StartPlaying Games, and our wonderful Game Masters, are dedicated to player safety. That’s not just buzzwords for the sake of buzzwords either. You can read here how GMs use Content Warning tags to warn potential players about common sensitive topics in their initial game listing. When it comes to more robust techniques like Session Zero, mid-session check-ins, and collecting player feedback, there’s safety tools.
Conversations around tabletop RPG safety tools are ongoing, and as such the tools themselves keep evolving. This is especially true with online play being so prevalent and actual play shows adding a more mainstream element to the hobby. There’s several variants to popular tools out there now, and every table has their own preferred tools. Here at StartPlaying, GMs are required to use at least one safety tool.
If you’re a new GM, you might be wondering how to bring up safety tools to your group or how to make using them a habit without feeling awkward. Even as an experienced GM, you might want a refresher on all the common TTRPG safety tool meanings. Here’s a breakdown of all TTRPG safety tools used on StartPlaying.
Pre-Campaign Safety Tools
Session 0
This one is a classic, and for good reason. Session 0 is a form of what most groups do anyway. People request a certain module, the GM asks big picture questions so they can plan their story, and the players announce what kind of characters they want to make. For a lot of groups, this “Session 0” takes place in the group chat.
To make it a true Session 0, however, everyone should also bring up their expectations for the game. A lack of expectations has been the end of many campaigns; imagine being the player who brought an optimized multiclass fighter to a silly roleplay game or the GM who wanted Game of Thrones level intrigue but is now dealing with a bard named Seymour Butts. So be sure to ask what genre, what level, what type of gameplay, and what safety tools everyone wants.
Lines And Veils
Genres like horror or game systems like Call of Cthulhu are often stated to be hindered by safety tools. The idea according to safety tool critics is that you can’t properly maintain fear or mystery when you’re constantly checking in with players to see if they’re ok. That’s not really how it works, but fortunately there is a safety tool that helps a lot with horror: Lines and Veils.
To use this tool, players establish hard limits on things they don’t want to see at all. These are Lines, subject matter which should never be crossed. Topics that fall under Veils are allowed, but with limitations. The table agrees on what these boundaries look like during Session 0, but common Veil implementation is a lack of detailed description or fading to black. Lines and Veils are good for horror games because they give GMs a clear idea of what spooks they have freedom to use in full.
Luxton Technique Discussion
This technique simply involves everyone having an open discussion about their triggers and traumas. The goal is complete openness with the understanding that no one needs to explain or justify their triggers. There should also be a common realization that every potential trigger cannot be covered. The Luxton technique pairs well with a Consent Checklist and can easily be a part of Session 0.
Monte Cook RPG Consent Checklist
If you’re wondering how exactly to broach the subject of triggers without making anyone feel like they’re being put on the spot, the RPG Consent Checklist is what you need. You can make one as a Google spreadsheet or grab a premade one here. You can then share it with a group via Google Drive so they can anonymously fill it out or send it to each individual player.
The checklist breaks common triggers down into green, yellow, and red boxes.. Green is something a player is totally ok with, yellow is something a player can handle with advanced warning or only in reference, and red is a complete no. There’s also blank fields to fill in any potential triggers that aren’t already on the sheet.
In-Game Safety Tools
X, N, And O Cards
Many of the previously discussed safety tools have been suited to pre-game use. They have players discuss triggers and establish boundaries before the first die is ever rolled. But what happens when an uncomfortable scene happens mid-session? That’s what X, N, and O cards are for.
These can be a physical card on the table that a player taps or the simple act of messaging the GM an “X”. Presenting the X means that the player wants to skip the current content. The GM can choose to rewind or change the scene entirely to avoid the triggering subject matter– either way the X prompts them to do so immediately. The N is more of a warning that things are headed in an X direction, so the GM has time to more smoothly transition away from the current scene. Finally, the O calls for a group check-in to ensure that everyone is ok with continuing the scene.
Luxton Technique
Yes, this has a very similar name to a previous safety tool. The premise is the same as the Luxton Technique Discussion as well: people are free to discuss their triggers at any moment with freedom and without opposition. But where the Discussion version happens before game, this Luxton Technique happens during game. In this Luxton Technique usage, a participant can pause play to discuss the content that makes them uncomfortable. They are given the space to state their needs for the group going forward, and might call for a break. Play then proceeds based on the stated needs and requests of the initiator.
Open Door
While many safety tools are developed with the hope that a group can avoid or work through triggering subject matter, sometimes a person just needs to step away. The Open Door tool is just that; there is an established policy that anyone can take a break from the game at any time. No questions asked, no judgment, the door is open for you to step out and take a breather.
The break in question could be for a few minutes, for the rest of the session, or even for a few sessions. The person taking the break doesn’t need to explain why, and the rest of the group welcomes them back when they’re ready. This policy is something the GM should remind players of often so they don’t feel like they’re suddenly disrupting the game by using it.
Breaks
Even in the absence of intense content or stressful subject matter, a good ol’ fashioned bathroom break is a good idea. GMs should have a break halfway through the session if they run a typical 3-4 hour game. Everyone should stretch, refill their water, check their phones, process the recent game events, and so on so they can be locked in when things restart. Breaks are also a great space to make use of other safety tools if needed.
Bleed
This one’s a bit less of a technique and more of a phenomenon. The act of being a character can get into peoples’ heads, particularly after an intense emotional scene or tragic plot twist. Bleed is what happens when a player gets residual feelings from what happened to their character. This can put a player in a post-session slump or lead to conflict between the actual players.
The GM can help prevent Bleed by marking a definitive end to a session. By drawing this line, it can help players separate their own emotions from their character’s. The players may also need a bit of post-session discussion to help sort through their feelings.
After Session Safety Tools
Aftercare
The final puzzle piece of TTRPG safety tools puzzle comes in the form of post-session check-ins. The Aftercare version of this focuses on mental health. Players and GM are given the space to check in about their feelings. This allows everyone time to process any big developments and work through emotional bleed. The goal is creating a safe space so that no one leaves with any lingering bad feelings. Of course, everyone is also encouraged to practice their own individual forms of self-care as needed.
Debriefing
The long form version of Aftercare is Debriefing. This can happen right after the game or in the days following via group chat. Everyone is given a forum to reflect on the recent session and the game’s trajectory as a whole. Emotional issues like Bleed can come up, but Debriefing is also a space to talk about the game in general. People can discuss what they’re having fun with, any potential issues with rules or gameplay, make requests, and just generally state their observations.
Stars And Wishes
A necessary part of post-session discussion is feedback. Stars and Wishes is a great technique for giving feedback in a friendly, productive way. This is done right at the end of each session. First, everyone goes around and mentions something they enjoyed. This is their Star. It can be a cool combat encounter, an intriguing moment of roleplay by two players, or a cool idea the GM came up with.
After everyone says a Star, you move onto Wishes. Again, everyone goes in turn. A Wish is something each participant would like to see. They could ask for more time in a certain location, more interaction with another player character, or the return of something they haven’t seen in a while. Through this interaction, everyone gets to give feedback without worrying about coming across as negative.
