Game Themes

This page is part of the System Policies and Ethos and explains the themes which you can expect to encounter at Death Unto Darkness games, as well as themes which are unacceptable to roleplay at our games.

Unacceptable Themes

The 40k setting is one filled with darkness and despair, but some topics are simply best avoided as in-game subjects because we believe that they add nothing to our game and can impact severely on players who may have had to deal with these subjects in real life. The following themes must never be used by players as part of their roleplay, and will never be used as part of game team plot:

Sexual assault, sexual coercion and all forms of non-consensual sex including forced pregnancy (such as immaculate conception).

Sex with minors.

Infertility, Miscarriage and Stillbirth.

Murder of Children.
Mental Illness/Learning Disabilities. (while the Madness system is designed to represent Lovecraftian mental trauma, these are things that face real people, even players on a daily basis, and so shouldn’t be used as plot devices.)

Nazi/WW2 German symbolism, imagery and uniforms are expressly forbidden as are other hate symbols [linked] . The knowing use of these in your kit is subject to an immediate ban and removal from games. The use of other real life political imagery is generally discouraged with the exception of imagery associated with gender equality and pride in gender/sexual identity. If you're unsure about a symbol or image you are using, Contact the game team and we will provide guidance on avoiding mirroring the symbology of hate groups.

In addition, DuD is a sex-positive and kink-positive setting and game - however we will not include anything about sexuality, gender and sexual acts in any mechanical effects or any event theme. We don’t want to force players who are uncomfortable to interact with such themes. While we don’t discourage you from roleplaying them as part of your character's story, we suggest they are better contained to controlled spaces where only people who consent to interacting with them have to.

The Traffic Light System

Outside of these themes, there may be dark and sometimes disturbing imagery and themes used in the game, and we respect that some participants may find themselves affected by this. To this end you may use the ‘Traffic Light’ system to inform players, crew and refs of discomfort without needing to stop the game:

Red should be used to indicate that you are extremely uncomfortable with the scene, and indicates to all participants to stop and move away from the subject matter being used/discussed.

Amber indicates to others that you are affected by the subject matter and that they should be careful or back off from a subject to allow you to settle.

Green can be used to indicate to others that you are comfortable and happy to move on with a subject.

If you are overwhelmed or completely unable to deal with a subject and need to bring an immediate end to it, you may call Stop the Game at any point. At this point all participants should cease roleplay to allow the participant in question to remove themselves from the play area and talk to a referee.