Safety & Inclusivity

Overview

Storytable Games is responsible for creating and maintaining a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment at the table. Safety and inclusivity are integral to every session — not optional add-ons. Each experience is facilitated by an adult whose role includes actively guiding play, managing group dynamics, and stepping in when something isn’t working or when participants’ needs differ.

This page explains how those commitments are put into practice.

Facilitated Play and Active Support

All Storytable Games sessions are facilitated. Facilitators are present not just to run the game, but to support the people in it. That includes:

• guiding interaction and turn-taking
• adjusting pacing and flow
• noticing when someone is uncomfortable, overstimulated, or misunderstood
• stepping in to help communications land well

Inclusive Participation

Tabletop role-playing is a social activity. People engage in different ways depending on personality, experience, cultural background, and identity. Facilitators support participation by:

• helping quieter or more reserved participants find voice
• balancing engagement so one person doesn’t dominate the conversation
• recognizing and valuing different communication styles
• adjusting explanations or pacing when someone needs clarity or processing time

Cooperative Play and Respect

All Storytable Games sessions are cooperative. Players work together toward shared goals rather than competing against one another. There is no player-versus-player gameplay.

This cooperative frame reduces conflict and centers collaboration, problem-solving, and shared storytelling in a way that supports respect and mutuality across identities.

Respect for Identity and Difference

Storytable Games is committed to respect for all participants, including but not limited to:

• LGBTQ+ identities
• gender diversity
• race, ethnicity, and culture
• neurodiversity (e.g., autism, ADHD, different processing styles)
• varied communication and learning styles
• varying comfort with social interaction

Respect for Identity and Difference (continued)

Facilitators support inclusive language, avoid assumptions, and make space for people to participate as themselves. If a participant expresses a need, preference, or boundary, facilitators incorporate that respectfully into the session flow.

This is an ongoing practice, not a checklist. Some specific guidelines and guardrails will be outlined here in more detail in the future.

Age-Appropriate Tone and Boundaries

Different ages bring different needs and sensitivities. Experiences are designed by age group, and facilitators are responsible for maintaining age-appropriate tone and interaction. Expectations around behavior, themes, and interaction are guided by the intended audience for each experience.

Facilitators help set clear expectations at the start of a session so everyone knows what kind of space we are creating together.

Structure and Environment

Sessions take place in agreed-upon spaces suitable for small groups and are structured to support focus and comfort. Clear, facilitated structure helps reduce misunderstanding and anxiety while making the experience accessible for a range of participation styles.

Facilitators are there to help keep the space organized and welcoming so that creativity can happen without chaos.

Questions and Conversation

Safety and inclusivity concerns are deeply personal and context-dependent. No single page can anticipate every situation.

Storytable Games approaches safety and inclusivity as part of the broader process of understanding the group, its needs, and its values. Questions and conversations are welcome, especially if there are specific considerations you want to share ahead of a session.