The Trigger Warnings poll has made me think or one could say has triggered a moment of self-reflection.  I am working on a book for a gonzo-style American Revolutionary War setting.  Imagine a mixture of Drunk History, Dark Shadow's TV show (episodes 365-461 and others), Rafael Sabatini's Captain Blood, the Netflix Turn series, and a high school American History textbook pre Howard Zinn.  In Chapter One I after talking about the setting being 17th century North America with low magic I wrote the following:

But wait?!
Awful things happened in North America during this time frame.  What about
X! Are you making fun of X?!  (where X is: witch
trials, slavery, religious persecution, mistreatment of Indians, massacres of
settlers, etc.)

• No, of course not, I'm not a monster!
• This is a game based on a historical period not an academic work about a historical period.
• Read Rule #1 and modify the setting your own likes and tastes.

Rule #1 is the standard GM may change anything for any reason.

I wrote this into the intro chapter without really thinking about politics or wokeness.  After seeing the poll results from the Trigger Warning thread I'm wondering if I did it because I am used to seeing this sort of thing in rule books these days.

My question for the group is does this section of my book look like wokeness or trigger warnings?  I think it's more along the lines of what to expect deeper in the book, but after seeing the results of the poll perhaps I should rethink the warning.

People can and will be offended by anything.

That shouldn't stop you from writing what you want to.  Their freedom ends where yours begin.  We've had phrases like, "You can't please everyone all the time," for a long how long now?  There is a reason for that. 

Screw them.  Write it. 

First, the rule you're referencing is Rule 0.

Second, you can just put the following:

QuoteThis product reflects a fantasy version of the American Revolution in the 18th century and contains themes and reference of this time and place.  If dealing with the historical culture and violence of the setting bothers you, please stop here and search for another game.  To everyone else, let's enjoy.

I don't think any sort of warning note like that is needed. People interested in your game will know something about the history and have their own opinions of how they want to play. People looking to start a fight won't care about your disclaimer, may even use it against you, and won't be satisfied with anything.

Quote from: JackFS4 on January 29, 2024, 10:39:08 AM
My question for the group is does this section of my book look like wokeness or trigger warnings?  I think it's more along the lines of what to expect deeper in the book, but after seeing the results of the poll perhaps I should rethink the warning.

My advice is to leave it out.  It will just annoy anybody who's not an SJW, and SJWs are not going to be satisfied with anything you do.  The mere fact that you have a game set in such a "problematic" setting will be enough to damn you in their eyes.  Unless you're an Indian or you're black, you can't even mention Indians or slavery.  You made a game about colonization, and that's no laughing matter, how dare you treat it as a *game*, etc.  Your trigger warnings are just going to scare off people who don't want finger-wagging lectures in their games, and do nothing to attract those who do.

Quote from: I on January 29, 2024, 11:57:07 AM
... Your trigger warnings are just going to scare off people who don't want finger-wagging lectures in their games, and do nothing to attract those who do.

And here I was worried that my call out boxes with the real history of things where I went gonzo were going to scare people off.  e.g. Benedict Arnold's court martial after the failed Canadian campaign caused by his terrible logistics management, awful maps and unrealistic contract with boatbuilder Reuben Colburn versus a spell cast by a witch rival of Peggy Shippen's coven.

I do warn the reader if they are the sort of person who guiltlessly drives by those historical site markers on back roads in New England they should skip the history callouts.  My guess is that someone capable of driving by the Royalton Raid marker on route 14 in central Vermont is not my target audience.

I'd leave it out. Like some of the other mentioned it doesn't really do anything to attract those that would want a warning, while only potentially driving away those that don't. Your potential customers either already have knowledge of the period and know what to expect, or don't know and will either not purchase it or very quickly learn about it (hard to believe anyone wouldn't but that's the era we live in).

Quote from: JackFS4 on January 29, 2024, 10:39:08 AM

But wait?!
Awful things happened in North America during this time frame.  What about
X! Are you making fun of X?!  (where X is: witch
trials, slavery, religious persecution, mistreatment of Indians, massacres of
settlers, etc.)

• No, of course not, I'm not a monster!
• This is a game based on a historical period not an academic work about a historical period.
• Read Rule #1 and modify the setting your own likes and tastes.

If I read this, I would snort and move on. It sounds like the pathetic apologia that triggers the attack reflex in cancel pigs.
You can put whatever you want in your book, but if you're looking for advice, mine is to not pre-applogize.

I would put effort into writing the sales pitch on the back of the book and in the online stores to be clear about your product's content.

After that, just write what you like without qualms that it might not be popular with pearl clutching women of this world, male or female. 

I'll take the other side from most commenters on this one. I could nitpick the phrasing, but a general "here's what this game is about" paragraph is, I think, a good idea. There's nothing wrong with trying to give your consumers a clear idea of what kind of product they're buying.

I also think you've got the right general approach. Address the reader directly; keep it conversational, and try to inject some humor into it. For me at least, I know I'm dealing with SJW tripe when the disclaimer is preachy and reads like a corporate policy statement. If I was going to give feedback on it, I'd advise a bit more earnestness. The benefit of the conversational tone is that it shows you're respecting the reader as an equal, not talking down to them. What you have there could come off as snark, which some readers will find just as abrasive as preaching.

My $.02 is that you want the impression given to be that you're leveling with the reader. The sentiment would be something along the lines of "Look, I know a lot of nasty shit went down in this time period. This book is for people who don't mind exploring that in a fictional setting. If that's not you, you have my blessing to take my work and change it however you want. If that's not good enough, then it's probably best you move on and we part as friends."

I find James Raggi is really good at this sort of thing. If you can get a hold of the Referee book from the LOTFP box set, it's a really good example of how to talk directly to the audience in a roleplaying book. Particularly the "How Graphic?" subsection. It's not a 1-to-1 of what you're talking about here, but I like it as an example of how to lay out a measured justification for the contents of your game without coming over as a dickhead about it. I know the PDF is pretty difficult to find, so I'll quote it here if anyone wants me to. I usually avoid big blocks of quotation, since I know they can be an eyesore.

First, ask yourself who this book is for. Who are your target audience?

Second, make it for them.

Personally, if I see trigger warnings, handwringing about colonialism, or a credit for a sensitivity consultant, I respect that the authors don't want my money and take my business elsewhere.

A warning in the book about potentially explicit content is the beginning and end of your responsibility as a designer/writer.

Just don't do what Delta Green: God's Teeth did by replacing the horror with pearl clutching lectures for why horror is icky and gross and you're a bad person for wanting to depict it and you should be fine. Let people have personal responsibility. If this stuff is truly triggering to them they can just not read the damn book.

Quote from: Corolinth on January 29, 2024, 09:39:39 PM

Personally, if I see trigger warnings, handwringing about colonialism, or a credit for a sensitivity consultant, I respect that the authors don't want my money and take my business elsewhere.

If i see this type of bullshit in the books I buy I return them immediately to DTRPG if it's a PDF and demand my money back.  I'm an adult and I don't need to be told if something could be Naughty or Not. Let me be the judge and stop trying to be my mother.

Trigger warnings are for children of Helicopter parents who were shelted as youths and given participation awards instead of based on merit.  Insufferable.