I have a quick house rule that I’d like to share for slash:
Amnesty.
So there’s sometimes a problem with slash, where maybe a character is a little too obscure for even your pop culture obsessed friends to recognize. Enter amnesty.
First, a couple of rules about Amnesty. Amnesty is not about nerd shaming. Amnesty is about sharing and learning. In that respect, here is how I’m implementing Amnesty in my games of slash:
Every few rounds, Amnesty is declared. If you don’t recognize or know anything about a card, this is the time to get it out of your hand. You can declare Amnesty for up to three cards. These cards are placed face down in a pile along with everyone else’s Amnesty cards.
The next time Amnesty is called, the Judge shuffles the Amnesty cards and reveals them. This allows for some anonymity, but all players are allowed to explain why they love or hate the characters.
This way, someone can find out about how awesome one of your favorite things is without feeling like they’ve been nerd shamed.