Chapter 3

RULES

Everyone using or participating in an event that uses this system is required to read, know and follow these rules. Ignorance is not an option. Breaking these rules can get you removed from the event without a refund.

Basic Rules

#1. DON’T BE A DICK (AND HAVE FUN)

Afterworlds is a game and there is no point in playing a game if it isn’t fun.

Don’t do things that might harm, upset or inconvenience other people out of game. In-character conflict is fine, but this should never escalate to out-of-game physical violence.

Cheating isn’t cool; take and call your hits. If you are infringing on other people’s ability to have fun, you are being a dick. If you are not having fun, please speak to a staff member, we will do what we can to make your experience better.

If you’re not sure whether something you’re about to do qualifies as being a dick, don’t do it. If you are caught willfully being a dick, you may be asked to take a break out of game or to not come back to future Afterworlds events. Repeated offenses will result in being permanently removed from an Afterworlds event site. 

#2. AGE LIMIT

You must be 18 or older to participate in an Afterworlds event. 

Do not bring anyone under 18 to the site of an Afterworlds event. Afterworlds will often contain content and roleplay inappropriate for children. Subject matter may include cannibalism, violence, drugs and alcohol or other adult content.

All attendees MUST provide an acceptable form of ID. We only accept the following forms of identification alone as proof of age:

• A valid state driver license with a photo
• A valid ID card issued by a state with photo, name, date of birth, & physical description
• A valid passport
• A valid U.S. military ID card

#3. ANIMAL SAFETY

For safety reasons, please do not bring animals to the site of an Afterworlds event.

#4. CONDUCT

We do not tolerate out-of-game harassment in any form. Afterworlds is committed to providing a fun experience for everyone, regardless of: ability, age, body size, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, physical appearance, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or technology choices.

Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the event without a refund at the discretion of the event organizers.

If you feel you have been the target of out-of-game harassment, please notify staff. 

#5. RESPECT THE SITE

Do not vandalize or damage property at an Afterworlds event site. Failing to follow this rule is a violation of Rule #1. Prosecution for damages is a possibility.

#6. DRUGS AND ALCOHOL

Absolutely NO ILLEGAL DRUGS on site. This is a zero-tolerance policy.

While the game world features imaginary drugs (“chems”), real illegal drugs will not be tolerated. If you are caught with illegal drugs, we will kick you off site and call the police. Alcohol is allowed in specially-marked areas for players 21 and over. Players who are too drunk will be asked to go out of game and sleep it off. Minors caught with alcohol, and anyone caught giving alcohol to minors will be kicked off site and reported to the police. 

#7. SMOKING

Smoking is only allowed on gravel roads and specially-marked smoking areas. Do not throw your cigarette butts on the ground. Failure to follow smoking rules can lead to a ban from the game.

#8. CLEAN UP

You are responsible for cleaning up your camping area at the end of an event. Please leave the area cleaner than when you found it. 

Afterworlds is a Pack-In and Pack-Out event. If you bring things that create waste, like food wrappers or packaging, expect to also bring them home.

Any receptacles that burn wood are NOT acceptable receptacles for trash. Failing to follow this rule is a violation of Rule #1.

#9. STAY HOME IF YOU ARE ILL

Unfortunately, it’s easy to spread communicable illnesses to others, especially while sharing event spaces and bathrooms. For the health and safety of yourself and others, you will need to head home if you feel sick at a game. Note: this rule does not apply to chronic, non-communicable illnesses. 

Safety Rules

Violation of any of these restrictions is a violation of Rule #1 and will be punished appropriately. Afterworlds is a physical game, much like a sport in some respects. To ensure fair play and minimize injuries, it’s vital that all participants abide by the following rules:

CONTACT IN GAME

Appropriate physical contact includes: 

• Contact with approved melee weapons. 
• Characters that have the ability to attack with their hands. 
• Monsters with natural attacks that TOUCH opponents with a call. 
• Careful and respectful thematic actions.

Inappropriate physical contact includes: 

• Physical attacks: Do not punch or kick, ever. 
• Checking: Do not push, trip or throw people.
• Holding: Do not grab, hold, choke, or generally restrain anyone without permission for physical roleplay (see below). 
• Headshots: All care should be made to avoid head shots. Any accidental headshots will not count as damage and will be considered a miss. Check in with your opponent after an accidental headshot to make sure they are ok.

Remember: All touch should be careful and light like in a game of tag. If any ability or item requires you to touch someone, and they do not consent to touch, being within arms reach of that player satisfies the requirement for touch.

PERMISSION FOR PHYSICAL ROLEPLAY

You must ask someone for permission to have contact with them for roleplay reasons, such as leading a prisoner, holding a hostage, helping an injured comrade, simulated torture, etc. Remember to be careful during physical roleplay and stop if the other player asks you to stop.

EYE PROTECTION

We advise game participants to wear eye protection while on site. We can provide limited eye protection or you can bring your own.

CALLING A HOLD

A HOLD may be called by anyone during combat or play when needed and appropriate.

HOW TO CALL A HOLD AND WHAT TO DO: 

• Shout “HOLD.”
• All people within earshot must echo the call and stop moving. No in-game actions may be taken in a HOLD.
• While a HOLD is active, players must stay in one spot unless they have a safety issue that requires them to move.
• All players must remain motionless and should not talk (unless staff ask them a question, or they can help with a safety issue) until the HOLD is done.
• While in a HOLD, players can look at the area in front of them and adjust their footing to maximize safety but may not look behind them or shift more than a few inches without a good reason. 

AT THE END OF A HOLD: 

• Once the cause of a HOLD is dealt with, a staff person present, or the person who called a HOLD should ask “EVERYBODY READY?”
• If no one answers in the negative, then a staff person present or the one who called a HOLD should say “GAME ON.” Everyone in a HOLD, who hears this phrase, should also shout “GAME ON.”
• Once you hear “GAME ON,” your character may resume in-game actions. 

APPROPRIATE TIMES TO CALL A HOLD: 

• When a player or other participant is visibly injured. 
• When a player or other participant is flagrantly violating the rules. 
• When someone is in danger of entering (real life) unsafe terrain.
• When a participant loses their eye protection.
• When a non-participant enters the course, especially if they are armed (a hunter, a member of law enforcement, etc.).

INAPPROPRIATE TIMES TO CALL A HOLD:

• When you want to switch weapons.
• When you need to reload.
• When your blaster is jammed.
• When it would slow down the action. Try to not call a HOLD unless player or non-participant safety is at risk if your questions can be answered later.

NON-PARTICIPANTS ON SITE

Combat may not take place when a non-participant is on site or nearby.

If a non-participant (anyone not playing the game) comes within eyesight of any player, that player should place any weapon representations on the ground or keep them holstered/sheathed.

Call “HOLD.” Keep your hands in sight of the non-participant and make no sudden movements. Politely ask the non-participant what their business is within the boundaries of this private game. If they have business, direct them towards, or send someone to get, the event coordinator. If they do not have any business on site, or just wanted to look around, inform them that this is a private simulation game with potentially dangerous weapon replicas in use, and for their own safety, ask them to leave. If you are not comfortable with doing so, send someone to get the event coordinator.

Do not call “GAME ON” until the non-participant is gone or otherwise taken care of. If you put a non-participant in danger, or cause them either emotional distress or injury, you WILL be removed from the game, and possible future games as well. Litigation may or may not be pursued as an option, depending upon the circumstances.

NIGHT-TIME GAMING

While we encourage players to adventure at night, we advise you to be careful. Running at night in a natural environment is a risk you take on your own accord. Note that staff services are closed after certain hours, which will be posted before each event.

DO NOT FIGHT WHILE SMOKING

Put all cigarettes out before engaging in combat for the safety of you and other players. Note that smoking does not remove you from play, so other players are free to attack you even though you are prohibited from fighting back.

Roleplaying Rules

Roleplaying is a huge part of Afterworlds. From interacting with friends to threatening enemies, everything you say at the event is roleplaying. You must attempt to remain “in character” as much as possible, meaning that what you say and do is what your character says and does.

ENTERING AND EXITING CHARACTER

Sometimes, you’ll need to tend to real-life business during an event. If this is the case, then you need to go out of game (OOG).

TO GO OUT OF GAME: 

Ask everyone around if they mind if you go out of the game. If no one minds, use the hand signal shown below to indicate you are out of game. If someone minds, remain in game. OOG players are not in character and do not exist. Do not attack them, speak with them (unless it’s about OOG matters)or interact with them in any way.

TO RETURN TO GAME: 

Return to the approximate spot where you went out of game. Ask if anyone minds if you return to the game. If no one minds, make a count of “RETURN(10)”. Do not go out of game to remove your character from risk or escape other characters or monsters. A member of the game staff may ask you to go out of game for several reasons. Please be ready to do so if they ask. In the event of an emergency situation, everyone will leave game.

HAND SIGNS

There are several hand signs available during roleplay to help you communicate important things without breaking the immersion for those around you: 

	#1: OUT OF GAME  Use this hand sign to indicate that you are out of game.
#2: ARE YOU OKAY? Sometimes roleplaying can get intense during emotional interactions. If the players are good at acting, it may seem like the emotions are extending into the real world. You can use this hand sign to indicate wanting to check on other players to make sure the high emotions are in-game only. The other player can use the sign to indicate things are okay. If not, that roleplay should end.
	#3: SPEAKING OUT OF CHARACTER All OOG communication (clarifying game effects, asking questions, informing someone about something OOG, etc.) should be done with this hand sign placed on your forehead.
#4 STEALTH A character using this hand sign is stealthed cannot be seen. You must treat this character as if they are out of game unless you have an ability that states otherwise. If someone using this hand sign stops making this hand sign, you may treat them as if they were in game. If you are in close proximity to someone using this sign, you can act wary, as if you might be in danger, but not point out the person using the sign.

WHEN ROLEPLAYING SUPERSEDES GAME MECHANICS

Sometimes, players might want to play out a scene that doesn’t quite match with the mechanics of the system, like complicated computer hacking or a brutal interrogation. If everyone involved consents to the roleplay, and the actions follow our safety rules, these scenarios are allowed. Generally, as long as only consenting players are affected, roleplaying is allowed to ignore many mechanical rules. In the case of the brutal interrogation, for example, there is no mechanic for “punching someone in the guts.” Consenting players can allow another player to act out pretending to punch them in the stomach and call damage as if they had a weapon, and the players can choose to take damage.

Private and Public Spaces

GAME BOUNDARIES

Respect the site’s boundaries. Do not cross fences or taped-off areas you encounter, as these mark the end of the game world. In game terms, these mark areas that are “too deadly to enter.” Out of game, these mark the property boundaries of the site or areas that contain real-life danger to players.

PERSONAL SPACES

Cabins, Tents, Cars or any other place that players are using as a domicile for the event are considered personal spaces. Under no circumstances are you able to enter these spaces without express permission from the person or people who are inhabiting the space. You cannot store any game items in your personal space aside from what your character can carry on them.