What is Gor?

Technical Details

Gor is a series of books written by John Norman in a style and aesthetic very similar to Conan and John Carter of Mars. Gor is a planet that circles the sun in the direct opposite position to earth and is called the counter-earth. The current time of Gor is the same as the current time on Earth, i.e. modern day. However, Gor has almost no technological advantages and the regions are in line with Earth’s history such as Roman age, the viking age, and other historical points of history lumped into one world. It is considered a typical 1970’s sword and planet series similar to John Carter of Mars.

About Gorean Slavery

"What is most important to note is that Gorean slavery is but a single aspect of a much larger realm. If you feel that Gor is only about slavery, then you are missing out on a vast world of other Gorean ideas and concepts. Gorean philosophy touches on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy and so much more. It draws its inspiration from such sources as Plato’s The Republic, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and Nietzsche’s Beyond Good and Evil. It deals with more than just personal relationships, encompassing also how man interacts with government, society and nature. In these respects, it is vastly more encompassing than BDSM or D/S. BDSM and D/S are most often a matter of personal relationships, the interaction of two people."

We are here for more then just private personal relationships, but rather seek to explore the entire scope of the fiction as a living breathing world.

Should you play Gor?

No.

The average modern role-player would not enjoy playing in this world for a lot of reasons that I am going to list. If after you get through this very harsh assessment of the role-play setting and you are still interested, this document will briefly outline more of the setting.

Gor is a male dominated, female submissive world where rape is not only socially acceptable, but where the lore is based entirely on the premise that all women inherently want to be dominated, and are only truly happy once they have been. In the fiction, when a woman is raped she becomes a puddle of adoring goo for the entire male species.

Gor is a world where the fiction is entirely based on the premise that a group of unknown intelligent bugs are conducting a human breeding program based on the concept of might makes right and survival of the fittest. Consequently, the word stranger in Gor is the same as enemy. It is a hostile world - most Gor RP worlds are PvP. PvP dice are generally considered to be too soft.

Perma-death, torture, capture, kidnapping, dueling, raiding and war are part of every one of the 35+ books. However, the books are neither erotic nor a gore-fest (if you pardon my pun). It is a series that got its start prior to the 1980’s and is in a similar style of writing to the Conan and John Carter of Mars books. There is very little concern for keeping IC and OOC separated. In fact, in early Gorean RP they were not separated at all. And yet ICA=ICC (in character actions = in character consequences) is absolutely enforced by the player base.

Gor is not a capture-rape ERP scene where naked girls run around squeeling “Please don’t throw me in the briar patch”. In fact, the bulk of Gorean role-play has little to do with anyone running or pretending they don’t want to get caught. In fact, in my experience most Gorean slaves complain they don’t get enough ERP. Further, asking the OOC consent of a Gorean slave is not only unnecessary but utterly unwanted.

Finally, it is a fiction that considers homesexuality and transgender to be unnatural. And while many Goreans roleplayers are themselves homosexual, transgender or the parent or ally of the LGBTQ community, the fiction is not.

What is the allure?

Do not ask the stones or the trees how to live, they can not tell you;… do not ask how to live, but, instead, proceed to do so.
Marauders of Gor, Page 9

“Truth not won is not possessed. We are not entitled to truths for which we have not fought.”
Marauders of Gor, p.7

Tear away the outdated writing. Skim over the sections where Tarl pontificates on the beauty of a submissive slave. Ignore the bugs. And what you have left is a world that is probably as closely similar to what earth history would have been like. Dangerous.

While many Gorean role-players are excellent at sharing the story with other writers, at the heart of every Gorean role-player is the desire to do more than survive but in fact to thrive. You will rarely hear another Gorean role-player say “You can’t win in role-play”.

Gorean role-play is treacherous and the goal is essentially to win. As a man you survive because of power. As a free woman you survive because of your wits. As a slave you survive because of your grace and beauty. Your story could turn on a dime, and no matter how supportive the community, rules or staff are, you know not only is there no safety net, you wouldn’t want it any other way.

I return because the challenge is simply addicting – if you like to play hard. In the current decade where role-play is consensual, this role-play is unapologetic and often offensive. In a time where many role-players have complex detailed back stories the average Gorean role-player has little more than a basic framework – the entire goal is to live the experience.

And that last is why so many are drawn to Gor, because the experience, the philosophy, the manner of personal honor, and independent living became a cult favorite that still thrives in those who found themselves not alone in this world, but instead among friends.

“I once betrayed my codes,” I said. “It is not my intention to do so again.” I looked at her. “One does not know, truly, what it is to stand, until one has fallen. Once one has fallen, then one knows, you see, what it is to stand.”
“None would know if you betrayed the codes,” she said.
“I would know,” I said, “and I am of the Warriors.”
Beasts of Gor, Page 340

In conclusion, unless you get this far and are thinking “oh my god where has this been all my life”, you probably shouldn’t play - it will just end in tears.

Details about the server:

It will be PVP-RP with player to player combat, player vs outpost (buildings destroyed), and player vs player capture.

• Female characters are heavily limited in combat.
• The server will begin with some basic cultures; Viking, Roman, Arabic, Outlaw or such.
• Perma-death and perma-enslavement are possible. Goreans capture with the intent to keep, not release.
• There are no personal OOC limits.

If this last line didn’t get you closing this window with a giant nope our discord is https://discord.gg/VJw58sXwac.