What are the DM's obligations of disclosure for sensitive game material? What is "sensitive" game material?

[Eltab]

A few thoughts:

1) A heads-up about insanity (and the vile things that insane people do) would be in order. You don't have to give away the plot, but tell the group that mind flayers who drive people insane are going to play a part in the adventure, and hand out the Mind Flayer section from the Monster Manual. Do this with enough 'lead time' that players who would rather not go there, can discuss it with you. There are several supplements (Heroes of Horror, Champions of Ruin) that describe at length various ways to handle the subject.

2) Violence against children: this should happen 'off-camera'. The PCs should find out about it because they heard some NPC talking about the dark deeds done in BBEG's Lair.

3) By and large, I prefer my D&D to be PG to PG-13. If I need to establish that my BBEG is in fact Evil (as opposed to supremely selfish / uncaring) then a brief R-rated cut scene would be in order. Given the circumstances in which I usually DM - at an FLGS - I have to think about children and teens being in the group or within earshot.

 

[iserith]

One thing I do insist upon when I'm joining a D&D game is that it can't have any violence in it.

On an unrelated note, I'm having some issues finding games to play in.

 

[Sunseeker]

Typically I will ask my players if there is any kind of content they don't want to play though in a game. And then I'll toss out a few "hot button" terms to help them get the idea and see if anyone adds anything.

I typically run mature games, but the maturity is less about the content and more about how to content is appoached. Sex happens and it is always done off-camera "fade to black" style. I tend to draw a line between "graphic" and "detail". My games can be graphic. But I see no point in unnecessary splatter. If something comes up that bothers a person, I hope they tell me, and I will do my best to be respectful about it, unless it is something core to the game like "killing animals bothers me" or "different gods upsets me" well then buddy, there's the door ----->

I generally figure that people get the message from "There's a dead body and quite a mess in this room." and I don't need to go any further.

 

[ExploderWizard]

I just try to avoid gaming with snowflakes. Anyone that can be "triggered" by made up fantasy game content, isn't stable enough to be playing.

 

[CubicsRube]

Like others have mentioned, if i start a campaign i will tell them that there are things that i will not cover in my campaign because these are topics i don't find enjoyable, and I'm here to have fun.

I tell them i won't allow rape or abuse towards children in the games. If there are other topics that players are uncomfortable with i ask them to write me an email. So far no one has yet.

It comes down to this. It's a form of entertainment. And it's not entertaining if you or your group are not having fun.

 

[Warpiglet]

I do not place any stake in "trigger warnings" or whatever.

If you are sensitive to violence, disease, insanity, evil dukes, ghosts, monsters, dodo birds or demons, you probably should not play with anyone I have ever played with. If you are going through a hard time or have a request, we can talk.

The exception would be kids at the table. The cussing stops and the game could be geared to them. But they get special consideration because they cannot be expected to brush stuff off....they are kids!

 

[Warpiglet]

Typically I will ask my players if there is any kind of content they don't want to play though in a game. And then I'll toss out a few "hot button" terms to help them get the idea and see if anyone adds anything.

I typically run mature games, but the maturity is less about the content and more about how to content is appoached. Sex happens and it is always done off-camera "fade to black" style. I tend to draw a line between "graphic" and "detail". My games can be graphic. But I see no point in unnecessary splatter. If something comes up that bothers a person, I hope they tell me, and I will do my best to be respectful about it, unless it is something core to the game like "killing animals bothers me" or "different gods upsets me" well then buddy, there's the door ----->

I generally figure that people get the message from "There's a dead body and quite a mess in this room." and I don't need to go any further.

This is a reasonable approach. This is how I handle things as well. But if we have to censor rough living (my ranger skinned a buck) or the fact that people fighting with swords get stabbed...game over (literally and figuratively).

 

[jgsugden]

As the one that made the comment that prompted the thread:

1.) Get to know a player before they join your game. Ask what would bther them in a game to determine if they are a good fit, and what you might want to knowingly avoid when they are in the game.

2.) If you're going to introduce something that comes from the real world and may have caused real pain for someone - double check with players and don't spring it on them as a surprise.

3.) If something slips through the cracks and offends a player (or someone else) - apoloize and work it out of the game ASAP. No story element is worth causing real pain.

Rabies is certainly a corner case. However, it might slip through a crack and cause a negative emotional response unexpectedly in a small number of people. I brought it up as any mention of rabies instantly reminds me of my father's reaction to the word. I've never asked him why it makes him angry, but it clearly does. If I were in a game when I lived "at home" as a kid and a DM introduced it, I'd just tell the group not to talk about it if my father were there.

 

[Charlaquin]

It depends a lot on the group. If you’re running a game for friends, you probably know each other pretty well and know what everyone is or isn’t ok with, for the most part. To be on the safe side, it might be a good idea to let everyone know generally how mature the subject matter will be (“Is everyone cool with an R rating?”) and maybe check in if you plan to explore any particularly sensitive subjects that you don’t know if everyone is ok with, but for the most part it doesn’t have to be a big deal. If anyone you don’t know as well joins the group (“hey, is it cool if my cousin sits in next week?”) then you should talk to that person and fill them in about what kind of sensitive subject matter they’re likely to experience. If you’re running for a group of people you don’t know very well, then it’s probably best to have a more in-depth conversation. Alternatively, you could give a general advisory that you are running a game that will cover sensitive subjects and to either inquire privately or not join if there are any specific subjects that are a hard “no” for you. This approach works particularly well for drop-in games or games with open admission, but will necessarily limit the pool of players who will consider joining.

As for what constitutes “sensitive subjects,” I’d say anything that is a common source of trauma. Detailed depictions of violence or sexual content, any depictions of abuse, and any depictions of death or significant distress targeting defenseless victims such as children, the elderly, animals, etc. as well as generally controversial subjects like race and gender relations. Ultimately though, you can’t think of everything, nor should you be expected to. As long as you make an effort to inform your potential players that sensitive topics may come up, it’s their responsibility if they have any highly specific issues to talk to you about them if they are likely to cause serious problems.

 

[Staccat0]

I just try to avoid gaming with snowflakes. Anyone that can be "triggered" by made up fantasy game content, isn't stable enough to be playing.

This is a frankly a pretty cowardly and bad faith response to a thoughtful thread.