Caravan LARP

General rules

These are rules for the event, character and mechanics-specific rules are on a different page.

The gamemasters

The gamemasters are the organisers and judges of the event. The gamemaster will always have the last word on decisions about the rules and other things. The gamemasters reserve the right to pick the attendees of the events.

Caravan’s current gamemasters are: Mona, Stuart and Iti.

The current members of the Caravan team who also have access to the Google Drive are Martin and Maarja.

IG and OG

The larp begins and ends with a proclamation from the gamemasters. The game may be stopped when there is a dangerous situation, use the Game-stop rule for that. Out-game items and places are marked with redwhite ribbon and must be ignored. Players may be out-game by holding a hand on their forehead. Exiting the game to avoid in-game consequences is not recommended.

Game-stop rule

This is the rule to stop the game in a dangerous situation. When the players hear the phrase “game-stop”, they must stop playing and remain in their positions until the situation is resolved and they are allowed to continue. The exact phrase is “game-stop”.

Pause rule

This rule is for pausing the game to resolve the effect of a spell or a conflict in the rules. The phrase “game-pause” is used for this. If a battle is stopped this way, all present must wait until the situation is resolved. If it is used to resolve an issue between two players, others are usually welcome to continue playing unless the situation involves them as well. The gamemasters can also use this rule to give information to the players.

Safety

Everyone is responsible for their own safety. In the case of underage players, their adult companion is responsible for them (if one is present). If an attendee has health issues or something else that should be taken into account, they need to inform the gamemasters. The gamemasters will do their best for the game area and the event itself to be as safe as possible, but complete safety cannot be guaranteed. (There will be a first aid kit on the game area, and its location will be pointed out separately each time).

The player is responsible for the safety of the items they bring to the event. All weapons, shields and armor will be checked before the game.

Alcohol and other substances

The event is completely alcohol free for all attendees for the duration of the whole event, including the time before and after the game itself. The gamemasters reserve the right to remove from the game any player who has consumed alcohol, if necessary.

Smoking is allowed only in the designated area, and we ask you not to smoke anywhere else.

Conflicts

In-game conflicts should stay in the game. If there is an out-game conflict or misunderstanding with another attendee, you are welcome to solve this yourself or inform a gamemaster. If for some reason you do not wish to tell the gamemaster, we will have support people to talk to. There is zero tolerance towards any sort of out-game bullying and unpleasantness towards anyone for any reason.

Support people

Every event will have support people you can talk to with any out-game problem or concern. The support people will be pointed out during the game briefing.

Safeword

If a situation in the game becomes too much or uncomfortable, the player can stop it by saying “safeword”. When the safeword is used, roleplay of the situation should stop and the players may agree on what to do next. It is not required to explain why one used the safeword. Everyone has a different comfort zone and the right to decide just how much they want or do not want to go outside it.

Example: Player A has captured player B and starts torturing his character. Although B agrees to it in the beginning, he realises he does not like how A describes the torture. B says “safeword” and the scene ends, and they decide on what happens next, either that A’s character stopped the torture or that B’s character escaped instead.

Languages

The main language of the event is Estonian. If non-Estonian speaking attendees are present, English will be used instead. It depends also on the number of the English-speaking players. All game material (both in and outside the game) is available in both languages and we will have people willing to translate available.

Physical contact and intimacy

Mild physical contact is permitted during the game, except in battle situations. This is mostly for safety reasons. If one wants to escalate contact, for example to wrestle an opponent or to deeply embrace a desired character, one must ask the player of the other character first. This must be done before actually starting the scene in question. These things can also be agreed on before the game, it is recommended to discuss this with the players of one’s group. It is also appropriate to talk to someone during the game if one gets an idea for a cool scene.

We recommend you are careful, especially in battle situations to avoid injuring other players and yourself. Surprise attacking someone by grabbing or pulling at them without warning is not permitted.

Costume and player props

It is not allowed to loot the costume of a player. The player is not required to give their items to others if they do not want to. The only lootable items are props given by the gamemasters or items found in the game. Weapons are an exception, but it is important not to lose or break someone else’s things. Gamemaster-given and general items are marked.

Props

Players will get many props to use during the game. All gamemaster-given props are marked and counted. Bringing in props or items without telling the gamemasters is not allowed. All items must be returned to the gamemasters right after the end of the game.

Playstyle

Caravan is meant to be an adventurous and fun series. It is allowed to kill player characters, but we seriously recommend doing something else instead. Killing will almost always have serious in-game consequences. In-game conflicts can be solved in other ways that create more roleplay and entertainment for everyone.

We recommend you go for roleplay and coolness.

If something in the game is not working or the character has nothing to do, we recommend you come to the gamemaster who will try to find a solution. We can only fix this if we know about it.

Rules

The latest version will always supersede any others. There are skills and situations that resolve differently than in the rules. If someone uses a skill, they have the permission to use it. If you cannot resolve a rules conflict or a situation any other way, you can also play rock-paper-scissors for it if a gamemaster is not present.

Declarations

We recommend you roleplay as much as you can. If it is however impossible because of safety or logic reasons, the action can also be declared with words. For example, while a character drinks a potion found in the forest, the player does not have to drink it out-game if they are worried about being allergic to whatever is in there.

Age limit

Attendees of all-ages are welcome. Attendees younger than 14 are only permitted with an adult companion. The companion is mostly responsible for the safety of their charge, but we expect everyone to do their part in taking their younger coplayers into account.