Safety tools can sound heavy, like something only a horror campaign needs. They are really about fun: making sure everyone at the table enjoys the game, in character and out of it. They matter for your schedule too. D&D Beyond's guide to running a session 0 says one can be the difference between a long-running campaign with friends and one that withers after a few uncomfortable weeks. People keep coming back to a table where they feel welcome.
None of this needs special kit. It is mostly a few honest conversations, and a way for anyone to speak up without making a scene.
Start with a session zero
Before the first adventure, get together and talk about the game you are about to play. Daggerheart's session zero page puts the goal simply: get everyone on the same page by setting expectations as early as possible. It is one of the best free introductions to safety tools, whatever system you play.
A quick way to structure the talk is P. R. O'Leary's CATS method, which he suggests spending five minutes on before you play:
- Concept: what the game is about, in a sentence or two.
- Aim: what the players are trying to accomplish.
- Tone: gritty or goofy, heroic or grim, and everything between.
- Safety: what ideas might be explored in play.
Cover the practical side while everyone is there: when and how often you will meet, and what happens when someone cannot make it. The guide to players who keep cancelling has a simple policy you can start from.
Lines and veils
Lines and veils, a tool designed by Ron Edwards, is the classic way to agree what is in the game and what is out. As Daggerheart's page defines them:
- Lines are topics players do not want in the game at all, in any form.
- Veils are topics that can exist in the world but do not feature in play. The details stay off-screen.
Collect them before the campaign starts. Doing it anonymously means nobody has to feel embarrassed about what they find hard, a point an article from The Strong National Museum of Play makes well. Mike Shea of Sly Flourish calls lines and veils a two-way street, and suggests going over them again whenever a new player joins.
A way to stop a scene
Even with good lists, a game can take a turn nobody expected. The X-Card, created by John Stavropoulos, lets anyone at the table edit out content they are uncomfortable with as you play. They tap the card, and the scene changes straight away. Nobody should have to explain why.
If a card feels odd for your group, Sly Flourish suggests a spoken version: anyone can say "pause for a minute", and everyone steps out of character and listens. Online, agree an equivalent before you start, such as typing an X in the chat.
Keep checking in
Safety is not a form you fill in once. Daggerheart's page describes lines and veils as something to revisit as needed throughout a campaign, and D&D Beyond's article points out that it is fine to hold more than one session zero: when a big question comes up, have a quick one before the next game.
Stars and wishes, created by Lu Quade, makes a lighter habit. After a session, each player names a moment they enjoyed and something they would like to see next. It takes five minutes, ends the night on a good note, and tells the GM what is landing. Every few sessions, ask the bigger question too: how is the campaign going for you, and what would make it even better? Ask the quieter players privately, and remember that you are checking in on people, not just the plot.
Make everyone welcome
A safe table is also one where everyone belongs. A few habits go a long way:
- Use the names and pronouns people give you, for themselves and for their characters.
- Keep real people out of the punchlines. A villain can be cruel; the table should not be.
- Share the spotlight. Some players come for the fights, some for the story and some to make everyone laugh, and all of them are playing it right.
- Make the game easy to join: readable handouts, rules explained as you go, and room for questions without anyone feeling slow.
When something goes wrong
Sooner or later, someone will hit a line. When it happens, stop, thank them, change the scene and carry on, without making a big moment of it. Afterwards, check in with them privately. What matters is that speaking up felt easy, so they will do it again next time.
For more, the free TTRPG Safety Toolkit, curated by Kienna Shaw and Lauren Bryant-Monk, gathers safety tools like these in one place. Monte Cook Games' free booklet Consent in Gaming offers strategies for keeping the game good for everyone, even when the story heads somewhere challenging.
Where Roll Call fits
Roll Call cannot make a table safe; people do that. It does leave you in charge of who joins. Opening your invite link does not add anyone to the party: each person's request waits for you to approve or deny it. If the link ends up somewhere it should not, generate a new one and the old one stops working.