TTRPG session feedback tools are a great way to signal what gamers want to promote and discourage at the table. They can provide GMs with seeds and suggestions for future narrative events. Perhaps most importantly, they open up clear lines of open communication for constructive feedback. Feedback tools nip problems in the bud before they get too big and they make us better gamers all round.
Why Use TTRPG Session Feedback Tools?
In my article on handling lone wolf players (find it here), I touched on feedback sessions with the group. This can take the shape of check-in sessions or one-on-one chats. These make sure everyone is on the same page and having fun.
Session zeroes give a group a good starting point; however, they cannot cover or anticipate all the issues a long-term campaign will encounter. Consequently, channels for open and honest communication are essential for a long-lasting group. In fact, feedback is so important some systems have mechanics for it.
A quick side note worth repeating from the lone wolf article: conflict within the group isn’t the GM’s automatic responsibility. The GM’s job—usually—is to handle in-world conflicts. Although some online groups might disagree, GMs are not there to be a psychologist, mediator, negotiator, or counsellor. The health of the table is a group responsibility. Everyone should promote a healthy atmosphere whenever possible. Open communication needs everyone all in it, together.
Dogs in the Vineyard
My first encounter with a feedback sub-system was in the game Dogs in the Vineyard by Vincent Baker. Characters take the role of priest-like warriors in an alternative Wild West. They go from town to town, performing ceremonial duties as well as fight corruption, pride, and demonic infestations. Vincent has since made Dogs unavailable because he had problems with the worldbuilding he had used.
However, two elements that have proven popular with the wider hobby are Reflections and Directions.
Reflections happen after every adventure (i.e. after the party resolves a town’s situation). They involve players saying to the group how their character has changed and if—or how—they helped the town. They also talk, as players, what they did and didn’t like in the session; they share what sections of play went well and where the game lost momentum. It’s a review of the session, both in-world events and at-the-table behaviour.
These Reflections are more than just discussion, though; characters gain rewards like stat boosts and extra dice based on the fiction and the character’s engagement with the world. That includes how they interacted with the other members in the party, further promoting table cohesion.
TTRPG Session Feedback Tools: Suggesting Directions
Directions, on the other hand, are more forward looking. They are what the players want their characters to do next, or events/situations they wish to face in future sessions. This works on both an in-world level, and for the group.
These details give the GM player-chosen ideas for the next town or two; they also let everyone know what the player really wants to happen, so the group can make it work. Furthermore, Directions can encourage other players to behave more in line with the rest of the group. It’s another mechanic that creates a formal channel for open communication.
It’s worth pointing out the GM doesn’t have to use this feedback. If they have a cool idea for the next town, or the Direction needs more foreshadowing, that’s fine. Especially in larger groups, it’s likely fitting every Direction each player has into a small town will be difficult. Nevertheless, it’s really useful for the GM to know what’s working, what’s not, and what would be cool later.
Roses and Thorns
Unlike Reflections and Directions, Roses and Thorns is a sub-system for any table, playing any tabletop roleplaying game. Rather than a past and present divide like Vincent’s sub-system, Roses and Thorns pivots into a positive and negative split.
Roses, unsurprisingly, are elements during the session players enjoyed. They are the tool with which gamers praise any aspect of play that occurred after the session is over. It could be an in-world event, or a table moment. The objective is to create a positive feedback loop: people say what they liked and encourage more of the same.
TTRPG Session Feeback Tools: Thorns for Awkward Moments
Thorns are the opposite. These are a safe channel with which players can deliver [reasonable] criticism to other people in the group. Again, this might be a moment between characters, players, or the GM.
Thorns are an acknowledgement social games can create awkward or very difficult moments. People get carried away, misread others, or are simply oblivious to what’s around them. It happens to everyone; we’re all dealing with Life™ and we all enjoy different things. And that’s dandy.
Thorns create a channel to raise issues, trying to stop them developing into bigger problems. People in the hobby can find it difficult to voice concerns or negative feedback; Thorns provide a safe framework to let the rest of the group know what’s troubling them. Roses are for encouraging fun aspects of play; Thorns discourage the less desirable.
Thorns are not license for weapons-free attacks. Criticism should be constructive, and it’s open for the person on the receiving end to push back if they have good reason. Thorns is a way to open up safe discussion, not a one-way tribunal.
Having played in a group where one player was too self-conscious to give negative feedback, I can see benefits. Asking someone directly to give negative criticism, no matter how well intentioned, can give a lot of pressure; this is especially true if the player feels it might hurt other people’s feelings—even if it’s the person asking. Having a structured process everyone engages with can sometimes be enough to give people the confidence to speak up.
…And Buds
Though Roses and Thorns have proven popular with many groups, others find it dissatisfying. As with everything, groups should try things and see what works for them.
Some gamers take issue with the name, even if they appreciate the intent. Roses and Thorns strikes them as middle-management speak. More on this in a bit. A much more fundamental complaint with the sub-system is the pressure to find fault and focus only on the past.
As a way to give feedback, focusing on the session that has just finished is only natural. However, partly to address this latter concern, the sub-system received an update and became Roses, Thorns, and Buds. Buds are elements of play players want to see develop in future sessions. In essence, it’s a carbon copy of Vincent’s Directions, which is no bad thing. Again, the intent is to inform everyone else what story beats or scenes types would be fun to see later.
One significant difference to Vincent’s sub-system though is Roses and Thorns [and Buds] has no mechanical weight. Because it is a tool for any group playing any game, Roses and Thorns gives no mechanical encouragement for engagement. This is something certain people will love whiles others will be less enthusiastic. Different strokes for different folks.
Stars and Wishes
The first time I came across Stars and Wishes, was on The Gauntlet blog. It’s fundamentally going back to Vincent’s original Reflections and Directions, but system agnostic like Roses and Thorns. Stars act very much like Reflections. They are highlights from the session, trying to promote that positive feedback loop. However, while Reflections have more introspection and soul-searching, Stars can be lighter; they can focus on the actions of others more easily as well. Wishes are Directions, working as indicators and suggestions for future-session material.
Again, there’s no rule GMs must follow these opinions and recommendations, though it always provides a useful source of inspiration. Similarly to Roses and Thorns, there’s no mechanical benefit to player engagement either; as always, this will be a good thing or a bad thing depending on who you talk to. Try it with the group and see if it’s a match for the table.
Hopes and Highlights
Now, Stars and Wishes is too similar to Reflections and Directions to justify including it in this article alone. However, it’s direct inspiration for the card game Hopes and Highlights by Laurie O’Connel (you can find it here for Name Your Own Price).
Like Stars and Wishes, Hopes and Highlights work with any system. What makes it notable here is the event happens before the session begins, not after. As such, it can work as a session recap to get everyone up-to-date and ready to play. Everyone takes turns to praise what worked well on the GM’s side and the players’/characters’ side—the Highlights.
Constructive Criticism Makes Productive Gaming
Hopes are Wishes/Directions, with an optional Thorn bolted on. Everyone describes what would be interesting to see come up in future sessions. Additionally, an optional question can highlight something that didn’t go well; the group discuss why it occurred and how to handle it better in the future.
This does two things. First, it makes it harder for GMs to include Hopes within the next immediate session. This isn’t a deal-breaker by any means because there’s no obligation on the GM to do so with Directions/Buds/Wishes either. Second, by making the negative criticism optional, it removes some of the pressure associated with Thorns.
I also want to highlight the framing is wonderfully constructive; it’s simple, but the phrasing is powerful: highlight the problem, discuss the causes, learn, and move on. Whereas Thorns could turn into a negative dogpile, Hopes work to get the game going on the right foot.
Coming at the beginning of the session will work brilliantly for some groups, less so others. If a big problem occurs during a session, some people will want to deal with it right away. In other cases, a break between sessions, letting emotions cool off, may be exactly what’s best for constructive conversation.
At the end of the day, none of these tools will work for every group, or handle every situation perfectly. This leads me to:
Whatever TTRPG Session Feedback Tools Get the Group Talking
It doesn’t sound sexy or have any fancy alliteration. However, these tools—Reflections and Directions, Roses, Thorns and Buds, Stars and Wishes, Hopes and Highlights—target the same thing. They are bases for open and productive communication.
If a group needs a formal tool like any of the above, then absolutely, they should use one. Especially in games with strangers—or as I learned, long-time friends!—some people in the moment need a safe framework. Whatever works to open up those channels for communication; it keeps the fun flowing and a table healthy long-term.
Some people will dismiss the formal names, and that’s fine, so long as the function survives. Feedback, before or after sessions, can be a massive help both in-world and for the group. Everyone at the table—GMs as well as players—should always feel free to give [constructive] feedback—positive and negative. Not only does it keep the group’s cohesion and the GM fuel for future sessions, it helps everyone play better. TTRPGs need skills that never stop improving.
As a final note, this article focuses expressly on feedback right before and after a game. Tools like “Pause for a minute” and “Temperature check” are safety tools for during a session; that is a topic for another article, one well worth exploring.
Conclusion
TTRPG session feedback tools aren’t the only way to maintain a healthy atmosphere at the table; however, they’re very, very good at it. As I frequently say, groups should experiment with what’s out there and find what works best for them. The focus should be on providing a safe platform from which people feel comfortable voicing genuine concerns. These should be constructive with the aim of improving everyone’s experience at the table. It may sound trite, but having more fun should be top of everyone’s list.
