One of the many reasons I love The Gauntlet community.

One of the many reasons I love The Gauntlet community.

One of the many reasons I love The Gauntlet community.

I just saw a post elsewhere from a macho GM that wanted to let everyone know that X-cards and “snowflakes” wouldn’t be tolerated at his table.

I get the political thrust of the message but want to look at it from a role playing point of view. When I see a message like that, I translate it like this:

“I’m a really terrible GM that can’t be bothered to consider the experience players are having at my table. If you expect your GM to pay attention to the players, look somewhere else because I’m too lazy.”

Every podcast and post I encounter in The Gauntlet reinforces the feeling that games are made better when ALL the players are paying attention to each other.

68 thoughts on “One of the many reasons I love The Gauntlet community.”

  9. I was just listening to the latest episode of the Gauntlet podcast on inclusivity; and I thought: man, this community is so different from every other RPG or gaming community out there! It is so refreshing to find somewhere that is both welcoming to folks that aren’t cis-het-white guys (yay) but also demonstrates that inclusivity and sensitivity have additional, practical benefits – they makes your games better!

    Also X-Card is great, screw whoever made that post.

    Edit: ok I see that poster has put that YouTube video EVERYWHERE. Ugh.

  10. I was just listening to the latest episode of the Gauntlet podcast on inclusivity; and I thought: man, this community is so different from every other RPG or gaming community out there! It is so refreshing to find somewhere that is both welcoming to folks that aren’t cis-het-white guys (yay) but also demonstrates that inclusivity and sensitivity have additional, practical benefits – they makes your games better!

    Also X-Card is great, screw whoever made that post.

    Edit: ok I see that poster has put that YouTube video EVERYWHERE. Ugh.

  13. What an asshole… he spends the first part of the video saying how Lines & Veils and X-cards infantilize a game, and then proceeds to talk about things he himself would not want in a game (pedophilia, child murder)…thereby proving the need for things like Lines & Veils and the X-card? What a doof.

  14. What an asshole… he spends the first part of the video saying how Lines & Veils and X-cards infantilize a game, and then proceeds to talk about things he himself would not want in a game (pedophilia, child murder)…thereby proving the need for things like Lines & Veils and the X-card? What a doof.

  15. This was an attitude I first encountered in the Forge community in the mid-Aughts. With the splintering of that scene, I’m glad another major online community (with probably better reach than the Forge ever had) is a beacon for this kind of table culture.

  16. This was an attitude I first encountered in the Forge community in the mid-Aughts. With the splintering of that scene, I’m glad another major online community (with probably better reach than the Forge ever had) is a beacon for this kind of table culture.

  17. I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to draw attention to that foolishness. I mostly wanted to celebrate how great it is to know a community that understands what good gaming is.

  18. I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to draw attention to that foolishness. I mostly wanted to celebrate how great it is to know a community that understands what good gaming is.

  19. It’s always interesting the reaction to safety tools from external sources is usually “this is not allowing me to have my options!”; the point is being missed that the tools allow for that content, if EVERYONE agrees. It’s very blatant that they expect the group to act and think as they would, which is something I’m very proud of in our groups in The Gauntlet

  20. It’s always interesting the reaction to safety tools from external sources is usually “this is not allowing me to have my options!”; the point is being missed that the tools allow for that content, if EVERYONE agrees. It’s very blatant that they expect the group to act and think as they would, which is something I’m very proud of in our groups in The Gauntlet

  23. It’s a knee-jerk control thing. I’ve seen reactions just as rabid to collaborative settings or really anything that gives the other people some choices. I remember reacting to Microscope with a certain amount of dread–afraid that other players were going to RUIN my play experience. Other people who were my friends. Of course, it was lovely and fun and I was so awed by everyone’s contributions. And luckily, for my soul, some of my fellow players confessed to the same reaction.

    But I was an asshole (just, only in my head). I like to think I get better all the time…but man, change can blindside you. I didn’t even KNOW I was that possessive of the game world until I got shoved into a situation where some little fear nubbin in my brain told me that I was threatened…by freaking collaborative play!!! WTF brain.

    So I always like to think that some folks are just stuck listening to that nubbin and don’t have awesome friends and GMs to push them past it.

    (Also, I am an asshole in my head all the time–just be warned)

  24. It’s a knee-jerk control thing. I’ve seen reactions just as rabid to collaborative settings or really anything that gives the other people some choices. I remember reacting to Microscope with a certain amount of dread–afraid that other players were going to RUIN my play experience. Other people who were my friends. Of course, it was lovely and fun and I was so awed by everyone’s contributions. And luckily, for my soul, some of my fellow players confessed to the same reaction.

    But I was an asshole (just, only in my head). I like to think I get better all the time…but man, change can blindside you. I didn’t even KNOW I was that possessive of the game world until I got shoved into a situation where some little fear nubbin in my brain told me that I was threatened…by freaking collaborative play!!! WTF brain.

    So I always like to think that some folks are just stuck listening to that nubbin and don’t have awesome friends and GMs to push them past it.

    (Also, I am an asshole in my head all the time–just be warned)

  27. Auzumel Srsly That is beautiful and honest. One of the best lessons from improv (I learned it from Bay Area Theatresports) is:

    Make your partner look good

    Showing off and taking control of a scene almost always crashes it and kills the narrative. When you concentrate on making the other players seem brilliant, everyone walks away looking like geniuses.

    Role playing is the same. When each player is paying attention to the kind of experience the others want, the whole table enjoys the story.

  28. Auzumel Srsly That is beautiful and honest. One of the best lessons from improv (I learned it from Bay Area Theatresports) is:

    Make your partner look good

    Showing off and taking control of a scene almost always crashes it and kills the narrative. When you concentrate on making the other players seem brilliant, everyone walks away looking like geniuses.

    Role playing is the same. When each player is paying attention to the kind of experience the others want, the whole table enjoys the story.

  31. Samwise Seven RPG You should try it with your friends! It’s actually where I get the most use out of it, because it lets me push harder against people I trust because I know that they’ll use it if they need to.

  32. Samwise Seven RPG You should try it with your friends! It’s actually where I get the most use out of it, because it lets me push harder against people I trust because I know that they’ll use it if they need to.

  35. ThatRob BushGuy I definitely need to not have a Twitter account…

    Logan Howard Holy smokes, yes, it makes it all so amazing. It’s is a huge culture change for so many tables out there. I feel for them–and I recognize that I’m still working toward getting there. For me, habits–especially habits of neutrality and turn-taking–are hard holders. Takes a lot of energy to figure out how to circumvent those impulses.

    I do love the Gauntlet for all the players that are just so damned good and generous.

  36. ThatRob BushGuy I definitely need to not have a Twitter account…

    Logan Howard Holy smokes, yes, it makes it all so amazing. It’s is a huge culture change for so many tables out there. I feel for them–and I recognize that I’m still working toward getting there. For me, habits–especially habits of neutrality and turn-taking–are hard holders. Takes a lot of energy to figure out how to circumvent those impulses.

    I do love the Gauntlet for all the players that are just so damned good and generous.

  37. On one post he thinks someone could X card a bad roll, “that roll made me uncomfortable, I went to re-roll it.” So yeah, doesn’t get it at all. He also seems to have butted heads with Michael Prescott and said he has terminal cancer and may not live out the year so doesn’t have any time for “wusses.” Sad all around it seems.

  38. On one post he thinks someone could X card a bad roll, “that roll made me uncomfortable, I went to re-roll it.” So yeah, doesn’t get it at all. He also seems to have butted heads with Michael Prescott and said he has terminal cancer and may not live out the year so doesn’t have any time for “wusses.” Sad all around it seems.

  41. Samwise Seven RPG It still doesn’t hurt to throw one down and use it as a touchstone for discussing how everyone is in a supportive space. I use that for games with particularly challenging content.

  42. Samwise Seven RPG It still doesn’t hurt to throw one down and use it as a touchstone for discussing how everyone is in a supportive space. I use that for games with particularly challenging content.

  43. I do have a tendency to throw some tough content into my games, so you are probably right Rach Shelkey. It can’t hurt to have a non-verbal rip-chord on the table just in case, even with good friends that I know pretty well. Color me convinced.

  44. I do have a tendency to throw some tough content into my games, so you are probably right Rach Shelkey. It can’t hurt to have a non-verbal rip-chord on the table just in case, even with good friends that I know pretty well. Color me convinced.

  45. The trick with the X-Card, lines/veils, etc. is that they’re just tools. Like any tool, they don’t do any good if you don’t know how to use them, and they don’t work well unless you practice and maintain them.

  46. The trick with the X-Card, lines/veils, etc. is that they’re just tools. Like any tool, they don’t do any good if you don’t know how to use them, and they don’t work well unless you practice and maintain them.

  47. When I saw this thread earlier, I was going to comment. I get home and get on the computer and find you all have said all the smart things I could say.

    So . . . ditto.

    Also? You’re all awesome.

    And I agree with ThatRob BushGuy: we’re all (well, I am) an asshole in our head so it’s great when we get pushback from the exterior that reminds us/me of that.

    That is to say, Auzumel Srsly? . . . One of us! One of us!

  48. When I saw this thread earlier, I was going to comment. I get home and get on the computer and find you all have said all the smart things I could say.

    So . . . ditto.

    Also? You’re all awesome.

    And I agree with ThatRob BushGuy: we’re all (well, I am) an asshole in our head so it’s great when we get pushback from the exterior that reminds us/me of that.

    That is to say, Auzumel Srsly? . . . One of us! One of us!

  49. I haven’t used the X Cards so this is subjective. They seem like integral tools when exploring sensitive subject matter. They provide a safety net to folks with past trauma, allowing the player to signpost where there’s dragons.

    Idea Channel’s video about trigger warnings is in the same vein. Clear labeling/empowerment frames a mature exploration of sensitive subject matter.

    I find people who throw around “snowflakes” & “triggered?” wantonly aren’t worth the time it takes to read their garbage.

  50. I haven’t used the X Cards so this is subjective. They seem like integral tools when exploring sensitive subject matter. They provide a safety net to folks with past trauma, allowing the player to signpost where there’s dragons.

    Idea Channel’s video about trigger warnings is in the same vein. Clear labeling/empowerment frames a mature exploration of sensitive subject matter.

    I find people who throw around “snowflakes” & “triggered?” wantonly aren’t worth the time it takes to read their garbage.

  57. I think part of the problem is some GMs feel that these tools will be abused and lead to overly sensitive players derailing their game. Ultimately, they aren’t willing to have the same faith in their players they expect for themselves as a GM. Only the most toxic GMs want to run a game the players don’t enjoy and appreciate. I imagine even this guy wants excited, engaged players, and probably would moderate what he’s doing if he saw players uncomfortable or fading out of play. For many it’s the fear of loosing control that the X card represents. It’s a knee-jerk reaction based on a lack of understanding the tool/s. They are afraid that if they have someone X something it means they were a bad GM, and no one wants the have that feeling. However, understanding the tools and internalizing that it’s not personal can only make someone a stronger GM.

  58. I think part of the problem is some GMs feel that these tools will be abused and lead to overly sensitive players derailing their game. Ultimately, they aren’t willing to have the same faith in their players they expect for themselves as a GM. Only the most toxic GMs want to run a game the players don’t enjoy and appreciate. I imagine even this guy wants excited, engaged players, and probably would moderate what he’s doing if he saw players uncomfortable or fading out of play. For many it’s the fear of loosing control that the X card represents. It’s a knee-jerk reaction based on a lack of understanding the tool/s. They are afraid that if they have someone X something it means they were a bad GM, and no one wants the have that feeling. However, understanding the tools and internalizing that it’s not personal can only make someone a stronger GM.

  61. There was a huge bullshit thread that went down on the RPG Brigade Facebook page a few weeks back with GMs basically saying the X Card has no place in their games and that SJWs were running the hobby.

    Eventually the thread got locked. My favorite counter argument to the X card was the idea that it would destroy the GM’s masterful story. Which would indicate a lack in skill and creativity.

    I’ve left a few OSR online communities because there seems to be a rigid and narrow-minded strain of grognards that inhabit them.

    I’ve never needed the X Card but that’s because I play in a pretty small group and we don’t stray too far from a PG-13 notch. Plus, I don’t generally play at cons but I see the merits of its presence.

  62. There was a huge bullshit thread that went down on the RPG Brigade Facebook page a few weeks back with GMs basically saying the X Card has no place in their games and that SJWs were running the hobby.

    Eventually the thread got locked. My favorite counter argument to the X card was the idea that it would destroy the GM’s masterful story. Which would indicate a lack in skill and creativity.

    I’ve left a few OSR online communities because there seems to be a rigid and narrow-minded strain of grognards that inhabit them.

    I’ve never needed the X Card but that’s because I play in a pretty small group and we don’t stray too far from a PG-13 notch. Plus, I don’t generally play at cons but I see the merits of its presence.

  63. Edward Hickcox when I encounter tough-guys who take the “I-don’t-have-time-for-other-people’s-feelings” attitude, part of me can’t resist taking the idea and applying it to all parts of their lives. It can’t be a great life. Clearly these must be the worst romantic partners, parents, friends etc…

  64. Edward Hickcox when I encounter tough-guys who take the “I-don’t-have-time-for-other-people’s-feelings” attitude, part of me can’t resist taking the idea and applying it to all parts of their lives. It can’t be a great life. Clearly these must be the worst romantic partners, parents, friends etc…

Comments are closed.