Going by the Core Rulebook, the "baseline" seems to be roughly akin to PG-13. I'm wondering what other people here have done.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
R.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Our campaigns aren't particularly dark or adult but probably R just for the sheer amount of explicit violence that is described in detail.
Probably PG-13
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
On average, probably R. Harsh language, visceral descriptions of combat, and mentions of sex are fairly common in my games.
My games also tend to have darker themes in general, but so do a lot of kid's shows so I guess that's not really relevant.
Ranges from G to 18+.
18+ would be my necromantic kingmaker campaign where the twin sisters routinely engage in S&M abuse and one of the twin sisters and a Raley relationship with her older brother (the whole party are brothers and sisters).
All players discussed it before hand and wanted to play the most disturbingly disfunctional family ever.
But then I also ran a game where everyone played a Disney princess so ya know.... There's a spread !
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
R is usually where I land. I tend towards Horror and Dark fantasy, even though I don't lay it on too thick.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Going by the Core Rulebook, the "baseline" seems to be roughly akin to PG-13. I'm wondering what other people here have done.
If there is a rating above R, that is probably what both of my groups are. If not, then R with every disclaimer you could possibly imagine.
My games are in general quite light. I avoid sex fantasies, and anything gore is in general limited to monsters that are funny to dismember (like zombies). I never do anything to characters, one can easily imagine their character never getting wounded. And I avoid any hard theme (kids, sexual violence, slavery).
Now, my players around the table... they are sometimes definitely R rated.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Actual PG from the 80s. Back when "parental guidance" had actual teeth as a rating. Nothing too bad but probably not the best thing for unsupervised minors.
|
Generally around PG-13 in terms of actual language, at least from my own characters, since cussing is generally not something instinctual to me.
In terms of adult themes and dark scenarios, that's more on the R side of things, but that largely comes from the fact that the majority of the games I play in are Adventure Paths, so it largely comes from Paizo's writing and the GM's interpretations of said writing, rather than any specific effort for such. In fact in some cases the dark subject matter was actually toned down (like in Burnt Offerings, for example).
My games are in general quite light. I avoid sex fantasies, and anything gore is in general limited to monsters that are funny to dismember (like zombies). I never do anything to characters, one can easily imagine their character never getting wounded. And I avoid any hard theme (kids, sexual violence, slavery).
Now, my players around the table... they are sometimes definitely R rated.
I avoid any explicit descriptions of sex or sexual violence, because the rest of the group isn't here for someone else's sexual fantasy. Though saying something like "I go looking for some fun *wink* with someone"
Other than that, nothing is really explicitly off the table.
So whatever that is. Confronting slavery, extreme violence (and both including kids) are just part and parcel of the Pathfinder universe as it exists. I don't usually purposefully explore them, but stuff like that can come up and I wont shy away from them.
My PF2 games tend towards PG-13 because I think that's the best place for the tone and themes of the system and setting. Other games have different ratings depending on what they are best at. Monsterhearts? Probably getting some R. Likewise Don't Rest Your Head. Pilgrims of the Flying Temple is going to be G. Lady Blackbird is probably PG-13/R depending on group interest. It varies, ya know?
| 6 people marked this as a favorite. |
We live in Canada where an R rating is considered roughly a "14A" rating. So we would play a 14A game at maximum. Quite often it would probably just be rated PG. Fist of the Ruby Phoenix is not super out there and the players aren't particularly gory.
On a side note, I always find the American movie rating system wacky and unnecessarily restrictive. You all need to lighten up!
Probably R, not really because I lay things on peticularly thick, but many cultures in my game don't really have taboos against nudity and the like, so it'd be scarybfor american censors, even if the nudity isn't sexual.
Sans that, probably pg 13, actual sex is ftb, violence isn't any more graphic than a typical shonen, although my players might drop a few too many swear words.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
We live in Canada where an R rating is considered roughly a "14A" rating. So we would play a 14A game at maximum. Quite often it would probably just be rated PG. Fist of the Ruby Phoenix is not super out there and the players aren't particularly gory.
On a side note, I always find the American movie rating system wacky and unnecessarily restrictive. You all need to lighten up!
As a fellow Canadian, AGREED!
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
So whatever that is. Confronting slavery, extreme violence (and both including kids) are just part and parcel of the Pathfinder universe as it exists. I don't usually purposefully explore them, but stuff like that can come up and I wont shy away from them.
I've hesitated a bit before answering about these subjects, but actually, even if an adventure specifically features them, I don't go into detail. You fight slaver and save prisoners, that's all. And clearly, I avoid them if there's no reason to speak about them.
A kid can play in my games as long as the other players are respecting them.
I also think you can do a lot with suggestion. The velstrac doesn't have to speak precisely about torture for everyone to know what they mean.
PG-13, but in the Batman sense of toeing the line with lots of violence, but downplayed gore. Naughty moments are "fade to black", and some horrors are more suggested than described, which in many cases has been far more disturbing to my imaginative players! They can zone out if what I say is too grim, but it's harder when it's what they're thinking themselves. I mean Lovecraft wrote a lot of PG-13 material, right? :-)
And as mentioned above, some games/campaigns alter the parameters, i.e. for the Dragon's Demand Scooby-Doo adventure I toned down the amount of elements like background corpses (which was a surprising amount, that module could be played quite grim if desired). The PG mood altered playstyles too, leading to many interesting conversations/interactions w/ monstrous NPCs! I could see lightening the mood for future campaigns too, i.e. Pirates of the Caribbean tones for Skull & Shackles.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
So whatever that is. Confronting slavery, extreme violence (and both including kids) are just part and parcel of the Pathfinder universe as it exists. I don't usually purposefully explore them, but stuff like that can come up and I wont shy away from them.I've hesitated a bit before answering about these subjects, but actually, even if an adventure specifically features them, I don't go into detail. You fight slaver and save prisoners, that's all. And clearly, I avoid them if there's no reason to speak about them.
A kid can play in my games as long as the other players are respecting them.
I also think you can do a lot with suggestion. The velstrac doesn't have to speak precisely about torture for everyone to know what they mean.
Rarely do our campaigns feature is, but it does come up.
For example, I remember when our group played Hell's Vengeance (an evil Adventure Path). Slavery of halflings is a feature of Cheliax, and so there were descriptions of the despicable treatment and conditions in which those characters existed and how the player characters interacted with them. Rather than white wash it away as a group, we knew we were playing an outright evil campaign and didn't want to dilute it down (which would serve to make such real life things more palatable). However that campaign was one where we also instituted a rule about reaching "enough" and anyone could at any time ask to move on or tone down because we knew we were going to potentially pushing against the envelope and we may not have even known our limits prior to it happening.
I think the key piece was having an agreed upon method of halting a topic if it became too much for anyone.
Rarely do our campaigns feature is, but it does come up.
For example, I remember when our group played Hell's Vengeance (an evil Adventure Path). Slavery of halflings is a feature of Cheliax, and so there were descriptions of the despicable treatment and conditions in which those characters existed and how the player characters interacted with them. Rather than white wash it away as a group, we knew we were playing an outright evil campaign and didn't want to dilute it down (which would serve to make such real life things more palatable). However that campaign was one where we also instituted a rule about reaching "enough" and anyone could at any time ask to move on or tone down because we knew we were going to potentially pushing against the envelope and we may not have even known our limits prior to it happening.
I think the key piece was having an agreed upon method of halting a topic if it became too much for anyone.
It must be a pleasure to play something that strong without actually hurting anyone in the process.
Personally, I'm not sure I'd be up to it. I feel I'd be reaching enough far too easily or, to avoid bad feelings, I'd treat it lightly, comically.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Do we count the environment of the game and the general social setting of the gathering?
If so, R rated, easily, given the fact that we're all adults, friends, at ease with one another, and most of us speak as a sailor allegedly might.
If we are just talking about the content of the game itself... still probably R-rated given the amount of violence and dark themes that pretty much every adventure is bound to have...
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Do we count the environment of the game and the general social setting of the gathering?
If so, R rated, easily, given the fact that we're all adults, friends, at ease with one another, and most of us speak as a sailor allegedly might.
If we are just talking about the content of the game itself... still probably R-rated given the amount of violence and dark themes that pretty much every adventure is bound to have...
Yes. Give in to the dark side. We have brownies and pizza.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Rarely do our campaigns feature is, but it does come up.
For example, I remember when our group played Hell's Vengeance (an evil Adventure Path). Slavery of halflings is a feature of Cheliax, and so there were descriptions of the despicable treatment and conditions in which those characters existed and how the player characters interacted with them. Rather than white wash it away as a group, we knew we were playing an outright evil campaign and didn't want to dilute it down (which would serve to make such real life things more palatable). However that campaign was one where we also instituted a rule about reaching "enough" and anyone could at any time ask to move on or tone down because we knew we were going to potentially pushing against the envelope and we may not have even known our limits prior to it happening.
I think the key piece was having an agreed upon method of halting a topic if it became too much for anyone.
It must be a pleasure to play something that strong without actually hurting anyone in the process.
Personally, I'm not sure I'd be up to it. I feel I'd be reaching enough far too easily or, to avoid bad feelings, I'd treat it lightly, comically.
It's definitely careful ground to tread, but my group has been player for over 10 years together so we have a good amount of trust in each other.
I can also say, there were moments of disgust and shock on everyone's part at certain things that we had our characters do. I mean we were playing outright evil bastards. I recall one point in the story where you have to stop a city from rebellion or essentially kill everyone as a sacrifice I can't remember exactly, and I was playing a tyrant antipaladin. One who intentionally became infected with every disease possible (because they're not negatively affected) and then went to public areas and spread the disease, bathed in wells, and basically did everything they could for a week to spread all the disease. Eventually the majority of the town simply died and most of those who didn't fled from what they thought was the wrath of Asmodeus for not following him and house Thrune.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
hard R