It is important to us that all players can play on Let's Role in a healthy environment.
Of course, we don't want to dictate what would be appropriate for your own tables. However, we do have the ability to integrate new features into Let's Role to help you deal with unforeseen events or other moments that are a little more delicate.
The two tools we have decided to offer you as soon as the Beta is released are inspired by techniques well known to TableTop gamers, namely a simplified X-Card [1] and a modified version of lines and veils. They will never replace sincere listening around the table, but we hope they will make your life easier and your games more enjoyable. However, we would like to point out that they are optional and that it is probably useful to agree on their use before you start playing together.
Finally, we would like to thank Lapin Marteau (http://www.lapinmarteau.com/) for their precious help in the development of these features.
Manage sensitive topics
The first feature concerns the management of sensitive topics. Whatever the reasons, a player may want to avoid certain topics or situations during the game. In some cases, it can also help you ensure that the group you are about to form will have no problem playing the scenario you have planned.
For this reason, you will now have access to two optional lists in your table setup: "topics that can be tackled" and "disallowed topics". Ideally the group agrees at the beginning of the game on their contents. These will be displayed before the game starts, which ensures that everyone agrees.
For more flexibility, these lists will not be pre-established from default options that need to be checked off, but co-written by the whole table. This allows you to formulate your desires and limits much more precisely, and, for example, to differentiate between topics that should absolutely be avoided, and those that can be mentioned but not described during the game.
Managing slip-ups and other misunderstandings
Even if you agree on what to avoid, there may be situations where you feel uncomfortable. For example, a player may forget for a moment the content of this list, or something totally unexpected may happen. This second feature is intended to help you deal with such situations.
Starting in the Beta of Let's Role, it will be possible to send a quiet and anonymous alert to the GM to inform them of a problem with a scene being played. You just have to write "/xcard" in the chat. Only the GM will get a notification, and will then know immediately that there is a problem and can act accordingly. For example, by moving on to the next scene or refocusing the roleplay. It is also possible to say that when an X-Card is used, the scene never happened. It is up to you to define in advance how you want to do this.
For more flexibility, it will be possible to add a comment to specify exactly what is bothering you in the current game phase. For example, typing "/xcard spiders" will leave no doubt about the nature of your discomfort, while "/xcard gore" or "/xcard can you please go a little softer on the descriptions" will remain anonymous, but will allow the GM to know how to react without stopping the scene in progress.
In order not to keep potentially private information about you, these alerts will never be stored on our servers. We will simply forward it to the GM and forget about it. Unless you decide to communicate it directly, no one will ever know when and why you used an X-Card.
Conclusion
These two tools should be available for the Beta release in a few months. Of course, they do not replace sincere listening around the table and if possible to make a session-0. We hope that they will help you to make it easier for everyone to be safe, and to make your games a place of trust.
[1] The original X-Card was created by John Stavropoulos, for more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/x-card-rpg.