Content Warnings

Content Warnings for Alkebulan

A dark fantasy D&D campaign about environmental contamination, community resilience, and rebuilding civilization after magical catastrophe

Session Zero Requirements

This campaign addresses mature themes inspired by real-world environmental disasters, labor rights, and post-conflict recovery. Before we begin, we’ll have a detailed Session Zero discussion to establish boundaries and implement safety tools.

Safety Tools We’ll Use:

  • X-Card System - Stop content immediately without explanation
  • Regular Check-ins - Start each session discussing comfort levels
  • Fade to Black - Skip detailed descriptions when needed
  • Open Communication - Adjust content based on group feedback

Campaign Tone: Dark but playable. Heroes matter and positive change is possible, but every victory requires sacrifice and difficult choices.

Core Campaign Themes

Environmental Contamination

The world suffers from magical radiation (Remnant Magic) that causes progressive illness similar to radiation poisoning. This is the central environmental threat, not gratuitous body horror.

Economic Inequality

Communities struggle with resource scarcity, forcing difficult choices about survival versus safety. Wealthy areas have clean resources while poor areas face contamination exposure.

Community Resilience

Despite hardship, communities support each other through mutual aid, cultural preservation, and collective action. Player characters are part of this rebuilding effort.

Political Complexity

The expanding Amunrai Imperium and corrupt local authorities create difficult political situations requiring careful navigation and moral choices.

Trauma and Recovery

Characters and communities deal with inherited trauma from the Cataclysm while building hope for the future. Focus is on healing and growth, not dwelling on suffering.

Content That May Appear

Environmental Hazards

  • Descriptions of contamination sickness (fever, fatigue, visible crystal growths)
  • Contaminated areas requiring protective equipment
  • Wildlife affected by environmental damage
  • Weather phenomena that pose dangers to communities

Economic Desperation

  • Communities struggling with resource scarcity
  • Workers accepting dangerous jobs for survival wages
  • Difficult choices about allocating limited medical supplies
  • Class differences in access to clean food and water

Social Conflict

  • Authority figures using fear to maintain control
  • Surveillance and restricted movement in Amunrai Imperium areas
  • Organized resistance to exploitation and oppression
  • Community members making sacrificial choices for group survival

Medical Situations

  • Contamination sickness treatment and recovery
  • Limited access to healthcare based on economic status
  • Community healers working with inadequate supplies
  • Characters dealing with chronic health conditions

Psychological Themes

  • Characters processing trauma from loss and hardship
  • Communities dealing with inherited generational stress
  • Hope and resilience building despite difficult circumstances
  • Character growth through overcoming challenges together

What This Campaign Is NOT

Content We Avoid

  • Sexual Content - Fade to black for any romantic encounters
  • Hopeless Situations - Every challenge has potential solutions through cooperation
  • Detailed Child Endangerment - Economic pressure on families is acknowledged but not detailed

Tone Boundaries

  • Not Grimdark - Dark themes serve character growth and social commentary
  • Not Edgy - Mature content serves narrative purpose, not shock value
  • Not Nihilistic - Problems have solutions through collective action and mutual aid
  • Not Exploitative - Real-world parallels are treated with respect

Positive Campaign Elements

Community Support

  • Mutual aid networks helping people survive and thrive
  • Cultural celebrations and preservation of traditions
  • Characters forming meaningful relationships and found family
  • Communities working together to solve environmental problems

Meaningful Progress

  • Player actions creating lasting positive change for communities
  • Environmental restoration projects showing real improvement
  • Political resistance movements achieving concrete victories
  • Individual character growth through overcoming personal challenges

Hope and Beauty

  • Art, music, and cultural expression thriving despite hardship
  • Natural environments showing signs of recovery and renewal
  • Love, friendship, and community bonds providing strength
  • Technological and magical discoveries improving quality of life

Social Justice

  • Characters fighting against exploitation and inequality
  • Communities developing more equitable resource distribution
  • Political movements promoting democratic participation
  • Environmental justice efforts protecting vulnerable populations

Player Resources & Support

During Sessions

  • Pause Anytime - Any player can call for a break to discuss content
  • Modify Scenes - We’ll adjust descriptions if they become uncomfortable
  • Character Agency - Your characters always have meaningful choices available
  • Community Focus - Remember you’re part of a supportive group working together

Between Sessions

  • Check-in Messages - Feel free to discuss concerns privately with the DM
  • Content Requests - Let me know if you want more or less of particular themes
  • Character Development - We’ll work together on character arcs that feel meaningful
  • Real-World Connections - We can discuss how campaign themes relate to current events

Resources for Further Information

  • Environmental Justice - Learning about real-world environmental activism
  • Community Organizing - Understanding how mutual aid and collective action work
  • Trauma-Informed Gaming - Resources for healthy processing of difficult themes
  • Post-Conflict Recovery - Historical examples of communities rebuilding after catastrophe

DM Reference: Specific Content Locations

High-Sensitivity Content Areas

Harbor District & Merchant Quarter

Contamination Zones

Imperial Territories

  • Surveillance state operations
  • Political oppression and thought policing
  • Economic colonization through trade dependency Merchant Quarter

Content Delivery Guidelines

Show Consequences, Not Details

  • Focus on community impact rather than individual suffering
  • Use systemic descriptions rather than graphic individual scenes
  • Emphasize agency and choice rather than helplessness

Balance Dark with Light

  • Include community support moments in every session featuring hardship
  • Show progress and hope alongside challenges
  • End difficult sessions with community connection or meaningful choice

Fade to Black Triggers

  • Medical procedures beyond basic contamination treatment
  • Any detailed descriptions of child labor or endangerment
  • Political violence beyond systemic oppression
  • Individual psychological breakdown scenes

Safety Check Points

  • Before introducing new contaminated areas
  • When shifting to politically oppressive territories
  • During economic desperation scenes
  • When trauma responses become character focus

Content Rating: Mature (17+)

This campaign deals with themes similar to mature television dramas about environmental disaster, economic inequality, and political resistance. Content serves narrative and educational purposes, focusing on community resilience and collective action.