THE SIX PRINCIPLES OF SUPPORT...

There is no tool in any game that can completely seal out all possibility of hurt, miscommunication, or misunderstanding.  However, just like choosing boots with good treat before hiking on a slick trail or checking a belay line before climbing, there are principles any player and facilitator can commit to before play to increase their chances of coming out of the experience better for it.

These principles provide guidance but they're no substitute for common sense or courtesy. Be spacious and generous with yourself and your co-players.

Written by award-winning Game Designer Jeeyon Shim, and distributed as part of the TTRPG Safety Toolkit created by Kienna Shaw and Lauren Bryant-Monk, this set of principles seeks to establish clear guidelines for creating safe environments for TTRPGs.

STEWARDSHIP

Any and all players are more important than the game.  Please be considerate of each other, communicate proactively with each other, and make sure you look to yourself and your group for ways of ensuring everyone is as safe and nurturing as possible.

The environment is more important than the game. Steward and care for the environment you're in. Do not damage the environment in any way for the sake of your game. That includes sound; that includes scent; that includes moving through a space in ways you can't take back.

COURAGE

No one can guarantee any outcome of any experience, let alone an emotionally resonant roleplaying game. Go in with both eyes open about your own limits and the game's parameters, driving toward the best without any expectations of resolution or happy ending, and you will have an exponentially better experience.

JOY

We play games because we think they are fun, and there are many different types of fun. Some people like to play games because they are fun right in the moment (what people in outdoor education often nickname "Type I fun"), some people like to play games because they are challenging and hard and even with unpleasant themes they, the player, will feel better for the experience after play ends ("Type II fun").

Respect each other's sense of enjoyment. Do not presume that the fun you seek is in some way better than other people's fun. Remember that we keep coming back to games because they inspire and enliven us. We are here to share joy with each other.

KINDNESS

Make all your choices out of a place of inspiration, consideration, and kindness. You are serving a collective, collaborative experience when you play with others. Honor this gift by trying to be your best self in play. Practice and assume good faith of your co-players and yourself.

GIVE & RECEIVE

Give space, time, and attention for your co-players and you will receive it in kind. Make incisive player choices. That does not necessarily mean high-octane melodrama for the duration. Sometimes the right choice is to "be average" in order to bring greater balance to the overall story. Sometimes the right choice is to offer up something really meaty for your co-player(s) to sink their teeth into if you notice them stalling.

TAKE NOTICE

Place your focus on yourself, your co-players, and your environment before, throughout, and after play. It is your responsibility to yourself and others to notice what is going on, within and around you.

Examples:

• Do you have enough space at the play table to be comfortable?
• Are you taking up too much space relative to your co-players?
• If you don't know each other well, are you getting along well during pre-play workshopping, or do things feel awkward?
• Are you hungry, thirsty, or do you need the bathroom?
• Is your co-player upset in a way that's not customary for them?
• Are you feeling restless or fidgety?
• Are you leaving your belongings somewhere safe, where you will remember them after?