# Safety tools

- Term: Tabletop term
- Date: 2013
- Canonical: https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/safety-tools/

> Techniques that help a group agree on content and stop play when something is unwelcome. Lines rule topics out, veils keep them off-screen, and the X-card lets anyone tap a card to remove content without explanation. Many groups begin with a [Session zero](https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/session-zero/) to set expectations.

Techniques that help a group agree on content and stop play when something is unwelcome. Lines rule topics out, veils keep them off-screen, and the X-card lets anyone tap a card to remove content without explanation. Many groups begin with a [Session zero](https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/session-zero/) to set expectations.

**Origin:** Lines and Veils was named by Emily Care Boss from ideas in Ron Edwards's Sex & Sorcery (2003); the X-card was created by John Stavropoulos in 2013 for convention play.

## Quick answers

**What does "Safety tools" mean?**
Techniques that help a group agree on content and stop play when something is unwelcome. Lines rule topics out, veils keep them off-screen, and the X-card lets anyone tap a card to remove content without explanation. Many groups begin with a Session zero to set expectations.

**Where does the term "Safety tools" come from?**
Lines and Veils was named by Emily Care Boss from ideas in Ron Edwards's Sex & Sorcery (2003); the X-card was created by John Stavropoulos in 2013 for convention play.

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From The Lantern Hall (https://www.lanternhall.org/), a museum of fantasy literature and roleplaying games.