Quickstart Rules

Death

Characters die when they reach the end of the Terminal state, either because they choose to die at that time, run out of time, or are instructed to by a ref.

Reanimation can temporarily restore a terminal character to full functionality, but they will still die at the end of their terminal state. There is currently no known way to completely restore a terminal person to life, but legends speak of people making pacts with elementals in return for returning from the brink of death, but the price described is always dire, and they say they never quite came back the same...

There is no way to "execute" a character to push them from Terminal to Dead. You should factor this in if you plan to murder someone; that it may be difficult to impossible to silence them depending on their resilience. If a player abuses this by being disruptive rather than dramatic in their terminal state, attract the attention of a ref and if appropriate they will step in and instruct them to wrap things up and die.

Once a character has gone from Terminal to dead, there is absolutely no way to resurrect them. Reanimation can still allow a conversation with the corpse (with the player's agreement).

Calls and Combat

• You should roleplay a visible reaction to DOUBLE, TRIPLE and WEAKEN calls, so the caller knows that you’ve taken the call.
• Calls are spoken out of character, but you are aware in character of any calls you witness around you, including RESISTs, unless it's an EFFECT that specifies you're unaware of it. For example, if someone strikes with a sword and calls "TRIPLE!", you can see by looking that it was a much more damaging blow than usual.
• If two mutually incompatible calls affect you, other than EFFECT, then take the most recent one. If two emotion EFFECTs clash, you can choose which affects you more strongly. If two other EFFECTs clash, see a ref.
• Touch range calls can only be made when you are able to touch the target. You do not actually need to touch the target to apply the call.
• You can’t carry thrown weapons or a bow or crossbow unless trained.
• If you are somehow incapacitated for some time and no help is forthcoming, then attract the attention of a ref.
• You begin each event with your maximum hits.
• When you lose maximum hits, you lose the same number of hits, to a minimum of 1.
• When you gain maximum hits, if you're currently on maximum hits you increase to your new maximum hits. If you're not on maximum hits, or your maximum hits was 1, you don't gain hits.
• If your maximum hits is somehow reduced to 0, see a ref.
• Inform a ref if you plan to engage in physical PvP. If you PvP without a ref present and there’s contention, the benefit of the doubt will go to the defender.

Skills

• An Unresisting target is one who cannot or chooses not to make any attempt to resist a roleplayed action made against them. Incapacitated and Terminal characters are always unresisting. Any level of resistance is enough to disrupt a skill that requires an unresisting target; you should assume a target is resisting if able, unless they are roleplaying acceptance or playing possum.
• Any skill that requires touch range appropriate roleplay requires an unresisting target unless otherwise specified.
• When performing any roleplay that requires an unresisting target, it should be clear to close observers, and especially the target, that you’re performing a skill on them.
• Another character can resist for an unwilling target; placing their hands in the way is sufficient. You cannot resist for a willing target.
• Touch range skills can be used on yourself unless otherwise specified.
• If you are leading a skill and stop roleplaying the skill is cancelled with no consumption of resources.
• If participating in but not leading a skill and you stop roleplaying your contribution is lost from the result and you cannot rejoin.
• You automatically stop performing a skill if incapacitated.
  • STUN does not stop you performing a skill.
  • REPEL only stops you from performing a skill if it removes you from a location the skill must be performed in (such as repelling you away from something you’re inspecting, or being repelled out of the area a ritual is being performed in).
• When performing a skill you cannot use another active skill (with a small number of exceptions specified in the skill description) or attack. You can block or parry as long as you otherwise continue your roleplay.
• When participating in a skill led by another character (such as an Investigation or a ritual), you are aware of which skill they are using.
  • Note that for rituals the skill is always simply “Lead Ritual”. A ritual lead may mislead you as to the exact ritual you are participating in.
  • When participating in a ritual led by another character, you will understand the true effect at its conclusion.
  • If you plan to perform a ritual in a covert or obfuscated way you should inform a ref.
• If you believe you're having the same ritual cast on you a second time in a day, inform the caster.
• If you believe you're casting the same ritual on a target the second time in a day, inform a ref.
• Skills can be learned between events. You can also learn a skill in uptime from a character with that skill with at least 5 minutes of teaching roleplay.
• Skill slots can be left empty and then learned later.

Looting and interacting with bodies

Items held in the hands and visible weapons can be taken from an unresisting target, but any other game items can only be forcibly removed via a Search action (so you may not take an item out of someone’s pouch for example). You may, of course, ask in character for someone to give you an item to skip the search (and threaten them if they don’t).

Unresisting people can be carried with two hands, which need not be empty but can’t be used for anything else while carrying. Carrying casualties is physrepped by telling them you’re carrying them and them walking, not actually carrying or dragging people.

Roleplaying Effects

Many EFFECTs and elemental touches and some wounds apply roleplaying effects, such as emotions or an altered state of mind. It's up to you how you respond to these roleplaying effects, but they should change your behaviour; you can't just push through them. These effects represent particularly strong influences that require an equally strong effect to counter them, such as a skill or counter effect - simply playing a brave character is not sufficient to overcome a call of EFFECT: Fear for example, but the Iron Will skill can.

Roleplaying effects will have a strong effect on you immediately and then often recede, to recur at dramatically appropriate times. This means you don't need to roleplay being angry constantly while under an EFFECT: Anger, but should become angry immediately, then, while still under the effect, become angry again at appropriate times.

It's up to you how you express a roleplaying effect. For example, if someone uses EFFECT: Anger to encourage you to get angry at the person you're talking to, you can do that, or instead choose to break off and stride up to a rival and express anger at them over previous slights, or to turn to the person who used the skill and express anger at them trying to manipulate you.

Non-combat and non-contact

You can always remove yourself from a combat scene entirely by putting your finger in the air, moving aside and then dropping to zero hits and becoming incapacitated. Call STOP THE GAME if you're unable to safely move away.

Players agree to be hit by larp-safe weapons unless they ask to be non-contact. This can only be done for the entire event. A player who is non-contact cannot be hit by weapons, nor wield them in combat. Instead anyone wishing to apply a melee call to a non-contact player closes to melee range, points and makes the call. To encourage attackers to err on the side of caution with regards to physical safety, if there is doubt as to whether the attacker is in melee range or not, the benefit of the doubt will go to the attacker. To throw a weapon or fire a bow or crossbow at a non-contact player, aim then call the effect then discard your ammunition. Being non-contact is not the same as being non-combat; other characters can decide to attack you using this procedure if they deem it appropriate and should feel free to do so.

Death

Characters die when they reach the end of the Terminal state, either because they choose to die at that time, run out of time, or are instructed to by a ref.

Reanimation can temporarily restore a terminal character to full functionality, but they will still die at the end of their terminal state. There is currently no known way to completely restore a terminal person to life, but legends speak of people making pacts with elementals in return for returning from the brink of death, but the price described is always dire, and they say they never quite came back the same...

There is no way to "execute" a character to push them from Terminal to Dead. You should factor this in if you plan to murder someone; that it may be difficult to impossible to silence them depending on their resilience. If a player abuses this by being disruptive rather than dramatic in their terminal state, attract the attention of a ref and if appropriate they will step in and instruct them to wrap things up and die.

Once a character has gone from Terminal to dead, there is absolutely no way to resurrect them. Reanimation can still allow a conversation with the corpse (with the player's agreement).

Calls and Combat

• You should roleplay a visible reaction to DOUBLE, TRIPLE and WEAKEN calls, so the caller knows that you’ve taken the call.
• Calls are spoken out of character, but you are aware in character of any calls you witness around you, including RESISTs, unless it's an EFFECT that specifies you're unaware of it. For example, if someone strikes with a sword and calls "TRIPLE!", you can see by looking that it was a much more damaging blow than usual.
• If two mutually incompatible calls affect you, other than EFFECT, then take the most recent one. If two emotion EFFECTs clash, you can choose which affects you more strongly. If two other EFFECTs clash, see a ref.
• Touch range calls can only be made when you are able to touch the target. You do not actually need to touch the target to apply the call.
• You can’t carry thrown weapons or a bow or crossbow unless trained.
• If you are somehow incapacitated for some time and no help is forthcoming, then attract the attention of a ref.
• You begin each event with your maximum hits.
• When you lose maximum hits, you lose the same number of hits, to a minimum of 1.
• When you gain maximum hits, if you're currently on maximum hits you increase to your new maximum hits. If you're not on maximum hits, or your maximum hits was 1, you don't gain hits.
• If your maximum hits is somehow reduced to 0, see a ref.
• Inform a ref if you plan to engage in physical PvP. If you PvP without a ref present and there’s contention, the benefit of the doubt will go to the defender.

Skills

• An Unresisting target is one who cannot or chooses not to make any attempt to resist a roleplayed action made against them. Incapacitated and Terminal characters are always unresisting. Any level of resistance is enough to disrupt a skill that requires an unresisting target; you should assume a target is resisting if able, unless they are roleplaying acceptance or playing possum.
• Any skill that requires touch range appropriate roleplay requires an unresisting target unless otherwise specified.
• When performing any roleplay that requires an unresisting target, it should be clear to close observers, and especially the target, that you’re performing a skill on them.
• Another character can resist for an unwilling target; placing their hands in the way is sufficient. You cannot resist for a willing target.
• Touch range skills can be used on yourself unless otherwise specified.
• If you are leading a skill and stop roleplaying the skill is cancelled with no consumption of resources.
• If participating in but not leading a skill and you stop roleplaying your contribution is lost from the result and you cannot rejoin.
• You automatically stop performing a skill if incapacitated.
  • STUN does not stop you performing a skill.
  • REPEL only stops you from performing a skill if it removes you from a location the skill must be performed in (such as repelling you away from something you’re inspecting, or being repelled out of the area a ritual is being performed in).
• When performing a skill you cannot use another active skill (with a small number of exceptions specified in the skill description) or attack. You can block or parry as long as you otherwise continue your roleplay.
• When participating in a skill led by another character (such as an Investigation or a ritual), you are aware of which skill they are using.
  • Note that for rituals the skill is always simply “Lead Ritual”. A ritual lead may mislead you as to the exact ritual you are participating in.
  • When participating in a ritual led by another character, you will understand the true effect at its conclusion.
  • If you plan to perform a ritual in a covert or obfuscated way you should inform a ref.
• If you believe you're having the same ritual cast on you a second time in a day, inform the caster.
• If you believe you're casting the same ritual on a target the second time in a day, inform a ref.
• Skills can be learned between events. You can also learn a skill in uptime from a character with that skill with at least 5 minutes of teaching roleplay.
• Skill slots can be left empty and then learned later.

Looting and interacting with bodies

Items held in the hands and visible weapons can be taken from an unresisting target, but any other game items can only be forcibly removed via a Search action (so you may not take an item out of someone’s pouch for example). You may, of course, ask in character for someone to give you an item to skip the search (and threaten them if they don’t).

Unresisting people can be carried with two hands, which need not be empty but can’t be used for anything else while carrying. Carrying casualties is physrepped by telling them you’re carrying them and them walking, not actually carrying or dragging people.

Roleplaying Effects

Many EFFECTs and elemental touches and some wounds apply roleplaying effects, such as emotions or an altered state of mind. It's up to you how you respond to these roleplaying effects, but they should change your behaviour; you can't just push through them. These effects represent particularly strong influences that require an equally strong effect to counter them, such as a skill or counter effect - simply playing a brave character is not sufficient to overcome a call of EFFECT: Fear for example, but the Iron Will skill can.

Roleplaying effects will have a strong effect on you immediately and then often recede, to recur at dramatically appropriate times. This means you don't need to roleplay being angry constantly while under an EFFECT: Anger, but should become angry immediately, then, while still under the effect, become angry again at appropriate times.

It's up to you how you express a roleplaying effect. For example, if someone uses EFFECT: Anger to encourage you to get angry at the person you're talking to, you can do that, or instead choose to break off and stride up to a rival and express anger at them over previous slights, or to turn to the person who used the skill and express anger at them trying to manipulate you.

Non-combat and non-contact

You can always remove yourself from a combat scene entirely by putting your finger in the air, moving aside and then dropping to zero hits and becoming incapacitated. Call STOP THE GAME if you're unable to safely move away.

Players agree to be hit by larp-safe weapons unless they ask to be non-contact. This can only be done for the entire event. A player who is non-contact cannot be hit by weapons, nor wield them in combat. Instead anyone wishing to apply a melee call to a non-contact player closes to melee range, points and makes the call. To encourage attackers to err on the side of caution with regards to physical safety, if there is doubt as to whether the attacker is in melee range or not, the benefit of the doubt will go to the attacker. To throw a weapon or fire a bow or crossbow at a non-contact player, aim then call the effect then discard your ammunition. Being non-contact is not the same as being non-combat; other characters can decide to attack you using this procedure if they deem it appropriate and should feel free to do so.