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Kiyona
2012-01-18, 07:52 AM
Hello all,

I am playing in a new group (I finally found one, yay!), we don't know eachother very well yet, but we have louds of fun playing. Everything's been great so far, but last session the DM threw me a ball I am not sure how to handle. (Ok, yes normally I would just talk to him, but as I said, we don't know eachother very well and I don't want to make it weird.)

I am playing a young healer (actually a binder nowadays) from a small village, she is brave, crazy stubborn and generally a nice person. Lately she's been forced to do and cope with some strange and awful stuff. So far nothing out of the ordinary. But, a few sessions ago she was, well raped is the best description. It was an odd situation sure, but still that's how both me and my character sees it. I could handle that, I don't usually play with such adult themes, but it was nicely handled and all "fade-to-blackish". Nothing actually roleplayed out, thank god, so we're all fine. (I would not have appreciated actually roleplaying any of that and would have been quite pissed if they didn't respect that.) It was a good plot point and made for an interesting villain anyways.

But, now to the thing I am unsure of. Last session it was hinted that my character might be pregnant...

First of all, it hit a bit too close to home for me to be all that comfortable with it, and both me and my character was quite shaken up about it. The DM couldnt possibly know that, but still. (I am a female player if that matters.) Secondly, how can I keep playing my character if she actually is with child? I am all for trusting the DM not to screw my character over, but still. How? Even if she looses the child somehow, how do I roleplay that? How do you react to something like that? And if she doesn't, can you really run around and adventure if you're pregnant? How should my character react, how do I roleplay it. I don't know really.

Thoughts? Ideas? Have any of you actually played through something like that?

kamikasei
2012-01-18, 08:54 AM
My reaction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J-y2rFfny8).

(Ok, yes normally I would just talk to him, but as I said, we don't know eachother very well and I don't want to make it weird.)
You don't know each other very well, so you don't want to make it weird by talking to him about the fact that he did this thing that's bothered you. Apparently, on his part, not knowing you well gave him no pause in first having your character raped, then (perhaps) impregnated. This is a bad, bad sign.

These are things that can be handled well and tastefully in a game. They are not things that should ever just be dropped in without any discussion in advance of boundaries or comfort level. If the DM didn't know you well, he had no way of knowing this wouldn't be extremely distressing, even triggering, for you. If he doesn't consider it important to take the initiative to discuss issues like this when appropriate, then you'll need to do so yourself ASAP if you want to have a healthy and non-toxic time playing with the group.

I would be creeped right the hell out if this happened to a female character of mine without a lot of prior discussion (and with my likely response of "hell no" being respected, for that matter), and I am not a female player, and play almost exclusively PbP. Pulling this on a female player new to an RL group is doubling down on the fail involved.

I would say your best option is to tell the DM you're not okay with this development and would like him to rethink at least the possible pregnancy plot, and to run any future bright ideas along these lines past you before bringing them up in game.

Belril Duskwalk
2012-01-18, 09:07 AM
First of all, exactly what kamikasei said. Nothing about this story inspires confidence in the DM. This could just be a (badly) bungled attempt at setting up a villain, but yeah I advise caution.

Second, if you are somehow convinced to play through this, and your character is in fact pregnant it's worth pointing out that just by being an adventurer your character is already violating what is 'realistic' in several ways (ex. You get hit with a fireball, fail your save, yet you're fine because you 'only' took 20 damage from being burned alive). Adventuring pregnant is a blip on the radar next to what a wizard does to the laws of nature, physics, etc. on a daily basis.

Saph
2012-01-18, 09:32 AM
First of all, it hit a bit too close to home for me to be all that comfortable with it, and both me and my character was quite shaken up about it. The DM couldnt possibly know that, but still. (I am a female player if that matters.) Secondly, how can I keep playing my character if she actually is with child? I am all for trusting the DM not to screw my character over, but still. How? Even if she looses the child somehow, how do I roleplay that? How do you react to something like that? And if she doesn't, can you really run around and adventure if you're pregnant? How should my character react, how do I roleplay it. I don't know really.

Thoughts? Ideas? Have any of you actually played through something like that?

Hmm. Tricky one.

Well, I've never had this exact development happen to me, but my reaction would be this:

First: Think about it for a bit and decide whether you're okay with having your character be pregnant. Some players I know would treat the whole thing as a source of drama/amusement, others would be very uncomfortable with the idea and wouldn't do it, others are somewhere in between. Then once you've made up your mind, go on to step two.

Second: Talk to the DM.

If you're not happy with having your character be pregnant, say so and ask the DM to confirm that your character isn't. If your DM's the reasonable type, he should agree to this. If he doesn't agree, you have the choice of retiring the character and starting another, or leaving the group.

If you are willing to give the plotline a try (at least to begin with), you should ask the DM some of the same questions that you're asking us - how is this going to work for your character, and isn't this going to make it very difficult to play her? If your DM's put any thought into this, he'll have some good answers for you. (If he doesn't have any good answers, this is a bad sign.)

I know you've said you don't want to talk to the DM due to not knowing him very well, but for these sort of things it's better to set boundaries early and risk being awkward than to not raise the subject. It's quite likely that he doesn't know how you feel about it, so the best way to let him know is to tell him.

Mastikator
2012-01-18, 09:47 AM
Ditto on everything kamikasei said.

As to what I would do if this were to happen to a character of mine? I'd retire the character, pregnancy or no. I'd also ask the DM not to pull this kind of stuff. I'd probably leave the group if my wishes were not respected.

Kiyona
2012-01-18, 11:35 AM
Kamikasei

So it is weird then? I thought so, I have only played with the same people before moving here, and we never did anything like that. But I thought maybe it is common place in other groups.

Saph

I don't really know if I am ok with or not, it is a bit strange mostly.
But maybe you all are right, I am gonna have to talk to him. Better a bit awkward now than way over the line later, right? =)

So far I can only think of retiring her, but maybe he has some great idea of how this will be managable. I'll just have to see, after talking to him I guess.

Saph
2012-01-18, 11:49 AM
I don't really know if I am ok with or not, it is a bit strange mostly.
But maybe you all are right, I am gonna have to talk to him. Better a bit awkward now than way over the line later, right? =)

Yep. :)

Thing to remember in these situations is that both you and the DM have veto power. You can't play in a game unless the DM is willing to run it, and the DM can't run a game for you unless you're willing to play in it. So the DM can never make you play a character in a way you're not happy with.

It's definitely not commonplace, and it's a bit of a weird thing to do in a gaming group - I know a lot of players who'd run a mile from any DM who did something like this. On the other hand I've known some girls who've played in these sort of campaigns and loved them. It's a preference thing.

Killer Angel
2012-01-18, 11:52 AM
Yeah, this is a kind of thing a DM should never force upon a player.
There must be a clear agreement, before putting it in play.

kamikasei
2012-01-18, 12:16 PM
So it is weird then? I thought so, I have only played with the same people before moving here, and we never did anything like that. But I thought maybe it is common place in other groups.
I don't know how unusual it is, in terms of how many groups would do it. I suspect the number is higher than I would like to think. What I would say is that it's a big red warning sign that there are likely to be problems with the group. Given that a very problematic element was introduced into the game without warning or discussion and "used against" a PC in a way that smacks of DM fiat and denial of agency, there already are problems, but I very much doubt that they're likely to go away and no new or similar ones crop up if this incident is let pass without comment.

There are a few issues of differing seriousness involved here, as I see it. One is that a topic as potentially explosive as rape and resulting pregnancy was brought in to the game without any checking whether it would be a problem for those present. That's just not okay in general - maybe if the group all knew one another and what they were comfortable with quite well, but in this case the DM could have had no idea whether any of his players might have been outright triggered by the development, never mind just finding it distasteful and something they don't want to bring in to their happyfun pretendytimes.

Another, less serious issue is that the DM did something major to your character, something that has a considerable effect on how you can play her, something quite outside the parameters of what you could reasonably have expected to deal with, without any consultation. Just looking at the roleplaying etiquette side of it, it's like he sprang an evil twin or villainous long-lost parent on you, or more invasively like he declared that you were actually a different character all along whose memory had been altered, or simply declared that a rogue crept in to the camp while you were all sleeping and cut off your arms with a cursed dagger that keeps them from being regenerated. Some groups and playstyles may accept that sort of thing, putting characters essentially at the DM's mercy for whatever grinder he may see fit to put them through, but that again is not something that should be assumed without discussion.

The other issue then is that this sort of thing strongly suggests to me either an attempt to haze the new girl, or a myopic notion that a female character must be involved in gendered plots, either of which either ought to be nipped in the bud or taken as signs the group is not worth your time. This is mostly speculative, though, it's simply the assocation I have with stories like this - it may be that in this case everyone involved is just lovely and suffering from only very specific, contained fail, and I hope that's so - but I would be straining the benefit of the doubt very close to breaking point to extend it that far.

Beowulf DW
2012-01-18, 02:18 PM
I'm a guy, first of all, and I make a point of not playing female characters (I'm not a woman, so I don't feel qualified to roleplay one), but if this had happened to one of my characters, or more likely, to a character of another player, I would immediately call a time out to make sure that everyone could deal with such a development. I'd make sure that the DM had cleared this with whichever player this was directed towards. If none of these conditions were met, I'd let the DM know my disapproval in no uncertain terms.

I've never been a DM, but it seems that I might have the opportunity, soon, and I must say that I would never have a villain do this to a player. I'd either make my villain like Thulsa Doom, "Beyond lust and beauty," as the director said, or I'd make it so that rape was one of the lines the villain was unwilling to cross (though I might create a scenario where a villain tries to wine-and-dine with a female PC-It would show that he's a classy guy with an eye for the ladies). Either one can make for a good villain, I think.

kyoryu
2012-01-18, 02:43 PM
Let me get this straight.

A DM had the character of a new player raped.

Let's put this another way.

A relatively new social acquaintance decided to engage in a deep discussion with a woman he recently met about rape.

Seriously?

Your DM has issues. Talk to him, and request that he use a little common sense. If he'll cross this line, I can't have a lot of hope for what other lines he'd cross.

I'm not saying that rape can't be part of a game. I *am* saying that it's a subject that should really only be dealt with by people that know each other well, and know each other's boundaries, and/or have had this discussed first. Failing to even think about this shows that the DM in question has, well, questionable decision-making abilities and a poor understanding of social skills.

askandarion
2012-01-18, 02:51 PM
Whenever a DM does that sort of rape/pregnancy thing, it always seems like it's a misogynistic maladjusted man-child who's just looking for a jolly by messing with the rare woman he encounters as much as he can before she runs away screaming. Even if it's fade-to-black.
: That actually seemed to be one of his usual tactics to find a girl who's character he could do horrible things to, from what I heard after I quit- if she put up with something like that, then he could do worse things to her character, in what I do believe were his fantasies. Nothing to the player herself, but apparently his imagination was stunted enough to where he couldn't enjoy it without an actual living person to project it onto.

*whew*

Now that I got that out of the way, yeah, that's not normal. I saw it happen once before, done by that guy I mentioned above. I've heard the horror stories, and I think I've heard of two instances where the player in question was excited for the storytelling and roleplaying opportunity. I would not view his actions as considerate and respectful, from what I've read. It may be he's got a great story in mind that will turn out awesome- but it sounds like he wants gritty GRRM play, and that he wants control of the story in excess of usual DMing. And I'm always leery of people like that, too many bad experiences.

Definitely speak to him, get a better sense of the situation and his DMing style. He's already made things weird, might as well finish pulling the tooth to figure out if he's going to run a type of game you want to play. You said "Lately she's been forced to do and cope with some strange and awful stuff." To me that's also a caution sign, but I don't have the details to know if that's just player stuff or if the DM is running the game in such a way.

HeadlessMermaid
2012-01-18, 05:03 PM
What Saph said, word for word: decide what your boundaries are, and let the DM know before he crosses them. Assuming he hasn't already. If he has, a polite but firm "please retcon or goodbye" is entirely appropriate.

Now, as a female player, who plays almost exclusively female characters, and who has been a bit too close - in RL - to both situations you mention, I have to offer some more personal insight on the subject. Spoilered for length. (Warning: Wall Of Text ahoy.)


1) It is not at all impossible to tackle such themes and end up with a genuinely rewarding roleplaying experience. A DM who introduces them isn't by definition a prick. But he may be. And even if he isn't, it's tricky to handle them gracefully. It's not something anyone can do.

In your case, I believe that if the DM was a prick, you would know already. So he probably isn't. However, the jury is still out on whether he CAN do it properly: without freaking you out and without disrupting the game. In that order, obviously.

So I suggest you think and decide what makes YOU uncomfortable and where YOU draw the line (because in the end, these matters are subjective), and inform him. If he's a decent person, he will respect that even if it conflicts with the plot he has in mind.


2) Handling such matters requires maturity from everyone involved. The DM and ALL the players. If one of them finds the subject funny, or if he doesn't but he's so socially inept/thoughtless that he cracks jokes about it (out of nervousness or to "reduce the tension", he doesn't have to be a bad person), then we have a problem. Then the game had better stop right there, because it has just defeated its own purpose. People are now getting hurt, and not productively hurt either (catharsis is not gonna happen any time soon).

In a group that's been together for a while, you'd normally know if your DM and fellow-players can be trusted to be mature about it. But in a new group, how can you know? Personally, I'd never risk such a thing in a tabletop game. (I have in PbP, and it went fine. But it's completely different to see something stupid written on a computer screen and to hear something stupid said in your face.)

That said, you have played a few sessions, the worst of it has happened already, and you can evaluate everyone's behavior and reactions. Again, I believe that if the players were pricks, you would know already. But maybe something bothered you without being completely over the top. If that happened, don't let it slide. Let the DM know (politely but firmly) that comment X made you feel uncomfortable, and ask him to privately talk to the player who made it. Don't let it happen again, you have every right to ensure this.


3) Depending on the situation, roleplaying such themes can be anything from emotionally devastating to actually therapeutic, or anything in between. The important thing to remember is that it's YOUR choice. If you don't want to handle it, don't be embarrassed. It's not a bad thing, it doesn't make you less of a roleplayer, you have every right to refuse. Just let the DM know. It was presumptuous of him to start this without consulting you first.

On the other hand, if you do want to try it, you may be surprised. There are a lot of conditions that need to be met (the DM must be delicate, the players must be mature, you must be ready, and a long established trust among everyone involved - which is now lacking - wouldn't hurt), but if it works... it does work. It can externalize things that were previously inaccessible, that you hadn't consciously processed, that used to simmer underneath. And the fact that you are roleplaying another character makes it so much easier, even if you identify yourself with that character.

I don't want to make it sound too good. I do have such a rewarding experience myself, but the conditions were perfect: good, trusted friends all around the table (even though none of them know RL details), and a lengthy discussion with the DM prior to introducing the theme. It wasn't an almost stranger dropping a bomb at my face out of the blue...


4) Since the matter at hand is the pregnancy, the above may or may not apply, depending on the situation. I don't want to ask what's the deal of course, and I don't want to explain how it may and how it may not apply. But you can certainly pm if you like, and then I'll happily explain how I see it.


5) On the practical concerns of roleplaying a pregnant adventurer. It can be handled in many ways, and it mostly depends on the setting and the game's style. If the traditional downtime between adventures/missions is in effect, it's no big deal at all. During downtime some people research spells, some train and hone their combat skills, some rob banks, and some make babies. There, practical problem solved, and rp implications are now an advantage rather than a headache. (Though I should warn you: some DMs have the tendency to kidnap loved ones and use them for bait/blackmail/moral dilemmas, and nothing spells "loved one" like a newborn left in the care of Aunt Claire while mommy saves the world.)

If downtime isn't feasible when the time comes, things get trickier but not impossible. If a party can watch over the spellcasters while they rest and prepare spells, they can damn well watch over a woman during labor. (A cleric would be useful, and as a healer you would know what you're doing and how the others can help). Either way, finding the equivalent of Aunt Claire as soon as possible is kind of obligatory. Pregnant adventurer? Sure! Adventurer in labor? Why not! Adventurer with a newborn to take care of? Not really happening...


6) There are no official rules for pregnancy and labor and all that, and it's not unreasonable for a DM to come up with some. I suggest you ask him, and not wait to find out during the session. That way you'll know if you're comfortable or not with them, and won't need to resort to a veto during play (which you have every right, but I'm guessing you'd rather avoid). Again, if he's a decent person, he'll just accept your limits. If you know exactly what you want and what you don't want, you can even suggest rules to him.


7) Third time's the charm: Don't do anything you don't want to do, don't roll with anything that doesn't sit well with you. It's your decision, not the DM's.
...Ummm, okay, that was exceedingly verbose. I hope it was also helpful. :smallsmile:

horseboy
2012-01-18, 06:02 PM
Second: Talk to the DM.
I'd make this step 1. Also when talking try using "open language", since you yourself aren't sure where this is going. For example: "What purpose to the story does the child have?" It's entirely possible he's setting it up as a McGuffin the villain needs to complete his plan for "ULTIMATE POWAH!" or as the key to his defeat. Look and see if he's got a lot of Robotech DVD's laying around.
Remember, gamers aren't known for their social skills. It might not even have dawn on him that it's a problem for you. IF, however, he's basically just doing it to vicariously get back at an ex-girlfriend or something, get the Hell out, now.

JadedDM
2012-01-18, 06:25 PM
Hmm, yeah. I've been DMing for almost 15 years, and...I'd never spring something like that on a new player I don't know well. I mean, right off the bat, what if it turned out you were the victim of sexual assault or rape yourself? Wow, that'd be a game-killing level of awkwardness...

Anyway, I'd recommend talking to him about this, like the others said. Explain to him how uncomfortable this has made you. Let us know how he responds to, please. I'd be very interested in whether he is being deliberately malicious or just wasn't thinking.

If you do decide to go with this and roleplay it out, I guess it depends on how the DM plans to run it. The only rules on pregnancy are found in an unofficial splatbook, and they basically are set up to make a female character all but useless during an adventure (which isn't unrealistic; once you get to a certain stage of the pregnancy, you really shouldn't be delving into dungeons after all).

Best case scenario, once you get far enough along, the DM rules that nothing happens for several months and the whole thing is skipped over. Otherwise...you'll probably have to sit out more than a few adventures, and that won't be fun...

Kiyona
2012-01-18, 06:33 PM
Wow, thank you all so much for taking time and "talk" to me. (And especially you headlessmermaid, that was some useful wall of text going on there. :smallsmile: )This really helps me get my head around it. As I said, I have only played with the same group of people before, and the issue hasn't really come up.

First of all, I don't think the DM is such a creep as he may seem to you. I think it rather is an attempt at a grittier and game of thrones inspired campaign. Wich I appreciate, everything up until now has been dark but very entertainig to play. I think he has no clue that this would make me more uncomfortable than the other stuff that normally goes on in said dark and gritty games. He seems like a nice guy, honestly.

I am gonna talk to him before next session, I want to know what he has planned for the pregnancy, and tell him that it makes me a bit uncomfortable and that if he wants to do something like that again I want him to talk to me about it before hand. Sure, it would break the illusion so to speak, but still. It would make such things easier to handle for me.

JadedDM

Yes, exactly. I thought about that too. I'm not a victim (thank god), but I have friends that are, and I can't imagine how awful it would be for them to have something like that sprung on them. Now, the rape part wasn't violent or anything. It was a " do this with me and I'll save you and your friends from certain death" thing. But in my opinion it is still a kind of rape.

The pregnancy thing hits close to home on the other hand, since it wasn't that long since I had a bit of a pregnancy scare and was freaking out about it. (It turned out ok, but it was scary enough for me.) So that part actually made me more uncomfortable. Also, as I said in the first post, I can't really see how it will be possible for me to actually roleplay it. But maybe it will, that's why I have to talk to him about it.

Kiyona
2012-01-19, 11:03 AM
UPDATE

Hello everyone!

I have talked to my DM and everything is fine. We had a good talk and decided that I should think about it for a few days and then let him know how I want to do it. He is perfectly fine with just ignoreing the whole thing if that is what I want to do. Just as long as I am comfortable with it all.

Now that I know that I can stop it at any time (and that it is ok to tell him if stuff gets too uncomfortable for me) and that he is not planning on making it the centre of the plot anywho, I am thinking that I want to at least try it. It can be very interesting if it is done well I think. My character probably wants to be rid of the thing, and being a healer she probably knows a few herbs that will do the trick. If it works is a whole other question (the father is not human, but a dragon), and we talked about how that would be handled. We would probably just time skip the pregnancy and birth. But it is completly up to me. If I don't want her to be preggers, she wont be, and if I definatly want the anti baby herbs to work, they will. I will just have to think about it for a while and decide what I am ok with.

I want to thank you all for taking your time to talk to me and support me. It helped a lot. And thanks to everyone who pushed me to talk to my DM. It feels much better now. =)

Freshly baked internet cookies for all! :smallsmile:

Saph
2012-01-19, 01:11 PM
Great! Glad it worked out!

I'd love to know how the plotline turns out. If you feel like it, tell us the story after it wraps up. :smallsmile:

kyoryu
2012-01-19, 02:34 PM
It was a " do this with me and I'll save you and your friends from certain death" thing. But in my opinion it is still a kind of rape.

That's still a warning bell to me. Do similar things happen to the male characters in the game?

Kiyona
2012-01-19, 02:46 PM
Saph

I'll try and remember to do that. We played only once a month so it will probably take a while for the story to turn out.

kyoryu

Well, we haven't played that many sessions yet, but the only other players character got charmed by a dryad and dragged into a tree. We don't know what really happened since he claims not to remember, but we joked about wether or not there was gonna be small trees looking like the character later on. Since the character is male the risk of him getting pregnant is very slim.

kamikasei
2012-01-19, 06:11 PM
That's good to hear, Kiyona. If the group is mature enough to handle this sort of thing, and it doesn't cross any lines for you, then that's a lucky find. I just hope the DM learns from this to run things past the players first in future.

Now, the rape part wasn't violent or anything. It was a " do this with me and I'll save you and your friends from certain death" thing. But in my opinion it is still a kind of rape.
I most definitely agree, and would find it a very large further warning sign if someone presenting such a situation tried to pass it off otherwise. It's a relief to hear that wasn't the case here.

Beowulf DW
2012-01-21, 12:17 AM
It really does warm my heart to see (or read about) people talking things over and treating each other with respect. Sounds like a reasonable DM who went over the line without meaning to. We all do that every once in a while, I think.

Averis Vol
2012-01-23, 03:00 AM
i know its a bit late in the discussion but i've actually had a situation like this happen. me, and three friends joined a group, there was me a fighter, my sister (in game and out) the rogue, a ranger and a wizard. we were in a town that was heavily populated with, well convicts really =/, and through a series of bad events (creeper stalked my sister home) she got raped. (man i hate that word>.< ) so she found me the next day and we went to the local church of pelor and talked to a priest, he said due to this being a small town he had the ability to divine if she conception happened but not deal with it. so i pay for the spell, (she spent half her money gloves of storing and the rest the dude stole) and it turns out she did get impregnated. so we spend some time freaking out, and the priest tells us that in Benavae, the town over, there was a priest with spells specifically for this, so we tell the wizard and ranger who spent the night getting wasted off their asses and grudgingly get them ready to leave.

now we know our DM and know his system for pregnancy, as our group tends to play very real world and we end up with families and such in the tories and he rolled his D% and it cam up 97 which was within the 20% chance for conception.

so we went on our quest and would have had it taken care of were it not that we were ambushed and in an attempt to protect my sister from a boar riding bugbear lancer i dived in the way of the blow. he crit. it did enough damage (96 i think?) to punch through my chainmail, shatter my ribs, exit the other side and stab her in the stomach. so it ended with me dead and my sister no longer pregnant. the story went on from there and if i remember correctly she actually went back and found the dude, bloody scene there (this was a one life and out campaign)

well this was a lot of me rambling but i hope it helps find a solution about how to deal with pregnancy, and im pretty sure theres a legitimately manufactured spell out there for it somewhere.

Arraxis
2012-01-23, 03:41 AM
I'm glad that it worked out alright - I know I wouldn't want something like that to happen to my character without having talked about it OoC beforehand. Even then, it'd be something I'd have to think about for a while before coming to a decision. Like you, I know a few people who have been victims of rape, and I personally believe that it is one of the most horrible things a person can do to another. Everyone here offered lots of really good advice, and I hope that whatever you end up deciding on you continue to have fun with your new group.

Pisha
2012-01-23, 07:19 PM
I'm glad it worked out!

One thing to think about - if you decide you do want your character to be pregnant (which isn't necessarily a terrible idea, introducing pregnancy and later a child into a game has been done well and interestingly in the past), talk to your GM about your concerns about adventuring. Maybe he can work out some sort of magic item to make it safer - after all, you still want to be able to play the game and have fun, so hopefully he'll be willing to work with you to figure out a reason why your character isn't taking a 9-month vacation!

Pisha
2012-01-23, 07:24 PM
[eep, double post!]

horseboy
2012-01-24, 06:19 AM
One thing to think about - if you decide you do want your character to be pregnant (which isn't necessarily a terrible idea, introducing pregnancy and later a child into a game has been done well and interestingly in the past), talk to your GM about your concerns about adventuring. Maybe he can work out some sort of magic item to make it safer - after all, you still want to be able to play the game and have fun, so hopefully he'll be willing to work with you to figure out a reason why your character isn't taking a 9-month vacation!

Or they could do sort of a "Diary of Anne Frank" style run. Where she's got to constantly hide from the BBEG's minions and cash in all the favors that heroes tend to rack up from grateful villagers. Lots of deep roleplay, not a whole lot of dice rolling. That way you don't have to worry about the negatives.

pasko77
2012-01-24, 09:12 AM
Since the character is male the risk of him getting pregnant is very slim.

Ah, I love fantasy :)
Notice the choice of words: "very slim", not "non existent".

LOL

tribble
2012-01-24, 09:18 AM
Ah, I love fantasy :)
Notice the choice of words: "very slim", not "non existent".

LOL

Mpreg is an unpopular and completely unsubtle fetish and you should feel bad about inflicting it on your players.

STsinderman
2012-01-24, 08:35 PM
Mpreg is an unpopular and completely unsubtle fetish and you should feel bad about inflicting it on your players.

As it is a fantasy settle with a huge variety of species how do we not know that some may have the male be the carrier of the foetus? It could really unlock some very interesting role play.

Perhaps, unless it hits too close to home as a result of personal experience, such themes not only could but should be implemented in campaigns. Which would help take away from the bright cheery 2D realm that most dnd campaigns seem to reside in.

tribble
2012-01-24, 11:41 PM
As it is a fantasy settle with a huge variety of species how do we not know that some may have the male be the carrier of the foetus? It could really unlock some very interesting role play.

Perhaps, unless it hits too close to home as a result of personal experience, such themes not only could but should be implemented in campaigns. Which would help take away from the bright cheery 2D realm that most dnd campaigns seem to reside in.

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/1/10353/1718595-draft_lens2340404module13090600photo_1229580732buz z_lightyear_3_super.jpg
You're mocking me, arent you?


Well, I'll refute you anyway. I'm not against this because of some personal experience or some trauma like what people generally use as the answer to why rape should not be in games and especially not to player characters, but because it trips my fetish radar. Maybe I'm just perverted and seeing things that aren't intended by the guy who suggested it, but I would advocate keeping all fetishes out of tabletop games with the obvious exception of ero rp, and in ero rp I'd suggest discussing it with the players as a group, and especially the player in question, because otherwise you may make your players uncomfortable and completely destroy that delicate emotional balance needed to RP.

pasko77
2012-01-25, 06:45 AM
Maybe I'm just perverted and seeing things that aren't intended by the guy who suggested it

:smallannoyed:
Yes, it is just you.
I just pointed out the use of words of the OP, and the fact that it is defined "not probable" instead of flat out impossible.

tribble
2012-01-25, 06:44 PM
:smallannoyed:
Yes, it is just you.
I just pointed out the use of words of the OP, and the fact that it is defined "not probable" instead of flat out impossible.

I apologise then.

(I still think dropping a mister seahorse on a guy falls into "dude why" territory. Can I just die offscreen when I fail the stealth check to avoid the chestbursters and not roleplay out the actual chestbursting?)