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Introducing Session Zero: the What and the Why
Session Zero is one of those topics where you can ask me one question, and I will rant and monologue for hours. I am extremely passionate about session zero, I don’t understand why someone would not want to do one, and I vehemently argue that every GM should conduct a session zero, even if they think everyone already knows what they are getting into. Since I am incapable of making this a short post, it will be a series! That’s right, you’ll have the option to pick and choose what parts of a session zero you want to hear about, and I’ll get to pretend you’re absorbing every single thing…
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Safe, Not Soft: How I Use Emotional Safety Tools Without Censoring My Table
Some people hear “safety tools” and breathe a sigh of relief: Finally — a table where I can dive deep without fear.Others groan, bracing for a session of hand-holding and trigger warnings that seem to outnumber the dice rolls. Here’s the thing: I’m not interested in either extreme. I don’t want a game where everyone’s walking on eggshells.And I’m not running a table where “oops, you got traumatized” is just part of the fun. I believe in a third path — a deliberate, emotionally intelligent approach to storytelling where players feel brave, not coddled.Where tools don’t soften the story — they sharpen the trust that lets us go harder.This isn’t…
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Safety Tools in TTRPGs and Why They Make the Game Better for Everyone
Picture this: you’re deep in a dungeon, torch flickering, tension mounting. The rogue uncovers a dark secret—perhaps a cult, perhaps a betrayal, perhaps a mirror of something from real life that lands a little too hard. And suddenly, what was thrilling becomes… something else. The mood shifts. The table goes quiet. Not because the game is bad, but because no one knew the line until it was crossed. This is where safety tools step in. Often misunderstood, occasionally maligned, they are not the sign of a fragile table. They are the quiet magic of a group that knows the difference between delicious dramatic tension and accidentally stepping on someone’s emotional…
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The Comfy Manifesto
Or: Why Safety Matters in Tabletop Role-Playing Games When people hear the phrase “comfy games,” they often picture a table where nothing bad ever happens—no monsters, no conflict, no risk greater than a lukewarm cup of tea. Perhaps they imagine every adventure ending in a communal nap, every character a small woodland creature with a penchant for embroidery. And while I’d happily play that game (twice, even), that’s not quite what I mean. “Comfy” was a deliberate choice—a word less aesthetic than “cozy,” less embroidered with lace, and more rooted in something essential: comfort. Not the absence of narrative tension, but the presence of emotional safety. It’s about creating a…
