In the event that there is discrepancy between the policies below and the policies within the rulebook, the policies within the rulebook shall always take precedence.
Since it can be difficult to tell at a glance if another player is having a good time or is uncomfortable, CotV has a set of gestures to measure the OOG comfort level of players in the middle of roleplay. These gestures are entirely OOG and should not be treated as in-character choices:
Thumbs-up (hand balled into a fist with thumb extended upwards): everything is fine and the scene can continue.
Thumb to the side (hand balled into a fist, with thumb extended horizontally): currently things are fine, but the scene should not escalate beyond the current intensity. The scene can be briefly paused for an OOG clarification just to be sure everyone is clear on how things can continue.
Thumbs-down (hand balled into a fist, with thumb extended downwards): the person giving this is having a hard time and the scene should deescalate or fade-to-black. If you see this symbol, stop the scene and have an OOG discussion about how you and the other(s) should handle moving forward.
If someone gestures to you in one of these ways, you should answer by indicating your current state using the appropriate gesture.
Players are encouraged to check in using these gestures as often as they feel necessary, and especially during intense scenes and/or conversations.
Last Updated: May 2025