Tools for Responsible Play

Consent and comfort are important topics for roleplaying games, and many designers have created techniques to facilitate responsible play. Some methods you can use are lines and veils, developed by Ron Edwards, and the X-Card, developed by John Stavropoulos. Lines And Veils The terms “line” and “veil” can give your table a common vocabulary for the concepts described in this section. A line is a hard limit to the actions players might take, such as “We're drawing a line at torture.” The group agrees not to cross a line and omits that content from the game. A veil indicates something that shouldn't be described in detail. The scene fades to black, or the group moves on to discuss a different topic, though whatever the veil is drawn across still happens. For example, you might say, “We'll draw a veil as those characters head into the bedroom.” Players might find they need to modify their lines and veils as play continues. The X-Card Draw an “X” on a card, and you've got an X-Card. Place it on the table at the start of the session. Any player can silently reject content they find upsetting by tapping the X-Card; whoever is speaking then rewinds a bit and continues on, excising the content. As with setting the basic campaign guidelines, there are no questions asked, no judgment, and no argument when someone taps the X-Card. You can, however, ask for clarification if you need it, such as “How far back should I rewind?” Some groups instead make an X with their hands, say “Let's X that out,” or use some other method. Either way, follow up with the player privately after the game to see if the guidelines need to be revised. You can find more details at tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg.