A dungeon monitor, sometimes referred to as a dungeon master or simply DM, is a person charged with supervising a playspace (or "

dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...

") at

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...

events such as play parties and

fetish club A fetish club is a nightclub, bar, social club or other entertainment hub which caters to clientele interested in some of (but not necessarily all) fetish fashion, bondage, dominance/submission, and/or sadism and masochism (BDSM). Some clubs have ...

s. A dungeon monitor may be of any sex or gender, and may normally identify as any role ( dominant, submissive, or switch). On duty, their authority is absolute. If a Dungeon Monitor orders a play scene to stop, it must be stopped immediately. Dungeon Monitors are usually people with significant experience and/or explicit education in BDSM and

safer sex In cryptography, SAFER (Secure And Fast Encryption Routine) is the name of a family of block ciphers designed primarily by James Massey (one of the designers of IDEA) on behalf of Cylink Corporation. The early SAFER K and SAFER SK designs share t ...

practices, and who also have verifiable training both in BDSM safety practices and

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial in ...

techniques. They often wear a special uniform, hat or armband, but there is no standard for determining who is a Dungeon Monitor. The primary responsibility of a Dungeon Monitor is to ensure the physical safety of all participants engaging in BDSM play. In most cases, there is a team of Dungeon Monitors, led by one or more Chief Dungeon Monitors. At private parties, it is typically the host's role to act as a Chief Dungeon Monitor or to nominate an attendee to serve in that capacity, possibly along with one or more additional Dungeon Monitors. At public playspaces, the venue typically appoints volunteers or employees for the same purpose. Almost all playspaces define a set of ''house rules'' that list the prohibited activities as well as the default

safeword In BDSM, a safeword is a code word, series of code words or other signal used by a person to communicate their physical or emotional state, typically when approaching, or crossing, a physical, emotional, or moral boundary. Some safewords are used ...

and sometimes even a safe gesture. In addition to monitoring play scenes and enforcing the ''house rules'', Dungeon Monitors also maintain the dungeon equipment between scenes (if the players themselves fail to do so), performing such activities as making players clean surfaces and equipment after use (usually with

disinfectant A disinfectant is a chemical substance or compound used to inactivate or destroy microorganisms on inert surfaces. Disinfection does not necessarily kill all microorganisms, especially resistant bacterial spores; it is less effective than st ...

s), replacing pads, and generally readying a play area safely for its next scene.

See also