Dungeon Master’s Guide to Roleplaying
Endless imagination often means that little is off-limits in the worlds of roleplaying games. Still, there are certain subjects that require careful handling if you want your group to enjoy every moment at the table
Words by Richard Jansen-Parkes
Tales from the Loop protects its young characters from serious harm and death
One of the most impressive things about tabletop RPGs is the ease with which players become utterly invested in characters conjured up from raw imagination and half-remembered fantasy novels.
Usually this is a blessing – getting a friend or family member to shed a tear over a fallen ally is often the proudest moment of a GM’s career – but, if handled poorly, it can amplify the consequences of bad decisions and moments of poor taste. Watching a film or reading a book with upsetting content and themes can be horrible, but at least you aren’t having to actively participate in it.
This is something that our group had to navigate carefully when the player behind the party’s sorceress idly wondered if there might be any long-term consequences to the week she’d spent relaxing with her boyfriend, a captain in the Queen’s Guard who’d been elevated from nameless NPC cannon-fodder to stalwart ally after a series of spectacular combat rolls. It was late in the night and we were in a cheerful sort of mood, so, without really thinking of the implications for the campaign, I had them roll for it.