It’s Never Too Late to Retcon

Why the X Card doesn’t need to be used at instant speed

By Abby Hepworth, My First Dungeon

TTRPGs are a strange form of collaboration. Traditional improv moves incredibly quickly with less emphasis on deep storytelling, and co-writing a story is incredibly slow with lots of discussion on how to best present a tale for an audience. But RPGs are halfway between those two. They move fast enough to be entertaining to all participating in the moment, with down time where players can pitch new ideas and discuss outside of the real-time action of the story. That middle-of-the-road pacing can sometimes make it difficult to bring up harder edits, like those that might warrant the use of the X Card, leading to various scenes or storylines continuing on even if a player ultimately isn’t that comfortable with it. However it’s important to remember that, to borrow terminology from Magic the Gathering, the X Card does not need to be played at instant speed as an immediate reaction to an event. And I feel very strongly that it’s never too late to retcon. Truly, never.

Safety tools are a hot topic in TTRPGs. Some consider them as non-negotiable lines drawn firm dictating topics or realities that are fully off limits, while others prefer to think of them as boundaries to play alongside of. But almost everyone I’ve discussed this with agrees on the benefits and use of the X Card—a tool that any player, including the GM, can use to stop or edit out content they’re uncomfortable with simply by placing a physical card with an X on it on the table, by typing an X in a digital chat, or by making an X with your arms. It’s theoretically a simple way to signal that you’re not okay with some part of what’s happening and would prefer to retcon or start over from some point. Except that it’s rarely all that simple, is it?

I adore the X Card in theory, and I do know it has the ability to work as intended. But in reality the process of declaring your discomfort by playing an X Card can be hard to do in the moment. You may not even realize you’re not okay with something until you’re halfway through the scene. Or after a session is over you may find yourself thinking that you wish you’d stepped in and pivoted something, not even necessarily because you find it troubling or upsetting, but just because you don’t like the way it played out or where it’s leading the overall story. It may feel like you missed your moment to say anything, but I assure you that’s not the case.

It’s important to remember that RPGs are games. The point is to have fun. Any group of players should want all the other people at the table to be having fun. So even if you feel like you’re throwing a wrench in the story, you should always be able to bring up for discussion the idea of retconning something. And fellow players and GMs should be willing to listen. Because it is ultimately a story that can be edited, not real life.

I’m not great at speaking up for myself in the moment when playing games. I get caught up in the momentum, and if everyone else seems to be going along with it I tend to second guess that maybe I’m just being sensitive or a bummer. It’s taken practice to know when to let stuff slide—you’re never going to get a laugh out of me with a poop joke, but if everyone else is having fun I typically won’t complain—and when to speak up—did we really need to beat up that shopkeeper when we could have just stolen from her without a violent encounter? But as I’ve forced myself to speak up more often, I’ve come to realize a good RPG group should always be able to retcon something.

Yes, wanting to retcon certain details might be more complicated than others. To use the example of the shopkeeper again, going back and claiming our party only robbed her of our cool new magical items instead of beating her up shouldn’t be very hard for a GM or group to wrap their heads around. The GM may need to pivot some small plot points, like our party’s reputation in town, but ultimately it’s not going to throw things off much. Pivoting your character’s backstory may be more intricate, probably requiring conversations with your GM to make sure the plans they had in story for you can be adjusted to fit.

Do you use the X Card at your tables? Or other safety tools you love?

We’ve done more retconning with My First Dungeon recordings that listeners likely realize. We’ve backtracked and rerecorded scenes after realizing they wanted a different tone (anger vs. apathy, longing vs. sadness). We’ve reworked characters between Session 0 and Session 1 to feel more cohesive to the group or the player’s hopes for their storyline. On extremely rare occasion, we’ve even rerecorded entire episodes because they just felt rushed or wrong or unsatisfying to the group and we wanted a second shot at having more fun.

Because, again, that’s what this is all about: maximizing fun. These are games. Yes, they can be epic, cathartic, dramatic, or emotional, but more than anything they are meant to be fun. If the actions of the table, however big or small, are making you feel like the experience of playing isn’t actually very fun, it’s time to pivot. Collaborate with your group, get creative with how to retcon whatever it is you disliked. And don’t be afraid to ask for support or help, whether it’s in the moment, after the scene, after the session, or even halfway through a campaign. The X Card does not need to be deployed at the very instant in which something bothers you. It’s a tool that remains forever in your back pocket to be used whenever you want, no holds barred.

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🗞️ News Worthy

There are less than 36 hours left to back Evil Hat’s latest game Blades ‘68 and help them reach the last few stretch goals for even more Blades in the Dark fun.

Dr. Emily Friedman announced plans for a new book exploring the first two decades of TTRPG Actual Play.

Dillin Apelyan and James D’Amato release their book The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide chock-full of prompt, ideas, and activities to help you craft compelling antiheroes, enemeies, and bad guys, available now in paperback and as an ebook.

Dropout release Dimension 20’s live Starstruck show Viva Más Vegas for streaming tonight, March 11, starting at 7 pm ET.

🎲 What We’re Bringing to The Table

🎥 Watch: Goth Jumanji meets the Metadungeon | DIE RPG Celebrates 50 years of Roleplaying with a Megadungeon!

📚 Read: Threedom: Mythic Bastionland by Jim Rossignol

🎧 Listen: Quinns Quest presents Play to Find Out: Ghostbusters

🎙️ New From The Studio

My First Dungeon | Perils & Princesses, Ep. 4 (Thursday, March 12th)

Project ECCO (—day, March —th)

Talk of the Table with Stellaluna VIDEO EPISODE (Monday, March 23rd)

PATREON EXCLUSIVES

BONUS AP: Blades ‘68 with guests Tim Denee and J Strautman (Tuesday, March 10th)