was a joke.
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  Baalshamon

  Posts: 585 March 2012 edited March 2012

  This is the skill base we developed for "STLN.":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/star-trek-late-night Other skills and attributes may apply depending. If we are going for the fade to black quick rolls then we use the difficulties listed. Works pretty good.
  
  *SEXUAL TECHNIQUE (FITNESS)*
  
  This skill represents the character’s proficiency at pleasing a partner during intimate relations. It covers all aspects of mating rituals, sex, foreplay, and sex adult games.
  
  The character must make an Opposed Test versus the target’s Fitness + Willpower, with an additional +2 per added partner over the first. If the character is not familiar with his partner (first time lovers) he suffers +2 to the Difficulty. The difficulties listed below represent a quicky and if the character takes extra time, standard bonuses shall apply.
  
  *Sample Difficulties*
  
  ** *Routine:* Giving partner a pleasant but not very memorable experience
  ** *Moderate:* Bringing partner to orgasm
  ** *Challenging:* Bringing partner to orgasm multiple times
  ** *Difficult:* Giving partner an experience that she will remember with fondness for many years to come; Bringing an unwilling partner to orgasm; Bringing multiple partners to orgasm
  ** *Nearly Impossible:* Giving partner a near religious experience that leaves them filled with nothing short of love for you; Giving an unwilling partner multiple orgasms
  
  *Specializations:* Erotic Art, Erotic Massage, Foreplay, Kissing, Sex Games, Specific Person, Specific Race, Tantric Yoga

  Post edited by Baalshamon on March 2012
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  saethone

  Posts: 153 March 2012

  In our campaigns it is present, but in the background. One of my characters was actually married (until his wife was murdered) and has two kids in game. The NPC he married was one from his backstory that he had already been in love with, it was him accomplishing a major goal. All of the uncomfortable stuff was done off-screen, so we didn't need to RP it out, but it really enriched the world.

  Age of the Dragons - Homebrew Fantasy  |  Edurance of Hope - Age of Rebellion  

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  dlaporte7271

  Posts: 94 March 2012

  HI All,
  
  New to Obsidian Portal...Long time role player and GM since the original red box. I've just started running a solo campaign with one of my long time friends. He has decided to challenge himself by playing a female character. The story line is in it's early stages now. Given the topic of sex/romance in the game maybe you can foresee the potential for some awkwardness. I've actually been trying to decide whether I might introduce a love interest into the story line, and short of making him a lesbian, I would expect the whole topic of sex/romance to be a little bizarre for the both of us. At the least it will be a stretch, but because he is playing a female, it occurs to me that romance is one of the ways to... accentuate...the fact that this is a female character. I guess I'm looking for ways to make sure that the gender of his character matters in the course of the story. Otherwise his gender choice is nothing more than an "F" on the character sheet.
  
  Incidentally, Since I'm new to the OP I'd love suggestions if anyone wants to take a peek at the campaign it's called Violent Skies. It's pretty much in Rough Draft form now. We are also using the forums for back and forth role playing. We have been experimenting with using the WOTC virtual table since we don't actually get together for live gaming.