Friendly Love & Romance in RPGs, flirtations and such, Lightheartedness

Xanther · October 02, 2007, 11:17:56 PM

Well, to get back to the original question, The Fantasy Trip did have a Sex Appeal trait/skill you could take. Pretty subtle and tame. It would probably help in that flirting with a guard situation.

Koltar · October 02, 2007, 11:18:07 PM

As a total tangent/off-topic thought to romance and the LEGION thing: Always loved the way that Mike Grell portrayed the women. Especially Duo Damsel and Phantom Girl.

- Ed C.

John Morrow · October 02, 2007, 11:36:45 PM

Quote from: RPGPunditIn games like my FtA! game, or WFRP, romance doesn't enter into it, other than going wenching (which happens strictly "off-camera").

The first game that I ever ran in Warhammer FRP featured a dwarf-elf interracial romance. And chaos hoards (they met during a chaos hoard attack). And dwarven assassins trying to break it up. And an evil spirit trying to possess their unborn child.

Anthrobot · October 03, 2007, 06:33:05 AM

Quote from: J ArcaneGAAAAAAAAAY!

I don't hit on dudes, dude. And I don't hit on the ladies at the table out of respect.

Keep the romance in the real world, thanks. I don't wanna be part of some sweaty dude's creepy fantasies.

Ha ha! You made me laugh! I can sympathize with your unease at some big sweaty roleplaying bloke making eyes at you in a game ( if they did that out of game I'd break the sound barrier running away, while screaming like a girl). We have a few big sweaty RPers in our group that enjoy playing women and getting romantic with GM run NPCs. Consequently most of my games don't touch on the romantic side of things too deeply.

Pseudoephedrine · October 03, 2007, 12:07:38 PM

Clearly, playing romantic scenes in character is the verbal equivalent of being sodomised on a float by a burly man in leather BDSM gear. You'd have to be a total 100% pillow-biting queermo to ever do it.

Anyhow, my group does do romantic stuff in character, though we tend to gloss over it unless it's important to the story. It occasionally has been, and people will talk in character to one another, though they won't stare into one another's eyes OOC or whatever. I personally am not particularly romantic in real life, so I tend not to have my characters pursue relationships either.

beeber · October 03, 2007, 12:13:52 PM

Quote from: PseudoephedrineClearly, playing romantic scenes in character is the verbal equivalent of being sodomised on a float by a burly man in leather BDSM gear. You'd have to be a total 100% pillow-biting queermo to ever do it.

best response in the thread! :haw:

J Arcane · October 03, 2007, 01:29:32 PM

Quote from: GunslingerNothing. It's the reciprocation back and forth between the GM and player that I find unsettling. Knock yourself out if it's your character but don't expect me to roleplay the NPC in character as the GM. I'd be more inclined to narrate out the response of the NPC for the player. Even if it was my wife I'd be inclined to do it that way for sake of the comfort of the other players.

This is rather near to what I'm on about, and likely how I'd handle Mcrow's hypothetical (though as I said, I've never had a group where it's come up): Handle it briefly and succinctly, in brief OOC description, and then move on with the rest of the game. If the player wants more than that, tough, I'm not here to be a puppet for his creepy fantasies, and I doubt the rest of the players wanna hear it either.

John Morrow · October 03, 2007, 02:04:31 PM

Quote from: J ArcaneIf the player wants more than that, tough, I'm not here to be a puppet for his creepy fantasies, and I doubt the rest of the players wanna hear it either.

Why are all of the other fantasies that a player can engage in, including those of killing other people as a vigilante, so much less creepy?

J Arcane · October 03, 2007, 02:08:28 PM

Quote from: John MorrowWhy are all of the other fantasies that a player can engage in, including those of killing other people as a vigilante, so much less creepy?

Actually, one of my personal "creepy gamer" moments, involved an idiot player who insisted on rather graphically torturing an NPC.

Nice attempt at a strawman/false dichotomy, all in one.

John Morrow · October 03, 2007, 02:18:59 PM

Quote from: J ArcaneActually, one of my personal "creepy gamer" moments, involved an idiot player who insisted on rather graphically torturing an NPC.

That's exactly what I'm talking about.

Quote from: J ArcaneNice attempt at a strawman/false dichotomy, all in one.

Nope. That violence in a game can get creepy does not mean that a game should be purged of violence. Can't you imagine any romance in a game being role-played that you wouldn't find creepy?

jhkim · October 03, 2007, 02:20:03 PM

I'm fine with lighthearted love and romance stuff, but then again, I don't have a problem with gayness either.

Does the sweaty guy thing make a difference, or is it just meant to be a humorous but irrelevant jab? For example, my SotC play group is mostly women - currently six women and two men. Would you consider romantic talk or flirting between women players any differently than guy/gal or guy/guy?

(Not talking about any physical stuff here -- recall the topic is romance and flirting.)

J Arcane · October 03, 2007, 02:36:25 PM

Quote from: jhkimI'm fine with lighthearted love and romance stuff, but then again, I don't have a problem with gayness either.

Does the sweaty guy thing make a difference, or is it just meant to be a humorous but irrelevant jab? For example, my SotC play group is mostly women - currently six women and two men. Would you consider romantic talk or flirting between women players any differently than guy/gal or guy/guy?

(Not talking about any physical stuff here -- recall the topic is romance and flirting.)

I've not a problem with gayness either. It also has nothing to do with the subject matter. Just because I don't have a problem with gay guys, doesn't mean I want to roleplay out a romantic scene with another guy. I'm still straight you know.

Koltar · October 03, 2007, 02:51:57 PM

SO, Arcane just subtracts Love & Romance from his/her games entirely. Wow, what a soul-less world those campaigns must be set in.

- Ed C.

Hackmaster · October 03, 2007, 03:00:19 PM

Quote from: J ArcaneI've not a problem with gayness either. It also has nothing to do with the subject matter. Just because I don't have a problem with gay guys, doesn't mean I want to roleplay out a romantic scene with another guy. I'm still straight you know.

Actually, he raises an excellent point.

Your first response to this thread was "GAAAAAAAAAY!", followed by an insistence that you don't hit on dudes, and now we have a reaffirmation that you are still straight.

The fact that you resorted to using the word gay in a distinctly negative manner in your very first reply sets the homophobic tone.

Koltar · October 03, 2007, 03:05:07 PM

...also, its interesting that J. Arcane assumed that EVERY group out there playing RPGS is likely made up of all guys.

It looks like myself and at least 1 or 2 other posters on here have women players in our groups. What may be awkward or uncomfortably "weird" for Arcane's typical group to handle would just be no big deal for my group.

All of my players are at least 10 years beyond High School and have the more mature mindset to match.

- Ed C.