Monday, November 21, 2011

Adventure Doesn't Mean Violence

Today's post, as rambly as it may be, was inspired by a twitter conversation I saw going on the other day. In it, folks like the NewbieDM were talking about RPGs for kids and where to pull inspiration from. Some people seemed to have problems with the idea that you can have weapons, you can have adventure, and still not have violence. Today, I wanted to talk about that.

Adventure Doesn't Need Blood
The first part that needs to be said is that an adventure game/story doesn't necessarily need blood. There are lots of adventure stories where there is actually a minimum of blood. In fact, most pure adventure stories have very little blood. Doesn't mean there isn't fighting, but the fights aren't violent and are only very rarely bloody. That is something to keep in mind when doing those games.

Combat Doesn't Need Blood
This one is something of a cop out, but combat doesn't need blood either. You ever watch a cartoon aimed at young boys? There's always fighting, but never blood. How? Well, usually the heroes are fighting robots, or aliens, or they use weapons that don't inflict any sort of bleeding or fatal wound. The Clone Wars is a great example of this, where despite having lightsabers that dice up robots in seconds, most fights against people are won with the occasional kick, punch, and - most often - a well timed force push that leaves someone pinned under debris.

80's Disney Cartoons....
My sole contribution to the discussion was to point out the old Disney cartoons as a source of inspiration. Shows like Gummy Bears, Aladdin, Tail Spin, Gargoyles, and Dark Wing Duck had tons of adventure - and even the occasional combat - but had very little violence and no blood. It was silly, light hearted, thrilling, and fun...but it wasn't bloody, dark, or violent. It can be done, you just gotta use the head and keep the focus point aimed in the right direction.

Your thoughts?


  1. It all comes down to your target audience. Older players tend to gravitate to explicit blood and guts descriptions of combat. Your articles simply shows that you have to tailor the adventure experience to your audience, in this case youngsters. Some people forget that.
    Good article.

  2. I read an article once with a study that said creative children got into fewer fights because they could imagine responses besides violence when confronted. I think my more creative players also tend to be able to solve problems without violence.

    When I start gaming with my boy in a few years, I'll focus on having 3 options for most situations; stealth, negotiation, or fighting.

    The way you think about setting up your encounters has a lot to do with how players respond.

  3. That is a very good point. Imagine how much more fun could be had at a game table if the GM planned at least three ways through each encounter. Even if it was just a simple:

    1) The Orcs will go away if killed (at 25% they flee)
    2) The Orcs will go away for 200 gold
    3) The Orcs will go away if their holy trinket goes missing in the night.

    Course, then you have to scale it for the options the players have at their disposal. But still, it does work.

  4. A.L. is on the right track. Look back at your old modules and see how many contain monster reactions, not many. It's just 20x20 room with 3 orcs, straight to the stat block and XP awarded for killing them.

    DMs should consider the force numbers:

    1) If the orcs outnumber the PCs they will always fight.
    2) If they are on equal terms they may offer to let them pass for 200 gold.
    3) If they are outnumbered they will flee to a second location and attempt to ambush the PCs.

    Of course when they are minions of a higher power they may be more afraid of it than they are of the PCs and fight regardless of any force number.

  5. I think making violence the only option in an adventure takes away a big part of what makes roleplaying fun (for me): creativity. Reward your players for outrageous solutions to sticky situations. I play a lot of RPGs where combat is potentially very deadly for the characters and I like it that way because it makes you think twice about pulling a gun or a sword on your opponent.

    Doctor Who, classic or new series, has a great many brilliant examples of solving conflicts and having adventures with a minimum of violence.