I recommend a technique called ' lines & veils,' which you can use to help you think about and talk about how you handle sensitive subjects. In particular, be attentive to your friends' reactions you can usually tell when someone has a problem with what's going on in the game even when they don't articulate it right away. More importantly, though, you should be ready and willing to communicate about issues as they arise in play. Just like you should all know what kind of playstyle to expect from the game, you should also figure out some basic expectations about its subject matter and how you're going to handle sensitive topics. The character/campaign creation session is a great time to talk about the big issues that are likely to come up in play. The best way to handle 'mature' subject matter is to get in the habit of talking to your group members about your play experience in an honest and straightforward fashion.Įstablish some limits ahead of time. 'Don't do that' is not an answer to this question - some groups prefer to play games without it, but we prefer game content more on the 'Game of Thrones' end of the scale.ĭealing with sensitive material as a groupĬertain topics may be offensive, uncomfortable, emotionally difficult, or just plain not fun for certain players. There is a book, non official from WoTC as far as I understand, the Book of Erotic Fantasy specifically made to deal with sex and sexuality, but I never had the chance to take a look at it.

How do you incorporate this effectively into a game, without offending people, but benefiting from the drama that romantic relationships bring to the story in the game?

I am referring to romance and sexual encounters that change and develop the character, eventually providing him a family, marriage, frustration, or personal strategic gain.

How do you deal with in-game PC-instigated sexuality, and what are the benefits and pitfalls you've seen of your approach? Please note that I am not referring to useless sexually-oriented discussion 'just for laughs'.

These are often specifically initiated by the players, who want to bring those topics into the game.

I had my fair amount of dealing with sex and sexuality brought up by PCs in my games, including coming up with rules for flirting and mating, fertility and pregnancy, etc. I think it's a matter of fact that since the first moment a player realizes that he or she can interact with someone of the opposite sex romantically within the game, things get hairy.

Forge your empire sex