Learning The Basics

Below we have detailed the basics for being able to Role-Play your character, and the general rules you'll need to know to get started using your Traits and Abilities and such on your Character Sheet to do things, In-Character. Generally speaking, it is far more important that you know how to interact with other people, In-Character, than it is to keep track of traits at such. Game mechanics can be learned at any time, but Role-Play is something you either get or do not.

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Don't Be Yourself

It's of the utmost importance to remember that while you are playing a Live Action Role-Play game, you are not supposed to act like yourself. You're supposed to be the embodiment of whatever character you are playing at the moment. In simplist terms, respond to other people like your character would respond to their character, and never let arguments from Out of Character (OOC) travel over into In Character (IC) or visa versa. Keeping agreements or differences in opinion separate between IC and OOC interaction is the sign of a good RPer.

The most important thing is the seperation of Character from Player. You shouldn't be worrying about what another person might be doing to you, using their character. You should really only be concerned with what that other "person" (IC) is going to do to "you" (IC). If you try to see the reasoning as only the motivations of a Mun (Player), then you're going to be enjoying game far less. When all else fails, force yourself to beleive that the reason they are doing something or know something IC is because of information they've gotten IC (inaccurate as it might be).

Furthermore, if you end up trying to do things IC for OOC reasons, the other Players and the Storytellers will all call you on it. If you actually end up killing another Character for OOC reasons, then you best beleive that our Storyteller (ST) will find a reason to take your character out of Game too. That kind of crap will not ever be tollerated at this game, and Players who proceed in such endevours may be asked to leave¹

Secondly, it's important that you have fun. If you are not having fun, approach the ST with your concerns about what's happening with you or your character. I can reassure you that the ST would be much more intersted in you having fun than you not having fun. This also includes if you are, in fact, having trouble with another Player and cannot work it out with them OOC. If that happens, then approach the ST with the trouble as he may be able fix the situation or explain to you why something is happening IC. If you ever fear that someone is using OOC motivations for IC actions, consult with the ST and he may be able to either look into the situation or tell you, "No, that character has reasons for thinking that." Ether way, he can take care of whatever it might be that's troubling you.

Traits are Like Ammunition

Throwing Things at Other People

Now it's time for the actual mechanics of the game. When you get right down to it, most everything at game is Rock/Paper/Scissors. If you've never played the game before, it goes a little something like this: Paper covers Rock, which breaks Scissors, which cuts Paper (easy enough, right?) It's a lot more simple than Table Top, but it goes a bit quicker which is important in the case of LARP. If you always had to throw to attack, do damage, and then soak, LARP would take far to long, and it would take you away from playing your character.

Interactions are set up as Challenges. A fight, for example, will be comprised mostly of Physical Challenges. This is where your Traits on your Character Sheet come into play. Here's an example:

C.C. (as her friends call her) needed to interrogate a civillian who knew what had happened to her father here on the streets of New York. She confronts the man, and he tries to run. C.C. desides she's going to toss him somewhere so that she might ask him "harder".

Her mun says "Physical Challenge", and says "I am Quick enough to grab the man by the collar and throw him into the alleyway." to which the ST says (for the NPC) "I am Agile enough to get out of the way." The ST counts to 3, and on three (not three, and then go), the ST and C.C.'s Mun throw R/P/S. ST throws Rock and the C.C.'s Mun throws Paper. This guy is a normal human, who's never been in a fight before, so he has no Retest.

C.C. throws the man into the alley, and is going to pick him up and hold him to one of the walls of the adgacent builtings.

C.C.'s Player says "Physical Challenge" again, but the ST says "Renege" (ri-nig') Reneging is kind of important, and I'll tell you why: Whenever you are doing a Challenge, you are bidding Traits, right?. In the above example, C.C. used Quick, and the NPC used Agile. The NPC lost (and had no Retest) so the NPC now looses his Agile. If he had a total of seven Physical Traits, he now only has Six because he lost his Agile.

Now, having said that, Renegging is effectively surrendering or giving into that action. The ST says the man Renegs, so C.C. picks him up and holds the man up against the way. Since there was no Challenge, no Traits are bid, and no one looses Traits. In that way, if the man desides that he's going to try and make a run for it, he's still at Six Traits instead of maybe being down to Five (or lower) when the time comes.

Keep in mind, there are some actions that you cannot Renege to for one reason or another. Perhaps it's a Physical Challenge, or the ruling of a Gift, or just the way the scene is playing out. The Storyteller, of course, has final say on what you can and cannot Renege to, so always keep that in mind.

So, C.C., in her white leather jacket with the bright pink heart/Glass Walker glyph on the back of it, neon pick lipstick, pink colored hair, tries to intimiated the man. In Role-Play terms, this isn't working, so C.C's Mun says "Social Challenge: I am threatening enough to make you tell me who captured my father," and her action continues with C.C. pulling out a knife and holding it to the man's throat. C.C. bids "Intimidating" and the NPC is "Determined enough not to be threatened by the girl in all pink.

Once again, the NPC (played by the ST) looses the test. This time, however, it turns out the NPC is good a lying because the ST says "Retesting with Subterfuge". The is, in effect, the same Challenge... just extended. Since the NPC is better at being able to lie than just being Determined enough not to tell C.C. anything, it's possible he's got enough skill in Subterfuge to convincer her that he knows nothing. The ST trows Scissors and C.C. throws Paper, and the NPC wins... and this is what your Abilities are for. Retests allow you a "second chance" to win in a Challenge. If you loose the Retest, you loose your Ability (and the Trait you used in the first place). In this case, C.C. lost the to the Retest, so her Intimdating is now gone. The NPC won, so he keeps both his Determined and his Subterfuge.

Now, keep in mind, both people get Retests... so C.C.'s mun could then say "Retesting with Intimidation" which is an Ability associated with the Trait of Intimidating. If she wins that test, the NPC looses his Subterfuge, and she ends up winning in the end. If she looses, then she's lost both her Intimidating and her Intimidation. But, keep in mind, you don't have to Retest. Much like Renigging to a Challenge, just because you have a Retest does not mean you have to use it. You may want to save it for something later.

Now, that's how normal challenges will play out. You can Renege to a Challenge to save your Traits, and you can also deside not to Retest if you wish to save it for later. Otherwise, LARP interactions of this kind tend to go fairly quickly. I mean, sure, it's always a better idea to RP it out if you can, but (mostly with Combat) this is how you'll do it, if you and the other player cannot reach an RP "agreement".

This is Only a Test

From time to time, you may need to do a Static Test. Statics are ones in which you will not loose Traits from, and are often what equates to an If-Then statement in LARP.

Thomas Ivanov (Shadow Lord) tries to set up an angry mob for attack by his Septmates. He's been followed down an alleyway, but he knows his pack his not far behind him, one street away. He's alread surrounded by his assailants, so he calls out for his Challenge to do the Gift "Clap of Thunder". As they all close in, he pulls his hands out to his side, waiting until all of them are close enough for best effect.

Clap of Thunder causes a rumble of thunder to come out from Thomas as he enacts the Gift (in this case, by slapping his hands together). This calls for a Static Mental Challenge, to see who is knocked off their feet or not when he uses the Gift. If those who oppose win, they are unaffected. If they loose, they are stunned for a certain number of turns (One plus an additional per Mental Trait spent as he inacts the Gift) and cannot act.

Win or Lose, those who take part in a Static Challenge do not loose Traits if they Lose. They are most commonly used by the ST's as a way to gauge if a person or group saw, heard, or smelled something. The Test itself is only ment as a Hit or Miss and not a direct action towards one other person.