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I think I see the distinction. In some of the sandbox threads sandboxes were described the way you use "playground". I'd wonder whether common sandbox environments are ever really what you mean by sandbox rather than playground? Skyrim, for example, has fixed dungeons and questlines, and so is...

I've never seen a d&d character kill because they can't help it, code or no. Usually it is because the bad guys are bad in some way.

That's a fair viewpoint. I know people who just love 3D printed terrain and miniatures and games with glow up lights in a special table and set playlist. But it doesn't appeal to me, any more than flowery language does. The article isn't online afaik, but there was a nice one based on...

I could imagine some religious prohibition on it. That soul is happy in the afterlife. The money can help here.

So, let's think this through...I think it is right for say, the FR. How does religion manifest in these worlds? Do temples make sense? Does worship? Do deities derive some power from that, and then disburse the power for (i) nice afterlives and (ii) temporal power. Maybe they face a trade off...

Yeah, I think it is straightforwardly true that religion in a d&d-esque fantasy world with clerics and such would be radically different from our own. The only way you can get close is if make these powers very rare--think of the recent Nosferatu (2024) movie, for example. I do find that a good...

I like to keep descriptions short and to the point. I'm not going to give a lot of adjectives or such--"you're attacked by 4 giant spiders" rather than "they have glistening fangs and hungry eyes" or whatever. I know from the popularity of streams some people like that kind of thing, but for me...

Inclusion, Safety, Harassment, Hygiene (public store), Teamwork (e.g., don't rob your party members), Metagaming (don't read the mod at the table pls).

I've not been paying for anything. I've had good luck with Tubi, Freevee, Pluto, and the old fashioned library dvd. A friend at the upper range (e.g., wanting to watch every Oscar nominee) says it is worse than cable. But at the lower end we are better off.

To the extent the X card has value ime, much of that is as a shibboleth.

Not doubting your experience in any way, but that kind of rule is wild to me. It seems like an anti-safety rule. I would not attend or run for any convention where that was the case. In that case I can see the X card being useful.

I get the idea, but the same thing can happen in any conversation...at the bbq mentioned earlier, at the bar, at dinner. Or when sitting in a movie theater, for example. I've had more uncomfortable experiences at these events than at the gaming table... Again my point is not that an X card will...

Not often. But you do often show new players a code of conduct. It is worth it to be concise. No. Things you are expected to do as an AL GM: -Prepare the module -Modify the module to cater to the desires of the players -Bring maps, markers, minis -Bring additional material to track initiative...

Not universal but typically yes there will be a code of conduct document setting out things like "the game is PG 13" and "no harassment" and things of that nature. -Have cards -Bring them to the game -Distribute and tell people how to use it -Include information about the card in code of...

That's a hypothesis. It hasn't been borne out, ime. I've run AL games with X cards and without X cards and I haven't seen differences in the outcomes. Now sure, I go over table expectations up front...but I don't find the X card worth the additional investment.

I like this post for explaining the motivations, and I generally agree. I've said before, playing RPGs is a great way to get to know someone because you will learn a lot about their desires. At the same time, I think it is reasonable for folks to question if it is worth it at their tables...

That's compatible with my idea--which is as games prioritized high emotional stakes to a greater extent, there became more need for safety tools. Once they were created they were back ported to systems where that was not as strong a priority.

I wonder if this may be one of the key divides in the conversation. It probably isn't a coincidence that the first safety tools (apparently?) were designed by Ron Edwards for more narrative-first games, nor that the X-card has grown in popularity with the advent of more narrative heavy games...

Hunger games got a lot of talk among people my age (the boundary between millennial and Gen z). I think we were mostly reading it ourselves, rather than with parents, so it had less cross generational impact? Also fewer books so influential for not as long. Ender's game has a lot to talk about...

Might I suggest finishing the series? This is not true. Likewise, "elf slavery is good" does not survive contact with Dobby. The point Hermione is learning with SPEW is rather "when you advocate for others, communicate with them and do so in a way that advances their goals". She's idealistic...