04/02/2019
Our brains all work differently. That’s part of what makes role-playing games exciting - a player can say the first thing that pops into their head, and it might be unexpected and amazing to everyone else at the table. But it also means we need to pay attention to how our ideas impact others, because a story idea that’s fun and cool to one player can be upsetting or triggering to another. One wrong turn can sometimes end the fun for a player, breaking trust if not corrected. Luckily, there are a number of interesting tools that the tabletop role-playing community has created!
The X-Card is one such tool. The Game Master or facilitator puts an index card with a huge X on it at the centre of the table. If anyone wants to, they can lift up the card, or simply say “I want to X that out.” The group finds a replacement story idea, and play continues to move forward. If the GM announces that your group of fantasy adventurers is about to fight a horde of giant spiders, and you’re someone with arachnophobia, you can use the X-Card to say: hey, no hard feelings, but that would be really upsetting to have in the game. The GM can switch it up for a horde of venomous snakes, or a wall of sentient ooze, and play continues. For more on the X-Card, visit http://tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg.
Want to learn about some other safety tools for your next RPG? Breakout Con in Toronto has a great primer on a few options, including the X-Card: https://breakoutcon.com/extras/safety-tools/.
What strategies do you use, to keep the story rolling while making sure everyone feels comfortable with where it’s headed?
is a collaboration of Heroes and Adventurers, Avery Alder, and Tatamagouche Centre. To get involved, check out our upcoming program “Designing Games that Matter” at https://tatacentre.ca/?r=programs/details&id=2598
ALT-TEXT: An astronaut is floating in space, entangled by a spiky tentacled monster. Text reads “Can Players Say No to Story Ideas?”
