SAFETY TOOLS IN LIMINAL HORROR (and TTRPGs in general)

Safety

Liminal Horror often deals with mature content. These topics can be difficult to engage with, and it is important that tables work together to navigate them. Some potential horror themes and topics have been provided below. We encourage requesting consent before engaging in content that may make members of your group uncomfortable.

Prior to starting a session, players (Facilitator and Investigator) should indicate what specific topics should be handled with care, and which should be avoided in their entirety. These expectations and boundaries support play.

Many official modules come with a Content Warning that should be discussed before play.

A Non-Comprehensive List of Content Warning

Death
Body Horror
Dismemberment
Stress
Trauma
Gore
Corruption
Helplessness
Blood
Insects
Teeth
Harm to animals
Harm to children
Abuse (physical/emotional/Psychological)
Mind Control
Imprisonment

COMMUNICATION

Communication and trust are the cornerstone of running a game that prioritizes the safety and wellbeing of its participants. Open and respectful communication between players is an important baseline. Listening, using safety tools, and respecting boundaries (this includes not prying if someone steps away or uses one of the tools) is key.

With mature themes, it is important to be regularly checking in with each other before, during, and afterwards.

OPEN DOOR

This culture of play enables participants to leave or take a break from the game without the need for an explanation.

SAFETY TOOLS

There are many safety tools that can aid in this process. Two tools that we recommend using Lines & Veils by Ron Edwards and the X-Card by John Stavropoulos as a starting point.

LINES & VEILS

Lines & Veils establish a baseline, listing the types of content that players may not want included in their games. Lines are elements that will not be featured in play at all. Veils are elements that may be present, but are not acted out directly through play. These are actions that happen “off-screen” or during a “fade to black”. They can be mentioned, but should not be dwelled upon.

Lines & Veils should be established by the group before diving into formal play, generally included within a Session 0 or during character creation. All players should keep these in mind during the game, but it’s important to remember that these lists are living and should be amended as needed.

For more information: https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/30906/what-do-the-terms-lines-and-veils-mean

THE X-CARD

The X-Card is your last line of defense. It can be a literal card at the table, or a signal provided by the players (making an X with their arms, typing “X” into a text chat, verbally saying “X-Card”, etc.). If a topic is introduced at any point during play that makes a player uncomfortable in an un-fun way, they can deploy the X-Card to veto that content.

Once an X-Card is deployed, that player should indicate which topic made them uncomfortable, but they should never be expected to explain explicitly why it makes them uncomfortable. From there, the group should discuss the best way to move forward (fade to black, rewind the scene, etc.), and the Facilitator should make an effort to ensure that content does not appear during future play.

For more information: [http://tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg(http://tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg)]

THE CATS METHOD

This system of launching play has the table set expectations as a group in order to ensure everyone is aligned. This is achieved by going through four topics:

Concept: What is this game about?
Aim: What are the players going to attempt to accomplish during play?
Tone: Talking as a table about the tone(s) during play.
Safety: Set out the ideas/concepts that will potentially be engaged with during play. This is where boundaries will be established.

TTRPG SAFETY TOOLKIT

This resource, co-curated by Kienna Shaw and Lauren Bryant-Monk, is a free resource that aims to make a toolkit that is easy to access, lowering the barrier for play. This archive of sorts is a living document that makes resources readily available to all tables. You can find out more (and access many of the resources) here: https://ttrpgsafetytoolkit.com/