Yes - I ended up putting in warnings for my own game. I would love to get feedback on it if anyone sees anywhere that I can improve it.
Here is what I've written at the beginning of my current WIP:
Caution notice from the author
This game is dark — and sometimes in subtle ways. While this game is not designed to upset players, it is meant to create a feeling of tension and suspense and covers content that may not be suitable for every player.
This version is much more brutal and you are much less likely to survive than you are in the Fairytale edition. The themes being focused on are isolation, self-reproach, doubt, and fear. By the very nature of the fairytale Bluebeard, it will cover topics related to domestic and psychological abuse, murder, and trauma. The game will sometimes have the character question their own actions and inactions, doubt themselves, doubt their support structure, and sometimes lament and feel hopeless and trapped. Because these thoughts are expressed in-character in the moment of those feelings, please understand that the intent is only to place the player in the mindset of the character, not to blame victims or survivors for the abuse they have suffered.
If any of these topics are sensitive to you, please use whatever tools available to you to make playing safe or choose not to play at all if at any time the game feels too real or too upsetting. I highly encourage you to take control if things ever get too uncomfortable for you. You are always welcome to change the wording of a prompt or replace it entirely as necessary. If you like, you may at any time stop drawing cards and write a miraculous rescue, glorious escape, or a smiting of Bluebeard from the heavens — anything that will let you leave the experience safely. You are empowered.
It is possible that playing this game may cause someone to recognize their own current relationship is abusive. I wish to speak to you directly: You are not alone. Abuse is not normal. It is not okay. And it is not your fault. Please reach out.
Here are some resources ready to take your hand:
➢ National Domestic Violence Hotline https://www.thehotline.org
➢ Pathways to Safety International https://pathwaystosafety.org
And here is what I have for my "debriefing" section, which I almost called "Aftercare":
When the story ends…
Take a moment and decompress.
What happened in your story? Were you rescued? Did you escape? Did you die?
If you survived — congratulations! You beat the odds. Savor your victory.
If you died — that’s okay. That was what was most likely to happen, even with the slightly more generous rules Bluebeard’s Castle provides from the default rules of the system. That was the game — seeing if you were lucky enough to survive. You can try again some other time, if you like. Maybe alter the odds more in your favor next time — or maybe instead try the Fairytale version of the game. Your chances in the Fairytale edition are much better than this one.
This is just a game. If it provoked feelings of stress or anxiety, take a few breaths and remember that what you experienced just now was fiction. You were always in control. If you are upset or unsettled, it’s not silly to talk about your experiences with someone else.
If you feel unsatisfied with your ending, consider rewriting the most troublesome aspect of the story. Maybe even consider using another solo engine (like Mythic, MUNE, ALONe, Blade and Lockpick, Tiny Solitary Soldier’s system, or any method that works for you) and having your character have a “second-chance” reincarnation where she starts again as she stands on the threshold of the fatal room and remembers everything that happened in the previous life. Let her change her fate as you explore the story with total control rather than being bound by the rules and prompts of this game. Maybe she’s even reborn with some sort of super power — it’s your turn to decide the rules you follow now!
Good luck in your future adventures.
Again - if anyone sees anywhere I can improve, I am all ears!
Edit: In regards to "slightly more generous rules than the default system", please understand that wasn't a knock against the game. I actually make minor alterations to the rules that send the game into "The Eleventh Hour" mode if the tower falls, which can lead to a chance to escape.