Spurred a bit by another thread, what issues do you avoid in games you play.

I in generally try and avoid things which aren't fun for me or my group, that will cause unease. Rape*, violence towards children that can't be stopped (or player initiated), and inter party conflict that escalates too far. These things just aren't fun for most of us, and the few who MIGHT get fun out of those subjects  are not always people I'd enjoy gaming with.

*Some topics are addressed in game, but aren't "on screen", I've had off screen rapes and let the players deal with the anger and fallout, but its too touchy a subject for me, and some of my players.


In general, I run games about good people--they may be flawed people, but good. I don't care to run the opposite. Other people can, that's fine, not saying they shouldn't, its just not how I play.

We did this topic - or at least a Poll and thread about this thought back in September.


 Take a look:

http://www.therpgsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7405

This was during or right after the Poison'd Cabin Boy argument that raged across two gaming forums.  (Thank God or Kromm it never wound up on the Orange & Fluffy!)


- Ed C.

Quote from: KoltarWe did this topic - or at least a Poll and thread about this thought back in September.


 Take a look:

http://www.therpgsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7405

This was during or right after the Poison'd Cabin Boy argument that raged across two gaming forums.  (Thank God or Kromm it never wound up on the Orange & Fluffy!)


- Ed C.

Ah, memories - a defining moment of internet discourse for me. Picked up my first internet stalker and got PMs telling me that rape of fictional characters is perfectly fine.

I leave out anything that isn't fun. This means all the emo-tourism stuff.

Anything sex/romance related.  It's just too creepy to have in a game (unless, of course, I was gaming with a bunch of hot chicks who liked to flirt -  )

What Josh said.

Quote from: KoltarWe did this topic - or at least a Poll and thread about this thought back in September.


- Ed C.

Yeah, but I'm interested a bit in it now, rather than then


As for emo-tourism, what exactly does that mean? I know a lot of good stories are built on angst/emotional hand wringing..and so on..

It's defined in opposition to macho tourism.

Quote from: SilverlionSpurred a bit by another thread, what issues do you avoid in games you play.

Dungeon exploring.

We don't avoid anything unless it's boring or not fun. But there is no off limits.

None of the late 20s - early 30s dudes at our table are interested in roleplaying sex or romance with any of the other dudes there, so we avoid that. Pretty much anything else is ok.

Well, much of the stuff that people mention doesn't even seem to come up at the table at all, so there's never a need to 'fade to black' to avoid squicking everyone.

So really: nothing.

Caveat: My most recent spat of players that I GM'd for however, fled mightily from anything requiring logic or rational thought.  They just wanted somewhere to point their fictional guns.  Literally. The presence of fellow PCs down range wasn't a factor, and any problem requiring even a minimum of thought was confronted by extremely blunt violence or utter disinterest.

Needless to say, Dark Heresy did not go over well. Cthulutech, ironically, did... but only until they finished fighting the first batch of monsters and I failed to magically create more. I swear I thought I was GMing five year olds...

Because there are players uncomfortable playing out romance/sex, we avoid doing that. It's hard to suspend disbelief when the "girl" your male character is trying to hit on is being roleplayed by a guy.

Although, the "chase" aka overcoming challenges as you try to win her heart is fair game. (i.e. Trying to talk to the girl late at night, but having to sneak your way past the guards, her father to do so...etc.)

Pretty much what everyone else said. I'm okay with killing things and taking their stuff, but rape is just...well, I have no interest in it, and frankly no interest in gaming with (or being friends with) people who do - even just in the fictional sense. (Of course, bad people commit rape in the game worlds I've created - how else do you get half-orcs? - but I would never have that happen in-game or "on-screen". Petty sadism and working out personal frustrations in-game is pathetic and generally a shitty way to play.)

I have had players, in character, raise the issue of torture in games before - generally to extract information. Fortunately I've avoided having to confront the issue because other players have objected in character and it hasn't ended up happening.

Other than that? Yeah, the emo thing. Whiny characters. "Everybody hates me so I cut myself!"* that sort of thing. Just grow up and let's go kill some kobolds or something.

-

*I don't want to offend anyone here, let me say straight away. I'm just talking about characters who do that in-game. That's all.

My game tends to run towards PG-13 violence and PG adult or sexual situations.  We never role-play out romantic scenes, because that's just creepy.  I don't want my players hitting on me.

We also skip over most barter and trade scenes, just because I hate them.

I try to avoid heavy conflict within the party, but...

In the game I'm running now, one of the PCs was absolutely adamant about torturing someone who'd been traveling with them (having no choice in the matter) for information. Now, the party's intention was to more or less sell this guy to a noble who wanted that info, but this particular PC didn't want to present flawed goods. Fella' refused to talk and torture was brought up.

So there they are, crammed in a smog-ridden tenement house, and since the rest of the group wouldn't allow it, torture PC decided to just kill the info guy. He drew a pistol, a handful of other pistols were drawn, and suddenly everyone had flintlock guns aimed at everyone else's heads.

Torture PC backed down for being outnumbered, and torture PC's player got frustrated and made a new character.

While it made for an interesting scene, party cohesion certainly makes a game a hell of a lot easier to run.