Dealing with Adult Issues in Game

[AlexanderHowl]

So, I have often had players who play characters with rather good reaction bonuses combined with Lecherousness and Xenophilia, meaning that they desire practically everyone and can get most people into bed. I often have to decide on the consequences of their actions (pregnancies and STDs), and I was wondering how other people dealt with such adult issues? I will share what I do so you can compare.

When it comes to pregnancy, the female partner is fertile only 10% of the time (a roll of 6- for any given day). If she has unprotected sex with a fertile male of the same species, they both roll HT. If he succeeds, he may get her pregnant with his contribution. If she fails, she gets pregnant (the female reproductive system is actually a hostile environment for the male contribution because it needs to weed out the weak and sickly contributions). In general, chemical birth control gives the female a +6 to HT while physical contraception gives the male a -6 to HT (the rhythm method gives the female an extra +2 to HT while the withdraw method gives an extra -2 to HT).

When it comes to STDs, the average person will have a 25% chance of having a STD at TL8 (8-). Younger people are less likely to have STDs while older people are more likely to have STDs, so apply -1 per decade below 50 years old, to a minimum of '3-' and apply a +1 per decade above 50 year old. Sexual experience also plays a factor (a true virgin will be clean while someone with Lecherousness (6) will likely have an STD on a 10-).

The majority of STDs are difficult to contract, so most people receive a +6 to HT to avoid infection from one encounter (it is just that most people engage in multiple encounters with infected people). Condoms only fail on a confirmed critical failure if they are used properly (a critical failure followed by a critical failure), though improve usage will reduce their effectiveness to a confirmed failure.

The nature of the STD possessed by the sexual partner depends on a random roll. The sexual partner will have a bacteria infection on a 13-18, a viral infection on a 7-12, or both on a 3-6. In any case, it is trouble for anyone who contracts the STD.

[Colarmel]

There are some canonical rules for conception/contraception in Low Tech Companion 3

[AlexanderHowl]

It is Low Tech Companion 1, and it only deals with monthly sexual activity (10% per month of sexual activity). It is also not reflective of the modern technology for contraception (the method I outlined tends to reflect modern technology somewhat better, though it could use improvement). Of course, the Low Tech Companion 1 info is suitable for a GM who is just curious about the chance of pregnancy. An interesting side note is that women who use low-tech contraceptives and cervical caps can reduce the probability of conception to 3- without much difficulty (and can eliminate it if they are willing to suffer some fatigue), meaning that the probability of pregnancy becomes around 6% per year of sexual activity.

[whswhs]

The LTC rules do provide for adjustment of the chances of conception based on use of low-tech contraceptives. And you could apply the same kind of adjustments to modern ones. Basically, a 5 or less implies 22 months from birth to pregnancy; a 4 or less implies 54 months; a 3 or less implies 216 months. You can look up mean time before failure for all the modern methods; I've seen Web pages that have it.

[Mark Skarr]

[You have summoned the Forum Pervert!]

Sex comes up a fair bit in some of my games. But, we don’t really worry too much about the game mechanics behind it (unless the character has sexually-activated powers).

The vast majority of the characters have Immunity to Disease, as they’re almost all metahumans. So, STIs don’t come into play that often. The main reason for the purchase of Immunity to Disease is, usually, to make STIs a moot point so no one has to think too hard about it.

For pregnancies, usually we just have the female character roll against HT. And, like you suggest, a failed roll indicates pregnancy. We usually dictate that any attempt at birth control is automatically successful unless it’s important to the plot (or someone has an ability that affects the chances).

However, unless bloodlines/children are important to the game, I’d recommend against really putting too much importance on actual reproduction. Sure, it can add to other games (the sudden appearance of new dependents is always a win for the diabolical GM/villain), but, make sure it’s something your players want before you just spring a parasite on an unwitting character.

Your rules look good, if you want to mechanize sex (that just feels wrong to say).

[dataweaver]

If you search the internet, you can find a fan work titled “GURPS Sex” from the era of the third edition that tackles these topics in much more detail. Most of it is usable in 4e as written, or with minor adjustments (e.g., it calls Techniques “Maneuvers”).

[whswhs]

I don't address STDs in the games I run; I can't see their adding to the players' enjoyment.

I have occasionally dealt with pregnancy. The most memorable example was a campaign I ran using Amber Diceless. One of the PCs gained access to a magical house outside the mundane universe, one created by Zeus as a gift for Aphrodite (whose avatar she was), and she specified that part of the wishes it fulfilled would be that her sexual activities there would not lead to pregnancy. But then she and her lover (another PC) had a quarrel in the mundane world, and made it up with a night of overwhelming passion (including their tent falling down about them, but never mind). Now that wasn't in the magical house, and the male PC was an avatar of Zeus, so I figured his embrace would be fertile, and a couple of sessions later I made the female PC's player aware of this. The end result was that the two PCs got married at the campaign's end, in the classic style of comedy.

[Polydamas]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

So, I have often had players who play characters with rather good reaction bonuses combined with Lecherousness and Xenophilia, meaning that they desire practically everyone and can get most people into bed. I often have to decide on the consequences of their actions (pregnancies and STDs), and I was wondering how other people dealt with such adult issues? I will share what I do so you can compare.

When it comes to pregnancy, the female partner is fertile only 10% of the time (a roll of 6- for any given day). If she has unprotected sex with a fertile male of the same species, they both roll HT. If he succeeds, he may get her pregnant with his contribution. If she fails, she gets pregnant (the female reproductive system is actually a hostile environment for the male contribution because it needs to weed out the weak and sickly contributions). In general, chemical birth control gives the female a +6 to HT while physical contraception gives the male a -6 to HT (the rhythm method gives the female an extra +2 to HT while the withdraw method gives an extra -2 to HT).

When it comes to STDs, the average person will have a 25% chance of having a STD at TL8 (8-). Younger people are less likely to have STDs while older people are more likely to have STDs, so apply -1 per decade below 50 years old, to a minimum of '3-' and apply a +1 per decade above 50 year old. Sexual experience also plays a factor (a true virgin will be clean while someone with Lecherousness (6) will likely have an STD on a 10-).

The majority of STDs are difficult to contract, so most people receive a +6 to HT to avoid infection from one encounter (it is just that most people engage in multiple encounters with infected people). Condoms only fail on a confirmed critical failure if they are used properly (a critical failure followed by a critical failure), though improve usage will reduce their effectiveness to a confirmed failure.

The nature of the STD possessed by the sexual partner depends on a random roll. The sexual partner will have a bacteria infection on a 13-18, a viral infection on a 7-12, or both on a 3-6. In any case, it is trouble for anyone who contracts the STD.

There is a previous-edition Pyramid with rules for getting pregnant and (outdated) rules for the effects. As others say, there are plenty of websites with success rates for postwar contraception, Low Tech and a university library will get you started on low-tech contraception.

For STI rates and infection rates, I would check some public health statistics ... 25% seems high unless you are including oral herpes.

[AlexanderHowl]

Around a sixth of Americans have genital herpes, and the proportion among sexual active adults is probably much higher (https://justherpes.com/facts/genital...stics-us-hsv2/). When you are looking at STD prevelance in sexual partners, 25% might be too low, but it is a useful number.

[Dalillama]

My advice is to keep it out of LARPing; it only complicates things. Especially IRL relationships.(And her character wasn't married; how was I to know?)