After The Fall

Combat

If role-playing is the heart of After The Fall, then combat is the soul of ATF. There is no doubt that the heart-pumping adrenaline rush we get from a combat situation is fun and one of the main reasons people LARP. Let's focus on one word here: "FUN". Combat should be fun. Fun for all involved. That means players and cast. Last time we checked injuries are not considered "fun" so the first tenet of ATF combat is safety. You should NOT be so deep into playing your character that you forget that ATF is a game.

Losing control, swinging too hard or aiming at the head or groin are all examples of dangerous behavior and it will not be tolerated.

Courtesy is also another factor you should take into consideration in combat. Pushing your way in front of another person who is already engaged with an opponent is fun for you but not the first person. Swarming an opponent is good battle strategy but hardly fun for the cast member being beat on by fourteen people. It also isn't very much fun for the fourteen people as the combat lasts all of three seconds. Remember that one-on-one combat is usually the richest in the fun factor followed by small group fights. There are times you should wait in readiness if a friend is in combat. They will call for assistance if they need it and THEN you can wade in and become the hero by saving their sorry butt.

Legal targets for combat exclude the following: Head and Neck, Groin, Hands from the wrists to the fingertips, Feet from the ankle to the tips of the toes. If a character takes a melee hit to any of these areas the person should call out the body part hit so that the attacker will know that their attack missed a legal area and that the target is not cheating.

Missile combat and psionic combat present a small exception to these illegal areas. Many characters duck and twist in combat. Once a missile weapon is fired or a packet thrown the attacker cannot guide the object or pull back at the last moment. Characters often times move into or duck into the path of a packet or action ball that was aimed squarely at the their torso or even another target altogether and thus they are hit in the head or other illegal location. Although the head, hands etc. is NEVER a target to be aimed for, if the targeted person is hit anywhere on their person by a bullet, crossbow bolt, dart-thrower dart or packet, they should take this as a legal hit. However being hit in the head by a melee weapon is never taken as a "hit" as daggers, swords and the like are much more controllable.

Missile Combat

Missile combat is a big part of ATF. The use of spring powered guns and modified paintball markers firing foam "action balls" is very safe as long as a few rules are observed.

"Proper" eye protection MUST be used at all times: Period. No debate. You forget to put on your glasses, you may be told to leave and will not receive a refund. This is a clear and unambiguous statement. Please understand how serious we are about this.

Spring powered guns and modified paintball markers must be approved by ATF. At this time only the spring guns sold by the Adventurer's Outlet and the paintball markers rented or sold at ATF events are the only phys-reps for firearms that are allowed. You may purchase one of these if you wish to have your own personal firearm.

Only foam balls supplied by ATF are to be used in markers or spring guns. Needlers, crossbows and their bolts must be approved for use by ATF. By far the safest and most acceptable needlers and crossbows are Nerf brand and nerf-type. (They may be painted to look less toy like.) Do not allow any foreign substances to cling to the foam ball before loading. Dirty or damaged action balls should be exchanged for clean and undamaged ones. NEVER actively aim for the head, face or groin.

The "bullet" represented by the foam ball is an electrically charged explosive round. No matter where it hits on the body, it is considered to be a torso shot. It is considered a "hit" even if it strikes a head, hand or foot. These areas should never be targeted. However if they are struck, the target should "take the hit." It is also consider to be a torso hit if the ball strikes a shield, backpack or a weapon being held as these things are directly connected to the target. It is NOT a hit if the ball strikes flowing clothing such as a cape unless it would have intersected your body as well, (why you would wear a cape is beyond us but...)

Note: The above paragraph also applies to needler darts, packets and stickyballs. If it hits a shield or weapon, it is considered to be a torso hit on the target.

Blowgun darts, all crossbow bolts and hand thrown weapons can be safely blocked with a shield.

Needler darts are considered to be armor-piercing. These darts bypass armor and do their one point of damage directly to vitality. A dart may be poisoned but that one dart must be the first one fired from a needler if it is a semi-automatic model.

Psionic Combat

The easiest way to describe psionic combat is to say that it is the physical manifestation of the power of the mind. Many parallels to the magic systems in a Medieval era Larp can be drawn and it is probably fair to say that psionics are the "magic spells" of ATF.

Psionic combat consists mainly of two steps. The first is a verbal invocation that tells what discipline, (power), is being used. The second step USUALLY consists of throwing and hitting your target with a packet. (A packet I basically a small square of cloth that is wrapped around a spoonful of bird seed. See the appendix for construction techniques of packets.)

Packets are considered to be out of game items. They cannot be stolen and do not count toward any rule that states that a hand must be empty. They are just not there and characters should act as if they don't exist until a discipline is invoked and a packet is being thrown. The packet then represents the physical energy of the mind.

A few psionic disciplines require no packet. In the case of these disciplines the first step is usually identifying the target in some manner. (Pointing may not be enough, you may have to identify the target by color of clothing, position, weapon carried etc.) The second step is the invocation.

The invocation should be stated as completely and as close to what is written in the rules as possible. Invocations are usually short and give the target all the information that they need to know to role play the effects of the discipline. (eg: Mind Blast! Damage 3 to vitality.) There is no such thing as a fumble in ATF. As long as the invocation is understandable but with a word or two slightly off or out of sequence, the discipline still works. Play to the intent of the rule not to the letter of the rule.

Feeling The Hit

There will be times that the target will not feel a bullet, packet or dart hit and thus not "take" the hit. (They just didn't know they were hit.) The attacker may then consider that the attack did not occur and if they had used a skill call or psionic discipline, that psionic discipline or missile/melee skill is still available to them to use later. The target is the determining person in this case.

Note: If the target believes that a shot hit, then it hit. If the target believes that it missed, then it missed. Do not get into an argument over cheating etc. If you feel that a certain person is not taking the proper hits, then report it to an ATF staff person. Remember this is a game, you are asked to be "on your honor" and we are all here to have fun.

Melee Combat

Melee Combat in ATF is simulated by using "boffer" weapons made from foam, PVC and other materials. Strategy, movement and quick thinking are as much a part of combat as physical ability. The idea is to simulate swordplay without actually hurting your opponent. All LARPers know the rush of excitement when "close/melee" combat occurs but you need to be aware that this adrenaline may fuel your swings. In real combat you would swing with all your might hoping to smash through your target's defense and crush them like the disgusting bug they are... urrr... that is, in real life combat you would be swinging very hard trying to break through your opponents defenses. In boffer combat this is prohibited. Swings and stabs should be delivered with enough force to be felt but not with such force that it hurts. The attacker should learn to "check" or pull back on their swing at the last moment and the blow should be a firm tap, not a crushing smash.

Different people have different tolerance levels to pain. A tap that you might feel was appropriate may be too hard for another individual. If you are hit by a swing you felt was too hard then you should tell the attacker, "Caution, your swing was too hard" and do not count the damage. This does NOT make you a cry-baby, wuss or a bad role player. LARP combat is about fun and it is not a real-life combat situation. The attacker should adjust their swings to their target's comfort level. If the attacker continues to swing too hard, or swing dangerously then you should tell them that you are terminating this combat and walk away and make a report to an ATF staff person. Please do not get into arguments over this. Combat is supposed to be fun.

NOTE: Please remember, there is a real person under that mutant makeup or robot mask. The cast personnel are actors that are there for your enjoyment and their own enjoyment. That opponent that is trying to kill you is really a friendly, real-live-person and not the nasty thing they are portraying. Play nice with the "monsters."

Any cast member or player who earns a reputation as an unsafe fighter is a danger to everyone and may find that no one wants to interact with him or her. If you are unsafe, you may be barred from combat or even suspended from attending ATF events. Acting in a safe and courteous manner will insure that this never happens.

Prohibited Tactics

Baseball Swings are never appropriate. You do not need to wind up and swing at your opponent. A swing from 90 degrees or less is proper.

Charging occurs when an attacker moves aggressively toward a target and comes within an arm's length of the target before stopping. The target feels that the attacker is in danger of actually crashing in to them and often finds themself in fear of real physical hurt. Charging is sometimes accompanied by pushing your shield up against your opponent or your opponent's shield and swinging over the top of it. This action is also considered to be charging even if no actual physical contact occurs. Charging is illegal.

Hand or Foot Blocks are prohibited tactics. You may not actively use a hand or foot to block an attack. While a hand or foot is an illegal target in melee combat and no damage is taken if these areas are accidentally struck, it is considered cheating if you intentionally use your hand or foot to grab or block an opponent's sword swing.

Note: Blocking a weapon swing with a missile weapon, (like a paintball marker or crossbow), is prohibited as well. Missile weapons are not padded and thus would prove a danger if used in this manner.

Machine Gunning or Drum Rolling occurs when the target is hit repeatedly with rapid strikes to the same spot. In real life you would have to draw your arm back and swing or stab hard. Of course at ATF you will draw back no more than 90 degrees, (see baseball swings above) so using a repeated "fast" wrist motion is tempting. This is unrealistic, as real swords are heavy and somewhat slow. If you Drum Roll, the target should only count the first hit in the series. Moving the target point for each subsequent hit, (arm to leg to torso and then back to leg etc.), will prevent you from drum rolling.

Shield Bashing occurs when a character uses their shield to push or lean against an opponent or their weapon. Shield bashing is also swinging your shield wildly while in combat. (People are more afraid of getting smacked by the shield than fighting you.) Although shields are padded, they have less "give" than a boffer weapon and must never be used to strike an opponent.

Shield Safety: The best suggestion that we've ever heard about using a shield safely was to grab the front of your shirt with the fingers of the hand holding the shield handle. That way the shield stays close to the body and doesn't become a safety issue.

Trapping occurs when a character uses a weapon to hold their opponent's weapon immobile against a wall, table or other object. In real life the opponent could push you, kick you or do something else to free their weapon but none of those things are allowed at ATF. (It is a good strategy but unfortunately prohibited.)

Turtling occurs when you crouch low to the ground and hide behind your shield with only head and feet exposed. Both the head and feet are illegal targets and the only way for your opponent to overcome you is to hit you in the head, which is against the rules of safe combat.

Fighting Distance: Overall the best and safest distance for combat is roughly the length of one's weapon. Combat is like a dance. Move in, strike your opponent once or twice and then move back a step or two. Repeat as needed! There is nothing quite so satisfying as a good movie-style sword fight.

Retribution Swings are swings that deliberately target illegal areas or are intentionally swung hard to cause pain. Often they may be referred to as "payback swings" to teach someone who just hit you in the head or too hard, a "lesson."

Anyone, cast or player, that engages in this sort of activity will be suspended from ATF.