Just caught a part from Chuck Palahniuk (the guy who wrote Fight Club) on JRE while coding and they're talking about adult content and what's ok to explore and what causes people to get upset. In particular, publishers refusing to put material which is pretty "there" because corporate chains won't put it on premium shelving because adult content. Also, writers workshops kicking the guy out (and his peers) when he presents debauched and/or dark material.

And I just thought back to when I had the Cell from a HTV game a few years back assault and take down a child slave ring. I tried to keep it authentic, vividly described the environ, all while ensuring the PCs could navigate and approach the slaver den in a freefrom fashion (so practical as well as aesthetic). I even put in some appropriate industrial rapcore (because NWOD) and sfx like kids crying and flickering torches (and roars/screams when the fighting started) and stuff to really get across the fucked-upness of this scenario. Lot of gory injuries (PC arbalest himself got a bolt through the jaw), Morality drops, a back-office showdown with some Ghouls and a Vamp (no PCs died which is kinda insane).

And once they had cleared out the den, the players themselves got into a... heated argument about what to do next (all their own ideas): send them off to be child soldiers for Christ (one PC was a templar type), hand them over to a shady ladyboy brothel/harem house owner (one PC was a trans hashshashin), put them into apprenticeships (one was a merchant), indentured servitude to influential people (one was a courtier/noble type) or sell the children themselves (half-jokingly put across by same bolt-jaw guy). There were nine people (excl. m'wah) in this room passionately arguing one of those solution or simply "eating popcorn" while watching the others duke it out.

I've done stuff like this in other games. I tend to built it up a bit with lighter stuff but I usually do with lightly fucked-up scenarios to start with to get across what kind of game we're going to do. Funny thing is, nobody was upset by the content when I asked them (before and after game) -- they actually were really hyped for the next session, said it was one of the best ones I had done to that point.

So I don't understand why people get upset over this stuff because, more often than not, this kind of material sells and sells well. And it does well too. People obviously crave it: otherwise (RPG-wise) WOD, WFRP, COC et al. wouldn't have become a thing.

Quote from: PrometheanVigil;1055080So I don't understand why people get upset over this stuf...f

Well, the players need to trust that they're not entering your Magical Realm (unless that's what they signed up for) - apparently that wasn't a problem in this case. In general adult content needs a higher degree of trust, especially trust in the GM, than does PG stuff.

And again, some people just don't like some stuff. I remember running Rise of the Runelords with the hillbilly cannibal rape ogres, I had some distate for the material, but one of my players really didn't like it. It would probably have been better if Paizo had kept the gore in the boxed text descriptions to a less extreme level. But players who sign up for World of Darkness probably are up for some fairly nasty stuff.

I tend to run a PG-13 tone myself. If I were to go any further, I'd probably run it by my players first. Game matters too, obviously. I doubt many are playing COC for a Disney feel.

Adult Content needs the Consent of Adults.

Seems self-evident, but not all in adult-form can or will behave with maturity like an adult. And this age has its own easy pickings for examples of adults who cannot handle 'adulting'. State your campaign premise & obscenity boundaries clearly and let the adults 'adult', as impossibly hard that can be in this age.

Well, at my table there's usually cries of "It's not THAT kind of store!" or "FADE TO BLACK!  FADE TO BLACK!"  Before things get too heated.  Adult themes are another matter.  They come up quite a bit and I must confess they are generally treated with the great immaturity one might expect.

Just play with like minded people... Any of the people I play with now are not bubble wrapped. The thoughts of having to have 'the conversation' with them seems bizarre to me.

When I do play with people that I don't know (which is very rare) I just say, the game will have mature/horrific themes and is only suitable for 'adults'. And to further hammer it home I also now say, 'no x cards' allowed. If they consent to play after that, then job's a good un'. It's a good filtering system.

But I totally get a more cautious approach if you're running at a con, in a FLGS or playing with a younger crowd, etc.

you don't need "adult content" in game books to run an "adult" game...

Quote from: NYTFLYR;1055091you don't need "adult content" in game books to run an "adult" game...

yeah yeah, but it makes it more fun, right?

Quote from: Opaopajr;1055083Adult Content needs the Consent of Adults.

Exactly.

When I run R-rated con events, I put "For Mature Audiences Only / Adult Content" in the description. If I'm going to run something extra dark at home, I recruit the right group for that game. Heck, that's my core rule for any RPG. First gather the right group for that particular game.

Quote from: Opaopajr;1055083Adult Content needs the Consent of Adults. .

Unfortunately, some adults are more equal than others...

I loved that JRE/Palahniuk interview. It sparked some very interesting discussions with my wife and friends.

Anyhow... I run a pretty Hard-R game. I don't allow minors at the table with me (more specifically people I don't think are mature enough to deal with whatever comes up). But no one that comes and plays with me doesn't understand this long before they actually play.

Quote from: PrometheanVigil;1055080So I don't understand why people get upset over this stuff because, more often than not, this kind of material sells and sells well. And it does well too. People obviously crave it: otherwise (RPG-wise) WOD, WFRP, COC et al. wouldn't have become a thing.

Adult is not the same thing as perverse.

Quote from: Shawn Driscoll;1055177Adult is not the same thing as perverse.

Oh Shawn, don't be pedantic, you know damn well that's what people mean when they say Adult. For fucks sake, it's not like we're talking about "paying bills and showing up to work on time".

To help with your obvious social intelligence impairment, I imagine we could create some more pedantic categories?

1) Mildly perverse (suggestions of impropriety, power differential non-consensual sex acts, exposed knees, Chipotle)
2) Perverse (sex, nudity, overt non-consensual sex acts, circus clowns, carnies, Taco Bell)
3) Extremely perverse (Venger + Pundit + Grim XXX porn, full penetration, body fluids, tentacles, monsters, Sizzler "steak" House)

So now, we can debate WHAT goes into each perversity level and completely lose sight of the original conversation!

As a Brit, it's funny to see Americans thinking that Adult just means Sex.

For us, films etc are generally categorised as more adult for themes of sex, violence and bad language, not just for sex.

Now, as someone brought up on hack and slash films, I have seen a lot of gory violence and this is reflected in my RPGs of choice. RQ is the game where arms and legs fly off, which suits me fine.

I remember discussing a film on a forum where people were up in arms about a boob being displayed but were perfectly fine with the violent scenes, including a castration. I wouldn't particularly want kids to be exposed to any of that before the right time.

So, for me, an Adult RPG would include violence, sex and bad language.

Quote from: soltakss;1055270As a Brit, it's funny to see Americans thinking that Adult just means Sex.

For us, films etc are generally categorised as more adult for themes of sex, violence and bad language, not just for sex.

Now, as someone brought up on hack and slash films, I have seen a lot of gory violence and this is reflected in my RPGs of choice. RQ is the game where arms and legs fly off, which suits me fine.

I remember discussing a film on a forum where people were up in arms about a boob being displayed but were perfectly fine with the violent scenes, including a castration. I wouldn't particularly want kids to be exposed to any of that before the right time.

So, for me, an Adult RPG would include violence, sex and bad language.

Are sex, violence and bad language adult topics though? There's a bunch of kids in my apartment complex, and goddamn do they talk like sailors. My 6 year old nephew talks about hacking limbs off with his pretend sword. Death can be a very childish topic, as most comic books choose to treat it.

Adult, to me, as techrion joked, is about paying bills and showing up to work on time. As a classification for the content of entertainment, I find it about as useful as the vanilla versus chocolate debate.