Pretending to be People

You have found a D&D group, your characters are ready and the players are hyped for the start of the game. However there is a thought that keeps cropping up in the back of your head: “What if they take the story in a direction I don’t feel comfortable with?” Tabletop roleplaying games are built on imagination and improvisation. Therefore setting boundaries might feel wrong or tricky. Perhaps you or someone else has a phobia of spiders, or some situations might make you uncomfortable. This is where safety tools come to play. Before you start thinking that these are borderline “censorship” methods - they are communication shortcuts that ensure everyone in your group is having fun, even if the story gets dark or brutal. What are safety tools? Think of safety tools as subtle “safe words” in a stunt show or a timeout in sports. It doesn’t mean that the show can’t go on, instead it allows for the participants to pause, edit or skip certain bits of content that might not be something everyone is comfortable with. It avoids the need for that awkward, long speech about themes and decisions while making some people feel uncomfortable with either expressing their creativity or feeling targeted in another way. When everyone at your group knows where the “emergency brake” lever is, players usually feel more comfortable with intense roleplay situations, as everyone feels more in control of the direction the story is going. /images/general-media/1778077472_okHsoUPF.gifIf the game goes in a direction that everyone is comfortable with - rewind. The big three Lines and Veils This is a list that is collaboratively created during Session Zero. Everyone agrees upon setting limitations regarding various topics and when to let the story progress in a “skip cutscene” manner. Lines: Hard boundaries. If a “line” is drawn at harming animals, these situations do not occur in your games. Veils: A soft boundary - this is more of a “fade to black” moment, where the story overlooks specific details and situations, but still acknowledges their existence. The X-card If a situation makes you uncomfortable, signaling (either with a physical card with an X on it, or writing it in the chat) the X-card means that whatever is going on is skipped or retconned. The game continues but avoids the specific direction it is currently headed. This is a no questions asked situation. You don’t have to explain why this situation bothers you, a healthy group will respect your choice and preference and move on. Open door policy In a situation, where you do not feel comfortable, you are permitted to simply get up and leave the table to either “take five” or stay away until the current situation is resolved. Or if the theme is simply overwhelming, you can excuse yourself for the rest of the session. It is important that the group agrees beforehand to respect the open door approach and will not judge the person choosing to opt out. “This will ruin the mood!” As a DM (or a player), you might fear that using safety tools will break the immersion. In reality, the opposite is true - players knowing that they and their preferences are respected will keep everyone on the same page. When a group has no discussed boundaries beforehand, players are likely to simply “shut down” during specific situations and simply disconnect either mentally or digitally from the game at hand. Since the story involves everyone in the group, everyone should feel like they want to be part of it. Knowing beforehand which themes and topics may be an issue for your players will help everyone in the group focus more on the game, and less on worrying or playing the “guessing game”, wondering whether the topic at hand is appropriate for everyone. How to react when a tool is used If you are the DM and someone uses the X-card or reminds of a “line”, here is a professional way to handle it: Stop. Pause the narration or situation immediately. Acknowledge. Say “Thanks for letting me know.” Don’t ask “Why” or try to downplay the situation. Respect the player and their decision Adjust. Change the scene. Feel free to “rewind” the scene and take it in a different direction. Instead of spiders in the room, there are goblins, wolves, mimics, dragons (okay lets not overdo it…), or nothing at all. Check-in. A quick “Everyone good?” to check whether the situation has been resolved. And continue the game. Why do we promote using safety tools? When meeting new people for the first time, you don’t have years of history to know what their triggers or boundaries are. And circling back to the “guessing game” - you shouldn’t be expected to know these. Instead clear communication will help your group in the long run. Using safety tools should be seen as a strong green flag. It tells others that you are a thoughtful player or a DM, who cares about the people behind the characters. You will turn the group of strangers into trusted players much faster. Be a brave player Great tabletop gaming stories are ones where players take risks, are vulnerable, come up with stupid plans (that somehow work) and defeat villains. Safety tools will guide your game in a direction where you don’t step on anyone’s toes and lets you focus on the game at hand. Ready to get into a game? Post your player profile on Groupfinder, or find a group where you can gather other like-minded, respectful, players.  If you know of a DM, who is looking to level up their group management - then share this article with them and help make the tabletop community a better and more enjoyable place for everyone.

I'm Trek, your friendly neighborhood "legally distinct flying eyeball construct". And behind the avatar, I'm a game designer and software engineer from France. Being a Game Master is a lot: you're at once a quest writer, level designer, world builder, and about a dozen other things. And all you have to guide you is a single book... that is also busy teaching you the rules of the game. On my Youtube channel, I try to lighten your load by giving you tools, techniques, and tips, straight from professionals who have dedicated their entire lives to mastering just one aspect of what you do every single week. Links youtube.com - Youtube channel patreon.com - Patreon page trekiros.com - Trekiros website

Forged in the Dark is a tabletop roleplaying game framework and System Reference Document created by John Harper. Released in 2017, it is the underlying engine that powers Blades in the Dark and has since been used by independent designers to build countless other games, such as Scum and Villainy and Band of Blades. It excels at telling stories about capable but flawed groups of people pulling off daring missions against overwhelming odds. The system it directly evolved from is Blades in the Dark Description Instead of being a single game, Forged in the Dark is an open license toolkit. Players form a crew, whether they are space smugglers, military mercenaries, or rebel outcasts, and undertake dangerous missions known as Scores. The system is heavily narrative and focuses on failing forward, meaning a bad dice roll never stalls the story, but instead introduces a new complication. It completely eliminates tedious planning phases by throwing players directly into the action. System Overview & Key Features The d6 Dice Pool To resolve a risky action, a player rolls a pool of six sided dice based on their action rating. The highest single die determines the result. A six is a full success, a four or five is a partial success with a consequence, and a one to three is a bad outcome. Position and Effect Before the dice hit the table, the Game Master establishes the Position (Controlled, Risky, or Desperate) and the Effect (Limited, Standard, or Great). This ensures everyone understands exactly what is at stake and how much impact the action will have. Progress Clocks The game tracks complex threats and long term projects using circular clocks divided into segments. A stealth mission might have a clock for the guards going on high alert, filling up bit by bit as the players roll partial successes or failures. Stress and Resistance Characters have a Stress track that they can spend to push themselves for extra dice or to assist an ally. More importantly, players can spend Stress to resist any consequence the Game Master introduces, allowing characters to survive deadly situations by sheer willpower. Flashbacks Players do not need to spend hours planning a heist or mission. When they encounter an obstacle, they can simply spend Stress to declare a flashback, narrating how their character anticipated the problem and set up a solution in the past. Phases of Play The game flows through specific phases. Free Play is where characters gather information and choose a target. The Score is the actual mission. Finally, Downtime allows the crew to recover from injuries, reduce their heat, and work on personal projects before the cycle begins again. Additional links bladesinthedark.com - Official System Reference Document and rules database evilhat.com - Official Evil Hat Productions website