This past weekend I had the opportunity to watch the new Amazon show Carnival Row. Without spoiling anything the show which is fantasy based touched on a number of current political themes happening around the world.

In preparation for my upcoming Pathfinder second edition (2E) game I am reviewing the rules for the new system. And came across some themes that I had plan to incorporate into my game.

This spurred thought about how does one handle slavery, political intrigue, torture or rape in a game. Per Pathfinder 2E rules most of these subject matters should NOT be role-played during a gaming session and should happen off screen.

I have to admit for the most part I agree with that sentiment, but I have witnessed groups in the past attempt to torture people. I also am guilty of threatening a NPC with torture to get information (for the record I was NOT going to torture the NPC). My DM stopped me and reminded me that I was a good character.

How should a DM approach delicate subject matters in their world? The point of gaming is that we all share a world to explore and have fun. Hitting players with heavy subject matters can be a real drag on a game if not done correctly. At the same time what happens in real life seems to permeate through all forms of media and why should gaming be immune?

To me it comes down to making sure all players are not uncomfortable with difficult subject matter. If you are a inexperience DM/GM you may want to get a feel for your players and their maturity level before tackling such themes.

For those who have not played with me, I am the type of DM that likes variety in a game. While I enjoy combat as much as the next purpose I do not center my games on combat. This is not to knock hack and slash, but sometimes problems should be solved without resorting to violence.

What do we do with players who just want to attack something and could care less about this role-playing stuff? The role of the GM is to challenge all players and provide a rich world for them to explore and navigate various perils.

With my game quickly approaching I am going to give my players to voice any concerns with my game to me privately with no questions ask. The first vote will be on recording the session, I would like to post our gaming session on Evolving RPG to chronicle our heroes. But if one person is uncomfortable with that they can say no privately and we will not do it. I feel like this is the best approach to handle subject matters that can be a little dicey at times.

At the end of the day I must stress that the DM shoulders the burden to make the game fun and make sure everyone is comfortable playing the game. This may require course corrections at times but I think it is worth the extra effort.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this subject in the comment section below!