Creepy Players, Killer GMs, and Int 8 Wizards: Gaming Horror Stories

[Kajhera]

Rape is not only a threat to female characters, equality is not necessarily the issue.

[McBeardly]

I would say that one of the bigger differences is that killing is usually a means to an end whereas rape is usually an end in and of itself. Thus it is in a way "given the spotlight" very unlike normal violence. When a Gm lovingly describes how "a swipe cut the mook's belly open spilling intestines across the floor, feces and blood swirts through puncture wounds as he desperately tries to force his guts back into place." then I would have just as much problem with him as if he went into great detail over how a rape was carried out.

If it is just mentioned that someone is raped int eh same context as some mook or innocent was killed then fine its a relatively realistic part of the game that can be accepted and understood. If the rape is happening to a PC well they will likely want to fight back in some way. Thus it needs to be handled with great care in the same way that mind control, torture, and other things that abridge a PC's freedom need to. There are no bad story ideas, only horribly flawed executions.

[Whisper]

I would say that one of the bigger differences is that killing is usually a means to an end whereas rape is usually an end in and of itself. Thus it is in a way "given the spotlight" very unlike normal violence...

This I can agree with. I tend to handle sex of any kind (not just rape) in my games with "the three-asterisk pause" (as novelists would call it), mostly because sex just isn't that interesting except to someone who is actually participating in it.

If it is just mentioned that someone is raped int eh same context as some mook or innocent was killed then fine its a relatively realistic part of the game that can be accepted and understood. If the rape is happening to a PC well they will likely want to fight back in some way. Thus it needs to be handled with great care in the same way that mind control, torture, and other things that abridge a PC's freedom need to. There are no bad story ideas, only horribly flawed executions.

Agree again.

[veekie]

Rape is not only a threat to female characters, equality is not necessarily the issue.

Tentacles and cosmic horrors are indeed equal opportunity.

[Libertad]

Holy crap, check out this site I found!

"Where do you get these things, Libertad?!"

"Elementary, my dear Watson!  grognards.txt!"

[xaotiq1]

Holy crap, check out this site I found!

"Where do you get these things, Libertad?!"

"Elementary, my dear Watson!  grognards.txt!"

That's utterly disgusting.

[Libertad]

I get the strange feeling that all of these guys have been blacklisted from Gen Con and the RPGA.

[Ziltoid]

I get the strange feeling that all of these guys have been blacklisted from Gen Con and the RPGA.

Well, if Ed Greenwood can still bring his own erotic fanfiction into conventions, I wouldn't get my hopes up

[Whisper]

Holy crap, check out this site I found!

"Where do you get these things, Libertad?!"

"Elementary, my dear Watson!  grognards.txt!"

Okay, that's just weird. Taking pride in killing characters in an RPG is like taking pride in killing characters in a novel you're writing. You have control. Of course you can kill them. No difficulty whatsoever involved.

[Halinn]

Ye gods, some of those guys...

I don´t like killing characters fast very much. I like torturing them. I like to make curses fall on them. I like to throw sexual deviations to them (I´ve had a coprophilian female mage, no joke, in my campaign). I like to make them feel they´ve betrayed their beliefs. For example, before killing a druid I made him understand he hadn´t respected the silvan goblins´ religion, and that he died because of that. Another time, I made one barbarian to humilliate himself to a Crypt Thing. The story is this: he fell in a cave where the Crypt Thing was. The Thing told him he could let him go if he pleased him. The barbarian had to sing, to dance and to clap loudly, all wet and in darkness. The Thing wasn´t pleased (he said the barbarian sang horribly) and killed him. Another time I made a female mage to engange in sexual relationship with a sadomasochistic old evil wizard, because she was a worshipper of Loviatar. I let her kill him, breaking his neck with a whip, before they went too much, as I experimented a burst of pity (incredible) for the young (16 years old) female mage. Well, I have lots of histories to tell where the PC´s suffer horribly. But that´s all for now.

There was one player, a freshman in highschool, who was well... not too bright when it came to  understanding the power a DM has. He didn't like my price on a particular staff (my version what I call the Dragon Staff), he decided to INSULT me. Well, having been in a good mood at the time I gave him a warning. He ignored it and insulted me again. Well, that did it. He lost all his equipment, spells, abilities, etc. But was still alive. One would think that would have been enough to shut him up...well, it didn't, so I put him 200 miles below the surface in a concrete room with no exit at all. And he STILL DIDN'T SHUT UP!!! So need less to say, the room expanded to include 300! of each and every one of the different kinds of Dragons!! (with him in the middle of this vast room. Personally I don't think this freshman had a good day since he was stupid enough to try and run towards the wall (which was about 30 miles away in any direction). After several repeated attempts to get him to change his mind, I let him go ahead and do it. And before his character even got 10 feet this is what happened. One of the black dragons standing next to him lifted it's giant foot and flattened him. Then burned him to a crisp and decided to eat the charred remains. Well, to add further insult to injury I had the dragon SPIT his character back out like he tasted terrible. That is so far the most reminding thing to my fellow players of how not to push me when I am the DM. I gotta go.

In my life I have had only 4 campaign worlds, 3 of which where "Apocalypsed" by stupid players. They said it was no fair, but when I started using "Mike's Minute Meteors" ( 5 - 6 D12's aimed at players head) it got really quite. After that campaign I had to go and find some new players. I think I have a good record with 6 drop-outs after only 3 - 4 weeks of torture.

oh god there's more than one page...

How do those people manage to even find players?!

[linklord231]

Now, I'm a firm believer in the idea that there is no "right" way to play.  But these guys have definitely found the "wrong" way.  Taking pride in driving players, especially new players, away from the hobby entirely?  Things like this make me wish I could punch people through the internet. 

[Halinn]

And so many of the examples are just variations of Rocks Fall, You Die. It's hideously awful, and I do indeed want to punch every single one of them.

[wotmaniac]

If it is just mentioned that someone is raped int eh same context as some mook or innocent was killed then fine its a relatively realistic part of the game that can be accepted and understood. If the rape is happening to a PC well they will likely want to fight back in some way. Thus it needs to be handled with great care in the same way that mind control, torture, and other things that abridge a PC's freedom need to. There are no bad story ideas, only horribly flawed executions.

I largely agree here.  I'll go a step further by saying that rape needs to be handled even more delicately ... like way more delicately.

When a Gm lovingly describes how "a swipe cut the mook's belly open spilling intestines across the floor, feces and blood swirts through puncture wounds as he desperately tries to force his guts back into place." then I would have just as much problem with him as if he went into great detail over how a rape was carried out.

Are you kidding?  That's fuckin' awesome! 
(well, when used sparingly, that is).

[McBeardly]

Are you kidding?  That's fuckin' awesome! 
(well, when used sparingly, that is).

 

I cannot tell if serious.

[wotmaniac]

Are you kidding?  That's fuckin' awesome! 
(well, when used sparingly, that is).

 

I cannot tell if serious.

I'm totally serious.  When it comes to describing blood-n-guts combat action, that was pretty sweet. 
We generally keep it down to about 1 or 2 descriptions like that per combat (usually held off until the "final blow" or something).

[Halinn]

Are you kidding?  That's fuckin' awesome! 
(well, when used sparingly, that is).

 

I cannot tell if serious.

I'm totally serious.  When it comes to describing blood-n-guts combat action, that was pretty sweet. 
We generally keep it down to about 1 or 2 descriptions like that per combat (usually held off until the "final blow" or something).

The problem with it was probably more in the adjective of "lovingly describes"

[zook1shoe]

Now, I'm a firm believer in the idea that there is no "right" way to play.  But these guys have definitely found the "wrong" way.  Taking pride in driving players, especially new players, away from the hobby entirely?  Things like this make me wish I could punch people through the internet.

Agreed

[wotmaniac]

The problem with it was probably more in the adjective of "lovingly describes"

Ah, got it.
there's no "lovingly" about it for us .... just some good ol' fashion fun.

[McBeardly]

The problem with it was probably more in the adjective of "lovingly describes"

Ah, got it.
there's no "lovingly" about it for us .... just some good ol' fashion fun.

It's basically if it sounds like the DM is getting off to it at the table there is a problem.

[wotmaniac]

It's basically if it sounds like the DM is getting off to it at the table there is a problem.

agreed.