If your campaigns were rated like movies...

[Steve]

If you were to rate your campaigns like they were movies, what sort of ratings would you give them?

[CrosshairCollie]

I have to say this in two different ways.

In-character, PG-13 for violence.

Out-of-character, NC-17 for language and innuendo.

[S7Michelle]

Almost all of the session are in the PG to PG-13 region. There is moderate violence. All of the campaigns have a fairly high level of romance which leads to some sexual or implied sexual scenes. Bad language is rarely used.

However there have been a few sessions that have moved well into the R territory. Several sessions have contained fairly explicit sexual scenes. And there were a couple of partially shown torture scenes (one involving an NPC and one a PC with that PCs permission.)

[arcady]

PG-13 in some ways, R in others.

I have tossed in a number of themes that are not 'clean' to the puritanical standards of Americans, but I also DO NOT mix sex and violence, nor do I put sex on screen in any graphic or directly 'played through' manner.

Language will go where it goes, ethics are always anything but 'black and white,' and I avoid hints at idealism whenever I can.

[Reneshat]

When I have my choice, it's R because of violence. Lately I've been playing under someone else, and it's been PG-13 because of violence, very dissapointing. There hasn't been one person that I've had a real urging to rip the head off of yet.

[Vondy]

Language: PG-13
Sexual Content: PG to PG-13.
Violence: R

[OddHat]

Language: PG to R
Sexual Content: PG to NC-17
Violence: PG to NC-17

Most of my Champions campaigns are roughly PG13 these days. Violence, implied off screen sexual content, some skin. However, I have run Rusty Iron games, Splatterpunk, and Lovecraftian horror that was certainly in the R and NC-17 range.

[BlackSword]

Voted PG-13, but since violence seems to be pushing many votes into R maybe I should have changed that.

The weekly group is mostly PG-13 except for language, and even that is mild compared to my friends from college. We're currently running Spycraft so most of the violence in-game is similar to James Bond or similar genre. People get shot, but we don't go to the explicit horror levels of violence with blood soaking the walls as the PCs make their way through a retirement home. If someone gets shot and goes down the GM usually describes it as the person spinning and falling to the ground as in an action movie. In Champions most of the violence is superhero level violence, so whatever that is rated at.

When I play with friends from college it goes into R, maybe NC-17 depending on how prudish you are (we are not). A sentence without a curse word is a fragment. Torture occurs when it is in genre, the horizontal mambo is implied but never described, and violence can get downright nasty. Frex we were up against a bunch of people wearing body armor, so my character turned and did a headshot with a needler pistol and ended up rolling a lot of damage. The GM described it as the opponent's head turning into a fine red mist.

[teh bunneh]

Violence, sexuality (implied), language, mature themes. PG-13.

Sounds like prime time on the Fox network! ;)

Bill.

[Captain Obvious]

R for violence and gore.

Who the heck voted G?

[TroubledLoner]

The games I've run/played in have been, by and large, PG-13 themes and actions. We stray sometime into R with the violence.

The talk around the table amongst the players is usually R-rated, though.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Yeah, I'm in the same boat as CrosshairCollie. The game itself is PG-13. The Neanderthal players are NC-17. ;)

[JohnOSpencer]

My game is PG-13, my players are R.

John Spencer

[ShinHakkaider]

My group is only up to Issue #3 in our new campaign which in fact started with an issue #0 (to reintroduce the characters and the game world and get people reacclimated to combat and other aspects of Hero 5th - we hadnt played in some time).

So far our sessions in character have been PG to PG 13 for violence and language. But I have the issue runs planned out until #15 or so and in that time I expect one or two sessions will be have a HEAVY R rating for violence.
There's a fight coming up near the later end of the run that will have thier slowly broiling conflict with VIPER to come to a head where they'll have to face Ripper. That issue will probably be a NC-17 as they will witness Ripper literally tearing apart one of thier lesser powered alllies on TV, just to let them know exactly how serious taking on Ripper is going to be.


Lets not even begin to talk about what I have planned for them when they face DEMON...

[Klytus]

I have to say this in two different ways.

In-character, PG-13 for violence.

Out-of-character, NC-17 for language and innuendo.
Sounds like our games/gaming group, too :)

[nexus]

Violence:pg 13-R

Sexuality and themes:R-NC-17

[JohnTaber]

Neat question.

Hummm...I chose PG-13 as I am currently running Star Hero and it can get a bit violent at times. I would say that 90% of the time if not more I am at a PG or even a G rating. I actually like lighter feeling games. :)

[Rhys]

Almost completely pg-13, occasional lapses into R for violence. i usually explore the darker side of human nature in my games and my campaigns tend to be dark and nasty with relief humor.

[Eosin]

For me it breaks down like this:

Graphic Violence: R
Sexuality (implied): PG-13
Language: PG-13
Mature themes: NC-17
Table Talk: XXX

Explanation - I like detail in combat - fun stuff. We don't usually get into sexuality in game (but one of my players has an in game wife who just had a baby, so sex is occuring). We are all adults so the language can get a little rough at times. As far as themes go, I tend hit'em where it hurts - child slavery, sacrafices, corruption of the soul, etc.

Table talk is where I really shine :) I have to tell the weekly FUBAR story from the ER and those usually involve people putting things (plungers, coke bottles, 4 cell mag lights, lightbulbs) where they do not belong (I ain't talkin bout the nose either).

[TheEmerged]

Violence: R. We're not into describing pain and gore, but the tone is quite violent. The PC's have taken 2 straight-out "hit" assignments (one against Eurostar, one against the Champions). They have little compunction about killing -- although they spared the Champions because their employer betrayed them and "we don't kill freely, let alone for free". There has been one occassion where they could have killed their victim and they didn't -- and another where they didn't have to kill the VIPER agents and they did. Speaking as the GM, both of those incidents were in character.

Sexuality: PG to PG-13. Since we usually game at the house belonging to the player who is married and has kids, we're careful about this issue. There is however a background contact NPC for whom the issues related to sexual harrassment are part of his backstory.

Concepts/Themes: R. It's a supervillain campaign, and while there are some silver age elements it's primarily an iron age theme. Most of the villains have redeeming elements, most of the heroes have some serious flaws. This is *not* material for someone under 17.

[Teflon Billy]

Table talk is where I really shine :) I have to tell the weekly FUBAR story from the ER and those usually involve people putting things (plungers, coke bottles, 4 cell mag lights, lightbulbs) where they do not belong (I ain't talkin bout the nose either).
I'm feeling a little envious, I want a weekly FUBAR story :(

But for my campaign, I voted PG-13 because of language and violence.

Sex, is non-existent, except my players make up a Mafia "Crew" from Corellia during the Old Republic in Star Wars. So anything goes and I have left it open for them to get into the prostitution racketts to make money. But I doubt they'll get into the nitty gritty of being whoremongers :D

TB

[Lord Mhoram]

I go pg to pg-13

Concepts themes - PG-13 or R - serious and mature in themes and approach.

Sex - PG - in play there hasn't been more than a kiss onscreen. Relationships happen, but details are never discussed.

Violence - PG-13 - Nothing really bad, although, sometimes (a very specific plot) goes a little higher, a "graphic novel" in a normal comics code comic series.

Language - PG, sometimes PG 13 - "D*mns" and "H*lls" abound, but "Sh*t"s and "B*tch"es are fairly uncommon. Nothing stronger than that. In character or out.

The language and sensuality issue are pretty much an unspoken rule - The gaming happens at our house and my wife and I pretty much insist on such conduct, and we can be offended by things beyond what I describe for the game. We game with friends, and they pretty much feel that way, and those that wouldn't be offended, are polite for our sakes (ie friends first gaming second). There is also no smoking, drinking or such at the game.

[stmichaeldet]

Hmmm. I can't give an overall rating for my campaigns, the settings and tones tend to vary wildly from one to the next. But for my currently-active games:

SUPAs (Champions): PG-13. Moderate comic-book violence, very little death, a few bad words, superficial sexual content.

Deadlands: R. Graphic violence, gore, foul language, open sexuality but little on-screen sex (so far, anyway).

Over the Edge: Jack Valente doesn't even get to view it. Sex, drugs, violence, decadence, corruption, amorality, and any sick and twisted thing I can think to throw in to fill the odd corner. That's why Edge will run forever.

-St. Michael

[zornwil]

Language: PG-13
Sexual Content: PG to PG-13.
Violence: R
I'd have to ditto this, I put the general as "R" above, as there are also a number of mature themes that are a bit much for kids, even if it's nothing explicitly sexual or such.

[ThothAmon]

I shall presume that there is no higher rating in the USA than NC-17? Our games would probably be unrated or censored - significant sexual themes, graphic violence - after all, sex and death is what makes opera so great :smoke:

[nexus]

I shall presume that there is no higher rating in the USA than NC-17? Our games would probably be unrated or censored - significant sexual themes, graphic violence - after all, sex and death is what makes opera so great :smoke:

There is X, but that is ususally reserved for hardcore pornograghy. An X rating is a death sentence in "legitmate" cinema so most try to avoid it.

[Blue]

My Campaign (5th City) would be PG-13. I have "R" elements in there if you look hard, but generally speaking, anything tawdry is done in a "fade to black" kind of way. It's mostly back story or events that take place without character present or necessary descritpion.

My original campaign (which had no name) form when I was a teenager was pretty much NC-17, with moments of "X". We were teenagers. Boy were we ever! I cringe now at the memories.

[GreyGuardian]

Villains should be scary and disturbing. If they weren't then the cops would deal with it. I occassionaly hit an R rating.

[Northstar]

I've been doing almost all online gaming for a number of years now. Most of those games hover at the R/NC-17 level. Not in any excessive or gratuitous way... I'm picky about who I'll game with, and I'm not into trash.

When I did do table top gaming it was pretty much PG13. For obvious reasons... any adult situations lend themselves more to writing than sitting around a table & talking about it.