Conduct and Themes

All games run by the Oxford University Role-Playing Games Society are subject to the Conduct and Acceptable Themes Policy which can be found on the OURPGSoc website. It is expected that all GMs and players will be familiar with this policy when playing Aftermath.

Aftermath is a game about an apocalypse, which is an inherently dark subject; widespread death and destruction isn't a traditionally “happy” topic. While we expect to explore some of this in the game (see Style and Tone for more details of this), we do not expect this game to be entirely focused on these dark themes, and we are aiming for a game that will appeal to as broad a range of people, characters, and playstyles as possible. A list of all potentially sensitive themes we expect to occur over the course of the game can be found below.

If another player is making you uncomfortable, please bring the matter to the GM team either in person or via email (gm@aftermath.chaosdeathfish.com). If a GM is making you uncomfortable and you wish to discuss it confidentially, then please contact the CAMPO¹⁾, Cameron in person or via his personal email (calsop170@gmail.com). If Cameron is making you uncomfortable then concerns should be raised with the society president, Matilda (matilda.tempest@mansfield.ox.ac.uk).

If you have any phobias, please let the GM team know so that we can do our best to ensure you are comfortable at all points in the game. Additionally if there are specific ways in which things are likely to be an issue (such as detailed description in turnsheets vs. a verbal description that doesn't go into detail) let us know so that we can work around things where possible.

Unfortunately, the GM team has limited resources and occasionally errors occur. While we will do our utmost to ensure everything on this page is adhered to as possible, in the event you think something has gone wrong please bear with the us, and alert us to the issue as soon as is convenient, so that we may try and resolve things a quickly as possible to avoid any unnecessary discomfort for anyone involved in the game.

Themes listed here may occur during the course of Aftermath. They may be brought in by GMs or may be a result of PC action.

• Self-harm
  • While Self-harm as an expression of distress is a banned theme in this game, self harm as a tool for survival may come up over the course of the game (an extreme example may be needing to cut off a trapped limb to escape)
• Consensual sexual contact
• Extreme violence
• Extreme gore
• Eating disorders
  • As with all other mental illnesses, Eating Disorders are not banned from the game. While in general they won't be introduced into the game by the GM team, the survivalist setting of Aftermath may mean that starvation (i.e. the inability to find food to eat) occurs in game (although by default this will fall below the abstraction level for most characters).
• Cannibalism
• Torture
• Slavery
• Discrimination based on in-character Religion or Faith
  • Note that no real-world religions or faiths will be present in the game. Any religions or faiths will be entirely fictional, and largely focusing on potential deities and their relation to the Apocalypse.
• Discrimination on the basis of physical disability or mental health condition
  • While OC discrimination on the basis of physical disability or mental health condition is strictly banned, a large aspect of this game is about survival. In particular, we expect physical disabilities (whether your character has them at game start, or gains them during play) to present challenges to characters in their fight for survival, based on the in-game wounds system.

The following list of themes will not appear in Aftermath. They may not appear in your character's backstory or during the game. The GM team will immediately reject any character concept that involves these themes.

• Sexual assault, sexual coercion or any other form of non-consensual sex
• Sex with minors
• Use of real-world discriminatory slurs
  • Real-world discriminatory slurs do not exist in setting.
• Miscarriage and stillbirth
• Discrimination on the basis of gender or sex
  • Discrimination on the basis of gender or sex does not exist in setting, and never has done.
• Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation e.g. homophobia
  • Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation does not exist in setting, and never has done.
• Discrimination on the basis of gender identity e.g. transphobia
  • Discrimination on the basis of gender identity does not exist in setting, and never has done.
• Discrimination on the basis of real-world ethnicity or race
  • Discrimination on the basis of real-world ethnicity or race does not exist in setting, and never has done.
• Discrimination on the basis of nationality, real-world religion or real-world faith
  • However in-setting religions and faiths (which are in no way related to any real-world instances of these), based on interpretations of deities and their involvement in the Apocalypse will be a theme explored in game.
  • In this instance, nationality refers to O.C. nationality, and I.C. pre-apocalypses nationality on Dunia. It should be noted that other discrimination based on groups formed after the apocalypse may appear in the game, and aren't “Nationality” as the idea is typically used. For instance discriminating on those who choose to reside in Monument rather than those who choose to live outside it isn't banned by this definition.
• Mind Control or other means of removing agency
• Genital Mutilation
• Forced abortion
• Incest
  • As it is impossible to know if you are related to someone (unless they are one of your Lingering Memories), there's no practical way to IC guarantee that you won't be inadvertently committing incest. For this reason, we are declaring that unless you are specifically related to someone through a lingering memory, you are definitely unrelated to anyone else, to avoid the issue of accidental incest.
• Domestic Abuse
  • While domestic abuse is not allowed, other forms of unhealthy relationships, such as those where both sides are at fault, are allowed in the game (in particular relationships where one side is problematic, such as assaulting the other, are explicitly banned).

If there is another player in the game that you feel uncomfortable roleplaying with, Under Section 4.4 of the CAT Policy anyone has the right to request to be kept apart from another person, as far as is possible. We will do our best to honour such requests, but would like players to note the following:

The game takes place in one room and it is not possible to keep people apart physically. The GMs will do our best to keep people apart in turnsheet actions. We can agree that two people will have a mutual avoidance policy and will do their best to not stray into each others' areas of game. No blame is attributed to either side because of this.

However, due to the format of the game, it may be possible for people to inadvertently interact with similar plots, potentially leading to characters appearing on the same action, or needing to talk to the same NPC, without knowing that the other person is also doing so. When and if this happens, the GMs will try and minimise any interaction, and we expect players to deal with it sensibly, for example, not talking directly to each other in large group conversations.

Anyone who makes such a request about another player or GM should also act to respect that request. Should either party feel for some reason that the request is not being respected, this issue should be raised promptly with a relevant person as per Section 6.1.

If you have any questions about this please contact the GM Team.