D&D General [+] Ravenloft, horror, & safety tools...

[billd91]

On the subject of horror materials and safety, Masks of Nyarlathotep for Call of Cthulhu is a fantastic campaign. But BOY is it going to cross a lot of people's safety lines. Some of the elements that do so are among the elements that make it as powerful and immersive as it can be and while some of them can be veiled, they're very hard to completely expunge.

 

[overgeeked]

Because maybe some issues are things that should be under your responsibility to control, not mine to omit from the game.

How much control does a player have at a table? Basically zero.

Whose responsibility is it to keep you from having your night ruined by failing as save vs charm person or by Dr Mindbender forcing you to let him escape from the bank robbery before the police arrive? Mine or yours?

Well, I have zero control over what you do with your NPCs, so it’s yours.

If I tell you I have a line on being mind controlled, are you really going to insist on a doctor’s note before you respect that?

 

[Umbran]

I think your looking at it the wrong way. I can't drive over certain bridges like the terrifying sunshine skway bridge, I'll just shut down & be going 2mph on the other end or stop & need to get towed off. I'm perfectly fine enjoying the view as a passenger over that bridge.

Broadly, I might say that's the difference between line (it is focused on you) and veil (it is a thing that's happening, but you are not the focus of it).

The movie arachnophobia is about spiders, ask any person with arachnophobia the best part of that movit & they will tell you about the fire... Likewise with fear of clowns & every movie with pennywise.

The two people I know who are arachnophobes, and the one I know who is coulrophobic cannot watch those movies, and have no opinion about the "best parts" of the films.

So, story about me, and the one person I know who is coulrophobic....

Years ago, I was playing in a live action RPG at a convention, the game was set at a circus, and I was cast... you guessed it... as one of the clowns. We're all in costume, waiting for game to start, and a GM told us it would be another 10 minutes. Since we were all jazzed about our costuming and makeup, we collectively decided that the circus could do a parade, and we all went jandering out in-character... you guessed it.... clowns leading the parade (because, if I must say myself, we clowns had pulled out the stops, and we looked pretty darned good). And, of course, I was the top clown, and was leading the way, walking funny in my big shoes, baggy pants and sad Emmet Kelly clown makeup...

... and we entered the con suite area, where people between games were hanging out with sodas and snacks...

... And I hear a woman's voice give a horrific screech, saw her fall to the ground, and fling herself under a banquet table. She would not come out until I had left. She was so freaked out, she had to go back to her room, and missed her next game. I felt horrible about it. I only actually met her years later, and thank goodness my makeup had been good enough that she didn't associate me with that event.

So, no, not "ask anyone". It is, in fact, that kind of assumption and generalization these tools are supposed to prevent.

 

[Umbran]

It certainly does feel like the OP is threadcrapping their own thread

There's a world of difference between threadcrapping (which is, in effect, laying a big steaming pile of negative in the thread) and a slightly off-topic aside.

 

[overgeeked]

On the subject of horror materials and safety, Masks of Nyarlathotep for Call of Cthulhu is a fantastic campaign. But BOY is it going to cross a lot of people's safety lines. Some of the elements that do so are among the elements that make it as powerful and immersive as it can be and while some of them can be veiled, they're very hard to completely expunge.

Yep. And that’s a great reason to work up a MoN-specific checklist of horrors to show the players. If there are too many lines, it’s probably best not to run MoN with that group. In this way safety tools can also be used as a match-maker for DMs, players, and content. If there’s only one or two lines and veils on the expected content, you’re probably good to go. Too many, and obviously it’s not going to work. So either a different group or different content.

 

[Umbran]

Because maybe some issues are things that should be under your responsibility to control, not mine to omit from the game. Whose responsibility is it ... mine or yours.

So, the point here are tools to help you cooperate with your players. If you aren't interested in that, or you are more worried about a GM's loss of control than aids for your players, maybe this is not the thread for you.

 

[DemoMonkey]

From what is described, it seems like Lines can be used as compatibility filters as much as safety tools. Which sounds super handy.

If you have your heart set on running a game with clowns, and you discover one of your potential participants has a fear of clowns that would make the game unfun for them, it benefits everyone to find that out before the game starts and allow them to exclude themselves gracefully.

 

[Eltab]

Maybe somebody else has mentioned this already:

Heroes of Horror, in D&D 3e and Pathfinder versions.
Essays on setting the tone, plus some system-specific characters / rules showing how to implement the ideas.

 

[Faolyn]

Because maybe some issues are things that should be under your responsibility to control, not mine to omit from the game. Whose responsibility is it to keep you from having your night ruined by failing as save vs charm person or by Dr Mindbender forcing you to let him escape from the bank robbery before the police arrive? Mine or yours?

The thing is, not every issue is one that can be really controlled. There are some people who really do have uncontrollable reactions to certain stimuli. Some people are capable of just grinning and bearing it until a more fun event comes along, but other people can't.

 

[overgeeked]

I was just reminded of a non-D&D resource for horror, Monster of the Week. It’s a PBTA game of monster hunting modeled after shows like Supernatural. Especially useful are the mystery and monster creation sections. They are fantastic.