Housegames is inherently a horror game. It is a homebrew system for the World of Darkness systems, and is both Horror and Alternative in its themes. Themes of death, violence, oppression, extremism, sexuality, morality and overall horror are all on the table. As a result, it can deal with mature content and themes. Minor discomfort can result from dealing with these themes, and this is a normal experience. Using story telling exploring mature themes can be a fun and cathartic experience.
This is, however, a game. Games are meant to be fun. If the contents of the game are too much for any given participant, then it is no longer fun. This is meant to be a collaborative storytelling game, and if one player is overly upset by the game then it is no longer fun for anyone. As such I will use a number of safety systems aimed to keep the game fun for everyone involved. The systems aim to steer the story away from topics of extreme discomfort. Failing that, they also give every member of the troupe means to pause or end roleplay if they become overwhelmed.
The primary system I will be employing is known as lines and veils. This is not something original to our tradition, but developed elsewhere. A line is any subject that will not be touched at all. It is a hard line and will not be crossed. A veil is something that can be discussed and broached, but will never be explicitly shown. For example, if the veil is domestic violence, then we would simply “fade to black” and skip forward if such a scene were to be otherwise shown.
When filling out this sheet, do not make them too broad, i.e.- “general horror”, “any violence”, “mentions of blood” as a line. Veils and Lines do not exist to cut out the inherent themes of horror from the game, but to push them in a manageable direction. Feel free to update these at any point. You can move items from lines to veils, veils to lines, add new items or remove them entirely. This is a game after all. Games are meant to be fun, for everyone involved.
If you’re a new player, please fill out this sheet and send it to whoever is managing your cell. Feel free to place things on the list. Feel free to place nothing on the list. It is totally up to you.