1. Introduction
| 1.1 | The St. Ives Tabletop group (henceforth referred to as the “Group”) is managed by a committee (henceforth referred to as the “Committee”). |
| 1.2 | The following policy covers role playing games run as a Group activity. By their nature, this type of activity presents several potential areas for concern; especially given the often unequal dynamic between individuals playing in the game and individuals running the game. |
| 1.3 | This policy only covers activities run within Group sessions or using Group resources (both physical and digital). If individuals participate in other games outside the Group, those games are not the responsibility of the Committee. |
| 1.4 | This policy covers all role playing games run at Group sessions, whether directly organised by Committee members or other Group attendees. |
2. Safe Space, Safe Play, and the X-Card System
| 2.1 | Role playing games can be on almost any topic, with a variety of themes and tones. This policy does not aim to define the scope of games that are permissible. Further, as a creative narrative role playing games can often drift from the original theme or tone. |
| 2.2 | However, following the Group’s Conduct and Behaviour Policy, certain topics should be avoided when playing with a group that do not know each other. |
The X-Card System
| 2.3 | All role playing games run within a Group session must use the X-card system. In brief: | |
| 2.3.1 | A card with an “X” on it is placed visibly and within reach of all players in the table. | |
| 2.3.2 | At any time during the game, any individual may touch the “X” card to pause the game. | |
| 2.3.3 | That individual should describe what aspect of the game is upsetting or disturbing them. They are under no obligation to explain why. | |
| 2.3.4 | The game will “rewind” and that aspect will be dropped or removed, and not revisited. | |
| 2.4 | The X-card system is designed to give individuals the ability to flag content during play. It is not intended to replace having a conversation amongst individuals before the game starts to set expectations on the type, tone, and style of game. | |
| 2.5 | Individuals may approach members of the Committee with any concerns. |
3. Organising Games
| 3.1 | Some role playing games will be organised and run by volunteers from the Group (rather than exclusively by the Committee). |
| 3.2 | Individuals should respect the time and effort of volunteers who run games. |
4. Regular Attendance
| 4.1 | Role playing games run within the Group will typically be scheduled to run for a number of sessions. For example: | |
| 4.1.1 | A single session (a so-called one-shot game). | |
| 4.1.2 | Three sessions. | |
| 4.1.3 | Six sessions. | |
| 4.2 | Games will typically involve four to eight players, and as such reliable attendance can be very important for multiple session games. | |
| 4.3 | Individuals who sign up for multiple session games are expected to commit to all sessions. They should inform the organiser and other players when joining if they will be unable to attend all of the planned sessions for the organiser and other players to be able to plan. | |
| 4.4 | Unexplained absence from a multiple session game may lead to that individual not being accepted to join future multiple session games. |