by LivFreeOrPie
written as a takeaway from the Social Contract of Social Deduction Games Panel at Final 3 Con 2025

After the post-game Grimoire reveal and the moment when players react to the outcome of the game, consider nudging the group into an informal debrief to let players tell you and each other how they felt the game went. 

Frame to players it as an exercise to improve future games for Storytellers and players. It gives Storytellers accountability for my decisions as a Storyteller and helps players understand the nuances of how games are run. 

This also serves as an opportunity for players to decompress and have catharsis from the prior game.

This lets players know that they can come to you with suggestions immediately, or anytime later when they've had time to come down from their heightened emotions and have hindsight on the current game.

If they don't feel comfortable discussing thing publicly, let them know that you're open to discussing the game privately.

It's extremely important to take control of the room and set the expectation that debrief feedback be honest and kind, similar to Rule 4 "Kill with grace, die with dignity."

Usually, players will be very forthcoming and tell you what they thought about the game, or immediately open up with a questions if they are confused.  If they're silent and need prompting, try using some of these talking points to open up conversation:

• Any thoughts about the game overall, the setup, or the script?

• Any questions for the Storyteller? 

• Are there any Storyteller decisions that would like me to explain? 

• Would anyone like to share their individual player perspective with the group?

• Would anyone like to ask other players about their in-game decisions?