I'm dyslexic and fall on the autism spectrum, so my two biggest things that can be a problem at the table is generally trying to skim through my character sheet for the needed information at the current moment, and sensory overload most commonly caused by background music that a GM is using to set the appropriate mood. The first one is generally player facing and so i actually use a color coded sheet to help me differentiate the information more quickly, and as for the second one generally I ask if the music is either not a long loop that goes on for too long or if we can not use background music as I am already trying to listen to what the GM is saying, staying engauged in dialogue at the table, determine a plan of action, and taking in the visual stimuli. (I use battle mats and maps in my games just so i dont get lost in the weeds as my mind just can't seem to filter out unnecessary information.) As for my table's accomodations over the years, I have a close friend who has very significant vision deficit, and I used brightly colored stands to put tokens on much like what you do. My mom plays in occasion when she is feeling adventurous as she has many anxiety issues from trauma. Typically we stay in a Tolkien esque realm and she is hunky dory, and she too has sensory issues and can get overwhelmed, so we use a simplified character sheet for her as well as making sure that she gets a turn to speak as she will just let everyone speak over her nor argue to get an idea of her own into a conversation.
I was a player in a game where one session ended with us in camp hearing wolves around. That week my 7year old daughter and wife were mauled by 2 dogs while on a walk. I told the GM a few days before the game that I would really prefer to not have wolf attacks described since my family was sitting one room over with dozens of stitches in their faces. GM understood, it turned out that the wolves were running from a couple giant spiders. In my current group (all teenagers) I have a person with dyslexia and a different person who has hearing loss due to brain injuries from abuse. The person with dyslexia is a wizard, so I've made spell cards for her that are bigger and in a better font. For the guy with hearing loss, I never whisper, but will say "the guy whispers...". His character pretty much doesn't have a backstory or goals, he's a fighter that likes to hit stuff, and that's all we ask for.
I like that you call attention to the possibility that an individual can need an accommodation without being cognizant of said need -- and how that can manifest as behavior that most others would be intolerant of. Its a good reminder that trust, compassion, and insight should trump judgement, both in being a gamemaster, and in being a good person.
Accommodations, more than where the party sleeps at night! To answer your question, the most common instance of accommodating for me, happens with some young people. They need more nurturing and attention in general. There have been more than a few teenagers that have needed accommodating at the time, but the payoff comes when they turn into great human beings and genuinely care for their fellow players. They just needed a good example, and some patience. There are others examples, but that is the most common for me.
Thanks, Chris! Good food for thought. The coloured bases for tokens is an excellent idea. Your experience with the disgruntled vtt player was also interesting. "People have reasons" is a good mantra.
Great Video, man! Its wild that you brought this up because just last week one of my players mentioned that they have difficulty in imagining situations without a visual aid. I had done some sessions with Theater of the Mind because I recently moved and hadn't unpacked the miniatures yet. So, now I'm learning about Aphantasia.. Beyond that, I've played with a variety of individuals that have made requests: An Autistic friend who needed me to turn off the background music I had on... A Diabetic player who needed more frequent breaks... A Marine who requested that we don't play anything with Modern weaponry or military situations. Those situations bring up bad memories for him, so we stick to Fantasy with that group. I've never had to do a session zero checklist before... yet, I do tend to be very astute, and can spot when someone seems distracted or annoyed about something. So I will try to communicate with that person during a break. Find out what's up. I try my best to make the game fun for everyone at my table.
Another great video Chris on a subject that I think gets overlooked to often, in my opinion patience and understanding are the best way to help any player to enjoy the game I also have places as a DM that I don't go as I find they add nothing to the game experience. But thanks again for an interesting video 👍
I know it's a year old video, token stamp 2 is a great resource, I've even had one GM color code the rings based on if it was an enemy, friendly, or PC.
Great topic! I'm a chef, probably about your age, and it was a different world when I was coming up. If you watch the blowout fights and insults on Kitchen Nightmares, know that that kind of behavior was pretty common in the 70s, 80s and 90s in restaurant kitchens. They were rough places with extraordinarily vulgar language that was typically sexist, racist and homophobic- really just a microcosm of the broader world of the time. I'm so glad to see this has changed in the modern day; certainly the world isn't perfect but overall we live in a more inclusive world today, and behavior that I saw (and probably participated in) back then would absolutely not fly today! Gaming definitely has to follow suit. Back in my early games there were no trigger warnings, no conversations about personal pronouns, etc. But it's high time for it! I have gay friends and family and I've worked with trans folks. It's just such a simple thing for me ask just ask how they prefer to be addressed, and I can't imagine why anyone would balk at what seems like simple good manners. I think, and hope, that I've grown as a human since I was in my teens. Mohammad Ali said that a man that thinks the same in his 50s that he did in his 20s had wasted 30 years of his life- wise words indeed! Every day on the green side of the lawn should be spent trying to grow, to understand and to become better than you were yesterday. The day I don't feel that way they can put me in the ground! As far as accommodations, I play an online Basic Fantasy game and a live/local AD&D game. The former is pretty much all old farts like me and few accommodations have been needed aside from just understanding things come up IRL. In my local game I'm "the old guy", and the youngest players do have a modern sensibility that I have to be conscious in navigating. I guess when it comes to physical stuff, I'm starting to make peace with bifocals and have been gravitating towards the purchase of dice in the 28mm-34mm size range that are easier to read!👓😭😂 I appreciate you discussing this topic! Whether it's emotional issues like domestic violence or sexual trauma, or things like inability to navigate stairs or vision problems, we need to try to make our games welcoming to those we choose to play with. Gaming is a respite from daily life for me and we should work to make sure everyone can enjoy the gaming table as a safe and accepting place to be!🙏
For me, the key giving and receiving hospitality. A GM is creating a space where folks are going to interact. A good host tries their best to make sure people are put into a position to be reasonably comfortable. Folks who enter this space need to appreciate the attempts which are made to do so, and make an effort to discern the unwritten rules the host may not even know about. And when toes are stepped on, which will pretty much always happen to some degree, folks need to show a little grace with each other.
In my games I don’t use abuse as a plot point, since I deal with a lot of people who face that IRL and even if the folks at the table aren’t dealing with it I don’t want to have it in my game as well. Sexual assault is a non-starter. And if folks want to do romance it’s PG since anything more than that I just don’t want to role play. And the language is PG-13, since a constant barrage of swears doesn’t make the game fun for me. Other than that, I try to figure out what people are dealing with-and sometimes, like you, I even try to figure out what someone isn’t even aware they are dealing with so they manage to have fun. But, oh, that deflating feeling as GM when someone dismisses the session… that does hurt.
Hi, you've seen me over on your forum before. This video is thoughtful and sensitively done. I still have difficulty seeing 9/11 clips on TV as I worked in the Empire State Building then. Fantasy games are not a problem for me, but modern war game simulations might be unless they were somewhat pulpy.
I lived on the other side of the country and still can't watch those clips all the way through. I can't imagine the stress and sorrow it must bring you. I also do fantasy since real world stinks.
Thanks for doing these videos - they are fantastic. Looking forward to your next ones.
I'm dyslexic and fall on the autism spectrum, so my two biggest things that can be a problem at the table is generally trying to skim through my character sheet for the needed information at the current moment, and sensory overload most commonly caused by background music that a GM is using to set the appropriate mood. The first one is generally player facing and so i actually use a color coded sheet to help me differentiate the information more quickly, and as for the second one generally I ask if the music is either not a long loop that goes on for too long or if we can not use background music as I am already trying to listen to what the GM is saying, staying engauged in dialogue at the table, determine a plan of action, and taking in the visual stimuli. (I use battle mats and maps in my games just so i dont get lost in the weeds as my mind just can't seem to filter out unnecessary information.)
As for my table's accomodations over the years, I have a close friend who has very significant vision deficit, and I used brightly colored stands to put tokens on much like what you do. My mom plays in occasion when she is feeling adventurous as she has many anxiety issues from trauma. Typically we stay in a Tolkien esque realm and she is hunky dory, and she too has sensory issues and can get overwhelmed, so we use a simplified character sheet for her as well as making sure that she gets a turn to speak as she will just let everyone speak over her nor argue to get an idea of her own into a conversation.
It sounds like you have an understanding group to play with. I'm glad to see that.
I was a player in a game where one session ended with us in camp hearing wolves around. That week my 7year old daughter and wife were mauled by 2 dogs while on a walk. I told the GM a few days before the game that I would really prefer to not have wolf attacks described since my family was sitting one room over with dozens of stitches in their faces. GM understood, it turned out that the wolves were running from a couple giant spiders.
In my current group (all teenagers) I have a person with dyslexia and a different person who has hearing loss due to brain injuries from abuse. The person with dyslexia is a wizard, so I've made spell cards for her that are bigger and in a better font. For the guy with hearing loss, I never whisper, but will say "the guy whispers...". His character pretty much doesn't have a backstory or goals, he's a fighter that likes to hit stuff, and that's all we ask for.
Wow. Now THIS is what I was hoping to see... real life examples of what I was talking about. Thanks for sharing this!
I like that you call attention to the possibility that an individual can need an accommodation without being cognizant of said need -- and how that can manifest as behavior that most others would be intolerant of.
Its a good reminder that trust, compassion, and insight should trump judgement, both in being a gamemaster, and in being a good person.
In 40 years of running games I've found the key tools to use as ways to accommodate are empathy and communication. This is an excellent video Chris!
Accommodations, more than where the party sleeps at night!
To answer your question, the most common instance of accommodating for me, happens with some young people. They need more nurturing and attention in general. There have been more than a few teenagers that have needed accommodating at the time, but the payoff comes when they turn into great human beings and genuinely care for their fellow players. They just needed a good example, and some patience.
There are others examples, but that is the most common for me.
Thanks, Chris! Good food for thought. The coloured bases for tokens is an excellent idea. Your experience with the disgruntled vtt player was also interesting. "People have reasons" is a good mantra.
This is a great video. Thanks for making it, Chris!
Great Video, man!
Its wild that you brought this up because just last week one of my players mentioned that they have difficulty in imagining situations without a visual aid. I had done some sessions with Theater of the Mind because I recently moved and hadn't unpacked the miniatures yet. So, now I'm learning about Aphantasia..
Beyond that, I've played with a variety of individuals that have made requests:
An Autistic friend who needed me to turn off the background music I had on...
A Diabetic player who needed more frequent breaks...
A Marine who requested that we don't play anything with Modern weaponry or military situations. Those situations bring up bad memories for him, so we stick to Fantasy with that group.
I've never had to do a session zero checklist before... yet, I do tend to be very astute, and can spot when someone seems distracted or annoyed about something. So I will try to communicate with that person during a break. Find out what's up. I try my best to make the game fun for everyone at my table.
Really good video.
Glad you enjoyed it
Another great video Chris on a subject that I think gets overlooked to often, in my opinion patience and understanding are the best way to help any player to enjoy the game I also have places as a DM that I don't go as I find they add nothing to the game experience.
But thanks again for an interesting video 👍
I know it's a year old video, token stamp 2 is a great resource, I've even had one GM color code the rings based on if it was an enemy, friendly, or PC.
I use solid color circles for the PCs that match the colors they've selected for their nametag/avatar box, and red rings for NPCs and monsters.
Great topic! I'm a chef, probably about your age, and it was a different world when I was coming up. If you watch the blowout fights and insults on Kitchen Nightmares, know that that kind of behavior was pretty common in the 70s, 80s and 90s in restaurant kitchens. They were rough places with extraordinarily vulgar language that was typically sexist, racist and homophobic- really just a microcosm of the broader world of the time. I'm so glad to see this has changed in the modern day; certainly the world isn't perfect but overall we live in a more inclusive world today, and behavior that I saw (and probably participated in) back then would absolutely not fly today!
Gaming definitely has to follow suit. Back in my early games there were no trigger warnings, no conversations about personal pronouns, etc. But it's high time for it! I have gay friends and family and I've worked with trans folks. It's just such a simple thing for me ask just ask how they prefer to be addressed, and I can't imagine why anyone would balk at what seems like simple good manners. I think, and hope, that I've grown as a human since I was in my teens. Mohammad Ali said that a man that thinks the same in his 50s that he did in his 20s had wasted 30 years of his life- wise words indeed! Every day on the green side of the lawn should be spent trying to grow, to understand and to become better than you were yesterday. The day I don't feel that way they can put me in the ground!
As far as accommodations, I play an online Basic Fantasy game and a live/local AD&D game. The former is pretty much all old farts like me and few accommodations have been needed aside from just understanding things come up IRL. In my local game I'm "the old guy", and the youngest players do have a modern sensibility that I have to be conscious in navigating. I guess when it comes to physical stuff, I'm starting to make peace with bifocals and have been gravitating towards the purchase of dice in the 28mm-34mm size range that are easier to read!👓😭😂
I appreciate you discussing this topic! Whether it's emotional issues like domestic violence or sexual trauma, or things like inability to navigate stairs or vision problems, we need to try to make our games welcoming to those we choose to play with. Gaming is a respite from daily life for me and we should work to make sure everyone can enjoy the gaming table as a safe and accepting place to be!🙏
For me, the key giving and receiving hospitality. A GM is creating a space where folks are going to interact. A good host tries their best to make sure people are put into a position to be reasonably comfortable. Folks who enter this space need to appreciate the attempts which are made to do so, and make an effort to discern the unwritten rules the host may not even know about.
And when toes are stepped on, which will pretty much always happen to some degree, folks need to show a little grace with each other.
In my games I don’t use abuse as a plot point, since I deal with a lot of people who face that IRL and even if the folks at the table aren’t dealing with it I don’t want to have it in my game as well. Sexual assault is a non-starter. And if folks want to do romance it’s PG since anything more than that I just don’t want to role play. And the language is PG-13, since a constant barrage of swears doesn’t make the game fun for me. Other than that, I try to figure out what people are dealing with-and sometimes, like you, I even try to figure out what someone isn’t even aware they are dealing with so they manage to have fun.
But, oh, that deflating feeling as GM when someone dismisses the session… that does hurt.
Hi, you've seen me over on your forum before. This video is thoughtful and sensitively done. I still have difficulty seeing 9/11 clips on TV as I worked in the Empire State Building then. Fantasy games are not a problem for me, but modern war game simulations might be unless they were somewhat pulpy.
I lived on the other side of the country and still can't watch those clips all the way through. I can't imagine the stress and sorrow it must bring you. I also do fantasy since real world stinks.