LARP weapons might be made with foam, but all physical contests between people require respect and safety. Follow all local laws and be respectful of both your surroundings and each other. In addition, Mnemos has the following rules in place at all times during live events. These rules are not optional, and violators will be subject to disciplinary action – up to and including ejection from the event, if deemed necessary:

GENERAL COMBAT SAFETY RULES

SAFETY CHECKS

Contact-safe weapons must always be checked for proper safety by a safety narrator before entering play. See the Safety Checks section below for more information on how safety checks work at Mnemos events.

SPATIAL AWARENESS

Maintaining a safe amount of distance is also always key. You should never charge directly at another player but, rather, slightly to the side to avoid any potential impacts should you slip, fall, or be unable to stop. Whether you’re currently playing your PC or an NPC, use your best judgment regarding your safety.

VALID TARGETS

The following is a list of valid targets to hit with a dart, packet, or combat safe weapon physrep (physical representation):

Upper Arm Upper Torso
Lower Arm Mid Torso
Upper Leg Upper Back
Lower Leg Lower Back
Contact Safe Weapon Shield

Any other part of the body is not considered a valid target. Strikes that hit those areas are considered non-hits, and people who continually hit in these areas will receive warnings from Safety Narrators, and extended violation of this rule may result in involuntary non-combat status, so mind where you hit other players, please.

FLURRY STRIKES

Strikes with Melee weapons should be delivered in a flurry of three (or six when dual wielding weapons/two-handed brawling). No strike should hit the same place as the previous strike. Each flurry should happen and then have a 1 second pause between it and the next flurry. Strikes with packets are also subject to the same flurry rules as other attacks, with the exception that they do not require a different strike zone.

BLASTER USE

Blasters are not considered contact-safe items. Do not attempt to block melee attacks with them and do not hit anyone with them. Gunners must take a reload action after six shots, this action taking 3 second Reload Count.

You may not pick up spent darts until after combat is finished.

TENT LINES & TRIPPING HAZARDS:

Any lines for tents/pavilions should include brightly colored flags on all guylines to show their presence, and should be lit at night by glow sticks or guyline lights.

VERBAL CALL RULES

“HOLD”

The word “Hold” is reserved for a very specific purpose in combat situations. Should anyone call hold, you should repeat the word loudly, and allow for the Safety Narrator on site to address whatever issue there is with the players calling the hold. Once the scene has been addressed, and the Narrator agrees, a call of “3,2,1 Lay On” is used to make sure that everyone knows that combat will start again in a moment.

“LOOK OUT”

When you are engaging with another person and you see they may be about to run into something, please warn them for their safety to avoid any potential injuries.

“WATCH YOUR SWINGS” / “CHECK YOUR SWINGS”

Everyone gets excited in the moment, but it’s important to remember that this is a Lightest Touch game. If someone is swinging a bit hard, it is perfectly acceptable to look at them and warn them to watch their swings.

SKILL CALLS

Sometimes you will want to use a skill your character has with your weapon. These calls must be made as you strike or fire to be considered valid attacks, and any path points/cost must be spent. If they successfully hit, the desired effect is successful. Some skills require no successful hits, and those are clearly listed, and describe what must be done in their skill description.

COUNTS

When an action takes time - like recovering from a short-term effect - reloading a weapon, or choosing a nonphysical representation of a physical action, a player will use a counting system call that includes the action they are taking followed by numbers, repeated in succession, until the count is complete. For example, “Reloading 1, Reloading 2, Reloading 3” to represent the 3 seconds required to reload a gun.

OUT OF CHARACTER (OOC) AND NON-COMBAT RULES

OOC IDENTIFICATION

Players who are Out of Character (OOC) may wear a Green headband/head covering/kerchief for easy identification. Anyone wearing green on their heads must be treated as an OOC player (e.g., they are not there In Character (IC) and cannot be a focus of IC roleplay). Players may also hold a fist to their forehead to denote being OOC.

NON-COMBAT IDENTIFICATION

Non-combat players must wear an orange headband/head covering/kerchief for easy identification. Anyone wearing orange on their heads must be treated as a non-combat player.

NON-COMBAT DURATION

Anyone may choose to be a non-combat player at any time. Likewise, the decision to join active combat may be made at any time by removing the orange headband and informing a member of the event staff that you are choosing to enter active combat.

LIVE NON-COMBAT

When engaging a non-combat player in a hostile action, all parties must point their weapons at the player characters involved and verbally make their declarations and damage calls (once per second, with the usual one-second flurry break).

All attacks must follow the parameters of their rules as written and are simply narrated rather than physically enacted. All other effects with physical requirements must likewise be narrated. Players are welcome to be as creative as safely possible with physically blocking their scene but must always respect the consent level and accommodations needs of Non-Combat Player(s) within the scene.

NON-COMBAT ZONES

Some areas on event grounds are considered non-combat zones, generally for safety reasons. Kitchens and bathrooms are the most common examples, but other areas may be designated by staff if need be.