Have You Used The X Card Or Seen It Used In Person?

[Jfdlsjfd]

Personally, I find little use for the X card, but most of the public games I run are PG-13, AL based, standard fare. They are meant to be laid back and low stakes. Then I like OSR games which emphasize puzzle solving and interacting with the environment moreso than connecting emotionally with the characters.

Proponents of safety tools mentions that even in low stakes adventures, if you're playing with complete random strangers, you can hit a theme that's unnerving from them whie you thinkk it's laid back and low stake. For example, here (Safety Tools for Tabletop RPGs - Tips and Ideas for Tabletop RPG GMs) they mention in the most common taboo list sexuality, racism, dentists, clowns, spiders and snakes. While I am pretty sure two items of this list wouldn't fit in a laid back RPG as you imagine, you wouldn't be afraid of throwing the random giant snake or spider in your dungeon (or clown in your tavern).

As such, the emotional state you describe isn't one I've encountered in my gaming, nor is it common among my players. Might that be true for other people who find it an odd addition to their games? Hypothesizing more so than describing here.

Not sure. I have never had a use for this kind of tools because I game with friends I know so we are on the same page. It includes roleplaying things that would certainly made other people flee from our table -- given the reaction on this board toward slavery, I gather that most would be horrified by the idea that our average middle ages lord has serfs, and our average roman patrician has slaves. So I don't think it's the theme that implies increased need for these tools.

Also, not all tools relate to "difficult" themes. The Open Table Policy, for example (Safety Tools) [An open-door policy is exactly what it sounds like, players can leave the table or leave the game [...] This can apply to things as simple as restroom breaks, taking phone calls, or going to another room for an emotional cool-down. Everyone at the table deserves the respect to take care of their own needs.] is more a tolerance toward people having priorities over the game than problem with the theme of the game.

 

[The Firebird]

Proponents of safety tools mentions that even in low stakes adventures, if you're playing with complete random strangers, you can hit a theme that's unnerving from them whie you thinkk it's laid back and low stake. For example, here (Safety Tools for Tabletop RPGs - Tips and Ideas for Tabletop RPG GMs) they mention in the most common taboo list sexuality, racism, dentists, clowns, spiders and snakes. While I am pretty sure two items of this list wouldn't fit in a laid back RPG as you imagine, you wouldn't be afraid of throwing the random giant snake or spider in your dungeon (or clown in your tavern).

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.

 

[el-remmen]

Yeah, well the X-card idea was first published in 2013, iirc.

Hmmm. I first encountered it in 2007, if I remember correctly (and earlier, if I don’t) but that doesn’t mean it had been published somewhere, just that I was at a private mini-con with people very tuned in to RPGs and concerns about issues that disrupted player’s enjoyment.

 

[MGibster]

Ok. So, when you are at some friend of your kids' birthday party, do you look at the Das you are having small talk with and say, "It is really important to me that I get to stop this injustice against elves because it reminds me of what my grandfather went through"?

Yeah. What else do you talk about at a kid's birthday party?

 

[Umbran]

Hmmm. I first encountered it in 2007, if I remember correctly (and earlier, if I don’t) but that doesn’t mean it had been published somewhere, just that I was at a private mini-con with people very tuned in to RPGs and concerns about issues that disrupted player’s enjoyment.

You can take that up with John Stavropulous, who all the sources I can find say invented the X card. If you can find an earlier citation, have at it.

 

[el-remmen]

You can take that up with John Stavropulous, who all the sources I can find say invented the X card. If you can find an earlier citation, have at it.

I have none, just the experience of being told about it then.

It is totally possible that having been described a methodology that was essentially the X card, that years later upon hearing of it, my brain decided that was it had been called.

Regardless, I think the idea of it has been around before 2013.

 

[Umbran]

Regardless, I think the idea of it has been around before 2013.

Again, take that up with the other guy.
I think Lin Codega recently did an interview on Rascal about it, with someone who was present at the time.

The X-Card was created because Dave didn’t like the vibe

James Mendez Hodes was there when the deep magic was written.

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