Basic Rules

Hit Points and Basic Combat

Beings have one or more hit points. Weapons do SINGLE damage by default - that is, being hit by a weapon causes you to lose one hit point. You don’t need to call this when you strike with a weapon, but you may if you wish to make it clear that you intend to cause a point of damage.

Player characters begin with 3 hit points.

You can only make one call or successful attack per second.

Noncombat Characters

Some players may be unable to take part in physical combat or not wish to for personal reasons. In this case, they should make the organisers aware so that they can brief other players to not attack them. Instead of attacking a non-combat character, you should call damage against them once per second once you are in range to make an attack. Do not mime swinging your weapon. If someone mistakenly thinks you are a noncombat character and tries to do this, politely correct them and continue.

Wounds and Dying

If you are reduced to zero hit points, your character is now incapacitated. You can’t fight and can only stagger around. You should make it clear that you’re wounded, incapacitated and (mostly) helpless. If you regain hit points, you cease to be incapacitated.

If you have been injured in combat to the point where you were incapacitated during an encounter, ask a ref for a wound card at your earliest convenience, usually after the encounter has ended.

If you have been incapacitated for at least two minutes, you may recover one hit point on your own. If you do this, notify a ref and they will give you an additional wound card.

Wound Cards

From being heavily injured, and through many other sources, your character may receive Wounds. These are represented by a wound card that will be handed to you by a ref. It will specify the roleplaying effects of the wound, along with any mechanical effects that it has.

A character has, by default, a wound limit of three - they can have three Wounds at a time. If they ever have four Wounds at the same time, that character is dead or beyond saving, and must retire by the end of the current event.

At the start of each interactive, your character naturally recovers from one Wound of your choice. Some more severe Wounds may have additional requirements to recover from them.

Range

• Touch range is close enough that you could reach out and touch the other character. This does not require you to actually touch them, and you should not touch another player unless you already know they’re comfortable with you doing so.
• Close range is five metres.

Under Pressure

Some abilities can only be used when not under pressure. If a combat encounter is occurring, you are always under pressure. Some other situations may count - in this case, a ref will inform you.

Encounters

Many abilities have uses that refresh each "encounter". These abilities refresh after 5 minutes. On a linear also after a clear change of location.

Searching

You can search a fallen foe when not under pressure. To do so, approach to touch range and inform them you’re searching them. They will give you any resources that they have been instructed to drop. You should not touch another player when searching them.

Calls

This is a list of the calls that you might hear and what they mean. A call is a word or phrase with a specific OC meaning. If you hear it directed at you, your character takes a specified effect.

Calls might be:

• Used alongside a melee attack, to indicate that the call is associated with that strike.
• Used with a description of a character. E.g. “You in the blue hat! TRIPLE!”
• Used as an area of effect - see the MASS modifier.

Some calls may be preceded by a descriptor. This is mostly to let you know how to react to it - e.g. THUNDER REPEL! might be a blast of thunder and lightning knocking you away, or LIGHT TRIPLE! a damaging beam of light. Unless you've been briefed to take these differently, you just take the rest of the call as normal. The most common descriptors are THUNDER, EARTH, FLAME, WATER, ICE, LIGHT and DARK.

If you use a call on someone and they don't appear to react to it, and they don't call RESIST, any resources used to make the call are refunded.

STOP THE GAME

This is an “emergency stop” call to indicate that there is an OC reason to halt gameplay and sort something out. This can be used for any hazard, not just injury. Lost glasses, a player panicking OC, or someone looking like they’re about to fall backwards over a log are all valid reasons to use the call.

TIME FREEZE

The refs need to change things around you, or describe something that can't be physically represented. If a ref starts to address you, listen. Otherwise, close your eyes and try not to listen too hard while they change things.

TIME FAFF

Usually used on linears. The refs need time to set something up up ahead, please roleplay amongst yourselves and don't go forward until you hear TIME IN.

TIME IN

Used at the start of the session to begin play and after a STOP THE GAME, TIME FREEZE or TIME FAFF to resume normal play.

ZERO

This effect deals no damage. This can be used if sparring in-character for deliberately non-damaging strikes.

SINGLE

This effect deals one point of damage. This is the default for melee weapons, and can be omitted unless it’s needed for clarity.

DOUBLE

This effect deals two points of damage. You should roleplay a reaction so the caller knows you've taken it.

TRIPLE

This effect deals three points of damage.

IMPALE

Lose all of your hits. IMPALE cannot be resisted except by abilities that specifically say they can.

SHATTER

If this hits a shield or ribboned weapon, it is broken. If it hits a limb, it is ruined and cannot be used until healed. If it hits the torso or an already ruined limb, take it as DOUBLE.

If delivered by a strike, it hits whatever the strike hit. If it's delivered by ranged call, it hits a shield first, otherwise a functional limb of your choice, otherwise the torso.

Ruined limbs are unusable and in pain. You must roleplay accordingly. You cannot use a weapon, buckler or shield with an arm that has been ruined. If one leg is ruined, you cannot run or walk, only limp. If both legs are ruined, you can’t use them to move, only stand in place.

A shattered weapon or shield can be restored with 5 seconds of uninterrupted roleplay repairing it.

HEAL

This effect restores all hit points and ruined limbs.

REPEL

This effect knocks you away. You must move away from the source for 5 seconds. If you block a weapon blow with this effect on your weapon or shield, you are not damaged but must take the rest of the effects of the call.

FREEZE

You cannot move your feet or make calls other than SINGLE for 5 seconds. If you block a weapon blow with this effect on your weapon or shield, you are not damaged but must take the rest of the effects of the call.

Would You Kindly

This call, which can be inserted into normal conversation, indicates mind control. Your character does their best to obey the command, by default for 30 seconds or until you take damage. When the effect ends, you’re aware that something unusual happened.

MASS

This call affects every target within close range. If the user indicates a cone with their arms, it instead affects everyone in that cone within close range.

RESIST

This is called to indicate that your call was taken, but had a lessened or altered effect.

CURSE

See a ref at the earliest convenient time, usually after the encounter has ended, and tell them you took this call.

TIME OUT

Used at the end of the session to indicate the current event has finished.

Equipment

You can use any melee weaponry, a buckler or shield.

Weapons longer than 42" must be used in two hands, unless they're used as a one-handed spear.

Weapons longer than 60" are shatterable. Please present them to the refs at the start of an event for a shatter ribbon.

Weapons longer than 60" can also be used to thrust if they have a thrust-safe tip.

A spear longer than 60" can be used in one hand, if held within 6" of the mid-point and used for thrusting only. You may not dual wield one-handed spears.

You may use a runic symbol in one or both hands for +1 hit point each. This can either be a rune drawn on the hand, or on an object held in the hand. If you benefit from a runic symbol that hand cannot be used to wield a weapon, buckler or shield in that encounter.