An approved prop is a prop that follows all construction rules and guidelines found in our item construction guide. This can be found on our website.
This indicates that you are physically behind another specific character. At minimum, your torso must be completely behind your target’s body to use an ability that requires you to be behind. Reaching over an opponent to strike at the back of an opponent does not count as attacking from behind. Imagine that your opponent is standing in a doorway with their shoulders touching both sides of the doorway. To count as attacking from behind your opponent, you need to be on the side of the doorway that their back is facing.
Bite is a call that represents attacks delivered with jaws or fangs. To use this ability, a character must successfully complete a "BITE(3)(Int, Res, Vol) call and then must immediately make a melee attack with the bite call attached. When you are hit with a melee attack that has the bite call attached to it, you will be given a bite card at the end of the encounter. Bite cards carry over between events unless they are treated. If your character accumulates too many bite cards (the specific number depends on perks and abilities you have selected), they suffer immediate Permanent Character Death.
To burn something means to remove it from your character. This does not count as damage. Certain abilities or items will request you to burn specific things. If you are required to burn an item, place that item in your out of game bag and return it to game ops the next time you visit there.
This is the maximum amount of things you can carry.
A checked weapon is a prop that has been checked by a member of staff that has been cleared to use in the game. These weapons will be marked with contact safe tape for melee weapons, or zip ties for blasters and other non-contact props.
When you have your torso in flat contact with a tree (at least a foot wide), a wall, or a similar large solid object, you have cover. You can also gain cover by being directly adjacent to tall grass or bushes that are large enough that you could fit completely inside them (you don’t have to go inside the foliage, for safety purposes). Certain perks or abilities require cover to activate abilities or grant bonuses while you have cover.
A defeated character is one that has reached the end of their dead count. This character will be required to leave play. After that, they will need to take a 30 minute break from playing their character before they can report to take an injury and return to play.
Downed is a condition that is caused by a character losing their last equipped health or durability flag. Being downed is similar to being beaten unconscious in real life.
When you drop a character, it means you have dealt damage to them that resulted in them losing their last equipped health flag. The character will then call “DOWNED” to signify that they are no longer acting in combat and have entered the downed condition.
Durability flags are very similar to health flags, and represent your robotic character’s overall health, and must be equipped visibly. They are represented by green flags with “hook and loop” fastener wristbands. You can also use the “loop” side of this material to create a flag attachment instead of a wristband. Flags and wristbands are provided by staff. Durability flags can only be picked up off the ground by staff, designated gleaners, or players with specific abilities.
You have your maximum number of limit flags equipped. As soon as you pull a limit flag for any reason, you are no longer fresh. If you regain limit flags for any reason and reach your maximum gain, you once again become fresh. If this happens during an encounter in which you have used an ability that requires you to be fresh, you do not regain that ability until after the current encounter ends.
Health flags represent your character’s overall health, and must be equipped visibly. They are represented by red flags with “hook and loop” fastener wristbands. You can also use the “loop” side of this material to create a flag attachment instead of a wristband. Flags and wristbands are provided by staff. Health flags can only be picked up off the ground by staff, designated gleaners, or players with specific abilities.
The health flag cap is the global limit of all player characters to only be able to equip a maximum of 5 health flags at any one time. In order to get more than 5 health flags you must have an ability or effect that specifically states that it can equip flags above the health flag cap and if you lose access to those abilities, you are once again subject to the health flag cap.
This keyword indicates that an ability or call must be used as quickly as possible. For example: if a perk states that after a focus count, you must immediately make a melee attack and call “HARM”, you need to make the melee attack and make the call within the next second or so, and you cannot hold the call for the next time you attack. If a perk does not state immediately, the call/attack/ability can be held, unless the perk otherwise lists a timeframe that the ability must be used in.
Injuries are cards with effects and rules on them that dictate the manner in which your organic character is injured. Injuries come in two different categories, major and minor.
A killing blow is the action of willingly making an attack on a character in the downed condition. This attack, if it causes the character to start a dying count, is a killing blow. Accidentally causing a dying count through area-of-effect attacks, or by attacking characters that skip the downed condition in some manner is not a killing blow.
Limit flags represent your character’s energy, stamina and drive to complete more powerful actions, and must be equipped visibly. They are represented by yellow flags with “hook and loop” fastener wristbands. You can also use the “loop” side of this material to create a flag attachment instead of a wristband. Flags and wristbands are provided by staff. Limit flags can only be picked up off the ground by staff, designated gleaners, or players with specific abilities.
The limit flag cap is the global limit of all player characters to only be able to equip a maximum of 5 limit flags at any one time. In order to get more than 5 limit flags, you must have an ability or effect that specifically states that it can equip flags above the limit flag cap and if you lose access to those abilities, you are once again subject to the limit flag cap.
A maintenance is both a roleplay opportunity, and a challenge in game to complete some sort of technical operation in a garage facility.
Malfunctions are cards with effects and rules on them that dictate the manner in which your robotic character is injured. Malfunctions come in two different categories, major and minor.
Your max health is the sum total of all health flags you are allowed to equip after all effects, perks, abilities and plot effects have been calculated. This number is limited by the health flag cap, and cannot surpass that cap without special circumstances.
Your max limit is the sum total of all limit flags you are allowed to equip after all effects, perks, abilities and plot effects have been calculated. This number is limited by the limit flag cap, and cannot surpass that cap without special circumstances.
When an ability states that you “may” do something, that means that you are allowed to take that action, but are not required to. Unlike the must keyword, may is optional.
When an ability states that you “must” do something, it means that the action referenced is mandatory and you have to perform that action as soon as possible or when specified by the ability. Unlike the may keyword, must is not optional.
Organic characters are characters who are non-robotic, living flesh and blood creatures. Characters of the Human, Mutant, Nomad, Stray, Unturned, Cyborg, Gentoo, Mook, Mutoid, Perfect Mutant, Rad-titan, Roadkill and Tech-Mutant are organic. Tech-Mutant is also robotic.
A drone character may choose another character to be their partner, allowing that character access to certain abilities or powers based on the drone’s chosen perks. The drone is responsible for informing their partner what abilities they are granted and how they are activated.
A party is a group of characters that are operating under the leadership of a character that has a Teamwork perk that allows them to form a party. The leader of the party grants the party members certain abilities or powers based on the leader’s chosen perks. The party leader is responsible for informing party members what abilities they are granted and how they are activated.
To pull] a flag, you take one of your equipped flags of the specified type and throw it to the ground. You can’t use the ability or item that requires you to pull a flag if you don’t have any of the required flags equipped. Pulling a flag does not count as damage for abilities that activate when you take damage or lose a flag. If you use an ability that allows you to pull a health flag or durability flag, or if your character uses limit flags as health and you pull your last flag, you are wounded, and not downed.
After you have made contact with an opponent, you need to cease attacking that opponent and allow your opponent to react to the damage that has been caused. You do not need to stop defending yourself, and you are not required to stop in place, but you must stop your aggression and advances on the opponent that you damaged. Any attacks you land during the time that the opponent is reacting will be ignored.
When players want to recover limit flags, they will either need to use items or abilities that recover limit flags, or they will need to rest in town. Resting recovers 1 limit flag. To rest, players must travel to the main game hub or town and take some time to recover from their exploits. The amount of time required to rest is detailed in the species entry for each species. Players can roleplay while resting, but if any of the following events occur, the rest fails and they must start over:
Restrained is a condition that is caused by another character or plot effect giving you the restrained condition. Restrained characters can be looted
Robotic characters are characters who are non-organic, metal and wire filled creatures. Characters of the Android, Drone and Tech-Mutant are robotic. Tech-Mutant is also organic.
A stealthed character has hidden themselves to such an extent that they are unable to be located without the use of special perks or abilities. When you encounter a stealthed character, you must act as if you do not see that character and are unaware that they are in the area, unless you have a perk or ability that states otherwise. For all mechanical purposes, unless you have a specific ability that says otherwise, a stealthed character is out of game to you. You cannot use melee or ranged attacks to effect them, as they are immune to them, and you must not attempt to use area of effect calls to attempt to affect them directly, other than ones that are granted by perks that are designed to be used against stealthed characters. To become stealthed, you must use a perk or ability that allows you to be stealthed. While you are stealthed, others will treat you as though you are out of game. While stealthed, you are immune to damage and calls, unless the call is a command to leave stealth. Players targeting you without abilities that allow them to be aware of stealth characters is prohibited. The Stealth Hand Sign is required for players that are stealthed.
A surgery is both a roleplay opportunity, and a challenge in game to complete some sort of medical operation in a hospital facility.
Unarmed props are short weapons, with a maximum 10 inches in length added to your reach that represent your fist.
Unarmored means that your character does not qualify as wearing light or heavy armor and is not carrying a shield.
A character with enough defense may choose another character to be their ward, allowing that character access to certain abilities or powers based on the chosen perks of the defender. The character with the ward ability is responsible for informing their ward what abilities they are granted and how they are activated.
A willing character is a character that agrees to allow you to use an ability. Using the out of character hand sign, ask the player if they are willing to allow you to use whatever ability that requires a willing character. If that player agrees, they are willing. If they do not, they are not willing. If you then change the action you asked about the target is then no longer willing. If the target is no longer willing at the time the ability is used (for whatever reason), you may regain any costs you paid for the ability used.
Characters have a maximum amount of XP that can be spent on perks over the lifetime of their character. This limit is 2000, unless specified otherwise. If a character reaches this limit, they can still gain XP and use it in any other way they have access to, but can no longer purchase perks for that character. This limit can be altered by special abilities.