Section 8: Safety Considerations
Clear the acting area of cords, drinks, loose rugs, sharp furniture, fragile objects, and other trip or collision hazards. Players should know the available space before the timer starts, especially when play takes place in a small room or near stairs.
Safe Movement
- Keep running, jumping, climbing, diving, and forceful throwing motions within the actor's physical ability and the limits of the space.
- Do not climb on furniture or use doors, railings, windows, or unstable objects as supports.
- Do not strike, grab, lift, push, or unexpectedly touch another person as part of a clue.
- Imitate dangerous activities without using real flames, weapons, vehicles, chemicals, or hazardous tools.
- Stop immediately if a player, spectator, pet, or object enters the acting area.
Accessibility
Adapt the game so every participant can act and guess comfortably. Actors may perform while seated, use facial expressions and upper-body gestures, work with a partner, or receive additional time. Players with limited vision may receive clearly described non-answer information about the actor's position, while players with limited hearing may use a visible timing signal.
Accessibility adjustments are not illegal clues when agreed in advance and applied fairly. Prompts should not depend on movements a participant cannot safely perform, and no player should be pressured to reveal or imitate a disability, traumatic event, or private experience.
Age and Content
Choose prompts suitable for the ages, cultures, and comfort levels of the group. Avoid sexually explicit, hateful, humiliating, or needlessly graphic material. Any participant may request that an uncomfortable prompt be replaced without having to act it out or explain why.
Health and Comfort
Take breaks during long sessions, provide water as appropriate, and avoid exaggerated movements that cause pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath. A player who feels unwell should stop immediately. Charades is a recreational game, so safety and inclusion take priority over completing a prompt or preserving a score.