Mature, Adult Themes in RPGs

David R · May 12, 2009, 08:26:37 PM

Well, most of my games are about the difficult questions.....but then again, I also follow the Goddard quote (replace movie with adventure) - "All you need for a movie is a gun and a girl."

Regards,
David R

Kyle Aaron · May 12, 2009, 11:41:08 PM

I try to put these themes in my game sessions.

For me, the most memorable moments in sessions were things like,

the PCs sit around in a conversation with a local lord and his rebelling peasants, and try to persuade them to join forces against the Earl come to put down the peasant rebellion - thus committing themselves to rebellion against the King, and starting a civil war
the PCs realise that while a group of terrorists are evil, they are in fact just tools of government individuals seeking more political power
one PC has defeated an NPC, and wants to finish him off so that the NPC will never return to claim the PC's realm; but a second PC is related to the NPC, and wants to save him. The axe falls, the related PC flings herself in front of it to save the NPC...

It's not all about the jiggy-jig and the headpunch.

Silverlion · May 13, 2009, 01:07:00 AM

Quote from: flyingmice;301723Says the T-Rex flying an F-16!

-clash

As I told my friend. "If a T-rex isn't in the band, then it isn't metal!"

Ronin · May 13, 2009, 05:58:26 AM

Quote from: Silverlion;301776As I told my friend. "If a T-rex isn't in the band, then it isn't metal!"

T-Rex?

flyingmice · May 13, 2009, 08:46:55 AM

Quote from: Ronin;301808T-Rex?

Dude, I am so old that I had an album from T-Rex - then Tyranosaurus Rex - when they were an acoustic duo, called "My People Were Fair And had Sky In Their Hair, But Now Their Content To Wear Stars On Thier Brow." It had awesome songs like Graceful Fat Sheba, Mustang Ford, and Frowning Atahualpa. Very strange! Loved 'em then! I used to perform Jeepster from the Bang a Gong album with my last band.

-clash

One Horse Town · May 13, 2009, 08:57:54 AM

I'm just a jeepster for your love...

Ronin · May 13, 2009, 10:47:37 AM

Quote from: flyingmice;301827Dude, I am so old that I had an album from T-Rex - then Tyranosaurus Rex - when they were an acoustic duo, called "My People Were Fair And had Sky In Their Hair, But Now Their Content To Wear Stars On Thier Brow." It had awesome songs like Graceful Fat Sheba, Mustang Ford, and Frowning Atahualpa. Very strange! Loved 'em then! I used to perform Jeepster from the Bang a Gong album with my last band.

-clash

:eek: Wow you are really old!:p Seriously Jeepster is a rock'in tune my friend. Thats cool you guys covered it.

shalvayez · May 13, 2009, 10:56:02 AM

Quote from: flyingmice;301723Says the T-Rex flying an F-16!

-clash

Gotta love Watterson.

flyingmice · May 13, 2009, 11:12:26 AM

Quote from: shalvayez;301862Gotta love Watterson.

Yeah - that day's comic you got the avatar from was a favorite, though I messed up and called it an F-16 instead of an F-14. Blame an old man's memory!

-clash

Added: Dang it! Now you've gone and changed it, and half this thread won't make any sense! :O

flyingmice · May 13, 2009, 11:21:12 AM

Quote from: Ronin;301858:eek: Wow you are really old!:p Seriously Jeepster is a rock'in tune my friend. Thats cool you guys covered it.

Yeah, we didn't do many covers. Jeepster, Behind Blue Eyes, Bowie's Fame, Blondie's Atomic... That was about it. Only songs no one else would cover.

-clash

golieth · May 13, 2009, 01:39:47 PM

I love putting ethical dilemmas in my games.

Recently in my Fringeworthy game, the players ran into some interdimensional pirates. As long as they immediately surrendered, the pirates only took valuables. The pirates even gave them a flag to display so that other pirates would leave them alone. Then the UN decided that paying these pirates was supporting terrorism, so they asked the team to kill them by leading the pirates to a trap. The characters didn't like being shaken down regularly, but they were uncomfortable with a death sentence for the crime of protection racketeering.

flyingmice · May 13, 2009, 02:28:33 PM

Quote from: golieth;301937I love putting ethical dilemmas in my games.

Recently in my Fringeworthy game, the players ran into some interdimensional pirates. As long as they immediately surrendered, the pirates only took valuables. The pirates even gave them a flag to display so that other pirates would leave them alone. Then the UN decided that paying these pirates was supporting terrorism, so they asked the team to kill them by leading the pirates to a trap. The characters didn't like being shaken down regularly, but they were uncomfortable with a death sentence for the crime of protection racketeering.

I love doing stuff like that too, but with two caveats:

A: The situation is organic to what's going on - when it occurs, the players should say "Oh, crap! I didn't think of that!" not "WTF?"

B: There is always a third way out. They are not forced to choose "Either" or "Or", they can choose "Neither." Your situation is an illustration of this. The UN asked them to lead the pirates into a trap. They didn't say "Lead them into a trap or else!."

-clash

The Shaman · May 13, 2009, 04:13:48 PM

Quote from: flyingmice;301669That is because those are themes juveniles love to explore, and most of that exploration is being done by juveniles of every age. Thus the end product is almost always juvenile, puerile, and boring if you have a brain located above your waist.

So Dumas was thinking with his dick when he wrote the Musketeers saga?

'cause I hate to tell you, in my swashbuckling game there will be mistresses, slaves, torture, and lots and lots of violence, all of which are representative of the period and the literary genre.

Or is it more about the presentation than the subject matter per se?

flyingmice · May 13, 2009, 04:28:42 PM

Quote from: The Shaman;301984So Dumas was thinking with his dick when he wrote the Musketeers saga?

'cause I hate to tell you, in my swashbuckling game there will be mistresses, slaves, torture, and lots and lots of violence, all of which are representative of the period and the literary genre.

Or is it more about the presentation than the subject matter per se?

In the Three Musketeers - I love it BTW - I am not told if Madame deWinter wore nipple rings, neither am I informed whether Aramis preferred it doggy style with a riding crop. The importance of sex - or torture - in the book is not measured by the number of sweaty phrases used, but by the characters and plots endlessly circling around it, like satellites about a planet. And that's a good thing!

-clash

GRIM · May 13, 2009, 05:52:52 PM

I think you're conflating adult/mature with intellectual/deep.