I have a theatre degree. Let's talk about something that I am actually qualified to speak about: Creating a safe environment for creativity and imaginative play. #DnD

As humans, one of the first skills we develop is roleplay. We do this because we lack the cognitive ability 1/24
to see things from another person's perspective. Imagination is encouraged and it really is the beginnings of curiosity and scientific discovery. In sort, what we do with imaginative play is try to figure out the rules of life around us. 2/24
Then, at some point around age 12, imaginative play becomes something to be ashamed of. Society goes out of its way to punish it. Which is odd, considering that we have structured imaginative play in the form of theatre, Television, and film. 3/24
Much like how sports is just playing a recess game professionally, acting is just playing pretend professionally. There is very little difference between the actor on the stage, and the child on the playground except for audience, practice, and a fat paycheck. 4/24
Theatre and the dramatic arts fufill that need for all of us of imaginative play. We watch these practiced professionals act out scenes and scenarios. Some just mildly entertain, but the truly good stuff makes us think and activates the "what if" centers of the brain. 5/24
A great piece of dramatic art can break through everything that you know about life and society and make you start to question everything that you have been taught. It can start to tear down the walls of privildge, and it is why I get frustrated when someone says 6/24
"Theatre shouldn't be political" when it is inherently political in nature. You cannot escape it because otherwise it would be bland and dramaless.

But in getting off track, and you get the point. Theatre is imaginative play on a structured scale.

And it takes a lot 7/24
To be an actor. It isn't just reading lines and memorizing movement. It's doing something that everyone has told you is foolish since you were twelve. It's trying to find that childlike wonder and expose all the emotions and feelings everyone tells you that you have to keep 7/
hidden. In short, you paint a huge target on your back and have to be prepared to overcome the fear of ridicule. And you need to be able to do things that make you feel vunerable. In order to do that, you HAVE to be in a space where you feel safe. 8/24
This brings me to role playing games. You are, in a sense, creating a type of theatre. The audience is generally those around you at the table, but sometimes the people at home if you stream out. It also means that you are engaging in imaginative play, something society 9/24
actively mocks. To play TTRPGs is to make yourself vunerable to ridicule and abuse. It takes massive amount of trust for roleplay to happen, just like it takes massive amount of trust for theatre to happen.

In theatre we call the person who builds and maintains 10/24
That trust the director. In TTRPGs that is the Dungeon Master. The director makes sure that the theatre space is kept sacred. Rehearsals are closed because early work is raw and it is hard to try new things when you are feeling self conscious. 11/24
But the director also makes sure that things don't get toxic on stage and emotionally safe. At least a good one does. They also make sure that people are physically safe.

As dungeon masters, that is our responsibility as well. Yeas we are telling a narrative, but we are 12/24
also developing a space where people can share without the fear of being purposely traumatized or harmed.

Which brings us to the point of this post: 13/24
If you, as a DM do something intentionally to harm the psyche or the physical being of the players who trust you enough that they are being vunerable around you, and you haven't cleared that with them, you are a piss poor GM and need to stop now. 14/24
If I walked on set and an actor and was handed a sword and told "go fight that other guy" I would walk off set. And I would be right to. That could get me or the other person hurt or killed. Fight scenes require extensive choreography to make sure things are safe 15/24
while looking as dangerous as possible. Same with stunts. You don't just show up and do, and you have processes in place where, if you decide to proceed forward, that you can stop production if you feel unsafe.

The same goes for a sex scene, or an assault scene 16/24
You don't spring that in an actor. You don't go "oh by the way, we wrote a scene where you are going to be naked/have sex/ are assaulted. Strip down and get to make up."

You have to negotiate that out before hand so everyone knows what is going on and if 17/24
At ant time you feel uncomfortable there are tools in place to keep you safe and at any time you have the right to walk off the set.

The same HAS to be true about TTRPGs. You have to have safe gaurds in place. People need to know what they are going into before hand 18/24
And they need to be able to back out if nessecary.

Some of you will point out the "great"directors like Kubrick, Hitchcock, and others that actively terrorized their actors for a "real reaction."

Here is the deal though. They were assholes that people didn't like 19/24
To work with.

Shelly Duvale retired because of Kubrick. Tippy Headron was actively stalked by Hitchcock. These weren't good people. And frankly, if you follow in their footsteps you are not a good person either. 20/24
And if you cannot raise the stakes if your TTRPG campaign without doing something to traumatize your actors then you do not deserve to be GM. All you are is a bully with a screen like the others were a bully with a camera. Plain and simple. 21/24
Complain about safety tools all you want to, but throwing someone into something that has the potential to bring up past trauma, or even something they aren't comfortable with isn't art. You can explore tense and upsetting topics, but do so with people who are ok with it. 22/24
You will find that they will enthusiastically join you and everyone will have a great time. Forcing people into an uncomfortable situation against their will shuts them down and ends your game.

Also. It is fucking uncool. Seriously. I shouldn't have to tell you that. 23/24
Safety tools. Fucking use them. Respect yourself. Respect the players around you, or don't fucking DM. Especially with people you don't know at a convention or over the internet.

Be courteous. It's as some as that. 24/24
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