jdrakeh
Front Range Warlock
I've dealt with sex and sexuality a great deal in D&D. Not in a "roll a die to see how many times you. . " kind of way but in a serious social context. And that is what is considered on-topic for the purposes of this thread. For example. . .
There was an openly homosexual villain in one game that I ran who frequently challenged some of the misperceptions about homosexuals (and villains) that players had. He was genuinely affable, which was unusual for a villain. And he was not effeminate at all, which didn't mesh with the stereotype that most of the players had envisioned. In fact, players expected him to be a pushover because of his sexual orientation when, instead, he ended up trumping them (fairly) on numerous occasions.
Likewise, I've utilized a nationwide network of spies -- who were female prostitutes. Basically, each brothel operated like a spy shop, with each madam serving as handler. Naturally, they had access to better (i.e., first-hand) intel than your typical Thieve's Guild, having seduced it out of highly placed government officials. They weren't combat oriented (they subcontracted out their muscle), though they didn't have to be as a few unfortunate PCs discovered. You can hurt a lot of people with information alone.
Basically, what I tried to do in both of the above situations was challenge some stereotypes. I think that it worked out okay. None of those players were quick to underestimate opponents based on sex or sexuality after those particular games
What serious role have sex and sexuality played in your own D&D campaigns?
There was an openly homosexual villain in one game that I ran who frequently challenged some of the misperceptions about homosexuals (and villains) that players had. He was genuinely affable, which was unusual for a villain. And he was not effeminate at all, which didn't mesh with the stereotype that most of the players had envisioned. In fact, players expected him to be a pushover because of his sexual orientation when, instead, he ended up trumping them (fairly) on numerous occasions.
Likewise, I've utilized a nationwide network of spies -- who were female prostitutes. Basically, each brothel operated like a spy shop, with each madam serving as handler. Naturally, they had access to better (i.e., first-hand) intel than your typical Thieve's Guild, having seduced it out of highly placed government officials. They weren't combat oriented (they subcontracted out their muscle), though they didn't have to be as a few unfortunate PCs discovered. You can hurt a lot of people with information alone.
Basically, what I tried to do in both of the above situations was challenge some stereotypes. I think that it worked out okay. None of those players were quick to underestimate opponents based on sex or sexuality after those particular games
What serious role have sex and sexuality played in your own D&D campaigns?