The X-Card was created because Dave didn’t like the vibe
James Mendez Hodes was there when the deep magic was written.
At this point, adding safety tools to the rulesets of tabletop roleplaying games is pretty commonplace. Most games at least mention some way of communicating discomfort at the table, and give everyone social and mechanical tools to change direction if something happens within the game container that isn’t working for folks. One of the most ubiquitous safety tools out there is the X-Card, developed by John Stavropoulos.
James Mendez Hodes (a prolific writer, games designer, and cultural consultant) and I met up at Gen Con to discuss his secret project [REDACTED, FOR NOW], and while we were talking, character generating, and generally getting a little day drunk at a hotel bar in Indianapolis, he mentioned something that made me pause. “I am an X-Card grognard because I was present at the table where the very first X-Card was created,” he said.
This was news to me, and as a storyhound of the rascaliest order, I had to know more. Mendez continued, setting the scene like, well, a pro. “It was a Wednesday night in Queens, and I went to John Stavropoulos’ place for a game.”
