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The Archives => Meta (Archived) => Topic started by: Seraph on May 11, 2010, 07:32:21 PM

Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Seraph on May 11, 2010, 07:32:21 PM
Sex is a sensitive subject, and rather taboo.  Sex is a huge part of life, but society (especially in America) tends to be very sexually repressed.  When sexual themes enter a work of literature, a work of art, or a game, it can be very controversial.  Some feel that games, literature, movies, art and the like will corrupt the youth.  Others ridicule the horny nerds who play nubile elf warriors sporting chainmail bikinis.  But there are also those who would say it's totally healthy to have fantasies, and that since sex is a natural part of life, having it show up in games is no big deal, or might even be a good thing.  When it comes to sex in the games you play, or the worlds you build, how big a role do sex and sexuality play?  How much sex is acceptable?  How much is desired?  Where does it cross the line?
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Llum on May 11, 2010, 09:03:34 PM
Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumWhere does it cross the line?

This one is pretty easy, as soon as someone is uncomfortable in your game, you've crossed the line. If it's just for a written setting, you have free reign IMO. No one is forced to read your stuff. (Just be aware some sites have policies about stuff like this, like the CBG).

I don't really have much else to say. I'm not a fan of sex in games/settings for the same reason I'm not a fan of sex in literature (if you'd call novel fiction literature :P ), because it's pretend. If I want sex, I'll have real sex. I don't see the point of reading about it, seems pointless to me.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Seraph on May 11, 2010, 09:26:08 PM
Quote from: Llum
Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumWhere does it cross the line?
I'm also not necessarily talking about writing something that's just "about sex," though.  Take world building, for instance: If you want to build a plausible sounding society IN FULL, some thoughts must be given to sexuality.  This does not necessarily mean narration of two people getting it on, but you would at least have to consider the moral codes built into society about sex: what is allowed, what is taboo, etc.  Strictly speaking, a campaign setting does not NEED to examine these, and often times, they don't.  But to know what society says is kosher and what will send you to prison or get you ostracized or banished is potent information.  Deciding not to look into this because it is sex-related is a big decision.  
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Nomadic on May 11, 2010, 09:45:12 PM
Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumWhen it comes to sex in the games you play, or the worlds you build, how big a role do sex and sexuality play?
How much sex is acceptable?
How much is desired?  
Where does it cross the line?

It generally plays no role except perhaps in what you can glean from information relating to things like fertility gods and jealous lovers and so forth. Not because it bothers me but because it bothers others. If I'm in a group that has no issue with it I have no problem dealing with it, but I won't force such things on someone who is uncomfortable with the topic.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: LordVreeg on May 11, 2010, 10:17:54 PM
I believe that sex is a primal, dynamic force in our psyche.

Thus, ignoring this in a game that attempts immersion is counter productive.  I included it in my skill rules (BAsic Carnal is a skill.   Really), and it has been part of many games.  I have pcs with wives, with hsubands, old relationships.  We had 2 pregnancies, 3 cases of an STD, at least half a dozen rapes/rape attempts...my job is to provide the world...their job is to play in it.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Drizztrocks on May 11, 2010, 10:24:10 PM
I think its a little strange. Mentioning it is no big deal, as long as everyone is mature enough to handle it. A sex related theme, like a noble having an affair, makes the world seem more realistic. But when it gets to the point where it describes it in great detail, it becomes provacative, and when you're being provacative in your writing that's a whole different type of writing.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Hibou on May 12, 2010, 12:00:06 AM
I have to agree with Seraphine and Vreeg. I feel that the more you censor and/or leave out, the less realistic a setting feels. While not a major point of my settings by any means, sex is present and used without scrutiny. It can make just as effective a plot device as most other things.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Steerpike on May 12, 2010, 11:26:16 AM
I'll chime in - vital to a fully realized setting and folly to ignore.  However, it can be uncomfortable in an actual game, if it plays a prominent role - depends on the players and GM.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Nomadic on May 12, 2010, 11:36:30 AM
TBH I think it's folly to claim it is vital to include sex in a setting to make it realistic. Some settings can actually be detracted from if you add it to them. It is necessary to examine each setting individually (as it is for any other thing you put in) before putting sex into it. It would be unwise to just toss it in slapdash without regard for whether the setting really needs it.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Steerpike on May 12, 2010, 11:48:40 AM
Oh, I agree that sex shouldn't just be shoved in - but I think it's very difficult to avoid sex altogether, even if it stays in the background.  I'm just saying that the most realistic worlds tend to incorporate sex somehow, even if it's subtle and not the focus.  It doesn't have to be sex itself so much as the culture around sex (marriage rites, for example - is bigamy acceptable?  Polyandry?  Or just plain old heterosexual monogamy?); it doesn't have to be in-your-face or play a major part of adventures. More on the level of "what do these people eat," or "what are the laws in this town" kind of thing.  That said, it's probably not the most important thing to dwell on in most settings.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Seraph on May 12, 2010, 12:18:00 PM
I'm taking a class on Jewish Messiahs, and the professor was telling us about the story of Cain and Abel, and why it was that Abel was murdered.  According to my professor, there were three stories pushed: That he was killed over a land dispute, that he was killed over a sacrifice to God, and that he was killed over a woman they both wanted.

The teacher explained that this shows that "there are 3 things Jews fight over: Property, Religion, and Sex."

While the teacher put this in the context of Jews, I think the concept is rather universal, really.  While it may be an oversimplification, I think most conflicts have something, at least peripherally, to do with property, religion, or sex.  

Sex, used in a background sense, can be the motivating force behind some conflict:  Helen and the Trojan War, for instance.  On a smaller scale, you have duels to defend the honor of a lady who has been slandered (proclaimed a strumpet or some such).  There are a number of myths in which a hero undertakes great tasks for the wooing and winning of a lady. Perhaps a war of religion breaks out because the king decides to leave the faith and start a new religion so he can divorce his wife who has failed to bear him an heir.

Having some amount of sexuality be present, even if it's just in the background as an idea, opens up a lot of possibilities, and allows for a richer backdrop and a more real seeming world.  There may be some settings in which it doesn't work, and that's fine.  In most cases however, I think it makes a setting more realistic.  I won't make absolutes, but I can't think of a case in which absenting sex completely from a setting makes it more realistic.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: LordVreeg on May 12, 2010, 01:21:37 PM
In Igbar, we have a PC (Cyriel) who has ended up as the slightly younger male protege to Samria, one of the 2 heads of the Alternative School of Magic.  They have a sexual relationship, to the point that she has installed him in a suite near her rooms.  
Palimar, the other head of the guild, is her husband.  They are estranged right now because she blames Palimar for the kidnapping of their daughter years ago and for her current dissapearance.  

This subplot in the Igbar game would not have the same power without the cuckolding.  Period.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Lmns Crn on May 12, 2010, 01:26:29 PM
It's a little strange, I think, to assert that deciding not to deal with sex hurts the detail level or the "immersion" of the setting. There are all sorts of details we could choose to deal with for the sake of detail/immersion, but we seldom if ever actually include, because they're unnecessary or distasteful. (When's the last time you saw a world that dealt seriously with infant mortality rates, for example, or included at least one restroom facility?)

I'm not sure how I want to split this issue up, but it seems to me that it definitely does need to be split: part of the "what do I include, and how?" choice is made by the world's writer, and part is made by the person running the game. (Even if the same person performs both roles, the decision is made separately, in both venues.) You could run a very racy game in a very chastely-written setting, and you could take a world that doesn't shy away from the topic of sex at all and run a game therein that doesn't touch that subject matter at all.

I think there are ways to handle the subject of sex in a world that are skillful and satisfying, and there are ways to handle sex that are clumsy and embarrassing-- much like actual sex, really. Hamfisted and inept treatment of sex can be a huge deterrent to readers/players (it's why I put down Terry Goodkind in disgust, personally), and can make a work into a laughingstock (see the F.A.T.A.L. RPG system for a hilariously shameful example). I think that, provided it's audience appropriate, deft (and a little bit cagey) handling of the subject of sex can add depth to a setting, but there are a lot of ways to do it wrong.

My own personal guidelines are two: when sex appears as a topic, it 1.) is treated matter-of-factly, and 2.) occurs "offscreen".

I have sex that shows up in the various background mythology of the Jade Stage, and the more I get into the mortal histories, the more likely it is to show up there, too. (I spent a while trying to avoid it completely, and the results just felt forced and unnatural.) I've played characters in other games that have used sexual relationships with other PCs or with NPCs as compelling plot points (Gordin, in Vreeg's Steel Isle game is a current example). But it's never, ever a thing I want to dwell on or describe graphically-- if you can't do it with discretion, you can't do it.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: LordVreeg on May 12, 2010, 01:57:00 PM
[blockquote=LC]My own personal guidelines are two: when sex appears as a topic, it 1.) is treated matter-of-factly, and 2.) occurs "offscreen". [/blockquote]
Offscreen ...LOL...I, being the Non-imitation, DO-NOT-TRY-THIS-AT-HOME, Internaltional-Class pervert that I am, am now imagining RPGs with sex scenes being played 'onscreen'.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Lmns Crn on May 12, 2010, 02:06:14 PM
Quote from: LordVreegOffscreen ...LOL...I, being the Non-imitation, DO-NOT-TRY-THIS-AT-HOME, Internaltional-Class pervert that I am, am now imagining RPGs with sex scenes being played 'onscreen'.
Imagine a Venn diagram, with two circles labeled "people LC plays RPGs with" and "people who LC is comfortable having explicit sexychat with". Also imagine that the two circles do not overlap. Actually, they are nowhere near each other; they are cowering, confused and apprehensive, in opposite corners of the paper, intermittently trading furtive and suspicious glances.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Endless_Helix on May 12, 2010, 02:17:15 PM
My experience with Sex in role playing has been mostly kept to the bedroom, but in terms of design-space in a world, yeah it's about as basic as it gets. You need to think about how your world views sex because for most races, it's the way they reproduce (except for the odd few who manage it asexually or through advanced magic/technology). I've never run any campaigns that would have been particularly complemented by sex; I've actually found it more useful as a gag prop, more than anything. Granted most of the people I played with at the time were adolescent males, but it seemed to always end up as "Oh you're sleeping with that hooker? Roll a fort save to not catch the crotch rot," kind of joke.

One thing that does need to happen more in settings that are refulgent with species is interracial sex, and the results, half-breeds. Traditional DnD seems to think that humans only really breed with elves and orcs. Or they seem to think that anything can and should breed together (Oh Forgotten Realms...) and your players end up some half giant, half dragon, half golem, half troll, half vampire, half elemental, half elf, half drow genetic nightmares made flesh. I also think how well you as a storyteller handle sex should be a deciding factor how much is present in your story.

How sex relates to politics is well documented, although it seems to fade a bit as you get to more modern political systems (Well, beyond good PR). However, it is a very powerful tool to be used to set up very interesting situations in games or in stories. A prince is searching for a princess to marry and holds a grand ball to meet all the potential girls. Perhaps the players/characters are escorting a princess, and assassins attack, revealing a conspiracy that intended to meet, using said ball as cover, to depose the prince. Perhaps a jealous ex is hunting down his object of obsession and the characters get involved when 'great big huge tracts of land' come into play.

As a player, you can have a lot of fun with sex in the game, particularly if you're playing a shapeshifter. A friend of mine in an eberron game used to play a changeling barbarian who would use her bust and form as a way to get bonuses on diplomacy checks. It actually took our gnomish wizard a few sessions to realize what our comrade was doing, although he did enjoy the view both before and after the revelation.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Nomadic on May 12, 2010, 06:54:38 PM
Quote from: Luminous Crayon
Quote from: LordVreegOffscreen ...LOL...I, being the Non-imitation, DO-NOT-TRY-THIS-AT-HOME, Internaltional-Class pervert that I am, am now imagining RPGs with sex scenes being played 'onscreen'.
Imagine a Venn diagram, with two circles labeled "people LC plays RPGs with" and "people who LC is comfortable having explicit sexychat with". Also imagine that the two circles do not overlap. Actually, they are nowhere near each other; they are cowering, confused and apprehensive, in opposite corners of the paper, intermittently trading furtive and suspicious glances.

Holy hell I've never laughed so hard before LC
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Seraph on May 12, 2010, 08:24:33 PM
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumI won't make absolutes, but I can't think of a case in which absenting sex completely from a setting makes it more realistic.

From what I've read on the Umbril over at the Wiki, there is plenty of information about Umbril sexaulity.  Being a fungal people it is clear that they do not have sex in the traditional sense, but that the difference is noted at all, & that the means of reproduction is presented at all covers the what I feel to be necessary.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Nomadic on May 13, 2010, 02:49:32 AM
Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumI won't make absolutes, but I can't think of a case in which absenting sex completely from a setting makes it more realistic.

From what I've read on the Umbril over at the Wiki, there is plenty of information about Umbril sexaulity.  Being a fungal people it is clear that they do not have sex in the traditional sense, but that the difference is noted at all, & that the means of reproduction is presented at all covers the what I feel to be necessary.

Saying umbril have sexuality is a bit like saying lettuce has taste ;)
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Seraph on May 13, 2010, 03:30:38 AM
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumI won't make absolutes, but I can't think of a case in which absenting sex completely from a setting makes it more realistic.

From what I've read on the Umbril over at the Wiki, there is plenty of information about Umbril sexaulity.  Being a fungal people it is clear that they do not have sex in the traditional sense, but that the difference is noted at all, & that the means of reproduction is presented at all covers the what I feel to be necessary.

Saying umbril have sexuality is a bit like saying lettuce has taste ;)
They have a kind of sexuality, even if it's an abstract and removed kind of sexuality.  And even if it bears little resemblance to human sexuality.  

But even if you were to assert that they were completely non-sexual (I would not) it would still be engaging the subject of sex by pointing out the distinct lack of recognizable sexuality.  If the fact that they reproduce without contact is peculiar, then that is still involving the concept of sex in the setting, even if there is no "act" per se that would qualify as sex.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Kindling on May 13, 2010, 06:42:54 AM
I've never really encountered sex in an RPG, but I think this has more to do with the sort of stories that I tend to game than any kind of aversion (although of course, as others have said, roleplaying sexual situations could easily become very awkward and should be handled with care if it isn't "faded to black" completely) in other words we find ourselves worrying far too much about fighting werewolves, dodging bullets, appeasing angry demons, infiltrating Hell, and so forth, to even think about sex - or even any kind of sexual theme, for that matter.

However, I do have a strange relationship with the sexual in novels. On the one hand I think that obviously, in many narratives, sexual themes are very important, and how characters view sexuality (both their own and in general) can be a very telling way of showing who they really are. On the other, I have never read what seemed to me to be a well-written sex scene, and I think this is because it's very difficult to do. The best I've seen is when rather than a sex "scene" the author has simply mentioned that the act is happening, perhaps with a few vague descriptions. In Bruce Sterling's "The Artificial Kid" I seem to remember he does this with a phrase along the lines of "we made love like gods in the sand"
This brief evocation of the sexual act is fine, but I find that when more graphic detail is employed I find it hard not to simply read it as the author penning their own fantasies - fine in a specifically erotic novel, but something that seems, to me at least, jarringly out of place in a work of any other genre.
Also, when authors do go into sex in this way, the writing tends to be horrendously samey. In so many of these scenes words such as full, eager, quivering, et cetera et cetera, seem to be overused to the point of almost hilarious cliché - even by otherwise inventive and talented writers.

I suppose this, then, would translate itself into my opinion of how sex should be handled should it ever come up in-game. Anything too graphic would seem not only awkward because of the people I usually game with, but also too much a jarring genre-hop from the usual action-fantasy to suddenly something far more erotic. I recognise that Conan had his moments of lust (quite a lot of them, in fact), so perhaps it is a part of the sword and sorcery genre, but even so, Howard never really went further than describing the girl's curves and lack of clothing and then maybe a passionate kiss and/or embrace.
I think if sex did happen in-game, I would want it to be handled in the following kind of way...
Player: I follow him into his tent.
GM: Okay. You have a very satisfying night together. Now, what's everyone else doing?

As for sexuality in setting design... well, it's something I've touched on briefly twice before, but never gone into huge detail with. The first time was with Reth Jaleract's Uélae, who were hermaphroditic, and the second was with the extremely powerful Whores' Guild in Knife's Edge. Both times, however, I never really went into much detail - perhaps simply because I felt in-depth studies of the sexuality of the situations might not be too relevant, because of such themes never really coming up in my gaming experience, or perhaps I was influenced by my literary tastes into a habit of briefly touching on the subject and then leaving the rest to the reader's imagination.
Either way, I think it means that it's not really an integral part of setting design for me, although I don't think it would turn me off completely if it came up as a major theme in a setting I was reading as long as it was tastefully implemented.
I think that while people who have posted in this thread are right that it is necessary to address sexual issues when building a fully-realised imaginary society, building a fully-realised imaginary society has never been my aim. Instead, my purpose with setting design is to create and to a degree populate an imaginary place or set of places in which adventures can occur - something that I think can overlap with the more detailed culture-crafting but can definitely exist without it.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Steerpike on May 13, 2010, 10:47:29 AM
On the subject of sex in novels, I very much agree that it's difficult to incorporate.  Some of the better sex scenes I've read were in A Song of Ice and Fire, though the quality varied.  The most explicitly erotic ones were probably the least well written; the best well written were those that tended to avoid graphic explicitness [spoiler](Jon/Ygrette)[/spoiler] and those that weren't intended to be erotic at all, but served other, extremely important plot purposes: [spoiler]I'm thinking in particular of any of the scenes with Tyrion and Shae, or Theon's scenes with the captain's daughter, or even the bizarre sex scene in the Sept with Jaime and Cersei (where her "moon's blood" is on her and Jaime literally "wipes himself on the altar"... so yeah).[/spoiler]  Those sex scenes were all extremely important to the story being told and the characters of the story - as important as the graphically described battles, feasts, and other events of the series.  Not only that, but in those scenes the discomfort of reading about sex works for rather than against the scene.

Also not a bad depiction of sex, IMO, is in the Culture novels by Iain M Banks.  Sex isn't described particularly explicitly but is kind of omnipresent; Banks adopts a rather frank, matter-of-fact approach to sex which perfectly mirrors his characters' casual relationship with it.  The sex is also always full of humor, which is very refreshing.

What bugs me more is sex in movies.  I hate that weird blurring thing they do so often in movies, where you can't really tell what body part you're looking at.  Parodied here (http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=communitychannel#p/u/61/LKnC7Ovwft4).  One of the worst examples I can think of is in the movie Desperado - a movie in which the scene of extreme graphic violence are lovingly and lingeringly shot with a lot of innovative shots, humor, and excellent pacing... and then we get a scene with freaking  Antonio Banderas and Selma Hayek and it's all vague skin and blur *eyeroll.*
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Nomadic on May 13, 2010, 06:08:24 PM
Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumI won't make absolutes, but I can't think of a case in which absenting sex completely from a setting makes it more realistic.

From what I've read on the Umbril over at the Wiki, there is plenty of information about Umbril sexaulity.  Being a fungal people it is clear that they do not have sex in the traditional sense, but that the difference is noted at all, & that the means of reproduction is presented at all covers the what I feel to be necessary.

Saying umbril have sexuality is a bit like saying lettuce has taste ;)
They have a kind of sexuality, even if it's an abstract and removed kind of sexuality.  And even if it bears little resemblance to human sexuality.  

But even if you were to assert that they were completely non-sexual (I would not) it would still be engaging the subject of sex by pointing out the distinct lack of recognizable sexuality.  If the fact that they reproduce without contact is peculiar, then that is still involving the concept of sex in the setting, even if there is no "act" per se that would qualify as sex.

Again that's like arguing that lettuce has taste. The point I'm trying to make is that there are plenty of games to be played that never touch the subject, and they aren't one iota less real for the lack. The short stint I had as an Umbril never even touched it and that was an exceptionally immersive and real game. Just goes to show you that it's the quality of the DM, not the content of the setting that makes it realistic.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Seraph on May 13, 2010, 06:27:18 PM
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumI won't make absolutes, but I can't think of a case in which absenting sex completely from a setting makes it more realistic.

From what I've read on the Umbril over at the Wiki, there is plenty of information about Umbril sexaulity.  Being a fungal people it is clear that they do not have sex in the traditional sense, but that the difference is noted at all, & that the means of reproduction is presented at all covers the what I feel to be necessary.

Saying umbril have sexuality is a bit like saying lettuce has taste ;)
They have a kind of sexuality, even if it's an abstract and removed kind of sexuality.  And even if it bears little resemblance to human sexuality.  

But even if you were to assert that they were completely non-sexual (I would not) it would still be engaging the subject of sex by pointing out the distinct lack of recognizable sexuality.  If the fact that they reproduce without contact is peculiar, then that is still involving the concept of sex in the setting, even if there is no "act" per se that would qualify as sex.

Again that's like arguing that lettuce has taste. The point I'm trying to make is that there are plenty of games to be played that never touch the subject, and they aren't one iota less real for the lack. The short stint I had as an Umbril never even touched it and that was an exceptionally immersive and real game. Just goes to show you that it's the quality of the DM, not the content of the setting that makes it realistic.

Of course games on an individual basis can lack any mention of sex and be none the less realistic for it.  In reference to specific games, I was merely interested in preferences.  In WORLDS, however, I think at least a passing reference to mating/marriage/courtship should be made.  I suppose something I'm trying to get at is that if for a particular race/culture one or all of these do not exist, then that is totally OK, but it's important that they be SAID to not exist.  It's about defining SOMETHING in that general area of human experience.  I say "human" experience because I am referring to us as human beings playing games.  I think there should be something in an aspect of the game that either connects with that human experience, or consciously rejects it.  It's passive "leaving it out" or "not talking about it" that I think makes for something lacking.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Nomadic on May 14, 2010, 12:47:49 AM
Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumIt's passive "leaving it out" or "not talking about it" that I think makes for something lacking.

And that's where I disagree. I think it can add depth, but not including it doesn't at all give me the feeling that a game is lacking anything.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: LordVreeg on May 14, 2010, 09:45:14 AM
Quote from: Nomadic
Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumIt's passive "leaving it out" or "not talking about it" that I think makes for something lacking.

You know, my immediate realsit-GM side was all set to go off on this, but on further review and thought, I am going to back off.  Let me tell you why.

Though some purists decry story games as, "Not Real RPGS", and so partially marginalize the influence of other literay forms in their games, I still believe that a good campaign is like a good story, Book or movie format, your choice.
Some of the best fantasy novels and best-loved narratives managed to get by without Sex.  

Another very important disticntion...Sex is not Romance.  Sex is not Love.  Sex is not relationship.  So these factors can still be very present in-game, while avoiding the steamy side.  Nor does a good author or GM need sex to make a relationship more important.  
IN that same vein, Sexuality is diffrent from Sex.  You can play a rake without roleplaying buying the KY and studded leather codpiece.  

A third notation.   The rating of your game and the adult content level has a lot to do with your players.  Don't expect to run a gritty, morally-ambiguious, adult-level game with a new group of players.  Confidence in your adjudication and familiarity with each other is huge.
Be careful of Rape, especially with underage PCs and NPCs.  I'm coming right out and saying this.  My Igbar group has three female players, as well as spouses who show up.  One of my recurring and important NPCs is Salimar 'Earthward' Samria-daughter.  She was kidnapped as a baby, and held on the House of Earth for 2 years of in-game time...but time passes differently there, so by thre time her father and mother (Palimar and Samria) rescued her, she was just turning 14, and had spent her whole life away from her family (something Samria has never forgiven Palimar for).  She was somewhat wild, therefor, and was actually in the PC oupost of the Old grey Legion when it was overrun by the Antroo Vampyre and his new minions, the Firehazers.  I never got graphic, but the rape of Salimar by the Antroo Vampyre was an extrmemly energizing and cryatalizing moment for the New Legion PCs when they learned of it.  It was used to explain some of the nature of Vampyres and the level of brutality of that particular Vampyre.  
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: SDragon on May 14, 2010, 11:41:04 AM
[spoiler=This one time in a game of Vampire...]There was a Gangrel (bestial vampire clan) PC that was hunting down this one female human, with the intent of raping her, then feeding on her. Unfortunately for both of them, he found out that she was bleeding, which drove him into an uncontrollable frenzy; her death was vicious and gruesome, ultimately leaving too little blood to feed on.[/spoiler]

Note that, while no sexual act took place, the subject wasn't shied away from, and the conclusion of that particular event was the direct result of an unexpected sexual detail.

I see the issue of sex in games and world design as a matter of personal choice. I don't shy away from it by any means, but I see no real reason to simply toss it in. I haven't mentioned sex in either Fiendspawn or Xiluh, but-- as has been mentioned-- I haven't mentioned restrooms in those settings, either. In games, if you want to avoid the issue at all costs, then that's your choice. If you want to make Vreeg look even more chaste than a catholic nun, then knock yourself out.

The major line for me, is when that one overly-greasy new guy starts asking irrelevant questions about the sexuality of each and every young female NPC, and seems to enjoy any given answer just a little too much. Of course, then it's not so much sex in games that's the issue, but player maturity, and the need to separate in-game sex from real sex. Fortunately, I've never run into this before, but I've heard more than enough stories of it happening.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Kindling on May 14, 2010, 02:02:02 PM
I think Vreeg's made an excellent point about the distinction between romance/relationships and sex. More often than not, the part of that continuum which is most relevant for the story is the former, and while I would tend towards the actual sex being merely implied or played out "off screen," I think relationship issues and romantic situations could easily be included into gameplay as (potentially very important) plot points and character-developing situations.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Elemental_Elf on May 15, 2010, 03:54:49 AM
My group's first inside joke concerned itself with a "Fine Donkey" (that my low strength Elf purchased as a pack mule) and how the lonely adventures would find solace in its comfort...  

So, sex has never really been a problem in my group... There have been incidents that have crossed a line (i.e. the literal rape of an entire Tiefling village) but things like that don't occur often. As a DM I have the policy of 'what happens in the game has consequences' thus on the rare occasions that truly despicable things occur, I make it a point to punitively punish the characters. Kingdoms have laws and those who enforce the laws will go to the ends of the earth to punish those who flagrantly break the law. I am not above executing PCs in very violent and gruesome ways.
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: LordVreeg on May 15, 2010, 08:11:27 AM
Speaking to the biological aftereffects...
Anyone else out there have any pregnancies?  STDs?  What are the % of crossbreeds?
Title: Sex in Games and Campaign Building
Post by: Elemental_Elf on May 15, 2010, 01:38:12 PM
Quote from: LordVreegAnyone else out there have any pregnancies?
I tried this once... The campaign died before the baby was born but the PC father freaked out quite a bit about it... Mainly because it was a one night stand in a cave... The sumptuous human female turned out to be a Changeling... :)

 
Quote from: LordVreegSTDs?
I have never DMed with STD's but I played with a DM who had the Book of Erotic Fantasy... One of my fellow players caught a magical disease that withered his manhood and made it drop off... Needless to say - Sex is no longer an option when that person DM's :)

 
Quote from: LordVreegWhat are the % of crossbreeds?
I assume you mean Half Elves and the like. Most of my settings possess low quantities of cross breeds, the reason being that you can breed out one side or the other within a few generations. I mean are you really a half-elf if just 1/8th of your ancestry is Elf?