Eroticism and role-playing games

A little roleplaying interlude amid the technical articles. Following recommendations from Midori, I discovered the existence of a rather particular, militant publisher answering to the sweet name of "Les Écuries d'Augias" (the originator of an "open source" game, "Lady Blackbird"). Between "Indie" publications and convention-breaking role-playing games, this publisher's most original line is called "In Vitro". There you find a true UFO. A game that defies roleplaying conventions to such an extent that one might wonder whether it is still a role-playing game. Its name? "Romance érotique", and as one might guess, it is about smex.

A little reflection: when we play a war game or watch an action movie, our goal is not to work ourselves up in order to blow our neighbor away afterwards. Idealized violence gives us a good time and we come out of it satisfied, without having to slide the virtual into the real. But why is it so difficult to take such a step back with sex? Why do we feel compelled to break the mirror? For many, drawing a distinction between libidinous fantasy and actual sexuality seems absurd.

So of course, the question of sex in role-playing games (just like in video games) has always triggered a certain discomfort. Between the players eager to prove they are open-minded and the others who prefer to stay dry, it is hard to address the issue in a level-headed way. Yet some tried to break the taboo, sometimes by opening parentheses in traditional role-playing games (Tigres Volants with its libidinous "elves", or even certain passages of Qin in "Mythes et animaux fabuleux") and other times through games primarily dedicated to sex (the venerable but messy Indécent, which everyone knows, or the oh-so-subtle FATAL which... no, actually, let's avoid talking about it here).

Given my interest in this domain, discovering a new erotic tabletop role-playing game necessarily caught my attention. Once I had purchased it, I quickly pored over the book, and unfortunately, "Romance Érotique" crushed a good part of my hopes just from reading the back cover. Is it devoid of interest, then? Spoiler: not really.

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#false[Illustration from the game [Illustration © Maude Chalmel]](/content/images/2019/10/romance1.jpg [Illustration from the game])

Romance Érotique comes in the shape of a small A6 booklet with a cardboard cover of about thirty pages (the ideal format for a "concept" role-playing game). Its author, Jelino, originally wanted to spare himself the passage through a publisher, but ended up publishing the fruit of his work in a "pro" manner, for reasons he thoroughly exposed. Here, no vain explanations about what a role-playing game is: we very quickly move on to the "rules of the game", which spread from the first pages to page 22. The style is limpid enough, and one finds enough examples to properly grasp how a game session works. A small ten-odd pages, at the end, present "variants", which in fact expose different scenario ideas to develop during the sessions.

Personally, I wholeheartedly appreciate the book's graphic style, notably Maud Chalmel's angular line and the not-especially-sober-at-all layout that evokes the purple drapes of an intimate, elegant club.

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The author sets the tone from the first pages: his proposal is to tie "role-playing game" and "real rewards" together in an erotic entertainment for couples. While the characters live their adventures like any other group of PCs, the players are involved through forfeits whose more or less intimate character depends on the scenario's progression. For while Romance Érotique offers no background, it does structure the game sessions into three acts:

• The meeting
• The date
• The intimate moment

#false[Illustration from the game [Illustration © Maude Chalmel]](/content/images/2015/10/romance2.jpg [Illustration from the game (Illustration © Maude Chalmel)]))

Each act has implications on both dimensions of the game: the players shed their clothes as the characters progress through the steps. The latter are defined by three "characteristics", called "domains" (sensuality, empathy and depth), from strongest to weakest. They change with every scene, reflecting the PC's state of mind. In lieu of a character sheet, the players tie three ribbons (fuchsia, yellow and purple, linked to the three characteristics) to different places on their partner's body to signify which domain of their character is awake (the best), dormant (the middle one) or at half-mast (the worst). Each in turn, the players take on the role of "narrator" and describe a scene in which the two protagonists meet and try to seduce each other. The forfeits come into play when the seduction attempts succeed.

Not having been able to try the game (for lack of time, obviously...), I can only criticize the system's merit from a theoretical standpoint. With Romance Érotique, it would be vain to separate the "erotic game" aspect from the "role-playing game" aspect. The two intertwine far too much. One can however split its audience: while the ludic aspect is probably relaxing during the first sessions, the couples seeking to spice up their sex life risk moving on quickly, so high is the level of involvement required here compared to a simple erotic board game. As for those, rarer, seeking above all to boost their "Art: bedroom storyteller" skill, they might well find the system limiting (imposed structure) without it bringing any real support for building a more satisfying naughty narration.

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You will have understood: I am a bit dubious about the book's value. That said, it would not be the first time a role-playing game makes a bad impression on reading, only to prove very good around a table (or more probably on a bed, in this case). Two final points to conclude this article: whether one likes the result or not, one must salute the effort and seriousness of Jelino's approach, who invested himself greatly in this adventure. As for me, I remain on the lookout for a game that, rather than reinforcing personal involvement, will know how to handle sexuality in an interesting way without requiring the players to give of themselves.

Bonus:

• A review close to mine
• Another, more enthusiastic review (you will also find game aids there)
• Lady Blackbird, the official page