At its heart, Cybercore is an RPG played by people from all walks of life. Each player brings their unique preferences, dislikes, fears, and boundaries to the game. To keep our gaming environment safe and enjoyable for everyone, Cybercore incorporates several well-established safety tools in the industry. It's important that the Game Master (GM) goes over these tools before gameplay begins.
Remember, creating a comfortable space isn’t just the GM's responsibility, everyone has a role to play. If your GM forgets to cover this in the prep work, don’t hesitate to bring it up before the game starts. Also, it’s a good practice to briefly revisit these safety measures at the beginning of each session, just to ensure that everyone is still on the same page and comfortable with the agreed-upon boundaries.
As a new group grows together, these tools will evolve. Players may discover new boundaries or preferences, and that’s perfectly okay. The key is to maintain open communication and respect for each other's comfort levels.
While Cybercore is not exclusively a horror-focused game, it certainly can be. The system supports everything from the claustrophobic dread of a derelict ship crawling with Zod to the wisecracking camaraderie of a crew running smuggling ops through contested space. Have a conversation with your players about the type and tone of the game they want to play.
A Tone Conversation is an essential pre-game discussion where the group collectively decides the atmosphere for the campaign or mission. Some examples:
The tone doesn't have to be a single flavour; most good campaigns blend two or three. The important thing is that everyone at the table agrees on the mix before gameplay begins, so the group can contribute effectively to the mood and the GM can prepare appropriate content.
Tone can shift between missions. A campaign might start with a tense survival arc and transition into full military operations as the squad gains rank and resources. Revisit the tone conversation when the story changes direction.
Lines and Veils delineate the boundaries within our games.
Lines represent absolute boundaries; content that is entirely off-limits. It will not appear in the game, nor be referenced or hinted at in any form.
Veils indicate softer limits. Content under a Veil may be acknowledged in the narrative but will never be explicitly described or shown. It triggers a "fade-to-black" scenario, where the scene discreetly transitions away before any explicit detail emerges.
Ask means the topic may come up, but the GM should check with the group first. What's fine for one table may be a hard no at another.
Allowed means the topic is fair game within the narrative, though it should still be handled with respect and purpose.
Because it's sometimes difficult to raise this topic with players, we've set out the standard Lines and Veils our group uses. Use this as a starting point and add or modify it as you see fit.
| Topic | Boundary | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Sexual Violence | Line | It never comes up |
| Homophobia | Line | It never comes up |
| Transphobia | Line | It never comes up |
| Body Shaming | Line | It never comes up |
| Miscarriage/Abortion | Line | It never comes up |
| Topic | Boundary | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Sex | Veil | Fade to Black, or the event is implied |
| Player Death | Veil | Their consciousness fades to black; gory details are not required |
| NPC Death | Veil | Brief description, no drawn-out gore |
| Graphic Gore | Veil | Consequences can be stated, but visceral detail is kept off-screen |
| Maiming Injuries (eyes, teeth) | Veil | Stated, not described in detail |
| Harm to Children | Veil | Implied only; "the entire colony was destroyed" |
| Torture | Veil | Implied, never depicted step by step |
| Suicide | Veil | Implied, handled with care |
| PVP | Veil | Should be avoided; shenanigans welcome, betrayal arcs need group buy-in |
| Topic | Boundary | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Racism | Ask | Interspecies prejudice is baked into the setting, but real-world parallels can hit differently; check in |
| Death of Parental Figures | Ask | Common narrative device, but deeply personal for some players |
| Topic | Boundary | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Harm to Animals | Allowed | Not described in detail; you often fight native flora and fauna |
| Pregnancy | Allowed | Part of life, handle with respect |
| Alcoholism | Allowed | Common in the setting |
| Bullying | Allowed | NPCs can be awful people |
| Classism | Allowed | Corp hierarchy runs on it |
| Slavery | Allowed | NPC inter-species; PCs might start as indentured workers |
| Starvation | Allowed | Resource scarcity is a real threat |
| Medical Procedures to Alter Appearance | Allowed | Cybernetics and biosculpting are everywhere |
| Pandemics | Allowed | Alien plagues, quarantine zones, bio-warfare |
| Bugs On/In People | Allowed | Aliens burst out of all sorts of places |
| Genocide | Allowed | Generally historical and inter-species |
| Natural Disasters | Allowed | Planetary hazards, solar storms, tectonic events |
| Terrorism | Allowed | Syndicate ops, insurgencies, political violence |
| Police / Police Aggression | Allowed | Corporate security and system authority are not your friends |
| Insects | Allowed | They're everywhere, and some of them are the size of a shuttle |
| Spiders | Yes Please | |
| Alien Spiders | Oh Hell Yes | Where is my Mazer Rifle |
We plan to add the above list to the character generator so players can submit their preferences when creating their characters.
The Open Door Policy ensures that any player can step away from the game at any moment for personal safety or well-being without facing any judgment or repercussion. This policy underpins our commitment to maintaining a respectful and supportive gaming environment, ensuring that all players feel secure and valued.
X, N, and O Cards serve as vital communication tools for maintaining comfort and consent during gameplay.
X-Cards can be used by a player to signal discomfort with the current content, prompting an immediate halt, revision, or omission of the material.
N-Cards provide a preemptive cue, indicating that the game may be veering towards sensitive territory, suggesting a potential modification or a "fade-to-black" before discomfort arises.
O-Cards are used to check in with the entire group, confirming that all participants are comfortable and consent to continue with the current course of the game.
Play your Cards
You can play a card at any time, just say 'Hey I'm playing an X card here lets move on...'