Quote from: KoltarSeems everyone forgets to read the first two words of the thread title.


 I was watching Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow really late last night (early morning) and at the end I realized a key scene turned on love of a friend of a colleague.

Joseph Sullivan/Sky Captain is hoping to get help from Franky Cook  to go after Totenkopf. No success.
 Then he says: "Franky he's got Dex".  She then changes her orders and decides to help him.

The look on her face and the way that he pleaded with sold the idea that Dex was a good friend that they both LOVED - as a friend of course . This being the late 1930s and all.

 If you deny this kind of stuff or ignore its existence it just makes campaigns a little bit less interesting.

- Ed C.

Heh! I was watching this movie on Monday, and had remarked on the exact same sequence.

-clash

Quote from: HinterWeltThe way it usually comes up in my games is as part of the plot. The "Is there a Brothel in town" days are long gone. I guess some players may still go there but not in my games. This has a lot more to do with the culture and style of your game than any "I am the GM, do it my way" kind of thing.

So yeah, like others have said, if it is part of the story but not just because you are in the mood.

I'm not sure what you're contrasting here.  I'd agree that if something isn't significant for the PCs, then we'll at best mention it in passing.  But the story comes out of what the GM and players want.  So if I'm in the mood, then I'll make it part of the story.  If a PC takes a romantic interest in someone, then that becomes a part of the plot.  

Conversely, I've never had much luck planning out romances (or important friendships) for PCs as GM.  That always fell flat for me.  What's worked much better is when the PCs showed interest, then we'd pick up a romance/friendship, but not otherwise.  

For example, a big part of our long Buffy campaign came out of a PC-PC romance, that started with one PC mooning after another.  They eventually got involved  and had a baby in Season Three.  In our ongoing Harn Burning Wheel campaign, one of the PCs recently took another PC who was married to a brothel, which got him in further trouble with his wife.  His marriage woes are definitely a part of the plot.

Quote from: John MorrowNot to pick on you, in particular, since several people have made similar comments, but why do people see a thread titled, "Friendly Love & Romance in RPGs, flirtations and such, Lightheartedness", and instantly jump to prostitutes, one-night stands, and kinky sex fantasies?  What about, uh, "love" and "romance"?

Thirded.  I'm a big believer in romance writ small ... the flirtation and blushes, and all the stuff that happens in the period where holding hands would be a big, hairy deal.

I've even got actual play and everything.

No mad love for that phase of life and relationships?

Quote from: TonyLBThirded.  I'm a big believer in romance writ small ... the flirtation and blushes, and all the stuff that happens in the period where holding hands would be a big, hairy deal.

That's why I think games make a mistake (as far as I'm concerned, anyway) when games reduce sex between characters to something (to quote an Exalted thread on TBP) "about as common and, in many cases, as meaningful, as a good firm handshake."

It really depends on genre, I guess. For any sort of mannerpunk game, sure, it's important. For heroic fantasy - high, low, S&S or otherwise -, not so much. I mean, YES, we learn from one of the last chapters and from the Appendices that Aragorn has gone through all that brouhaha to have Arwen married to him, but during the adventure proper Tolkien gives their romance slightly less extensive coverage than he gives to a particularly finely crafted chair leg in Théoden's hall. Similarly, we know that Conan has a way with the ladies, but it's by and large between gaming sessions (and in the last sentences of individual adventures); other times, women are restricted to being easily fainting encumbrance penalties. And sometimes PCs, but that's a whole different matter.

I don't care for it.  It sucks up precious time at the table that ought to be used to deal with the matter at hand, especially when the group meets on less than a weekly basis.  That stuff is best handled away from the table, through email or phone calls or some other place when it's not disrupting the actual play of the game.

Quote from: Bradford C. WalkerI don't care for it.  It sucks up precious time at the table that ought to be used to deal with the matter at hand, especially when the group meets on less than a weekly basis.

But for me, the romance is often the matter at hand.

Remember the classic Star Trek episode Spectre of the Gun, where the crew is forced to reenact the gunfight at the OK Corral?  It's all in the crew's imagination but if they believe it's true, the fantasy can hurt them.  Well, Chekov spends his time flirting with a girl and gets himself shot pretty early on.    Later on, they find out he didn't really die.  Why?  Because only the girl was really real to him and he didn't really care about the plot the aliens had laid out for them.

Sometimes, being stuck having to deal with combat-oriented situation du jour instead of pursuing other interests, including romance, can feel that way to me.

Fear of Girls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmgLOKRl5J0

You have entered the bedchambers of the elf queen.  She stands before you and speaks. "Hold Kronk, barbarian of the frozen waste.  You shall come... no further."

:keke:

Quote from: StuartFear of Girls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmgLOKRl5J0

You have entered the bedchambers of the elf queen.  She stands before you and speaks. "Hold Kronk, barbarian of the frozen waste.  You shall come... no further."

:keke:

 Yes, Stuart that video has been bopping around the internet for at least 2 years now.

 As I pointed out earlier - my group has 3 women and 1 man as the players. They are all over the age of 21.
 That video might be more like J. Arcane's typical group...considered what he (she?) posted.


- Ed C.

Stand down Mr. Worf, I wasn't picking on you -- I just think it's a funny video and appropriate for the discussion.

The issue of Romance in RPGs is something that I've heard discussed in at least a couple of Podcasts, and J Arcane's position isn't that uncommon.  Lots of players feel uncomfortable with a romantically themed improv acting performance, even more so if the other person is the wrong-gender or in a relationship with someone else at the table.

Personally, I think it's more the 1st person roleplaying / acting that makes that situation so uncomfortable.  If you shift it over to 3rd person narration, it's very different.

"M'Lady, you have the most beautiful eyes."

vs

My character is flirting with the countess.

Quote from: StuartStand down Mr. Worf, I wasn't picking on you -- I just think it's a funny video and appropriate for the discussion.

 I knew you weren't.
 Wish I had a better way to convey tone of voice over the internet. (Yeah I might still be on a certain forum if I had that)

QuoteStuart also said this stuff: Personally, I think it's more the 1st person roleplaying / acting that makes that situation so uncomfortable.  If you shift it over to 3rd person narration, it's very different.

"M'Lady, you have the most beautiful eyes."

vs

My character is flirting with the countess.

 In your example, if I was the GM at the table and perceived that a male player was a tad uncomfortable - I'd tell he could use a notecard to tell exactly what he says to young noblewoman....then switch over to 3rd person mode.

Most of my players are comfortable enough with the group to do 2 or 3 sentences of in-character roleplaying in front of the group and switch to player-to-GM notecards if it gets more involved or they pair off with an NPC away from the group sight lines.

 A lot of this really is a good GM being able to tell how far to take it or to what line his her players are comfortable with things.

 I'm just going to argue that Love, Romance, even love of friends and comrades is such a big part of life that it should be included in a good roleplaying game.  Hell, even unrequited love can be quite a motivator.

- Ed C.