Boundaries
Safety & Boundaries
How we keep play safe — for players, families, and facilitators
No-Blood Policy
The Wheel and the Balance never depicts gore, blood, physical violence, combat, or death threats. This is an absolute, non-negotiable design constraint.
| Instead of... | The game uses... |
|---|---|
| Pain | Glitch, crack, heaviness, pressure, distortion |
| Violence | Correction, weight, compression |
| Fear | Being watched, forgotten, Corrected |
Age-Aware Design
The game is designed for ages 13+. Themes — pressure, isolation, identity, repair — are presented at an age-appropriate register. Content notes are included with every Starter Kit and adventure module.
- • 13+ recommended; 16+ for some adventure modules with heavier emotional themes
- • Content notes per scenario, listed before the session begins
- • X-card / line-and-veil safety tools supported in the Starter Kit and Game Master Book
- • Pressure escalation is paced — no scene introduces three or more emotional load factors at once
Emotional Safety
The world watches; the game does not surveil. Emotional intensity is part of the design, but the design does not require any player to disclose, perform, or expose private experience.
- • Players opt in to scenes; opting out is always free of in-game consequence
- • “The character feels...” is the canonical framing — never “the player feels...”
- • Repair, reflection, and consent are explicit mechanics, not afterthoughts
- • Quieted (the social erasure mechanic) is recognised, named, and reversible
Facilitator Review
When the game is run in a facilitated setting (a club, a family table, a guided session), the facilitator is the safety pathway. The game does not replace human judgement — it gives the facilitator structure to support it.
- • Speaking up → trusted-adult pathway (the facilitator, or the player's own designated adult)
- • Risk indicators → facilitator review (the facilitator decides; the game does not auto-escalate)
- • Session notes → local record-keeping by the facilitator, never centralised
- • Disclosure → handled by the facilitator according to their own context and existing pathways
Data & Privacy Principles
Pseudonymous play
Players are characters; characters are not players. No real names, no email addresses, no persistent profiles in the game itself.
Local-first session notes
When facilitators keep notes, those notes belong to the facilitator and stay local. Trace does not centralise session data.
Non-persistence by design
Derived emotional state metrics are not retained as long-term memory. The game processes and discards.
Right to erasure
All character / session data can be deleted on request. Entropic decay ensures traces fade over time.
What Trace Does Not Do
Does not diagnose any medical, psychological, or behavioural condition
Does not provide therapeutic intervention or clinical treatment
Does not conduct surveillance of players or facilitators
Does not use emotional manipulation to influence player behaviour
Does not build persistent profiles across sessions or groups
Does not share data between facilitators, groups, or external services
Does not replace human responsibility — the facilitator and the trusted-adult pathway remain primary
Important Notice
The Wheel and the Balance is a narrative game. It is not a medical device, therapeutic intervention, or clinical tool. It does not diagnose, treat, or monitor health conditions.
The game is designed as a structured story environment for safe discussion, reflection, and resilient decision-making. It does not replace professional support, and any group running facilitated play should maintain their own existing pathways for emotional and welfare support.
For safety questions or to request a facilitator briefing document, contact [email protected]