That doesn’t explain Jeepform, but I’ve only played two games of that sort per se. One suggestion is that greater physicality in some way may encourage relations, but that’s just a guess.

Mo and I may make it to Boston early next year, so maybe we’ll track you down then. Though, if you make GenCon that would be awesome as well.

I definitely would like to meet more of the cool online gamers in person, but I suck so much at getting together with people that I still haven’t met Jonathan Walton, and he’s like, right down the street.

Thoughts?

2) Romance happens on-screen generally, though sex is purely off-screen.

3) My best experience was probably the long-standing romance of Dot and Max — the Slayer and witch in our three-year Buffy campaign. Season One had a long period of tension as Max mooned over Dot who was oblivious, but then they got together. Season Two they deepened and then they conceived a child together by sorcerous means. Season Three the baby was born and was the center of an apocalyptic prophecy.

4) I’ve never had any traumatic experiences that come to mind. My worst experience was probably a romance that wasn’t acknowledged. For example, I was uncomfortable at points in the GenCon game I played in, “Reservoir Witch” (a scenario based on Reservoir Dogs using The Mountain Witch system). There was also the Ripper Game, where my PC Rook had fallen in love with an NPC but it didn’t go anywhere. Weeks later I found out that everyone else assumed he was just lusting after her body when to him it was serious. I think the issue there was that on a meta-level the GM and other players didn’t take an interest in it.

5) For techniques, we play out romantic banter as in-character dialogue. Then physical stuff is generally described alluded to and then fade to black. There is some out-of-character discussion generally outside of the game where we talk about romances, where they are heading and what players are interested in. Rather than pre-established lines, people will give feedback about how thins are going. For example, a player once asked that a jealousy issue with a PC/NPC romance be dropped, and I did so.

6a) In games where there isn’t much love/sex, what would make me comfortable doing it is more people taking an interest in that side of lay.

6b) I don’t have love/sex in all my games, and I’m happy playing in a game in which the subject never came up — but only if there were good in-game reasons. I have been mildly troubled by games where there are PCs with normal lives who never consider getting in a relationship.

7) Regarding group composition, I do find that my all-male groups tend to have trouble dealing with relationships in depth, though sex still comes up. The medium also seems to influence — in practice my larp and online play have had more romance/sex in them. The rules used doesn’t seem to influence.

Also, ditto on the tell me a story thing. Works wonders.

P.S. Are you two going to be at Camp Nerdly by any chance? We’re trying to get KJ there too, and would love to meet you and the boy. Oh, and your kids too.

Jere and I don’t play one on one games; although we’ve talked about it we’ve just never gotten our acts together. That said, our sex life certainly has roleplaying elements on occasion. To me, there are few sexier phrases than ‘Tell me a story’.

As to the second, big yes. Everything about that group was more explicit, more graphic, more intense, more melodramatic, in game and out. As a group we were all close like only people who spend all their time together can be, and pretty much nothing was off limits.

For the rest, I have only a few questions due to the wonderful thoroughness of the answers. The main one is — do you and Jere play one on one games at all? The secondary is — do you find any differences in the tone of the rest of the game (not just the sex) between the explicitness of your college group and non of you current group?