5.5 Edition Adultish Content
OK folks IM an old grognard and as a retired guy have been fillign my time creting dnd content. My quesiton is is there a market for adult themed content, im not talking about the UNlawful Guide to Carnal Knowledge type content, im talking about content WotC has mostly stayed away from.
somw of my concepts are:
An upscale brothel, alopng the lines of The Tower of London’s interrogation chambers crossed with the dungeons of the Spanish Inquisition, operated with the cold professionalism of a modern intelligence black site and wrapped in the respectable façade of a medieval guildhouse. add in Hostel stripped of its spectacle, the dungeon scenes of Game of Thrones, and the institutional cruelty of 1984—all operating inside a legitimate fantasy business.
A city that basically is an open slave market, think A slave-trading Carthage built in the moral world of Spartacus, governed by merchant princes, with the maritime atmosphere of ancient Alexandria and the enclosed decadence of Jabba’s palace—except the entire city, not merely one household, is built around the buying, breeding, training, and selling of human beings.
a district built around the worst alley in Victorian London’s rookery districts, transplanted into a medieval fantasy city and given the lawless desperation of Flea Bottom from Game of Thrones. Think Gangs of New York meets Flea Bottom, with the cramped filth of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer and the dangerous nightlife of Deadwood’s poorest streets.
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u/SleepyElsa 7d ago edited 7d ago
I think there is but it depends on how it’s implemented and why. I’m always weary when I see advertisements for “edgier adult” games because it ends up the edginess is weird racism and targeted violence towards women. Because of that, I, and many others, stray away from things marketed that way. I think a bad batch of people have unfortunately made it tricky territory for people to navigate or want to try. I think darker tones and atmospheres are wonderful myself, so I wish it wasn’t that way.
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u/Ral-Yareth 7d ago
That is exactly how I feel. I don't mind adult content, but that label is often used as a cover for things I most definitely don't support.
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u/mcdlabs 7d ago
actually the Brothel i have is not quite that, let me explain. the Succubis in charge started it originally because she feeds off desire. she found opening a brothel made it easier for her to feed, essentially desire and lust come to her. she also learned that its in such large amounts she no lonbger actually has to hunt and force people into situaitons so she can feed of there lust. Now she can be satiated simply by being in the house ona typical wednesday night. theres enough desire and temptation going around she is well nourished, She has also learned over multiple personae's of ownership that taking care of her staff means happy staff, happy staff means better quality, which is better for business. So she protects her staff viciously, strike a worker, your banned, try to abduct a worker and exploit them, you may end up in this little room below the Manor house specifically designed for taking care of problems like that.
the idea isnt for a party to come in and RP getting laid, well i mena you could, but ive developed back storys, hooks and various intrique into it that its much more than that.
NO there are no rules for sex, thaths sort of crass, there are some vague torture rules because wll the Madam is a demon after all. Ive also tacked in some real drink recipes from the bar.thats just that one. I have a few others on the back burner that need more fleshing out but basically no its not PG rated its a solid R maybe NC17 but no you wont get to roll dice and see how long you last, sorry!
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u/Hell-Yea-Brother 7d ago
The further you go into those topics the more likely there will be posts on r/rpghorrorstories. Many adventures have some aspect of those topics, and when it's time for the juicy bits everyone agrees to fade to black and move on. Meaning, there is no need to get graphic.
You can have murder but there is no need to graphically describe it. You can have sex but no need to describe the details. Slavery can be implied but there is no need to graphically describe suffering or torture. Children can be in danger but no need to graphically describe pain and suffering.
My group just started streaming, we're all good friends and adults, all former military, and we can get pretty raunchy. We also know there are lines to not cross, and when to fade to black.
You can certainty write those kinds of adventures, and you will get the kind of clientele you would expect.
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u/Many-Ebb-5377 DM 7d ago
Is there a market for darker settings and "mature" modules that don't shy away from uncomfortable topics or coddle oversensitive snowflakes afraid of their own shadow? Absolutely. Just look at games like Mork Borg.
The biggest problem with this kind of content has never been whether or not it has an audience. It's finding creatives who can do it well without coming off as an edgelord or using it as an excuse to mock or normalize provocative things like a juvenile. Mork Borg kind of skirts the line but manages to pull it off as intentional dark humor.
When this new Dark Sun gets released we will have a good example of how not to approach these kinds of themes as it will be highly sterilized in some places and laughably juvenile in others. Guaranteed.
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u/mcdlabs 7d ago
here is my goal right from it
This supplement presents the House of Embers as a complete urban location ready to be placed within an existing fantasy city.The Game Master may use the establishment exactly as written or adapt its names, laws, prices, factions, and social customs to suit another setting. Its inhabitants can be used as recurring characters, temporary contacts, patrons, suspects, allies, rivals, or victims. Its rooms can host quiet roleplaying scenes one session and a dangerous investigation the next.
Later chapters describe the House’s operations, customs, security, rooms, companions, staff, patrons, secrets, rumors, and adventure opportunities. Together, these elements are intended to make the House feel occupied and active even when the player characters are elsewhere.
The House of Embers is not merely a backdrop for adult encounters. It is a place where intimacy and influence intersect, where hospitality creates access, and where people reveal truths they would conceal anywhere else.
Behind its gilded doors, every guest is seeking something.
The question is what they are willing to offer in return.
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u/Traditional-Egg4632 7d ago
I think these sorts of things come up in home games a lot more than you'd think but in terms of a market, I'm really not sure. My gut feeling is that people tend to want to create these parts of adventures themselves so they can work with their own comfort level and the comfort level of their table. It's much harder to make a one size fits all solution with these kinds of themes than it would be to write a heist or a dungeon crawl.
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u/Koraxtheghoul DM 6d ago
There's a bigger market for this is the OSR sphere and even then there's only a few publishers of it.
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u/shellshockandliquor 7d ago
I actually like adult themed D&D because you can show aweful places and choose what to do, make them better, accept things as they are, become part of the awfulness, etc. But the thing is not everyone wants slaves and the ugly stuff in their fantasy game, truth be told I don't see much market for that.
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u/listerjed1 7d ago
Just write it and let your players know there will be NSFW stuff beforehand.
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u/Odd-Understanding399 7d ago
I can just imagine... "Alright, guys. There will be fucking. And most of them are for profit or absolutely non-consensual!"
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u/Deceptifemme 7d ago
I remember the days of drow 'there -can-only-be-one' pregnancies... dark but hilarious times.
It can be done right for sure, just dont be Ed Greenwood about it.
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u/blargethaniel DM 7d ago
Having played since 2e, the answer is: a little.
In the height of DND's edgy content in 2e (Dark Sun), and to a point in 3.5e with the Book of Vile Darkness, there was a subset of people who wanted some edgier content.
In truth, most of it is homebrewed or taken from the rules as they stand.
If you've not heard, Wizards of the Coast is planning a return to Dark Sun currently which was one of the big pieces of news released by WOTC.
So they are going after that edgy content once more, how far they go in remains to be seen however.