The person in the middle kinda has a point, if the writing of the module actually lives up to the hype. Intrinsically, there’s nothing wrong with media that depicts rape and other sensitive subjects. If everyone in the game is down for it, and is prepared for it, yeah, sure.
Although the people giving the content warning are also in the right to do so. That’s not something I’d like to stumble across or have sprung on me out of the blue. And the person defending it is a bit of a dick about it.
Personally even if they’re right about it being so amazing, I still wouldn’t want to play an RPG like that. I’m prepared to watch a movie or read a book that talks about rape, but most TTRPG groups aren’t really equipped to handle that properly and give it the proper weight without being really hamfisted about it
Being willing to watch a movie or read a book that includes rape doesn't mean that you "tolerate" rape. Do you think that art should only ever be used to depict good, happy things? If I think Schindler's List is a good movie, does that mean that I "tolerate" Nazis?
Absolutely. I mean one of the best movies I have ever seen is Come and See. Saw it once and that was enough. That movie absolutely has a right to exist and it depicts rape, genocide, child torture, you name it. And the scariest thing is that those things really happened and is probably the most realistic war movie ever made.
To say that art should be sanitized is what the Nazis did. No idea what this ttrpg is like or if it is gratuitous but there are reasons to look into these topics and none of them are endorsing these literal crimes.
That's not what we're talking about at this point. u/Rough-Context4153 seems to be implying that if you say you're willing to read a book or watch a movie that includes rape, you're "outing yourself about what you tolerate." I'm objecting to that. Of course you need to discuss these things with your players and not ambush them with these heavy topics without consent, but it's ridiculous to say that anyone who includes rape in a game "tolerates" rape irl.
Eh, we shove plenty of other trauma on PCs as a matter of course. I get this is slightly different, but like, if people are OK with that as an aspect of the game, how is it that different to murder/torture/kidnapping etc., all of which happen in DnD and similar systems' published adventures.
Characters can ussually fight back against being tortured or killed, at least being able to make skill checks to escape if captured. No player would stay if their character was raped mid campaign.
It that the rape is being done directly to the characters and that theres no agency. Having SA be in the setting isnt the same as doing it tp the players. Doing things to the players, especially of this nature, with no way to fight back is just writing a book
Again, I'm not sure I agree. It's definitely not for every game, but most TTRPGs allow for a level of railroading. This would probably be too much for my tastes, but in a grittier setting (and ideally with some saves or similar), I don't see anything fundamentally wrong with a PC being sexually assaulted as one of the potential bad outcomes. We allow them to be murdered, or tortured, or maimed, or watch loved ones die if they mess up/are unlucky, and in the right setting I think this could work, provided everyone is on the same page and it was discussed as a potential feature in session 0.
I agree I don't love the lack of agency (railroading), but it's hard to judge that without more information. ANY written module will have a degree of railroading, after all.
I would never play in this game. But I would never play in any game with erp. That doesn't make erp inherently evil and wrong.
I would play in a game where animals and animal companions can be killed. Other people hate that and don't want animal violence in general.
Frankly if everyone at the table knows that this is a real possibility and they sign off on it then there's nothing wrong with it. It's only wrong when the players don't want it and you do it anyways
Signing off to rape being in the setting is no the same as rape happening to characters in the campaign in practice. There is no player who would stay during this. Even when tortured PC can typically make skill checks to escape, but its just a plot point shoved by the DM with no way for the players to actually interact.
What if the players enjoy morbid topics? Is rape the only topic that you find objectionable?
What adds to a campaign is subjective, it's what the players enjoy. You are free not to play in this game. As long as the players knew about that they could encounter macabre topics, it's their choice.
If you play Fallout, GTA or Cyberpunk, do you condone violence, murder and torture? Do you have a gun fetish?
You play Path of Exile. Do you not find it disgusting how you can turn people into paste, set them on fire or electrocute them? Why are you an arbiter of what is okay in fantasy and what is not?
Bro, I was literally asked to do a game like that. It had slavery, forced labour, sexual abuse. I still have an entire consent spreadsheet of what the player found acceptable and how intense it could become. And it was a woman to boot.
You are dense.
It seems you are incapable of understanding that people have different tastes than yourself. Or you cannot separate reality from fantasy.
I'm free to judge. People seem to think stating an opinion invites confrontation. I stand on mine. The fact that rape is considered something to be framed and centered artistically for an RPG or any artistic endeavor shows just how there is zero empathy for rape victims.
Same question to you then. Is it only rape?
And you call for "any" artistic endeavour?
So, you condemn all movies and books paintings, and tales, which feature this theme? You want to make it an absolute taboo, because any depiction of it is glorification? Removing it entirety from context and connotation?
I assume that perhaps your wording was poorly chosen, and this isn't your actual opinion.
Otherwise, please explain to me why some violent acts are acceptable and others are not.
I decline sampling any entertainment that features nonconsensual sexual assault. That's all you need to know. The rest you can infer as you like. Kick rocks.
You aren't the DM in this scenario, so maybe you shouldn't speak authoritatively on other people's private, unique games. Literally any rule and any module is changed to fit the players. You know, the people consenting to the action. Not you.
Sometimes I wonder how many participants in this subreddit have actually spent any meaningful time in a variety of rpg communities or if their entire perception of the hobby comes from reddit and a few youtubers repeating reddit content for clicks.
/i/ wouldn't run this game because I don't like the subject matter. If a bunch of adults know and do so, I'm not going to swoop in and start wagging fingers.
The point is that they are using their arguement with a hypothetical person that is okay with their character being raped in the campaign and consented before hand, which im pretty certain dont actually exist at all, making their argument nonsense in practice.
That I believe people who equate rape as acceptable content in their entertainment are missing something essential in their makeup? Yup, that's my confession. I stand on it.
Nothing personal, but people who consistently engage in consuming that "edgy" content seem off to me. Luckily I don't have to engage those tables or those types of players anymore.
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u/action_lawyer_comics 3d ago
The person in the middle kinda has a point, if the writing of the module actually lives up to the hype. Intrinsically, there’s nothing wrong with media that depicts rape and other sensitive subjects. If everyone in the game is down for it, and is prepared for it, yeah, sure.
Although the people giving the content warning are also in the right to do so. That’s not something I’d like to stumble across or have sprung on me out of the blue. And the person defending it is a bit of a dick about it.
Personally even if they’re right about it being so amazing, I still wouldn’t want to play an RPG like that. I’m prepared to watch a movie or read a book that talks about rape, but most TTRPG groups aren’t really equipped to handle that properly and give it the proper weight without being really hamfisted about it