# RPGs and in-game rape situations

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-and-in-game-rape-situations/463594>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [September 14, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-and-in-game-rape-situations/463594 "2008-09-14T20:15:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![friendlessboob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@friendlessboob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friendlessboob)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-and-in-game-rape-situations/463594/61 "2017-03-17T20:50:55Z")

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> [@Airk](#):
>
> Wow, way to resurrect an EIGHT YEAR OLD THREAD to post some vaguely misogynistic comments. Also, holy \*\*\*\*. Reported.

How does that even make sense, in the context of gaming, dying is basically just “game over” and can be at worst frustrating. Getting raped in game is making something that is supposed to be fun, horribly not for a lot of people. That is obvious and makes me think troll maybe.

IRL of course dying is worse, but this isn’t real life. IRL fighting zombies and dragons and demons and shit would be a fucking nightmare.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [March 17, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rpgs-and-in-game-rape-situations/463594/62 "2017-03-17T21:50:13Z")

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> [@Bricker](#):
>
> Out of curiosity, I’m interested in your response to the scenario I GM’d lo those many years ago:
> 
> Imagine changing it up slightly, so that the characters’ party _was_ caught by a band of looting, raping, and pillaging soldiers. I’d argue there that it has a narrative consistency and isn’t gratuitous. (Not a gratuitously detailed assault, of course, but the fact that both women and men might be robbed and sexually assaulted in the course of the organic flow of the story).
> 
> If I were a GM today, I’d almost certainly explore the topic ahead of time and find some way to save the character if a given player felt personally uncomfortable with that outcome, but I do think the above is a fair example of the topic occurring in a reasonable way.

As long as you’re not just suddenly saying “roll to save versus rape” and you’re handling it mostly as a background thing I wouldn’t have a problem with it if I was in the campaign. I’ve definitely dealt with _implied_ rape before, even with underage victims in one modern day campaign, but I’ve never had it be a front-and-center issue.

If you think about it, one of the most common tropes in fiction, especially fantasy, is that of the damsel in distress. Typically that damsel is held prisoner by some sociopath who has no remorse in exploiting anyone weaker than himself. You’d think that he’d take advantage of her while chained up and defiant. But that is very rarely included in the story.

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