This post is
actually a request for comments, as I am putting together table rules for Toronto
Crawl Classics. As such, I hope, whether you intend to participate in the
Toronto game or not, you will supply your thoughts.
I recently
heard about an individual’s negative experiences related to gaming, including
rape jokes, doxixng, unwanted touching, being followed home, and the like. Of
course, as I step towards doing a long-term open-table campaign, I would like
to make sure that my table offers a safe space. That is, I don’t want anyone to
ever feel abused at a game I have anything to do with.
When I was
told about X-Cards, I thought “What
a great, and obvious, idea!” The more I have been thinking about them, though, the
more I am doubting that my initial reaction was the right one. And that is what
this post is, really: Asking the community for their thoughts. Anyone who would
like to comment should feel free to do so. Anyone who wants to comment
anonymously may do so at ravencrowking at hotmail dot com.
Here are my
areas of specific concern:
(1) I have a
tendency to believe that rpgs should push comfort zones, and there are
definitely horror elements involved in Dungeon Crawl Classics. I have some
concerns that the X-Card system would remove uncomfortable decisions and
experiences from the game. And, in Dungeon Crawl Classics, that might
be a lot of the game. Consider:
- Your PC fumbles and something bad happens. Can you tap the X-Card to undo the fumble?
- The same, but a critical hit against your PC. Does the X-Card make the crit go up or down on the chart?
- The same, but clerical disapproval.
- The same, but mercurial magic.
- The same, but corruption.
- Etc., etc.
Worse, I
imagine that running almost any published adventure for Dungeon Crawl Classics,
and certainly any adventure I have penned, will bring on a host of tapping the
X-Card simply to deal with events that go against the characters. Or having to
deal with any of the creepy monsters, situations, or choices that exist within
the better adventures.
Can you
imagine running Bone Hoard of the Dancing Horror where the players can veto,
without cost, the appearance of any creature or any event within the scenario?
I am concerned that the game itself would swiftly lose its point. Which brings
us to (2):
(2) Elements
in a well-crafted scenario are there for a reason.
One of the
X-Card examples I was given is that a player dislikes spiders, so taps the
card, and the GM changes the encounter to giant rats.
That is fine
in a scenario where the placement of monsters has no specific purpose, but let
us take again the aforementioned Bone Hoard of the Dancing Horror.
The titular monster collects bones, so the creatures encountered in the
scenario have none. The creatures encountered are part of the “footprint” of
the main encounter, and it is not so simple to change them. Especially not on
the fly.
For another
example, what if a player objects to the superior hearing of the Pallas Troth
in The
Black Goat? The scenario falls apart. You can take almost any
well-written scenario, and see where aspects can be removed or changed which
will damage (or destroy) the whole.
(3) I have
been a strong proponent of the view that the GM runs what he wishes, and the
players either decide to play that game or not. The idea that the players can
veto anything flies in the face of this position. Does the game adapt to the
player, or does the player adapt to the game? I have always been a strong advocate
that the player adapts to the game, and alters the game to adapt to herself
through the agency of her characters.
(4) It was
exampled that a player may use the X-Card for something minor, such as a name,
to demonstrate that it is okay to do so at the table. This suggests that
players should not hesitate to demand alterations of things that they find only
somewhat uncomfortable. It also suggests that not having to deal with any minor
discomfort is more important than the value of a coherent scenario to the other
players at the table.
(5) While I
certainly would not find sexual harassment acceptable, this seems to go far
beyond preventing abuse and into some other territory. In fact, the use of
X-Cards may rob agency from the GM in terms of creating and presenting
scenarios, and the other players, both in terms of (a) reacting to those
scenarios, and (b) even experiencing those scenarios.
For these
reasons, I am concerned that using X-Cards may make game play anaemic. Because I always want to run the best game I can, I am soliciting the input of you, the reader. What do you think? Should I use X-Cards?
Should I not use X-Cards? Should I use them in some limited form? And, if so,
what should the limitations be?
