D&D 5E Content Warning Labels? Yeah or Nay?

[BookTenTiger]

No, your fundamental premise is utterly, completely wrong. I don't see anyone ever suggesting that Call of Cthulhu alter its elements. Because it has not. And according to Roll20 stats from 2nd Q 2021, CoC generates 16.3% of its traffic, while D&D generates 53.7% The vast majority of TTRPG's have NOT changed one iota. Perhaps it is because they are hold such a tiny share of the consumer base they have escaped the gaze of the people who are so far are fixated on D&D. At the gaming cafe I play at, not a single game of D&D or any of the the dozens and dozens of other games I have been involved with or witnessed being played over the years has EVER used X cards, or anything remotely like them.

So stop with the idea this is some standard practice. And who is infringing one whose fun? Those that say "stop that behaviour, I am the minority at this table, but I need the majority to cater to me" or the ones that assume that if someone is not having fun they will stop doing the activity that is no longer fun for that person, and leave everyone else alone?

The concept of "tyranny by the minority" is a real thing.

I think it's interesting that you are conflating what happens between human beings at a gaming table with how publishers choose to present their work.

If we are ordering pizza together, and I don't eat pork, and I request we order a pizza without pork on it, am I really trying to control what the pizzeria makes?

 

[bedir than]

"Look, if you have any phobias, any concepts that makes you uncomfortable in the real world, D&D is NOT the game for you, because some day you will encounter one."

You keep suggesting this is about phobias. That isn't true.

You don't apply content warnings for mere phobias. No one has suggested that.

 

[Faolyn]

So stop with the idea this is some standard practice. And who is infringing one whose fun? Those that say "stop that behaviour, I am the minority at this table, but I need the majority to cater to me" or the ones that assume that if someone is not having fun they will stop doing the activity that is no longer fun for that person, and leave everyone else alone?

The concept of "tyranny by the minority" is a real thing.

I think every new RPG I've bought for the past few years has had a section on consent and X-cards in it. Admittedly, I haven't bought a huge number of new games, but the practice seems to be spreading quickly throughout the entire industry.

 

[bedir than]

No, your fundamental premise is utterly, completely wrong. I don't see anyone ever suggesting that Call of Cthulhu alter its elements. Because it has not. And according to Roll20 stats from 2nd Q 2021, CoC generates 16.3% of its traffic, while D&D generates 53.7% The vast majority of TTRPG's have NOT changed one iota. Perhaps it is because they are hold such a tiny share of the consumer base they have escaped the gaze of the people who are so far are fixated on D&D. At the gaming cafe I play at, not a single game of D&D or any of the the dozens and dozens of other games I have been involved with or witnessed being played over the years has EVER used X cards, or anything remotely like them.

Counterpoint: Reality

https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-9zhx02uo/product_images/uploaded_images/cha23173-content-warning.png

Both Chaosium and Fate have Content Warnings on their Cthulhu products.

 

[Vince_Snetterton]

Counterpoint: Reality

https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-9zhx02uo/product_images/uploaded_images/cha23173-content-warning.png

Both Chaosium and Fate have Content Warnings on their Cthulhu products.

Awesome. CoC has content warning labels, as I said I have accepted that D&D should have. But Chaosium is not about to rewrite CoC.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Awesome. CoC has content warning labels, as I said I have accepted that D&D should have. But Chaosium is not about to rewrite CoC.

Who is threatening to rewrite D&D???

 

[Faolyn]

Awesome. CoC has content warning labels, as I said I have accepted that D&D should have. But Chaosium is not about to rewrite CoC.

What, exactly, do you think D&D is going to rewrite?

...Is this some sort of "now orcs are all nice and you can't have bad guys" thing?

 

[Sacrosanct]

I've largely been ignoring the line of discussion going on in this thread, but I’m just going to say it’s feeling a lot like hyperbole and slippery slope arguments are being used as an excuse to disregard the feelings of others based on a position of privilege.

I find such display of arguments extremely unhelpful to the discussion, and now bordering on the toxic. This thread is about how to best utilize and display content warnings when taking into account the experiences and feelings of others, and if your position is to not only argue against them (or take some hyperbolic position of having them everywhere or nowhere), but to also imply blaming others for taking away your fun, then I heard your position and considered it, and decided this discussion probably isn’t for you, and I’d kindly ask to stop derailing.

I want to be very clear it is my opinion that gamers who push the buttons of a sensitive topic they know a player has just to be edgy is harmful to our hobby, and has no place in it. As an indie publisher, I’m going to ensure none of my products endorse or support that. Players picking up DnD should not have the assumption they are giving implied consent to subject their PCs to grotesque or obscene content any more than a person watching a general thriller movie gives implies consent they are OK with watching SAW. That’s what content warnings are for

 

[Vince_Snetterton]

Okay. Then what exactly are you so riled up about?
I've asked you before: How does any of this actually impact your game? You say it doesn't affect you and yours-- which is fine-- but why then is it such a big deal to you that others claim it's helpful for them?

Why do I get so riled up? Because I am not an idiot. I read every day more nonsense in the real world. It has been made clear not to talk real world politics here. But I see real world nonsense bleed more and more into my hobby, like a cancer, every day. We can dance around what the real issue all we like. We are not allowed to talk about it. But I grow more tired of the "tyranny of the minority", or the "tyranny of the weak" every day.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Why do I get so riled up? Because I am not an idiot. I read every day more nonsense in the real world. It has been made clear not to talk real world politics here. But I see real world nonsense bleed more and more into my hobby, like a cancer, every day. We can dance around what the real issue all we like. We are not allowed to talk about it. But I grow more tired of the "tyranny of the minority", or the "tyranny of the weak" every day.

Translation: “I’m no longer being catered to, so I’m going to insult other gamers as being weak and ruining the hobby.”

get over yourself. And think about others for just a minute, rather than your own imaginary victim hood. Using loaded words like tyranny and cancer to describe something harmless like other peoples preferences only makes your arguments sound unhinged.