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

[Sacrosanct]

So I tried to break it down into categories:

C	Consent
A	Abduction
V	Violence towards women/children
S	Sexual Assault
M	Misogyny

Which immediately makes me think, "Someone is gonna say there is violence towards men as well." While true, and valid, almost every one of these creatures that could have a problematic trigger specifically targets women and children (like the Glashtyn). So it's not that I'm trying to ignore violence against men, but the the lore is pretty specific on who is being targeted beyond "normal" violence you'd find from monsters. So the creature entry would look like this (hopefully it give the alert while also being unobtrusive, and it would be A/V, not A/M).

 

[Sacrosanct]

I like the idea of having the warning on each entry. To me, the main issue with a product like this would not be the reader of the product being potentially too triggered or horrified by it, but instead the possibility of individual creatures being an issue for particular players when presented in game.

By putting the warnings individually on each monster, the DM can take note of them, consider what they know about the sensitivities of their individual players, and then choose whether or not to include that particular creature in a scene or encounter.

This is exactly the approach I have been taking, for this very reason.

 

[Sacrosanct]

I admit I'm torn on how much to actually acknowledge. Maybe only identify those where there is explicit harm (torture, death, rape) to children and women, and major consent issues (like the faun and other fey who are known for charming people to become their playthings). or do I ignore the consent issue because in D&D, that's a known issue already (with spells like charm person)?

 

[Ixal]

Just post it on the first page if you feel the need to make a content warning at all.
When you start putting it on every monster you will get complains why you didn't flag obscure trigger X and why monster Y is not flagged, etc.

 

[payn]

Just post it on the first page if you feel the need to make a content warning at all.
When you start putting it on every monster you will get complains why you didn't flag obscure trigger X and why monster Y is not flagged, etc.

Thats a great point. All it takes is one missed description and the entire internet will be awash with folks thinking you fully endorse awful things.

 

[Tales and Chronicles]

I'm throwing an idea:
maybe sort the monsters per creature types, like a section on undead, another on faes and so on.
At the start of each section, describe the type of creature found in that section and some problematic thematic often met with a particular type (ie Faes and consent).

 

[Scribe]

So I tried to break it down into categories:

C	Consent
A	Abduction
V	Violence towards women/children
S	Sexual Assault
M	Misogyny

Which immediately makes me think, "Someone is gonna say there is violence towards men as well." While true, and valid, almost every one of these creatures that could have a problematic trigger specifically targets women and children (like the Glashtyn). So it's not that I'm trying to ignore violence against men, but the the lore is pretty specific on who is being targeted beyond "normal" violence you'd find from monsters. So the creature entry would look like this (hopefully it give the alert while also being unobtrusive, and it would be A/V, not A/M).

View attachment 146816

Less is more.

I appreciate that you care about this, but seriously I would put a disclaimer at the start, and a warning on the back cover.

Anything more, your just splitting hairs.

 

[pming]

The current project I'm working on is a folklore book based on original folklore (creatures will be depicted as how they were in original mythology rather than in modern RPGs and media). There's a lot of great stuff from those stories, but because they are often very dark, and in time that was....not very progressive, many of the creatures have a lore that includes things like ableism, sexism, assault, violation of consent, abduction, torture, and child abuse.

For those creatures, I have a "CONTENT WARNING" label next to the creature name, and in the Introduction section, I have this part:

Author's Note: Because the purpose of this book is to capture the original stories and portrayals of the creatures of folklore, there may be issues that are considered problematic by modern standards. Most of these myths and fables were created in a time or culture where issues such as misogyny, ethnic stereotyping, and ableism were part of the story, whether directly or indirectly. This book does not endorse any of these beliefs, and it is encouraged that any aspect you may find problematic for your game be modified or ignored. There are a lot of potential great stories to be told using original myths, but we must also be willing to acknowledge problematic aspects of those stories. Take what you want from this book, and ignore the rest.
Many of the core themes about fairies resonate in nearly every culture and may be triggering. These themes focus heavily on abduction, violating consent, sexual assault, child abuse, and mild torture. I feel it is my responsibility to call out references to these themes and have them labeled. This will be in the creature entry as “CONTENT WARNING” next to the creature’s name. Whenever possible, we have tried to tone down the references to those themes. Make no mistake, because they exist in folklore (and thus in this book), they are not to be celebrated, but viewed with caution. The inclusion of the “CONTENT WARNING” is to alert you ahead of time, so you can skip past them if you choose.

So my question to the community is, is something like that worth it? Is it off-putting? Not needed? Do you appreciate it, or would it turn you away?

EDIT: I see Sacrosanct mentions and shows this already! Maybe just get some kind of simple graphic (like a yellow circle with a black ! mark in it) and just put that next to the particularly egregious entries in stead of using "CONTENT WARNING".

Also, I wouldn't phrase it "..there may be issues that are considered problematic by modern standards". Because in 5 years those might not be modern standards, or "problematic", anymore. I'd simply say something like "...some people may find some information objectionable or offensive". I'd also leave out the second sentence entirely, and the third I'd remove the word "problematic" again as it is non-specific; maybe go back to "objectionable". Next sentence, again, remove "problematic" and use maybe "difficult" or "possibly offensive" in stead. Next paragraph...again, remove "triggering". Be specific. Just use "...upsetting to some".

PS: Sounds like a book I may actually buy for 5e! I always love me some "classical fantasy"!

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Ixal]

EDIT: I see Sacrosanct mentions and shows this already! Maybe just get some kind of simple graphic (like a yellow circle with a black ! mark in it) and just put that next to the particularly egregious entries in stead of using "CONTENT WARNING".

Also, I wouldn't phrase it "..there may be issues that are considered problematic by modern standards". Because in 5 years those might not be modern standards, or "problematic", anymore. I'd simply say something like "...some people may find some information objectionable or offensive". I'd also leave out the second sentence entirely, and the third I'd remove the word "problematic" again as it is non-specific; maybe go back to "objectionable". Next sentence, again, remove "problematic" and use maybe "difficult" or "possibly offensive" in stead. Next paragraph...again, remove "triggering". Be specific. Just use "...upsetting to some".

PS: Sounds like a book I may actually buy for 5e! I always love me some "classical fantasy"!

^_^

Paul L. Ming

Or something not considered problematic now will be problematic in 5 years and people expect it to be flagged.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Just post it on the first page if you feel the need to make a content warning at all.
When you start putting it on every monster you will get complains why you didn't flag obscure trigger X and why monster Y is not flagged, etc.

The more and more I think about it, the more I'm leaning on just putting a brief label at the beginning, on the cover, and than a paragraph about the importance of session zero on how it relates to some of the dark lore as presented. And leaving each individual creature entry unlabeled.