After The Fall
General Notes
Some policy and rules sections inspired by and reprinted with permission
from our friends at Epic Ventures LLC who run the Prophecy Role-playing
game and Mythical Journeys LLC who run the Mythical Journeys Role-playing
game and the Connecticut Renaissance Festival.
Our most sincere thanks to our friends at both games for their kindness
to us and all the members of the Live Action Role Playing hobby.
These Rules are meant as a guide and as such the "spirit" of the rule and
not the most literal translation of the rule should take precedence. The
rules cannot cover every eventuality. Just because the rules do not forbid
a certain action, it is NOT proper to interpret a situation as being OK
because the rules do not expressly forbid the action. We ask that you not
be a "Rules Lawyer." It is reasonable to ask questions and have rules
clarified but common sense handles most situations. Twisting the literal
wording of a rule to gain an unfair advantage is just not right.
The characters, plots, background actions and activities portrayed at After
The Fall are not depictions of any persons living or dead nor depictions of
any real organization or place. They are purely fictitious in nature and
are part of After The Fall for enjoyment purposes only.
ATF is played on the "Honor System." We expect that you will be honest and
not cheat. Although this is not a novel concept we do wish to call your
attention to this. We ask you to play the game "on your honor." Your
character may lie cheat and steal as that is a part of his or her
character. What we want is for you personally to play fairly and with
honor. If you have a certain number of vitality points, then your
character should die when they are gone. Role-play the time needed to
produce an item. Pay for repair chits before you do the repair, (not hours
after when you finally have the credits.) Do not hide in-game items in an
out-of-game area. Don't use skills that you don't have or that have run
out. Don't ignore skill effects that hit you. Rather than have to contend
with skill tags and other items that you must turn in when you use a skill
or lose vitality and armor points, we have decided to trust you to be "On
Your Honor."
In some disputes an ATF senior staff person will ask a simple question.
"On your honor, did this happen in the proper manner?" If the answer is
"yes," the situation will probably end there. Misunderstandings or
misinterpretations will occur and we recognize that honest mistakes happen.
We will attempt to make things as "right" as we can between the parties but
this may not always be possible. The decision of the senior staff is
final. We do expect problems to be few and far between.
To assist you, you will be given a character card at the beginning of an
event and this card may be marked off by you to help you keep track of what
skills or Psionic points you have used. This is not required. We trust
you not to cheat…no matter how evil and despicable your "character" may
be!
We expect both players and cast to play ATF
On-Their-Honor.
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Prohibited Items and Actions
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Drugs, Alcohol, Real Weapons
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These are NEVER allowed. You will instantly be ejected from the game site
without refund if you are found with these items or if you are under the
influence of alcohol or non-medically prescribed medications. This
includes coming to an event "under the influence."
Leaving the site for a meal and having a drink with your meal or having a
drink during the non-game times of the event is also prohibited.
No one wants an even slightly impaired person swinging a boffer at him or
her.
You may bring a pocket knife or similar tool for utilitarian purposes such
as food preparation. This is considered a tool not a weapon.
Physical contact is strictly forbidden unless all parties give their
express consent. This applies particularly to the searching and moving of
both player and cast characters. This makes direct person-to-person
contact during combat against the rules. Please refrain from touching
anyone else without his or her expressed permission. The only physical
contact you may make with someone else without their permission is to
attack them with a packet, a missile weapon or a boffer weapon. If you are
within arm's length of the other person, YOU ARE TOO CLOSE
Open flames are prohibited at ATF.
No candles or other open flames are allowed in buildings. Campfires, when
expressly permitted by ATF staff, are allowed ONLY in one of the prepared
firepits in the camp and then there are safety requirements. (Water
buckets nearby, totally clear area etc.) If you are allowed to light a
campfire, one person must always be in attendance. If a fire is left
unattended, campfires could be banned at ATF events.
No combat may occur within 10 feet of a burning campfire. Camp stoves that
use propane for cooking may be used outside of buildings in a safe area.
Hibachi or charcoal stoves are not allowed.
Please do not yell "Fire" unless there really is an out-of-game emergency.
The command to fire guns should be "shoot!"
Live Action Role playing is NOT a spectator sport. Spectators, be they
friends, significant others, etc. are not allowed. Everyone is welcome to
play, and the staff will find Cast roles suitable for those who are only
interested in watching or role-playing. But every person on the game site
must be in-game for insurance reasons.
Blocking or holding a door with your body or furniture is not allowed. Do
not try to physically force or kick doors open.
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No Unsafe Stunts or Climbing
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Please do not climb trees or buildings, or jump out of windows, off
porches, large rocks, cliffs and the like. Common sense prevails even if
you "know" that "you" can do it safely. PLEASE do not do it. Other
players may see your actions as a challenge and want to outdo you, only to
hurt themselves or others in the process.
ATF is designed to be a "PG-13" game, and will occasionally deal with
mature themes and concepts. There are, however, certain themes which we
feel are inappropriate. The areas of rape and sexual abuse as well as
overly descriptive or vulgar "mock" torture are not to be used at ATF.
Threatening to break someone's knees is acceptable. A graphic description
of disembowelment is not.
We also ask that there be no intimate situations during the weekend, even
between consenting adults. Intimate situations can cause other people
distress. In addition we will have young adults at events. Refrain until
you are in a more appropriate setting, like at home.
Trash goes in a proper trash receptacle. (Trash bag, bucket or dumpster.)
The camp recycles cardboard, glass, steel and aluminum cans, and #1 and #2
plastics. Please rinse out recyclable items and place them in the proper
containers. (Keeping the costs low for the camp trash removal will keep
our rental costs down and will help the environment.)
We rent the camp for the event but we are still guests and should act like
guests.
The game is run for the enjoyment of cast and players. Everyone who
attends an event, be they staff or player, does so by invitation. The
invitation is an open one: of the proper age is welcome! However, if you
are abusive, cheat, are discourteous, etc., then you will be suspended for
a certain period of time and may not attend any ATF events. This may be
preceded by a warning, but a warning does not have to be issued before a
suspension.
A player may be ejected from the game and from the game site for major
transgressions. An ejection is forever. Someone bringing or using illegal
drugs to an event or attending an event while under their influence would
be ejected immediately and forever.
Real-life Laws still exist. Just because you are at a LARP these Laws are
not suspended. Anyone breaking real-life Laws, (stealing, assault, sexual
harassment, etc) will be ejected from the game and the real-life
authorities will be called.
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General Policies -- Safety
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Everyone, players and cast must wear proper eye protection at all times
at ATF.
Anyone that refuses to wear proper eye protection during the active game
times at ATF will be ejected from the game site without refund.
PERIOD.
We cannot make it any more plain than that. (Yes: Ejected means
forever.)
Glasses/goggles must protect the eye from hits from the sides. Eye
protection will be inspected before each game.
We will endeavor to have reasonably priced eye protection that you can
purchase at the game site but you should not count on buying it at the game
as we may sell out. If your eye protection slipped or needs adjustment DO
NOT remove your glasses in an in-game area. Move to an out-of-game area
(such as the bathrooms) and re-adjust your glasses. If this is not
possible call a "HOLD" until you are "safe" again.
We also recommend that you use groin protection as well as elbow and knee
pads to protect joints from falls. A helmet and facemask will also give
you extra protection and can enhance your role playing "look."
ATF uses a variety of items to simulate real weapons. These include
specially modified air powered guns (paintball markers), padded weapons
(boffer swords etc), water guns (supersoakers), and spring loaded guns as
well as a variety of nerf items. Each of these items presents a risk of
injury if used improperly. Your safety and the safety of other players is
the ultimate importance. Although it should go without saying, do not use
any item other than an boffer weapon, packet or foam missile to strike
another person. Spring guns, airguns, nerf guns and all the other missile
weapons are never to be used to strike another player.
All weapons must be inspected by the staff of ATF before every event. For
guidelines on weapon construction, consult the "weapon construction"
section of the Rule Book.
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Paintball Markers and Spring Guns
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You may NOT use your own "regular" paintball marker at ATF. The markers
and spring guns used at ATF are greatly modified to fire at a very low
velocity. Only the ATF approved markers and spring guns may be used at
ATF.
The basic model single shot spring guns retail for $30.00 plus
shipping and handling. There is a better looking model with a wood stock
available for $65.00 plus shipping and handling.
Spring guns are available for purchase through:
The Adventurer's Outlet
28 Bennett St.
Waltham, MA 02453
(781) 899-6094
E-mail bbecken@theadventurersoutlet.com
Only the soft foam balls supplied by ATF can be used in the spring guns and
air guns. Actual paintballs or other items are NEVER allowed to be shot
from a gun at ATF.
The single greatest safety risk you face in live role-playing is NOT
combat. It is running at night over rough terrain, risking falling and
bashing your brains out on a rock. To totally forbid running at night
would stifle too much of the action. HOWEVER, always use extreme caution
when running. Try to avoid pursuing other players at night.
There will be many instances during the course of the game when your
character will want to lift or carry another character. We encourage you
to "role-play" this action, rather than actually picking up and carrying
the other person. Take them by the arm and say "I carry you", at which
point the person you are carrying should get up and move with you, slowly,
as if you are carrying them. Both of you should move no faster than a slow
shuffle while you are role-playing this action.
Because someone could get hurt by picking up another person, or being
dropped by another person we ask that no one be physically carried. If it
is agreeable to BOTH persons, the person being carried can drape an arm
over the shoulders of the person doing the carrying.
The act of carrying or dragging another person precludes you from doing any
other action such as firing a gun or swinging a sword. Contrary to the
movies, this is very difficult and you are not Arnold Swartzenegger.
Be sure to ask the other person before taking them by the arm. The policy
of ATF is that there will be no physical contact without the agreement of
both persons.
There will be players or cast at ATF that may be noncombatant characters.
These are players or cast members who, for medical reasons and with the
knowledge of the ATF staff, choose not to participate in combat or other
strenuous physical activities but are still participating in role-playing.
These individuals can be recognized by the yellow armband they must wear
in a visible location at all times.
Under no circumstances are noncombatant players to be struck by any weapon,
packet, missile or in any other way. Similarly, noncombatant players may
not strike anyone with any weapon, packet, or the like. While noncombatant
players may not participate in the more physical aspects of game play,
their characters still run the risk of being killed. To do so, all an
opponent need do is come to within a weapon's reach of the noncombatant
player, point a weapon at them, and slowly state, "I kill you." If this
action is interrupted in any way, the life of the noncombatant player has
been saved.
Please do not use any form of yellow armband as part of your costume unless
you have been approved as a noncombatant player by the ATF staff.
ATF reserves the right to refuse to allow a person to be part of the ATF
event even using this non-combatant status.
There are certain areas within the site that are designated as No-Combat
areas. No combat is allowed in these areas for various reasons. There may
be breakable or dangerous props in the area. These areas will be announced
at the pre-game meeting and will also be marked with a sign stating that it
is a non-combat area.
There may be some areas that are designated as no-gun zones. These are
areas that shooting paintball markers inside of or shooting INTO these
areas is prohibited. There could be various reasons for this as well.
These area will also be announced at the pre-game meeting. These no combat
areas and limited combat areas may be entered for role-playing and other
in-game reasons, but no fighting or gunplay will be allowed.
Certain areas, such as the bathrooms are considered to always be non-combat
areas.
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General Policies -- Game Mechanics
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ATF is active from game start on Friday night until 2:00 AM when a
game-wide shutdown occurs. The game will resume at 9:00 AM Saturday
morning and be active until 2:00 AM when the nightly shutdown will occur.
Sunday the game will resume once again at 9:00 AM and the event will end at
Noon.
This nightly shutdown may be delayed by a small measure of time to allow a
module to finish or another situation come to a finish but after 2:00 AM no
further in-game actions may occur.
The nightly shutdown is to allow our cast and staff to get a whopping six
or seven hours of well deserved rest. (It ain't easy going up against you
players for seventeen hours!)
There is no "Out-Of-Game" at ATF except for medical purposes. You cannot
go out-of-game to eat, have a cigarette or to do other mundane actions. If
you are feeling ill and must rest or sleep undisturbed you will need to
hang a glowstick on your bunk as an indicator. (This obviously precludes
you doing anything if your cabin is invaded.) If you are ill and moving,
place a weapon crosswise on your head as if you were a corpse.
If you are going to the showers during game time, bring your weapons. You
cannot be attacked inside the bathrooms but you could be attacked on your
way to or from the bathrooms. (Ducking into a bathroom to avoid combat is
considered cheating. Attacking someone as they step out of the bathroom is
not cheating however it is bad role-playing. Let your target get twenty
feet or so away from the bathroom before attacking.)
Meta-gaming is using knowledge learned out-of-game for in game purposes.
There is no meta-gaming rule that applies to Players, so be wary of what
you talk about between games. If you say something to someone between
events, then they can know this information in-game. Plus anyone that
overheard your conversation also knows this information.
Some players choose to ignore things that are blatantly heard out-of-game.
While this is a great role-playing attitude, you should be aware that they
do not have to pretend that they do not know you assassinated their
character if you decide to brag about it in the car on the way home or in
some other non-game venue.
Players who Cast for us are unable to use any information acquired while
casting. It is assumed that Players who also Cast are experienced enough
to handle this.
All participants, Cast and Players, at ATF must sign a waiver form. If
there is no signed release form on file, you may not stay on site.
ATF has an open invitation policy for individuals eighteen years of
age and older.
ATF will accept players under the age of eighteen conditionally on a case
by case basis.
One of the conditions is that a parent or adult guardian must also be on
site as an ATF player or cast member. There are other conditions. You
should contact the ATF staff by e-mail BEFORE the event to discuss these
conditions.
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Smoke in the ONE Designated Area ONLY
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We understand that you may wish to smoke during the course of the event.
However, there are many other players who do not want to smoke with you.
Please be courteous to them and smoke only in the designated area.
Take your cigarette butts with you or deposit them in the butt-cans
provided. Do not throw cigarette butts on the ground! If we find that
this is happening, smoking may be permanently banned from the game.
No flashlights or lanterns with "white" beams may be used at ATF. You can
modify flashlights and lanterns so that they emit a colored light by adding
a diffuser or film. Glowsticks/Chemsticks are the preferred basis for
light. You may carry a flashlight without a colored film or lens for
emergency use only, (such as getting lost in the woods.) PLEASE, even with
a colored diffuser on a flashlight, shining the beam directly on the
face/eyes of your adversary can cause temporary night blindness and thus it
is a dangerous action and should not be done.
Electricity in-game is a rationed item. The township will experience
brownouts and blackouts as part of the game. Cabin lights are considered a
luxury so the "white" bulb in your cabin should be replaced with a low
wattage colored bulb for use on those few occasions that there is enough
electricity in-game.
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Electricity (Out-Of-Game)
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Electricity in your cabin and in the bathrooms is limited in real-life as
well. Each cabin has a single light fixture and a single outlet.
The game site is a summer camp and the electrical system was not built to
support a heavy electrical load in real life. Electric heaters and even
the more powerful hair dryers will blow the circuit breaker.
Please do not use electrical devices that pull over 600 watts of power and
then only use one device at a time. (Every time we trip a breaker the
caretaker will have to be called. Not fun for him and ultimately not fun
for us.)
Any Religion overtones or plots in ATF are for role-playing purposes only
and are not endorsements or modeled after any real world religions.
Discussion of real world religion or the open wearing of real religious
symbols is forbidden in fairness to everyone.
Swearing is poor role-playing, and upsetting to some people. If you feel
the need for colorful language, stifle yourself or mumble incoherently as
that is usually more menacing.
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Do Not Insult Others Out-of-Game
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In-game insults are fine, but we should all respect one another
out-of-game. Unpleasant, out-of-game personal remarks, slurs on sex, race,
religion, or sexual orientation are not acceptable. Treat members of the
opposite sex with courtesy and respect. No one should be made
uncomfortable out-of-game by what other people are saying at an event.
This includes the ever-popular double-entendre. If you feel another player
is violating this policy, please contact a member of the Staff as soon as
possible.
Blatantly losing control of your actions or emotions (whether during combat
or because you are unhappy with the outcome of an encounter) leads to
dangerous situations and out-of-game offensiveness. If you feel like this
is happening, just step back from the situation for a moment to settle down
and remember "it is just a game."
You may certainly role-play that your character has lost control, but even
in that situation you must always keep safety first.
Setup: Set up for an event usually begins sometime during the day on
Friday. The time we are allowed on-site is determined by the camp. If you
wish to come earlier than 5:00 PM and help with set-up you will need to
contact the staff and verify the earliest time we can be on-site. You will
receive Character Points for helping us transform the camp into the
post-apocalyptic town of Rainbow.
Arrival:Unless you are approved to help with "early" set-up you
should not arrive at the camp before 5:00 PM on the Friday of the event.
If you pre-registered, and you know your cabin assignment, you may drive to
a spot near your cabin to unload your gear. Please do not block roads or
access areas. If you do not know your cabin assignment, stop at the main
dining hall and check the map to see if you have been assigned a cabin.
If you have not pre-registered, you may self-assign yourself
"temporarily" to a cabin that is marked, "Available for walk-ins."
This will most likely be your cabin assignment but it may change. We
suggest that if you want to stay in a specific cabin, you pre-register and
pre-pay. Write your name on one of the lines on the Walk-in cabin list so
that the cabin will not be overfilled.
Drop off your gear: Bring all of your equipment to your assigned
cabin and get into costume. After unloading your gear we ask that you move
you vehicle immediately and park in the area posted for parking. Please
take note of the position of the bunks in your cabin. If you move them,
they will need to be put back in the same locations before you leave on
Sunday.
Store your out-of-game gear under your bed. Once all of your gear is
properly stored you should get into full costume, with your armor and
weapons, return to the Check-In area.
If you are staying in a tent,
please let us know where it is located for safety reasons.
Note: Vehicles are forbidden on site during game play hours unless
there is a medical emergency. All vehicles must be parked in the
designated area(s).
Check In: Check-in will begin at approximately 6:00 PM and end at
9:00 PM . If you did not Pre-register/prepay we take "at-the-door"
registrations and payment. You should be in your game costume, wearing
armor (if any) and have all boffer weapons, markers, needlers etc. at
check-in so that a safety check can be made. You will be given a package
of items that will include a character sheet and possibly other items such
as "credits." If you are a brand-new player and have not completed a
character, you will move to an area where some volunteer players will help
you construct a character.
After getting your player package, you will move on to have your weapon(s)
checked for safety and your armor will be evaluated for a protection value.
If you have never played before, be sure to ask where and when the 'new
player meeting' is being held.
Renting A Gun:A limited number of spring-guns and air-guns will be
available for rent at ATF. They are rented on a first-come basis.
Pre-registered/prepaid players will be guaranteed a spring-gun rental.
Air-guns will be on a first come basis and air-guns are very limited in
availability.
Rental cost for a spring-gun is $5.00 for the weekend.
Rental cost for a air-gun is $15.00 for the weekend. (This does not
include the 12 gram CO-2 cartridges)
We will have the 12 gram CO-@ cartridges available at our "cost" at the
event. (Around 50 cents each.)
You MUST leave your driver's license as collateral when you rent a gun.
After Check-in: After you have completed the check-in process we ask
that you leave the check-in area. If there is still time before the new
player meeting or the general meeting you may wish to volunteer to assist
with set-up. This is a good way to earn extra character points.
Note: You may not wander around the camp before game start. Often
times there are encounter areas being set-up in the woods and in other
areas. Please stay in the cabin areas unless assisting with set-up.
New player meeting: The new player meeting is required for all new
players and cast. It will teach you the basic rules needed to play ATF.
We will go over game rules, basic safety, role playing, and a variety of
other things. This meeting is usually conducted at 8:00pm on Friday
night.
Opening meeting: At approximately 9:30pm on Friday night,
approximately a half-hour before game start, we have our opening meeting.
This meeting is essential for all Players to attend. We use this meeting
to give you vital information regarding safety, rules, and other issues or
changes. All Players must attend this meeting. You should bring all game
related items, weapons etc. to this meeting as the game usually starts
shortly after this meeting finishes.
GAME ON! ATF starts approximately at 10:00 PM on Friday night and
shuts down at 2:00 AM to allow the cast to get a few hours of well-deserved
rest. The game resumes at 9:00 AM Saturday morning. The game is active
until 2:00 AM when another game-wide shut down occurs. Play resumes again
at 9:00 AM on Sunday and the game ends at noon.
Players are NOT allowed in the woods to look for components encounters or
other items until after 9:00 AM on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Closing Meeting: Immediately after game end there is a brief wrap-up
meeting. Immediately after this meeting staff will be available for marker
rental returns and check-out.
Checkout: Immediately after the closing meeting you will turn in
your character card, in-game ID-Credit card, extra ammo, list of "illegal"
drugs taken, list of medicines taken, herbal and chemical components and
any yellow stickered prop items. Your character will receive the
appropriate items back at check-in at your next event.
Sunday Breakdown: After event closes on Sunday we begin transforming
the game-site back to the camp it once was. Players and Cast who help us
from start to finish with break down receive and additional ten Character
Points for the weekend. Make sure you sign in (and out when you are done)
with the breakdown project coordinator. You may be involved with breaking
down several areas. You are not considered finished with your project
until released by your project coordinator.
Note: If you are helping with breakdown for character points,
breakdown starts immediately after the closing meeting. ATF packs up first
then your personal gear.
Pack Your Stuff: If you are not assisting with the breakdown we ask
that you pack your gear and clean your cabin. Be sure to restore your bunk
placement to the original pattern in the building. All cabins must be
clean and the trash and recycling containers brought to the proper
areas.
Note: If a cabin is not clean when the camp caretaker does a walk-though
with the ATF staff, all persons sleeping in the cabin will lose the
character points earned for attending the event. You all live together in
the same cabin. You all have the responsibility to insure that it is
clean.
Camp-Check complete: Once we have fully completed breakdown and the
camp has been checked by the caretaker, we all go out to eat, talk , laugh,
and share adventure stories at a local Restaurant.
Aftermath: Within 2 weeks (14 days) you need to send in a Post Event
Letter commonly known as a PEL. Please use the PEL form on the website to
do this. If you do not have access to the website, you may mail a TYPED
PEL to Larry Swedis, 12 Ellis Road, Southbridge, MA 01550. It must be
postmarked or submitted via the website with ten days to receive the 10
character point bonus. We will accept PELS after the ten days for use in
determining plots etc. but you will not receive the 10 point bonus.
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Earning Character Points & Extra Character Points
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Your character grows within the world of ATF. You will earn Character
Points (CPs) that can be spent on new skills which will help you progress
at ATF. Just by attending an event, and leaving your cabin clean and neat,
you receive 20 character points. If you submit a Post Event Letter within
10 days you receive another 10 CPs. You can earn extra CPs by helping with
set-up and breakdown.
You can also earn ECPs (Extra Character Points) by helping ATF become a
better game. If you make or donate props, or perform some other service
that we need, you will be rewarded with Character Points. These points are
our way of saying, "Thank You for helping us out! We really appreciate your
assistance. Extra Character Points are generally awarded at a rate of 1
per hour of work except for breakdown on game Sundays. This breakdown is
usually a series of fast-paced projects where most players and cast work
hard and quickly to clean up our presence at the camp. Breakdown is so
intense that we reward you with 10 ECPs for around two hours of intense
help. These Character Points can be banked for use with your character or
we will also consider exchanging these CPs for other in-game items:
1 ECP: 25 Credits
1 ECP: 5 Repair Chits
5 ECP: Platinum health insurance plan. (Unlimited re-gen for one
event. 10 lines of code protected)
5 ECP: Protection of genetic code. Protects an additional 10 lines
of your genetic code from loss for one event.
10 ECP: Strengthen Genetic code (10% reduction in chance of
permanent death (one purchase per event)
100 ECP: Reset Genetic Code. Resets chance of permanent death to
starting percent. (One purchase per character.)
General Disclaimer