Category: Words Words Words

I have been lucky enough to run RPGs for tables of strangers at various convention events, including running some with strong horror themes. If you’re going to play with themes that can genuinely ruin someone’s mood, it’s important to make sure everyone at the table feels safe before we start terrorizing their characters.

And that means safety tools.

Here’s what’s worked for me:

I start with C.A.T.S.: Concept, Aim, Tone, Subject Matter. It’s a simple structure for sharing key details about the game. I tell everyone at the table that I want them to be very clear about what sort of game we’re playing, so no one is surprised once we start. (A big hat tip to The Gauntlet community, who evangelize the use of this tool.)

I also establish an Open Door policy:

“If at any point, this game stops being fun, it’s perfectly fine if you pack up and leave. No hard feelings, no questions asked, and I’ll be proud of you for prioritizing your own well-being. No game is more important that the people at the table.”

If I have time, I like to do a full introduction to Lines & Veils. Playing online makes it easy to share a list of common triggering topics and ask players if there are any topics they’d like to “line” (i.e. exclude from the game entirely) or “veil” (if the content appears in the game, it shouldn’t be described in any great detail, but mostly happen “off-stage.”)

During convention play, however, there’s often a time crunch so I don’t have time to both properly introduce the concept and give folks time to separately fill out a long form listing all potentially objectionable content.

When that’s the case, I use a condensed form of Lines & Veils:

1. I share a list of content warnings for elements inherent in the game they’re about to play and ask for objections.

2. I say that if any content comes up that’s objectionable, anyone at the table can say “actually, no” and we’ll pivot away from the topic.

However, I acknowledge that this practice has its limits. Not everyone will feel comfortable speaking up. Some people, when they start feeling uncomfortable, will try to power through it, while others might get quiet because the don’t want to make a fuss.

That’s why we don’t rely on objections alone. We put up guard rails before we start.

3. Personal objections – For this part of the condensed Lines & Veils, I hand out notecards to everyone.

I say “Don’t worry, we’re not going to touch on [a list of the most commonly objected to content]. But if you have anything specific you want to avoid, please write it on this card and pass it back to me, face down. I will take on lifeguard duties and if something you pass me comes up, I’ll object on your behalf and we’ll change the game accordingly.”

I also don’t want anyone feeling self-conscious about writing things down, so I have an additional request: “If you don’t have anything you want to add to our list of lines and veils, please write something down on the card in front of you anyway, so no one feels self-conscious that they’re the only person writing things down. Maybe write me a nice note?”

Amusingly enough, I have received some very nice notes with this method.

So yeah, little tip for GMs out there: it’s possible to marry safety tools with fishing for compliments if you want a pre-game confidence boost. Could be a game changer! Might catch on…

My horror-loving tables have had a great time torturing their characters. It was all smiles as their characters died. Starting out with a strong safety foundation makes that possible.

We got through all of the above in maybe 15-20 minutes, so there’s no reason to skip them. Be a good host to the strangers at your table. It pays off.

The boys was digging up a trench and found a coffin that was chained up and we’re thinking: nice! Free chains.

Everyone got their share of links and we’ve finally got chains on stuff that hasn’t had chains ever.

Unrelated: some nocturnal creature’s been picking us off one by one and, like, the first thing this thing did was smash up that coffin we found and, like… rude.

Turns out the coffin was empty, which is weird for how heavy it was when we got those chains off it.

Been sending my kid off to so many summer camps and somehow never pick one where a murderer comes out of the lake or woods or whatever

The kids going to catch on eventually that I’m the one putting notes in his luggage saying “try premarital sex and also drugs, what’s the worst that could happen parents suck!”

It’s Tuesday and we all know what that means. It’s time to take our elderly relatives down to the river to examine the swans, to see if any of them look familiar.

It’s been years since the river spirits turned some of the village’s biggest jerks into swans and it doesn’t seem like we’re getting any better at recognizing a regular swan from a transformed swan who has “learned their lesson.”

But the old folks get some sun, seeing if any swans respond to their former names.

can’t help but notice you bought a belt from us last week

would you like to buy a belt from us this week? sure, we know the last order hasn’t even arrived at your house yet, but maybe you’ve spent the interim dreaming of belts

here are three possible belts and they are 15% off, does that help

this could be the start of a new Life of Belts for you, you could be The Belt Guy to all your friends, you could tell them about the wonders of our belts with our referral code BELTSBELTSBELTSBELTS

If you got yourself a witchfinder problem, do what we did. We had all the young ladies tell the witchfinder that our witches could turn into toads, sent’m down to the toad pond. Spent weeks down there demanding the toads change back to face Christ’s judgment.

Next witchfinder comes along, we say “we’ve just got the one witch, they hang out at the pond yelling at toads.”

Cancels out.

Guys, is there such a thing as the Curse of the Tomb of Bigfoot?

I thought it was an Egyptian thing, or was just made up for pulp fiction adventure, but this dead sasquatch is telling me it’s real and unless I pay them twenty bucks, I… am…. hosed.

I don’t mind being waylaid by highwaymen when journeying by carriage. I always carry a silk purse of the King’s coin on me, but there’s more where that came from, and I come away with both my life and a story.

But lately the highwaymen have been asking me to rate and review them saying “it helps the forest’s algorithm” and I must say, I’m at a loss. Where does everyone else stand on this question? And does anyone know anything about how to safely remove a crossbow quarrel from one’s leg?

my buddy watts: i got so many regrets… so many things I want to forget

me: you don’t have an amnesia guy? i’ve got a guy. you want me to make an introduction?

my buddy watts: sounds like a plan

me [dialing my friend luce]: yo luce you still got that comically big hammer and impeccable aim?

luce: [the sound of reckless hammering]