Making Trophy safer

#1

Trophy, like most horror games, needs special care. An extensive Concept, Aim, Tone and Procedure is part of my routine mastering Trophy, and a pretty comprehensive list of content warnings accompanies my designs.

The game is not more hostile or accommodating to safety tools than most horror games, but it could only be made safer by such. It is already noticeable how much the open table and veto system improves the Devil Bargains.

But how about more rigid, unknown elements such as Conditions, Moments and hard frames of Rings? So far, I have tried with mixed success the following:

  • inflate the number of Moments and Conditions, so that you have more diversity when asking consent from the players to introduce these elements

  • word and reframe as much as possible of the game as loaded questions, as much open as possible.

What player facing and mechanically normalized ways folxs find to make Trophy a safer horror game?

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#2

As someone producing content for trophy… Inflating the conditions/moments a bit wouldn’t be too onerous, but there is a point at which the well of the theme runs dry. I think more than fifteen to twenty or so of each is likely to be a common dry point. Past that for me at least I end up stalling out for ideas and I think the problem points are more likely to be integral to the theme if you can’t avoid them by then.

I do think that a more robust content warning per incursion is a more fruitful path to pursue IMO. Trophy Dark incursions are relatively easy to write at a basic level, while at the same time allowing plenty of creativity. Curating what incursions have what triggering content and asking/trusting players to not sign up for content they’re not willing or able to engage with is more likely to be satisfying IF probable and guaranteed content is warned against accurately in the incursion itself and the game posting.

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#3

One easy way is to offer players the option to author their own Conditions. I usually say “Do you have a good idea for how the Forest gets into you, or do you want to roll on our table of weird happenings?” or similar.

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#4

That way of Flocculent to do that has been inspiring on that. If possible, even Moments I would prefer to do like that.

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#5

I agree with this. You could start out by clearly stating what to expect from the game (“This game has insect body horror!”) and/or make a list of disturbing things that might show up and ask the players to mark those things that would be unpleasant or unfun for them.

Also. Check in regularly with your players, and take regular break. Debriefing after the game is also important to let out everyone’s tension; either by using Stars & Wishes or other feedback mechanics, or by having everyone tell each other something they really liked about the game.

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