Off-screen: "That's right. Once you're Tranquil, you'll do anything I ask."
Your options: A. What's going on here? B. Naughty, naughty. C: Die!
Rape is a recurring problem in the first two Dragon Age video games, and while it is never graphically shown, it is interwoven throughout. In DA: Origins, it is an unavoidable element in the origin story of a City Elf character. (Sexual abuse of city elves is well noted and may result in elf-blooded children.) It is a known pastime of a character in the Leliana's Song DLC. Rape is in the background story of Loghain Mac Tir and the tale of the werewolves. Sometimes outright abduction is involved; other times, falling into the wrong hands can lead to the worst.
In Dragon Age II, a particularly heinous implication is that a character has been raping Tranquil mages (who are essentially lobotomized and unable to defend themselves). The righteous outrage that results is only the beginning of the strife left in the wake of such violations. Another rape, once more of an elven woman, is reported and ignored by human authorities. When her kin take vengeance, they are the ones hunted by the city guard, not only because of what they did but because of the discrimination elves face. This is the final straw in the rising tensions between humans and qunari, and leads the arishok to proclaim:
"Their actions are mere symptoms. Your society is the disease."
It's a powerful moment, and the reactions to rape in these games has also been strong. It was controversial not just for its prevalence but for its ties to 'dark fantasy,' which the game line originally claimed to be. Some folks argued that 'dark fantasy' all too often equals rape, making it a lazy shorthand for horror. To other folks, having it come up was uncomfortable to begin with, and seeing repeated references was worse. Others were okay with it because it only happened to NPCs, wasn't the ruination of women, and was part of the medievalesque experience.
By the time Dragon Age: Inquistion came around, decisions had to be made based on the feedback received. Writers insisted that they didn't back down and that a particular scene was cut mostly because they hadn't intended rape to be a subtext in it. But some players noted that rape was conspicuously absent from the entire game, and that cutting it out entirely in the third game went a bit too far. This led other gamers to ask: "So what? Why would you want rape to be a part of the game?" And so on.
What does this mean for the tabletop game? The core book doesn't bring it up at all, but as a part of the entire canon, it is worth thinking about. As always, rape is a very sensitive topic that must be discussed with a gaming group up front. You never truly know how someone feels about it - and how they feel about it in their games - until they tell you. Some gamers draw a special line at rape because it is so ugly and tabletop roleplaying can be so affecting. But depending on your group, it could be an accepted background element, or even expected as part of the setting.
So, what are your options? Once again, the video games provide helpful examples. Your group may decide that it should not come up at all, as in DA:I, and that will be fine. There can still be kidnappings, executions, and slavers, but rape will not be something anyone has to endure. Your group could also opt to have it mentioned occasionally as part of a plot line or an NPC's background. This is a middle ground that keeps it infrequent and distanced. Your group might be comfortable with the same frequency and references that were present in the first two video games, so long as they happen to NPCs. Relatively few groups will be okay with direct PC involvement, either as victims or perpetrators. That is for the best.
But either way, the feelings of everyone participating should be taken into account, and what your group likes may be different from what others enjoy. How your group feels may also change over time, so GMs should be open to feedback and adjusting their approach. Dark fantasy does not have to involve rape to be gritty, but in Dragon Age in particular, it can be a potent story element that fits into the overall experience of adult gaming. An important benefit of tabletop games is that they allow more options and custom tailoring than video games can yet provide. You can tell the stories and be the characters you desire, and never mind focus groups, online backlash, or market value. How you embrace that freedom is ultimately up to you and the people you play with. Respect the table and it will respect you - and respect is something the real world could use so much more of.
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