THREAD: The gaming social contract

You should get explicit CONSENT from your fellow players in your tabletop roleplaying games. It’s common decency & you already accept this in other situations, even if you don’t realize it.

Let us explain:

1/9
#DnD5e #DnD #TTRPGs #TTRPG

Say you want to watch a movie with a friend. It is polite to ask, “What kind of movie do you want to watch?” Your friend might reply, “I’m not in the mood for horror. How about comedy?” Refusing to ask your friend what they’d like to see, or rejecting their opinion, is rude.

2/9

Similarly, in a game, it is polite to ask other players what kind of content they’d prefer to see as well. Not asking, or rejecting their choice, is just as rude.

*Why* they don’t want horror, or prefer comedy, is not relevant. It is simply rude not to ask.

3/9
#DnD5e #TTRPGs

If you are going to have a meal with a friend, it is polite to ask what they want to eat, or if they have any food allergies. You can’t know that in advance, especially of a stranger.

Refusing to ask is not only rude, but dangerous in this case!

4/9
#DnD5e #DnD #TTRPGs #TTRPG

In a tabletop RPG, you should ask your fellow players what they want to experience too, & whether there’s any content that could cause a bad reaction, just like a food allergy.

Not asking wouldn’t be acceptable behavior when watching a movie or eating a meal.

5/9
#DnD5e #TTRPGs

The reason we sit down to play a game together is to have a positive, shared experience. Refusing to take what other folks want or need into consideration prevents you from succeeding at that goal!

And this is what the gaming social contract really means:

6/9
#DnD5e #TTRPGs

Simply by sitting down to play a game together, you agree to do so that everyone’s can have a good time. If you then refuse to take folks' preferences into account — if you refuse to value consent — you literally defeat the very purpose you agreed to by sitting down to play.

7/9

That’s the gaming social contract. When you sit down to play a game, you implicitly agree to follow social rules that allow everyone at the table to enjoy themselves. Because we prefer & avoid different things, that means asking what folks like or want to avoid.

8/?
#DnD5e

We do it when we eat, or watch movies, and we implicitly agree to unspoken rules of consent when we play games.

Folks who don’t are jerks, and they can eat their meals, watch their films, & play their games alone.

9/9
#DnD5e #DnD #TTRPGs #TTRPG

And if you want help using consent in your games, check out @MonteCookGames Consent in Gaming, and the TTRPG Safety Toolkit from @KiennaS and @jl_nicegirl !