Should A GM Change Their Campaign to Be Meat Free?! (Ep. 309) 

Lol. You sound like my group!

did you saved the meat for emergency meals?

How can you be a vegetarian animal rights advocate while you're paying for them to die?

I was playing a goblin character and asked a DM how much meat I could get off of the dozen orcs we had just killed in a game once. He didn’t even think about the fact that the character had a whole tribe of goblins he had to worry about feeding so they didn’t become a nuisance to the local city. The vegan player sitting to my left didn’t object to it, but the DM went absolutely crazy at the notion. Some people are just a bit too touchy about things like that.

@@akbarrmd7714 no we were transporting a prisoner along an established roadway heading to a castle so it wasn't a long trip

Thanks!

Can it? The vegan player approached the GM and apparently solved the whole thing diplomatically, with everyone happy. The only people who'll read it as a tale of zealotry are probably already convinced vegans are a disgusting stupid bunch.

100%. With that being said, it's great that the player spoke up and the players with GM worked around the trigger. This is a supportive team.

Irrational is okay, as long as you are not preachy

Well said -- but you end with the word "cause" - which in itself by definition is preachy -- and thus furthering the stereotype. -- "lifestyle" is better --

Great point. I'm friends with some great people who are vegans, and I've been frustrated seeing this case passed around (usually in clickbaity ways). I'm relieved it was resolved congenially.

Yeah that's basically asking the chef to only RP chopping veggies from now on. Correct response was saying in-game: "I'll pass on the pork for *personal* reasons, which I will keep to myself unless asked about because they're personal."

Yeah. It's one thing to want to play a vegan character... it's another to insert yourself into an existing game and tell everyone else to play their characters.

That would be some narcissitic BS.

I agree, if I'm walking into an established group then I'm a guest. Much like if I'm invited to somebody's home for a party, I'm a guest and will try to be respectful of the host. If something is that abhorrent about my host I'm probably not going to show up for the next shindig. Imagine going to a cookout and asking the host to stop serving meat. Good on them for working this out; at the same time there's that old Greek idea of Xenia that we've forgotten which holds both the host and guest to a standard of civility. Asking others to change their behavior is a stretch when one huge pillar of the game is combat. They're fine with murdering humanoids but draw the line at chickens? I could see if other players were rubbing their animal cruelty in the vegan's face but banning all talk of carnivores is a far cry from eliminating a childhood trauma or phobia.

Agreed - this situation doesn't have equal footing or priority for everyone. In this case it worked out, and the chef player was very gracious and accommodating. But I would never have pushed an established player to drastically change their character if they weren't okay with it. Sometimes a new player just won't be a good fit for an existing group, and that's okay.

Remember this isn't a pick up game or a rando from a message board. The new player was a mutual aquintance of several people at the table. I imagine that without this they'd have been invited to leave. When you value an existing relationship, this sort of accommodation is a lot easier.

They didn’t force anyone to do anything. They contacted the GM offline. The GM could have said “I don’t think this group would be good for you if that’s how you feel”. But it sounds like it was a group of friends willing to accommodate their friend.

this is a good point!

WELL said

This is so hilarious to me due to the extreme irony. The vegan player is bothered by the idea of another player killing fictional animals for fictional food. While the entire party are murder hobo's who kill for a living. D&D 5e is literally a combat simulator designed no differently than Call of Duty or some other genocidal mass murder machine game. A single D&D adventurer will be more sociopathic and murderous than the most prolific serial killer ever caught in the USA. Yet eating fictional animals is where they draw the line? Wtf. This is such a uniquely American thing IMV too. A combination of someone who values the lives of animals but lives in a culture that has normalized mass murder and genocide as a heroic venture (in both gaming and culture). The irony is so thick, but I guarantee the Vegan player doesn't see it at all. IMV this reeks of the vegan player being mentally ill (can't separate fiction from reality) or the vegan player is only vegan due to a fad (which explains the virtue signaling here and desire to asset social dominance over other players for personal pleasure). Why the heck would you play a game where you mass murder living creatures, most of who are probably innocent, and do it for money (treasure) like a greedy capitalist sociopathic mercenary, and also constantly have to murder fellow humanoids (BANDITS! Oh noes!), but then draw the line on eating pigs or cows...lmfao wtf.

@@nowayjosedaniel you sure did a lot of heavy lifting with your assumptions here pal.

Makes me think of the Combat wheelchair.

Yes. The choice of words in the title sets off some red flags for me too, maybe this person had pets that suffered from cruelty, maybe they work at a shelter, who knows? It could have been titled "Traumatized player asks his DM to leave animal cruelty out of their game" but the writer decided to focus on this person's veganism and titled it "Vegan demands cruelty-free D&D world" instead.

Indeed, when I ran mines of phandelver for my players as my first campaign as a gm, I had to change the tokens for spiders from the more realistic depictions in the MM, to a very cartoony one. It didn't change anything but it allowed my arachnophobic player to play through the encounters. I don't think I would have done the same for a stranger I don't know.

This is a reddit story written to accumulate reddit karma, it's all fake. Everyone knows that redditers will lie just to get upvotes and attention.

@@rafaelbordoni516 I think you are making some big assumptions there.

@@AuntieHauntieGames I'm not saying these things are, I'm saying they could be. Most context was left out, the only thing we know is that they're friends with the group. If that's the case, they know much more about the vegan than the article put in.

Glad you found this video helpful. Please share it!

I loved GURPS Prime Directive so this has a second from me, though there’s going to be that one player who wants to be a Klingon. He’s not the problem, the Ferengi player is almost always the problem.

''Starfleet is a very benevolent organization overall'' hahahahhaAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I personally think that starting a new TTRPG more suited to the requirements is the best solution in this case. So I agree with you.

@@reorseX " *Starfleet is a very benevolent organization overall* " In comparison to the bulk of powerful factions within the Star Trek Universe, his statement is correct. 2 examples : The Klingons would go Genghis Khan on the universe, which involves the most brutal of might makes right/Us vs Them base tribal conquests. The Romulans : See a certain 1940s German political faction as an example. Needless to say it would involve the most _civilized_ of terrors like a huge network of prison camps

This fix is gonna blow up when the player realizes that the fantasy creatures in that world are just like the animals in ours and should have the same rights in theory.

They’re only as fragile as the gamers who complain about politics entering their escapist games. See, everyone has something they’re sensitive about. So don’t judge, live and let live and enjoy what you enjoy.

@@ThreeFortyThree Wrong. Judge! Judge others. We need to judge others to save ourselves from emotional vampires, from flakes, liars, charlatans, rapists, abusers, etc. etc. etc. Don't be fooled by niceness; Always continue to judge others!

@@fex144 I typically don't condone judgement in this way but everybody that complains about about anything entering their escapist game certainly do. Those interactions are seriously one sided and those toxic gamers never see themselves doing exactly what they complain others are doing. :sigh:

I think Prof did a good job of laying out why this is not simple a matter of "people being fragile".

@@bluedotdinosaur No it is about demanding control about what other people are doing. It is bullying.

What do you think their stance on centaurs would be? :)

@@wardkerr2456 my bet is on centaur's criadillas

Gnomes make great sausage!

@@vincejester7558 You mean like gnomes are good chefs? ......

My characters have been eating undead hellhound jerky since 1996. Why stop now for whiny vegans? I mean, eventually the surgeon general's warning will catch up with them, but why not fiddle why Rome burns, eh? Don't eat undead meat, kids. But not because you are vegan. Because it's undead, and has certain side effects leading to undeath...

These kinds of things are the reason why I started interviewing any prospective players before ever accepting them into my games. We meet up for a little socialization, during the course of which I lightly touch upon some topics that tend to force MODERN zealous believers to reveal themselves. If any hint of the aforementioned zealotry is present, they never make it into my game. ....and before someone attempts to come in and make some " well your game doesn't really matter " snipe, I get PAID to run my games. I get paid because my games are good, that matters to the people paying and to me because I run games well enough to get paid.

@@thehydra4007 When I begin running a campaign, I tell my prospective players that if it can happen in a Stephen King novel, or a George R.R. Martin novel, it can happen in my game. If it can happen on the 6 o'clock evening news, it can happen in my game. Sanitized versions of stories in fiction and in gaming just don't interest me for long. Maybe a one shot for kids--but I couldn't hang out there for very long. I'm just not there anymore, and haven't been in a long while. I want my games to feel like HBO's Rome, or Game of Thrones, 13th Warrior. When I think of describing the effects of dragon breath, I try to capture what being caught in a napalm drop in Vietnam must have been like. I have my anti-paladin modeled on Ted Bundy, for instance. So if a vegan said something like this to me, where they were uncomfortable with animals being eaten in the game--I wouldn't be upset with them, but I would respectfully state where I'm coming from. As I'm a history enthusiast, actual historical representation is very important to the immersion and interest for me as a DM. In an agrarian 5th-17th century style of world, people have a very different relationship to animals than they do today, and that's part of the feel I'm really trying to capture in my world. Animals are vital for day to day survival. They are beasts of burden and food sources, hunting partners, and vehicles and weapons of war. And gently as possible, I would say perhaps I am not the right DM for them. It's not personal--it's just a bad fit.

You think this story is true?

@@dane3038 I suspect so.

​@@dane3038 Probably not. Feels like the kind of thing written to get attention. But it could be. There really are people like that.

Problem is that there aren't many mentally healthy people out and about these days.

@@JohnDretired I feel its important to push our friends and loved ones toward being healthier more self aware, and ultimately happier people. gently of course, you can't force people to change that only results in resentment.

Well said. We all have dark shit. I'm a big fan of confronting the things that bother me to defuse them. I was scared to walk through the graveyard when I was a kid, so I would make myself walk through the graveyard every night until it didn't bother me any more. I always assumed most people would want to be like that and stand up to the things which unnerve them. I always thought it was something to strive for. That notion seems to have been abandoned by society these days.

If people have some real trauma and it's simple enough to avoid triggering it, I don't have an issue with that. That being said, they really should be working to get to a place where they can handle that stuff and aren't a burden to other people. There's a difference between being inclusive and sensitive to others and outright coddling immature people. We all have our issues and faults, but we should try our best to overcome them, not use as crutches to beat other people with.

They are not healthy people. They're on Reddit.

So, are you saying players can't request subjects be avoided for their own enjoyment of the game? Also, no, making up an extreme example makes no point. You made it up.

@@quesoblanco444 At my table, you can make a REASONABLE request, but most requests like this are not reasonable. No killing/eating animals is NOT a reasonable request. It requires every other character to either act as vegans or avoid the topic of food/hunting, completely removes beasts as a monster, imposes restrictions on every NPC, alters nearly any kitchen/tavern scene, and (in the case of this video) completely hinders the already established RP of an already established player. If you wanted to avoid explicit sex, overly gruesome descriptions, or the like, that is fine (for most campaigns). Those are things that are not common to see and many would avoid. They are what would determine the rating of a movie or video game. That is not to say I would remove those things from my world, you would simply not get the description. However, if I was running a gritty, splatter campaign, the answer would obviously be "no." If you request no detailed descriptions of animals being cooked...maybe, but that is a large request because 99% of all people cook animals and should never be controversial. Children watch their mothers cook chicken or beef all of the time. If I have players that want to hunt or cook meat, then the answer will be "sorry, but that imposes on the other players. If you cannot handle it, find another table." If you request no killing/eating of animals, the answer will always be "no, and you should probably find another table." I will not alter the way MY world works just to satisfy your sense of virtue. In all honesty, players should ask about these things BEFORE they even attempt to join a game. It is the height of entitlement to walk into an ongoing campaign and then ask everyone to change how they play in order to suit you.

@@dannik9932 The players request in this video was not "No killing/eating animals". Did you watch the video?

@@quesoblanco444 yes I did, and the player had problems with descriptions of meat stew and the state of a neglected dog. Did you watch the video?

I want details on Deathbringer's technique! 😁

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it!

Wow! What a cool concept!

I know this shouldn't bother me and it makes me a bad person for making this comment, but I can't stand this stuff. I don't mean to marginalize people's feelings and I understand anxiety is a real mental disorder that people can't control, but I have never understood anyone who has ever gotten anxiety from playing a game. It's a game. They're meant to be fun. Not always relaxing in the moment, but the end result should result in relaxation (alleviation of stress through enjoyment). Not anxiety inducing. This has less to do with your specific comment and more to do with what I read on "D&D Twitter" which seems to be extreme levels of anxiety surrounding a game. I understand though 1000% if you replaced anxiety with STRESS though. Some games are so intense and difficult, that it can become very stressful. But that's good stress. That's the kind of stress you WANT to have in your life. Not all stress is bad. Just like how not all anxiety is bad. (Anxiety is supposed to be a good thing that helps protect you.) Anyways yes, I know this makes me a bad person. It's just true. I'm a bad person who has trouble dealing with irrational mental illness. I don't understand how someone can get anxious and negatively stressed playing a game.

@@nowayjosedaniel Yours is a weird take. You say you understand anxiety to be a real mental disorder and don't mean to marginalize it, yet you call it an "irrational mental illness" that you just can't understand. Mental disorders aren't rational. No one sits down and decides they're going to get extremely anxious when they participate in RPG sessions or any kind of social interactions for that matter.

That actually sounds fun. I can see how it can be stressful, but it's in a good way. It's intense, and although it may not be for everyone, it's not offending anyone.

@Carter Gabriel Some people with anxiety issues go into full break down when they see a fire, are around crowds or even in an elevator as it descends. Because you don't understand it (heck, I don't either) doesn't make it an irrational mental illness. Kudos to the individual that wanted to take a break, but got right back into it.

Do you have any limits though? E.g would you run a campaign that centred on child abuse? I’m not comparing eating animals to child abuse obviously but there must be some topics you wouldn’t want in a roleplay game.

@@nodtothestrange1008 It's one thing to "center" the campaign entirely around child abuse, and another to have child abuse be something that can be referenced in the game world, even indirectly. If "I'm sensitive about x in fiction" actually means *ban* this topic, then I wouldn't be on board for that. It's not cool to do that without everyone at the table getting a say. People who want to ban subject matter are sometimes emotionally unstable, and will take inclusion of said subject matter, even if accidental as a personal attack, even if no harm was intended. That's a red flag that this person is not ready to play games of (mostly harmless) make-believe.

@@nodtothestrange1008 There is an obvious problem that Dungeons and Dragons is an RPG that is centered on fantasy violence. So joining a Dungeons and Dragons game and requesting that violence be curtailed for your vegan beliefs is a bit like joining Call of Cthulhu and requesting that the occult be curtailed for your religious beliefs. It is a red flag because honestly the individual is playing a game that is not for them, and the compromise is probably not over.

@@nodtothestrange1008 I am sort of echoing what's already been said--I don't think a campaign that centered on child abuse would last very long unless it had vast slavery network involved and the characters were busting up the slavery ring. That might have enduring story possibilities. If your players are down with that, it might actually be interesting, where the characters are compelled to found an orphanage or something of the like, where they have to do something with all the children they rescue. Aside from that, in my experience children are often collateral damage--say a town is overrun by orcs where the males above the age of 9 are killed and who ever survives are taken as slaves---yes, children will be swept up in abuse of their orcish owners. It's just the logical consequences of that situation. A lot of it depends on the situations you have in mind--all of which you need to be mindful about. This really takes some thought, because regardless of how shallow or deep you want to go, almost every gaming table is exploring the problem and nature of evil. How evil is your evil? What logical limits if any does it have? Does this change the closer you get to demonic forces (anything from the lower planes) with completely inhuman agendas? When you watch movies like the Exorcist or the Conjuring, what do you see? What are the limits there? In IT, by SK, what limits did he place on Pennywise, or in Salem's Lot, what was too far for Kurt Barlow? How does that change for beings in the prime material plane who are under demonic influences or who were spawned by those demonic forces as part of their origins? When Twilight (cough, sputter, cough, sputter, gag) was the rage among tweens, my niece asked me if I was team Edward or team Jacob. I told her I was team Barlow and Straker, and team Fanning (test subject zero) from the Passage. And as I have both on audible, I played her excerpts from both books. She politely told me these were not the kinds of vampires she wanted to encounter. I agreed with her. You wouldn't want to know either of them. We also agreed that for her they were too scary, and for me, that's what made them fun to read about. If you had to give your game a rating and a feel for what you're doing, would it be PG, PG-13, or R for adult audiences ages 17 and above? And are there content advisories, so it might be R for violence but other areas make you uncomfortable exploring--this is really up to you, and there's no advice anyone can give you, myself included. The only thing I can do is to encourage you to think deeply and find what your comfort zone is as a DM. My game is very adult themed, and it's not for everyone. I'm okay with that.

@@andrewlustfield6079 You could easily build an enduring campaign around the concept! Maybe the countryside is overrun with unruly, feral children which the PCs must drive off or exterminate! But as they roam the woods clearing out nests of rabid children, they discover that the attacks are being coordinated by a master child… a master child _with a plan._

Cool idea!

This sounds like a fun idea

There seems to be a fair amount of folks commenting here who seem totally unaware that non violent or conflict light RPGs exist.

I am probably going to steal this for my first game I run for my kids, this is brilliant.

What a stupid game. How old is the intended players, kindergarten? I play "clean" games, but that only goes so far. Some types of games have specific reasons for existing or they are not worth having.

Spell: I'm Offended Level: Cantrip Casting time: 1 action Area of Effect: 30ft circle within hearing distance Components: V Duration: 1 day School: Annoyancy Saving throw: Wisdom Damage: 1d4 Psychic You loudly declare your feelings of being offended and why you are offended. All creatures within 30ft must then make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure the target creature must do all it can to remove the source of offence and placate the caster. On a success the creature ignores the remark and is immune from the effects of this spell for 1 day. If the saving throw is a natural 20 the target creature becomes hostile towards the caster and attempts to offend them even more.

Not surprising.

I just read that reddit post and can only disagree. It really does not sound like what you make it out to be.

If someone attempts to dictate what I cannot eat at the table I would agree on the condition that I got to dictate what they had to eat at the table. So I would end up eating carrot sticks and the vegan would have to eat beef jerky.

You can't get rid of the Karens. But you can boot them from your game :)

I did something similar with people living under rule YET EVERYONE WHO JOINED AND TOOK ALL THIS TIME TO GO OVER CHARACTERS AND SETTING... WERE UPSET OVER BEING OPPRESSED BY TYRANTS IN A REBELLION CAMPAIGN

@@elgatochurro Were they upset and wanted to work to fix the country, or were they upset at you for making a campaign like that? There's a difference between being mad at the characters and being mad at the director.

Well that's one way to avoid the dreaded pre-game equipment purchases.

@@krinkrin5982 THEY were the ones who saw my ad which very clearly stated "you have been annexed and are under rule" Then wasted my time asking about it just to say "oh I'm oppressed irl"

@@DM_Curtis Suddenly the usual Elder Scrolls starts make a lot more sense lol

Sometimes the worst thing a zoomer can possibly imagine is having their fun inhibited. It's their version of getting punched in the face.

Though one would think power fantasies would have a strong link to cruelty almost inherent in them. Power over others wielded with maturity and restraint rarely figures in fantasies.

I personally find it very cathartic to go through struggle within the confines of a TTRPG I find it hard to understand what can be gained emotionally that is helpful through dominating power fantasies. Personally I find that sort of play only indulges egos and certain ify behavior. thats just a blanket observation on my part though I understand there will always be inbetween cases.

@@subotai358 There's a reason why Captain America is so popular.

@@subotai358 The overwhelming majority of the tabletop community does not understand that fictional fantasy worlds to not exist to be progressively turned into some pseudo-fictional facsimile of the modern (tear 2023) "west". They pollute their characters and games with a constant string pulling effort to shape said fantasy worlds into something approval worthy of the modern real world. When Christians cant step away from their beliefs in a game of D&d, its " lol pathetic ", when they cant do it with their real world ideology well ' _its legit_ '. Which also gives you a window glimpse into their personal depth and understanding or morality in earnest, in that they dont think right/wrong are universal, but are dependent on if its their preferred ideology or some icky Christian (of which I am not).

You're describing Twitter.

@@Radiotomb it's true for everything 'social' now

Exactly.

I thought OSR was about avoiding die rolls through creative solutions. Die rolls mean death in OSR.

@@josephbradshaw6985 I disagree with that. I stated what OSR is about in my personal opinion and experience. The issue was about finding a common ground to include a new player in the game. That is not even an RPG problem, that is what happens every time a group is joined by someone new.

Yeah, i am about as jaded as one can get but i do get people getting uncomfortable with some extreme concepts like a PC child rapist. Sane limits and special snowflakes are worlds apart to me

agreed. weakness is contagious too.

"Please let me use my preferred lifestyle restrictions, world view, and sensitivities to control your players and game world. Thanks a bunch, less saintly than I person!". Sorry I'm playing a Ranger Hunter who provides meat to struggling villages during the Winter. No I won't change that to foraging for plant based diet items. I use a bow. I am good with a bow. I didn't get that way by shooting plants.

@@Tusitala1967 Amen and Huzzah!

I think it was Lincoln who originally said that.

Party on dudes.

@@steveholmes11 which is why he was the best prez

the unicorn icecream i ate taste like cake frosting

Which is why you should only ever compare it to human meat. :p

Love some uni-corn on the cob.

Thanks!

You don't go up to the stage of a rock concert and tell them to turn down the music. Sorry.

@@needmorecowbell6895 You have a point, you don't go to a con and tell the people at the Call of Cthulhu tabel to run a game Apocalypse World, but if you go to a friends house, or are a guest at someone's house, it is fair to ask them to lower the volume if the music is too loud.

@@epimetrius7348 Correct, so there's some nuisance at work here. There's a code of conduct at work or school, a code of conduct in public, and a code of conduct among close friends. You better know the DM pretty well before you approach them about a cruelty free game.

Yep. Well put. Veganism is a privilege of modernity. Ironically, not even popular in Hindu India where vegetarianism is rife. A world with sentient trees and rocks finishes the discussion as well. There is nothing that doesn’t think. So you must adapt or die.

Phantom Steed Animal Friendship/Charm Monster Underdark Mushroom Leather Vegetables/Create Food Straw pillows (actually, no pillow) Wooden Wand spell focus Arrows are for cowards anyway Vegetable oil burns fine Ethically sourced metals Animal Friendship (again) Vegan DND is absolutely doable and even fun for some people!

@@lukec6721 charm monster=make monster do something it does not want to do the challneg ahead of your charcter is to survive in a world that is not vegan and has no idea how to be vegan. Do you know how long you would survive in a typical D&D setting with the I wont kilkl/eat meet

@@TheOGGMsAdventures I think I was clear with the vegetables part, but grain lasts way longer and it's all most peasants could afford to eat anyway in the medieval fantasy land you adore. I like a game with a challenge in it bro

@@lukec6721 the problem is you cam into my game wich had an established rule sett and physics that everyone agreed on at session 0 and demanded we change-oh no we cant kill those wolves that are eating the villagers-

It seems most people have never been punched right in the face these days.

I could see a Druid being upset about farmed animals but hunted animals should be fine with them.

A druid in my campaign would respond the same.

@@frankb3347 Hunting is nature, agriculture is artificial. easy to get from a druidic perspective

You would be most welcome at my table, Leone.

Yes! That! So tired of trigger warnings for literally EVERYTHING these days. People need to grow some thicker skin, makes life a lot easier.

@@EmeraldVideosNL While I agree there's too many trigger warnings in our world today, growing some thicker skin should not be for my benefit but for the benefit of the person who currently has a "thinner skin". Clearly these people are not taking advantage of therapy or their therapist sucks. I honestly feel bad for them because they'll never get better if their solution involves trigger warnings and avoidance.

@@0ptikGhost Well said!

I think in alot of cases the problem is that people try to force their believes onto others, pretending the opposite would make them uncomfortable

I totally agree with you.

I don't think that's luck. I think that's the baseline of what one should expect.

Thanks for sharing your story. I read every word and I appreciate it. Sounds like you have a great group!

Cool. Thanks!

The problem here is, the bulk of commenters associate "kneejerk" with disagreeing with accommodating said players request. They think opposing a conversion effort (do what said player wants and that I agree with), is ' _kneejerk_ '. So really all you're being given is an ideological "convert (and be just/good/correct) or else (and be wrong/bad/kneejerk)" ultimatum within your D&d. NEVER play make bleive with people that will try and use that time for real world conversion purposes.

@@thehydra4007 and that's cool. Play with whomever you feel comfortable with. Rock on.

Real trauma of whom? The players you DM for? Or do you mean in general? Because if it is in general then almost everything in existence might have to be avoided. You know some people have trauma because when they learned as young children just how insanely huge the universe is it scared them down to their core? Yeah, apparently lot of people developed phobia/fear of space due to stuff like that. Though I think lot of players, myself included, like taking on our traumas in tabletop games. It gives you... this odd sort of liberation that real life can't reproduce. Ofc if someone is uncomfortable they can always speak up and I may very well make the scene milder or even have the scene be done over discord for the others to read and solve so the player doesn't have to go into that themselves. Might lengthen things by 15 minutes, but my groups tend to play in 8 hour sessions or so, so 15 minutes is drop in the sea.

@@Elmithian You've asked and then answered your own question. A session zero, and/or frank, friendly discussion makes for better games among friends. I'm not GM'ing the world at large, my focus is the people at my table - and knowing what they find distasteful, unpleasant, or not amusing makes the game more enjoyable for all.

@@JasonsVoicesLLC Well, my question was about whether you were talking about the players at your table trauma or traumatic stuff in general. I might approach it same way as you, but I would still not know which method *you* used without you giving your answer (which you have done now). Hence, without your confirmation, I would not truly know I had the answer about your approach.

Mad thanks for you sub!

Thanks. I thought it was interesting. Not just click-bait.

We agree.

You are not wrong. Thanks for sharing!

Thus the +2 Vest

I'm really glad the situation worked out, but it's a bit frustrating seeing how it's been turned into clickbait to attract people who want to be angry about it. I'm glad Prof DM took such a measured approach.

There are no sides here other than the sane side and the insane side. We as a society need to stop catering to insane people.

Well said.

Thanks. I got of crap from some folks who said it WASN'T game related. So I;'m glad people found it useful.

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 I'll second what @average citizen said. This was a really wonderful topic in line with one of MCDM's "Running the Game" videos. I think the inflamatory "click-bait" title will prevent your excellent message from reaching a broader audience.

@@pez5767 I don’t think the title was click bait. I thought it was pretty accurate to the central issue of the video.

@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 it’s definitely game related. The game is a social experience

Indeed.

Clickbait headline that's obviously inaccurate when you read the full story. Typical media BS. The player explained the problem they had in a private message to the DM then the players and the DM co-operated to make the game work for everyone. Not a big deal and hopefully something we'd all be willing to do to be inclusive. Honestly I couldn't care less about talking or not talking about what I'm eating in a game...so if it's a problem for someone just leave it out.

As a fellow Gen Xer, I can say with certainly that you don't speak for me.

@@superpheemy you are in the minority.

@@superpheemy Same.

@@3ron wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last.

Fellow gen x. I disagree. I'm not having fun unless my players are having fun. That said, if someone wants a change because they're offended by something, I'm willing to make adjusments if the other players are okay with it. Now if some walk in comes and wants everyone to be vegan, has an issue with the polytheism or any other campaign destroying issue, they can walk right back out.

Also celery, mirepoix

Yep, I have standard session zero notes which I adjust for each game. I send it out to players before the session so they can raise any issues, etc. When I have new players, I just send them that and follow it up a few days later.

Thanks for sharing!

Goodberries every day for six months...

Good berries, Heroes Feasts, hombrew a bag that transforms 1d6 rocks into 1d4 kg/lb of oats every 15 days, it's a magic reality dude the sky is the limit.

LOL, you actually denied a players request to play a vegan? That's like, idaknow, the inverse of this video. Was it a particularly realistic rpg or something? Sounds like u were a stick-in-the-mud.

Potatoes.

@@quesoblanco444 I didn't denied it, I just affirmed that it wouldn't be viewed as cruel in the setting to hunt a beast if you were to use all the parts and did it out of need. The player had the choice to stick with it or not. Also it's a home brew, she could summon food with spells, but it would be more costly that your first level spell slot in general, she decided to do otherwise.

Ah, the 80s. Yes!

I teach that generation and I have discovered they do not conform to media stereotypes. They are no more narcissistic than kids 30 years ago. The difference is today, we have Twitter and Tik-Tok, so the most outrageous ideas have a megaphone. Teach them, Dave. Invite them to your table and show them the way. Peace.

I too teach this generation and agree with Dave, though i don't think it's a question of narcissism. They are more fragile becaue the way they are parented. Not because I say so - though I do - but because recognized experts in the field have said so. While the problem is complex and multifaceted, it is clearly out there. This is two sided. On the one, they are more sensitive to differences in others, and generally refrain from the kinds of things I and my peers did. This is a good thing. The other side, not so good. They lack grit and think just showing up deserves a gold star. You hurt my feelings is the mantra, even when there was no intention to do so. They have difficulty discerning the difference. American parenting is a disaster because of the fear that runs thru this society. US parents, "the sky ain't falling." Now kids, go climb a tree.

You're very welcome!