I’m a new GM and will be starting my first campaign really soon. I want to make sure my players are having fun, but I want to be sure they’re playing in a safe environment, e.g. be inclusive, allow everyone a chance to roleplay/speak/roll checks, don’t make jokes at the expense of others, avoid dark themes where possible.
I’m planning to ask my players if they have any triggers they want me to avoid. Is there anything else you or other GM’s do to make sure your players are playing in a safe environment? What are the mechanics of how you go about your sessions?
Are you running it online or in person?
With friends or people you found at a local game store / online forum?
(Because the rest of these answers can change depending on those things)
Regarding playing in a safe environment:
First, thank you for caring about your other players.
Personally, I would avoid using the word "triggers" when asking if people don't want certain things in the game. It has a more visceral meaning to people that have suffered from trauma beyond "I don't like humanoid spider monsters, they give me the willies"
"Are there any themes or creatures people want to avoid? Does anyone have any phobias that they don't want to have come up in the game?" is a better way of wording it.
Check in with people once in a while, especially if you have an intense session or are dealing with some heavy subjects.
Same goes for if someone is particularly quiet. Maybe they're worried about interrupting people or feel like they don't get a chance to speak. (But maybe they're quiet and don't want to say anything and enjoy sitting back and watching everyone else do things.)
Don't do something shocking for the sake of it being shocking.
If you're going to have something that could reasonably happen and cause trauma to someone in the real world either check with your players first or, better yet, remove that section of the story.
For everyone having a chance to do something:
Occasionally go around the table and ask specific people what they're doing, especially if you think one person isn't getting enough attention. Don't let others interrupt the quiet ones because then the quiet one will talk less and less until they eventually leave the game because they feel like they aren't important and they're not having fun.
Rolling check will depend on the characters they're playing. During character creation try to ensure that PCs aren't stepping on each other's toes with their abilities and specializations. A little bit of over-lap is good, but if the ranger wants to be really good at Survival, try to avoid having the fighter put max ranks in survival too.
For everything else:
Talk to your players before beginning character creation. Talk about expectations, talk about what you consider inappropriate behaviour, invite the rest of the group to share any concerns and expectations they have. Some things are super basic and shouldn't be included in any game, but you'd be surprised at how many people don't realize that. And some people will need assurances that some things won't happen in the game.
If, during game, people are being inappropriate, call them on it. Depending on the severity, you might need to do it right away or you might be able to wait until after the game and do it privately. (Eg: Someone's racist, call them on it right away. Someone occasionally talks over someone else / is often telling someone else what to do, talk to them about it between sessions but if they still continue to do it week after week you may have to call them out during the game for it.)
At my session 0, I give my players the following information:
Campaign title: what the game will be called.
System used: Pathfinder, Chronicles of Darkness, etc.
Setting: Dark Sun, homebrew, etc.
Genre: high/low/dark Arthurian fantasy, Grimm's, creator-myth, etc.
Theme: "the veil between worlds is thin", "here be monsters", "all the world's a stage", etc.
Tone: whimsical, eerie. haunting, enchanting. etc.
Length: 10 three-hour games once ever 2 weeks, from level 3 to 10, etc.
That's usually a good starting point.
Are you running it online or in person?
With friends or people you found at a local game store / online forum?
(Because the rest of these answers can change depending on those things)
Players I know personally, some I played with in other sessions and some are folks I discovered were closet Pathfinder/DnD players. Mostly playing online because the maps are HUGE.
Thanks for all your tips! I can’t imagine they’ll change much based on the setting but maybe they do? Have you got stuff to add/want to change?
Are you running it online or in person?
With friends or people you found at a local game store / online forum?
(Because the rest of these answers can change depending on those things)Players I know personally, some I played with in other sessions and some are folks I discovered were closet Pathfinder/DnD players. Mostly playing online because the maps are HUGE.
Thanks for all your tips! I can’t imagine they’ll change much based on the setting but maybe they do? Have you got stuff to add/want to change?
Some settings have more controversial aspects to them than others.
This sort of thing is hard to have a set, hard-and-fast guide for.
Keeping lines of communication open, making sure everyone feels as comfortable and safe as possible, having a zero-tolerance policy for bullying/harassment, etc.
I think asking everyone to step forward and publicly announce any phobias or past traumas they'd like to avoid can be problematic. Even asking players one-on-one is asking them to put a pretty significant level of trust in you.
I really think establishing the tone is one of the most important things you can do. Especially the tone in regards to violence and death and other such potentially difficult topics. Will the combat scenes in your story be like "He-Man: Masters of the Universe" or like "Saving Private Ryan"? Or will they fall somewhere between? Different people have different preferences and comfort zones. Finding the sweet spot is important and will go a long way towards building the trust you need your players to have in you.
Players I know personally, some I played with in other sessions and some are folks I discovered were closet Pathfinder/DnD players. Mostly playing online because the maps are HUGE.
Thanks for all your tips! I can’t imagine they’ll change much based on the setting but maybe they do? Have you got stuff to add/want to change?
Since you know them all (read: you aren't meeting them for the first time to play a game) the only real difference is that you won't have to lay everything out as solidly and as carefully as you might with random strangers.
Friends are easier to talk to about these things as they have a vested interest in getting along with everyone else so you'll be able to have a more relaxed discussion about it and you won't have to go over as many things as you would with random strangers. EG: You likely don't have to tell people that real-world racism won't be tolerated. (Unless you know one of the people as being racist, in which case you may have to tell them...)
I have seen people have a lot more luck with in what I call invitations than I have with trying to make things comfortable for the players.
Say something like I'm inviting you to please a game that's going to be about X doing Y. Pirates becoming werewolves, Kings building up their Kingdom, murder hobos finally getting a permanent address. Three or four of those and most of the time people know what they're getting into and if it's not a great fit for them they can bow out of the game or tell you privately. Throw in a few basic rules - you can't just decide someone's your rival you have to have the players permission, don't bring up sex crimes cuz you think it's funny, basically the stuff that you think should not have to be said because horror stories always come from assuming it doesn't.