Places

The Atrocity Realm is full of disturbing images and events. As terrible as they are, child abuse, rape, torture, enslavement, and senseless slaughter all happen in the real world, and so the Atrocity Realm reflects them. Bringing these topics up in the context of a game can cause real problems for some players, who may feel that they’ll hurt the group’s fun if they mention their discomfort.

While this advice holds true for any nightmar­ ish Realm, the Atrocity Realm is the most likely place for it to come up. Before running a story in the Atrocity Realm, the Storyteller should ask her players one question: Is there any subject you’re not comfortable with the game touching on? If anyone says yes, listen to them and respect their wishes.

Using scenes to deliberately upset or offend people at the gaming table doesn’t make a chronicle “edgy” or “mature.” It’s asshole behavior. A visit to the Atrocity Realm should scar the psyches of the characters who visit it, not those of the players at the table, and if even a “dialed down” version is too much it is best to leave the Realm out of the chronicle entirely.