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Posting this will be pointless if I get no answers within 18 hours.
I've had almost no exposure to Golarion material before. I just ordered my first AP module, Burnt Offerings, from amazon.com. To my surprise, it came in only 3 days. (Not bad for free shipping!) This would be a great opportunity to read it over the weekend, but...
If I read it around the house, my kids may see it, and that full-color art may get them curious about it. They may ask me to read it to them. And I've heard that some of Paizo's modules have some mature content in them.
I don't censor violence from my children (much to my family's chagrin,) but I strictly censor sex. I thought I heard about something objectionable in The Skinsaw Murders, but I could easily have misunderstood. Is this something I should keep out of my children's sight?
Thank you in advance for your help.
You should have no worries with Burnt Offerings. The goblins get pretty sadistic at times, but there's nothing that springs to mind sexually objectionable in the adventure. There are some elements of the Sandpoint description you'll may want to avoid depending on where you draw the line with the censoring (there's a queer couple living in Sandpoint, and someone in town more-or-less sells morning after pills; however neither of these are points that ever need to be addressed within the game).
Overall, I can't think of anything I've read in a Pathfinder book that was more "mature" than a PG-13 film.
I don't censor violence from my children (much to my family's chagrin,) but I strictly censor sex.That is completely backwards. Sex is good and good for you, violence is bad and bad for you.
Murder vs. Boners .. what to do? what to do?
Answer: censor the Murder.
Hey, now that's unfair.
I don't want to have grandchildren one day: that's terrifying!
But I do want to visit my kids in jail: that's awesome!
Am I the only one who remembers the seduction scene? I think it is the innkeeps daughter who tries to seduce a PC back to the cellar for a wee bit o rumpy pumpy. She actually disrobes entirely in her attempt and thats when dear old Dad walks in. It adds some conflict for later on in the adventure. You might like to censor that bit or maybe have her in a chemise instead!
Basically, yes. There are probably a few things you'd want to censor in the first path. Burnt Offerings and Skinsaw Murders are more towards the horror/violence end of things but each contains some sexual material (although most of it can be happily ignored in play, reading is trickier as you're going to stumble and kids always pick up on that and will want to know what you missed out.
However, if sex is what you're most concerned about, keep them away from Hook Mountain Massacre as that has
However Nuala's backstory provides a pretty good reason for why sex outside marriage is bad.
but I'd be careful of Hook Mountain Massacre and Sins of the Saviours.
HAHAHAHA Oh wow!
Sorry, flashbacks to what was involved in those two volumes and imagining the acrobatics needed to gloss them over just hit me hard. Yeah, I seriously doubt you want the little ones flipping through either of those two volumes.
As said before, Lamashtu is going to bring some issues to the table that you might want to be certain everyone would be comfortable with. As for how "clean" the art is in Burnt Offerings and Skinsaw Murders, I can't remember much beyond some gruesome bits for Skinsaw and Xaneesha's Madonna top.
That thing was awkward.
You know, Legacy of Fire is probably the most "kid friendly" of the APs out right now. It's the least dark, little in the way of gruesomeness that I can remember off hand, and the sexual themes have fewer kinky flare-ups as opposed to RotRL(HAHAHHAHAHA SINS OF THE SAVIORS!), Curse of the Crimson Throne(one god in particular's presense automatically disqualifies it from ever being read to the kids or grandma), and Second Darkness(drow. Just...drow).
However Nuala's backstory provides a pretty good reason for why sex outside marriage is bad. ** spoiler omitted **
I love a good moral to a story.
Generally, based on my memories of reading through the APs, RotRL is probably the worst in terms of perversion (though that is relative - it's not a total bondage fest or anything all the way through, but has its moments) and what there is tends to be confined to the first half. But (apart possibly from Nualia's backstory) it isn't actually in your face (bad image?) so much that it can't be completely ignored in play. But it is there in the text. However, your kids may not understand it that much anyway, and it's not like they are depicting sexual acts or anything in print.
Yeah, that bears repeating:
Pathfinder adventures don't shy away from mature themes, but they're also more mature about handling them than many. When they're present, they work because they fit in with the setting and themes of the adventure; it's never gratuitous.
...
Save for one of the items you have to get in Sins of the Saviors.(sorry)
Wow. I hadn't expected so many - nor such helpful - replies. Thank you! You've all pretty well convinced me to keep this out of my kids' sight... and that includes those of you who were advocating the opposite view. Maybe during a second read-through, when I know ahead of time what to avoid, I might feel differently. Although judging from your descriptions, I probably won't.
I think this weekend, I'll go back to reading my novel instead. That has sexual content too, but the difference is that I KNOW my kids aren't interested in that.
Am I the only one who remembers the seduction scene? I think it is the innkeeps daughter who tries to seduce a PC back to the cellar for a wee bit o rumpy pumpy. She actually disrobes entirely in her attempt and thats when dear old Dad walks in. It adds some conflict for later on in the adventure. You might like to censor that bit or maybe have her in a chemise instead!
In our game we called it "rat killing" since that was the premise she used to lure a PC to the basement.
Well, I needn't have bothered you all. During my lunch hour at work, I read a little bit, and the introduction alone - especially its line about "calling her a slut and a harlot," was enough to convince me that if I read it aloud, I might let something slip. Sorry to trouble you.
But it's nice to know how helpful this community can be.
For adventures you could read with your kids present, you might want to look at the Pathfinder Society organized play adventures. They are written for a more general audience, since you never know when some 13-year old will show up to play at an organized play event. The adventure paths often include elements suitable for a more mature audience.
Well, I needn't have bothered you all. During my lunch hour at work, I read a little bit, and the introduction alone - especially its line about "calling her a slut and a harlot," was enough to convince me that if I read it aloud, I might let something slip. Sorry to trouble you.
But it's nice to know how helpful this community can be.
Aaron, this community is the *best*! I post on several forums, but here -- surrounded with like-minded, helpful and friendly posters and Paizo staffers alike -- it feels like I'm finally "at home". :)
Hopefully you'll try the other APs as well -- they're all top-notch quality, and some folks have posted very good tips on running them!
Aaron, this community is the *best*! I post on several forums, but here -- surrounded with like-minded, helpful and friendly posters and Paizo staffers alike -- it feels like I'm finally "at home". :)
Yes. I've occasionally posted one message to a website here, two messages to a website there, but Paizo is different. After lurking here for years, I finally broke my silence and posted with a long story, two months ago today. And I got hooked. I've posted more than 70 messages since then. I already spend much too much time reading these messageboard conversations (when I'm supposed to be working), and now it looks like I'm starting to get hooked on reading some of the PBPs as well.
So yes, this community is certainly the best *I* have yet found.