Gamers! I’m working on a new blog post and have some tough questions for you.

Gamers! I’m working on a new blog post and have some tough questions for you.

Gamers! I’m working on a new blog post and have some tough questions for you.

What are your thoughts on rape in rpgs? Is there a way to navigate it safely, to include it as story if someone (not just gross gamers) want to include it as something to deal with, and how should it look if it’s included?

42 thoughts on “Gamers! I’m working on a new blog post and have some tough questions for you.”

  1. I would recommend everyone at the table having conversation about tone, and defining when they will use lines and veils to deal with that sort of content. Sexual violence is normally a hard nope for me in any game. One way to use the theme would be to put the act of rape in the backstory of a character and then examine through play the characters path forward. It’s a deeply emotional subject so I would definitely want to be checking in with everyone involved at the table to ensure that it is handled appropriately. Good luck with the article.

  2. I would recommend everyone at the table having conversation about tone, and defining when they will use lines and veils to deal with that sort of content. Sexual violence is normally a hard nope for me in any game. One way to use the theme would be to put the act of rape in the backstory of a character and then examine through play the characters path forward. It’s a deeply emotional subject so I would definitely want to be checking in with everyone involved at the table to ensure that it is handled appropriately. Good luck with the article.

  5. Sexual violence is something I usually keep off the table, but that’s mostly because I play adventure-y games or mystery games, and those don’t seem like the right venue to explore the topic. In games like, say, Monsterhearts, I’ll usually allow the threat of sexual violence to be on the table, and even then only kind of implied. With that said, I can’t think of a single session from the last 3 or 4 years where it’s come up, but I let players know what my personal boundaries are.

    To me, the more interesting thing is the aftermath, because I think that’s where the more powerful story is. I love that LARP by Stephen Dewey, the one where you are the android who is trying to convince the authorities that someone fiddled with your computer brain, and no one will believe you. That feels really relevant, and if I was going to explore rape in a game, I think that’s the angle I would go with. How does the community respond? How do the authorities respond? How does the victim’s life change? That sort of thing.

  6. Sexual violence is something I usually keep off the table, but that’s mostly because I play adventure-y games or mystery games, and those don’t seem like the right venue to explore the topic. In games like, say, Monsterhearts, I’ll usually allow the threat of sexual violence to be on the table, and even then only kind of implied. With that said, I can’t think of a single session from the last 3 or 4 years where it’s come up, but I let players know what my personal boundaries are.

    To me, the more interesting thing is the aftermath, because I think that’s where the more powerful story is. I love that LARP by Stephen Dewey, the one where you are the android who is trying to convince the authorities that someone fiddled with your computer brain, and no one will believe you. That feels really relevant, and if I was going to explore rape in a game, I think that’s the angle I would go with. How does the community respond? How do the authorities respond? How does the victim’s life change? That sort of thing.

  9. My thought it that there usually has to be a REALLY important reason for something like that to be included as an ongoing story element (like Jessica Jones). If I was seriously going to include rape in any game I ran or played in (or someone else wanted to include it) then I would almost demand that we sit down and read up on what sorts of psychological manifestations are common in people who are rape survivors and use that as a springboard. If that sounds like too much work then I would probably recommend that folks choose something else.

    I have used rape as an illustration of just how inhuman a villain of mine was (he literally a reptile with absolutely no empathy for humans). We saw results (women impregnated with reptilian babies that usually killed them). I left the rest unspoken. It was pretty awful.

  10. My thought it that there usually has to be a REALLY important reason for something like that to be included as an ongoing story element (like Jessica Jones). If I was seriously going to include rape in any game I ran or played in (or someone else wanted to include it) then I would almost demand that we sit down and read up on what sorts of psychological manifestations are common in people who are rape survivors and use that as a springboard. If that sounds like too much work then I would probably recommend that folks choose something else.

    I have used rape as an illustration of just how inhuman a villain of mine was (he literally a reptile with absolutely no empathy for humans). We saw results (women impregnated with reptilian babies that usually killed them). I left the rest unspoken. It was pretty awful.

  11. It can be done. But it needs a content warning and usually some conversation about tone. Lines and veils for example.

    I do not linke if it is thrown in just as a signifier for “grim darkness”. Similar to other media I do not think it should be a casual thing in the narrative or a lazy out or something that just happens in the setting without much consequence.

  12. It can be done. But it needs a content warning and usually some conversation about tone. Lines and veils for example.

    I do not linke if it is thrown in just as a signifier for “grim darkness”. Similar to other media I do not think it should be a casual thing in the narrative or a lazy out or something that just happens in the setting without much consequence.

  13. Most of the time I saw rape in games it was pretty lazy and not inspiring, it didn’t add anything into the game. I could see it as adding so my policy right now is “no rape unless you have a very good reason” – and it seems we had better options to show that someone is awful or powerful.

    I think also that instead of rape showing that a person has means for rape (or for owning people) if she wants, makes a point, makes them scary. I think that showing that a person touches others without permission (in a sexual or not sexual way) shows the same as rape per se, but will be easier to proceed in the game – and is pretty scary too.

  14. Most of the time I saw rape in games it was pretty lazy and not inspiring, it didn’t add anything into the game. I could see it as adding so my policy right now is “no rape unless you have a very good reason” – and it seems we had better options to show that someone is awful or powerful.

    I think also that instead of rape showing that a person has means for rape (or for owning people) if she wants, makes a point, makes them scary. I think that showing that a person touches others without permission (in a sexual or not sexual way) shows the same as rape per se, but will be easier to proceed in the game – and is pretty scary too.

  15. Echoing these folk, I’m largely against it because every time I’ve seen it, it’s been lazy and/or gross.

    Even if it’s being approached with sensitivity and caution, there’s literally no reason to ever have it happen on-screen. I feel very strongly that it should never happen on camera.

  16. Echoing these folk, I’m largely against it because every time I’ve seen it, it’s been lazy and/or gross.

    Even if it’s being approached with sensitivity and caution, there’s literally no reason to ever have it happen on-screen. I feel very strongly that it should never happen on camera.

  19. In my play experience, either with a PC or as GM, it has always been introduced as something that has already happened, e.g. a serial killer/rapist. So it’s dealt as part of an investigation, autopsy of a raped murder victim or interviewing a victim, that sort of thing. Never had a PC or NPC commit it “in your face” as part of a scene. As a GM I wouldn’t do it, I don’t think I’d be comfortable with that.

  20. In my play experience, either with a PC or as GM, it has always been introduced as something that has already happened, e.g. a serial killer/rapist. So it’s dealt as part of an investigation, autopsy of a raped murder victim or interviewing a victim, that sort of thing. Never had a PC or NPC commit it “in your face” as part of a scene. As a GM I wouldn’t do it, I don’t think I’d be comfortable with that.

  21. It’s only come up once in game, a game of Leverage where we were trying to prove that a powerful businessman had raped an employee. The game was fine but the description of the rape itself (witnessed via video evidence) was badly done. I don’t know that it could have been well done.

  22. It’s only come up once in game, a game of Leverage where we were trying to prove that a powerful businessman had raped an employee. The game was fine but the description of the rape itself (witnessed via video evidence) was badly done. I don’t know that it could have been well done.

  25. It seems like a difficult subject for a rpg, I think the best approach would be to build a game around the subject from the ground up rather than shoehorning into a fantasy or genre rpg where it would make little sense and feel exploititive or creepy.

  26. It seems like a difficult subject for a rpg, I think the best approach would be to build a game around the subject from the ground up rather than shoehorning into a fantasy or genre rpg where it would make little sense and feel exploititive or creepy.

  27. I think, more than anything, the person who wants to include a rape should examine why they want it in the story, even if it’s just character background and not a plot event. Just like in writing fiction, there is more than one way to skin the proverbial a cat. I think it sometimes seems like a great way to make a villain really villainous, or a victim really victimized, or a terrible situation really tragic, or the demonweb pits extra hellish – but there are other ways to accomplish any of those things, so why does it have to be rape? I’d rather avoid it.

    That being said, it better have some spotlight if it’s in there, so the person who wants it in the story should make sure they want to give it screen time (not literally, but the impact of it) and that everybody at the table doesn’t mind not just its presence but spending some time exploring whatever the rape’s implications and consequences are (“I would steer past, but I don’t mind it being there if you want to make it a theme or topic of focus,” etc.).

  28. I think, more than anything, the person who wants to include a rape should examine why they want it in the story, even if it’s just character background and not a plot event. Just like in writing fiction, there is more than one way to skin the proverbial a cat. I think it sometimes seems like a great way to make a villain really villainous, or a victim really victimized, or a terrible situation really tragic, or the demonweb pits extra hellish – but there are other ways to accomplish any of those things, so why does it have to be rape? I’d rather avoid it.

    That being said, it better have some spotlight if it’s in there, so the person who wants it in the story should make sure they want to give it screen time (not literally, but the impact of it) and that everybody at the table doesn’t mind not just its presence but spending some time exploring whatever the rape’s implications and consequences are (“I would steer past, but I don’t mind it being there if you want to make it a theme or topic of focus,” etc.).

  29. I had the theme pop up in a session of pathfinder back in the day. We were playing a survival horror game where the party had entered a valley that had mysteriously fallen under a blanket of fog, creating perpetual night. They quickly discovered that the valley was filled with undead and they had to hide or join the ranks. They entered a seemingly abandoned tavern, only to find a former guard who had been hiding there for a week.

    They proceeded to question him until someone rolled a good perception check, which let them hear a faint sobbing sound upstairs. They went to investigate, regardless of the guard’s insisting that no one else was there. They found a girl tied to a bed in one of the rooms and they were quickly assaulted by the guard, only to give him an undeserving swift death.

    The girl never spoke to them the short time they knew her. She ran off into a field shortly before it caught fire. That was a pretty great campaign since we hadn’t done anything like it before, but even though I had that story in it, I kept it tame because, well, you just don’t portray that kind of thing in a game made to have fun. You can allude to it, but that’s as far as I would go.

  30. I had the theme pop up in a session of pathfinder back in the day. We were playing a survival horror game where the party had entered a valley that had mysteriously fallen under a blanket of fog, creating perpetual night. They quickly discovered that the valley was filled with undead and they had to hide or join the ranks. They entered a seemingly abandoned tavern, only to find a former guard who had been hiding there for a week.

    They proceeded to question him until someone rolled a good perception check, which let them hear a faint sobbing sound upstairs. They went to investigate, regardless of the guard’s insisting that no one else was there. They found a girl tied to a bed in one of the rooms and they were quickly assaulted by the guard, only to give him an undeserving swift death.

    The girl never spoke to them the short time they knew her. She ran off into a field shortly before it caught fire. That was a pretty great campaign since we hadn’t done anything like it before, but even though I had that story in it, I kept it tame because, well, you just don’t portray that kind of thing in a game made to have fun. You can allude to it, but that’s as far as I would go.

  31. A serious threat of rape is already more than enough sexual violence to work through at the table. I very much doubt that anything more could make for a good session.

  32. A serious threat of rape is already more than enough sexual violence to work through at the table. I very much doubt that anything more could make for a good session.

  33. I’ve never had rape as a situation at my table. It isn’t likely to be something that occurs at my table. We mostly play games that focus on fantasy.

    I have no idea how we’d handle that topic. We aren’t inclined to that material in general. But we’re aware of the X card. I’d imagine we’d discuss it before it happened at the table. I hope that helps. 🙂

  34. I’ve never had rape as a situation at my table. It isn’t likely to be something that occurs at my table. We mostly play games that focus on fantasy.

    I have no idea how we’d handle that topic. We aren’t inclined to that material in general. But we’re aware of the X card. I’d imagine we’d discuss it before it happened at the table. I hope that helps. 🙂

  37. I think sexual violence is a topic worth exploring, and something many of my favorite works have explored (2666 and True Detective come to mind). But I think it’s very, very, very difficult material, and something that generally isn’t suited for any kind of improvisational context. It’s one thing to work it into a story that’s been worked on for months/years by a writer or team of writers; another to introduce it in an improv RP situation.

    I wouldn’t put rape on the table in any game. I would be very hesitant to put sexual violence at all on the table, and having the right set of people and a system that seriously examines it (such as Bluebeard’s Bride) would both be key prereqs. But yeah, this is a supremely difficult topic to explore, even for extremely talented writers in a controlled setting. Not something I’m comfortable with in improv RP.

  38. I think sexual violence is a topic worth exploring, and something many of my favorite works have explored (2666 and True Detective come to mind). But I think it’s very, very, very difficult material, and something that generally isn’t suited for any kind of improvisational context. It’s one thing to work it into a story that’s been worked on for months/years by a writer or team of writers; another to introduce it in an improv RP situation.

    I wouldn’t put rape on the table in any game. I would be very hesitant to put sexual violence at all on the table, and having the right set of people and a system that seriously examines it (such as Bluebeard’s Bride) would both be key prereqs. But yeah, this is a supremely difficult topic to explore, even for extremely talented writers in a controlled setting. Not something I’m comfortable with in improv RP.

  39. I generally agree with Michael, but I think that there is a difference between rape (or child abuse, or whatever) as part of background story that is dealt with indirectly (say, as part of an investigation) or something more “in your face”. These are very different circumstances, and the first one is far less problematic.

  40. I generally agree with Michael, but I think that there is a difference between rape (or child abuse, or whatever) as part of background story that is dealt with indirectly (say, as part of an investigation) or something more “in your face”. These are very different circumstances, and the first one is far less problematic.

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