CW: References to Sexual Assault in RPGs

So I haven't said anything and instead opted to boost other voices because other folks are more qualified to talk about this issue than me. But there're a few aspects that I want to address that I feel comfortable bringing forward.

First for some quick context if it hasn't crossed your timeline, Adam Koebel (@/skinnyghost) on Season2, Episode 18 of Far Verona depicted the Sexual Assualt of one of the PCs characters by an NPC, essentially taking full control of the character's autonomy for the scene.

There are a lot of threads breaking down what happened and why it's problematic but this leads to the first point I want to raise:

In an issue like this, we should center the victim, so below is their account and reactions in video form. https://twitter.com/ElspethEastman/status/1245866478240272385?s=20

And before I go into the discourse and substance of the matter I want to harp on that point for a second. No matter what you do or say here, your thoughts should be foremost towards centring and preventing harm to the victims, rather than a crusade against the perpetrator.

Accountability should be demanded of Adam, but doing so in a way that causes more lateral harm is wrong.

Properly tag your shit, don't harass folks into unfollowing or responding *ESPECIALLY* if they share this trauma (which you may not know so treat them with that respect).

So let's talk about the two issues I think are existing simultaneously here:

1) There is the actual event, which goes so far beyond a simple mistake into a clear and horrific *public* action.

2) There are the circumstances that allow such an event to happen again and again.

1) Adam has been problematic for a while. This is just a fact and he's made folks uncomfortable in a variety of ways. A fair amount of PoC I know avoid him. A lot of it is red flags and feelings that are hard to speak out about. The biggest is harassment by the fanbase.

This event has created a moment that has empowered many to speak up about these histories and experiences. It's important when we talk about the second issue we don't minimize that this is part of a pattern, and even if it were a singular event it's still fucking awful.

It's also important to recognize Adam's responsibility as a public figure. This is the kind of thing that requires consent from everyone involved, and if you're doing it on stream that means the audience. At the very least a CW and a warning to those watching would be required.

This is how behaviour like this becomes normalized, since Adam's position as a public sex-positive queer GM gives him a lot of influence to a wide viewer base, which needs be acknowledged.

But ultimately, again, the harm needing to be acknowledged is to the players; to Elspeth.

2) Unfortunately, this event is not unique. Perhaps it viscerally stands out because of how clearly bad it is and because it came from someone who presents as sex-positive, etc, but its the product of a lot of cultural elements with TTRPGS both mechanically and as an industry.

First, TTRPGS that follow a traditional model usually place one person, the DM, in a place of authority, and often that can extend to the point of reducing the autonomy of the other players, allowing the DM to dictate things about their character against their wishes.

This authority can often lead to a situation where DMs feel like puppet-masters, pulling strings on figures they're detached from. This disconnect can make it feel "ok" to do things like this since you're just moving detached set-pieces around. To be clear: It is distinctly not.

(I think there's also a greater cultural discussion about why SA is seen as a viable "plot point" or set piece that extends into all forms of media but that's not what I'm gonna get into right now. Suffice to say, the fact that someone sees it as such is a problem itself).

This power imbalance can also make it difficult to speak up against the DM crossing a boundary. Other players saying something is a suggestion you can turn away from, but when a person has authority over your characters autonomy it can be difficult to assert yourself. That's bad.

Second, most major networks and streaming environments do not require safety tools or foster that kind of environment from their show. Safety tools are *the bare minimum.* They should also come with open communication, frequent check-ins, and a base level of respect for others.

And I think any discussion of this incident needs to acknowledge that. We can and should start by holding Adam accountable for his role in causing harm here, but if we don't discuss the systemic issues that allowed this to happen we'll be back here again after not too long.

And at this point, I want to stress that Elspeth's statement that I linked above goes into some of this with regards to the issue of authority. If you have the ability to watch it (as I know it can be traumatic content to engage with), I highly recommend that.

That's all I got to say for now. This is an ongoing discussion, but right now, its more important to be kind to the victims, because a lot of people are going to be hurt or reliving the trauma. Be there and offer support for them. And demand accountability and systemic reform.