Game Culture
Aeternia is a game centered around roleplay, mysteries of the world, and fun, simple to understand combat. We strive for an inclusive and exciting game with enough mystery to keep you asking what's next. We are a 20+ game due to some mature themes and the nature of our combat. We hope to have a game where players feel safe to explore the world and roleplay in a fun, safe way and are always working towards improving in the direction of that goal!While Aeternia is largely a Character vs Enemy game, we also highly encourage inter-character drama! Players being able to engage in disagreements and opposition to each other is something we wish to foster a safe, fun environment for. As such, we have some guidelines/signaling detailed on this page to help you engage with that. Inter-character drama may sometimes rise to violence, but it should never be done in a way that isn't fun for all involved. If you have questions or concerns about the game, please reach out to a member of the Aeternia staff team.
Make sure to read the Code of Conduct as well! By playing the game, you agree to it.
Escalation/De-escalation
Everyone should expect some level of disagreement with other characters or with NPCs, but some people may wish to calibrate these scenes to different intensity levels based on their needs and desires. If you wish to escalate a scene, we recommend doing it slowly, giving your roleplay partner(s) ample time to de-escalate or back out if needed. Be careful when escalating physical confrontation. By default, assume other players do not want anything beyond gentle, friendly touch (like a handshake). Shoving, picking up, or generally aggressive physical roleplay should either be made very clear before it happens, or negotiated ahead of time.
If something is making you as a player uncomfortable and you wish for it to change, go out of game by placing a hand on your head, clasped in a fist and checking in with your scene partner. If you as a player wish for escalation to stop even when your character might not take actions to stop it, but you don't feel the need for a full conversation about it, a simple thumbs down on top of your head is used to indicate this. If the signal is missed or not respected, go OOG to discuss.
While not a requirement, we also suggest checking in with other players before a potentially intense scene (whether social or physical) to negotiate boundaries. Out of game communication between sessions with your fellow players can go a long way to making sure we all have a game we enjoy. Remember, LARP is a cooperative effort and the Aeternia staff takes this very seriously. If it is clear that you are not acting in good faith with other players, sanctions may be enacted, anywhere from a quick chat to temporary suspension or bans from game.
If you ever feel you need to leave a scene, it is ok to good OOG and walk away. There should never be consequences in or out of game for taking this action. We just request that players work in good faith with other players, especially if those players happen to be playing NPCs at the time. NPCs can sometimes be harder to calibrate with than other characters, so just remember that's your fellow player as well!
PC Conflict (aka PvP or CvC)
Conflict between PCs should be approached with the general attitude of, "what will be fun for me and also the other player(s) involved?" There is no specific set of rules for PvP that separates it out from any other set of rules. It is expected that players will follow the escalation policy outlined above, will act in good faith, and will assume others are acting in good faith.
For example, while there is no mechanical restriction preventing you from murdering someone else's character while alone in the woods, it is expected that if this happens it will be the culmination of a lengthy conflict between the two characters and something agreed to by both players, not something that spontaneously happens because one player wants to establish that their character is a bad person, thinks it will be funny, or has an out-of-game grievance.
There are not currently any mechanics supporting theft from PCs in Aeternia. Because all items are represented by physical objects rather than tags, stealing another character's item without that player's consent is actual theft of a real item and is illegal. Until theft mechanics exist, refrain from stealing items from other PCs without specific and enthusiastic consent from the targeted player (even if they are wearing the opt-in badge).
Out-of-Game (OOG) Identifiers
Most of what you wear in Aeternia will be the things your character is wearing in game: clothing, jewelry, and so forth. You may also wear things your character doesn't, such as modern glasses. Aeternia has a few specific visual identifiers that always convey OOG information and should not be used for any other purpose.
Neon orange headband or sash (OOG)
A neon orange headband worn around the forehead or a neon orange sash worn diagonally across the body indicates that you are OOG. No one
who is in-game (IG) should interact with you. You should not interact with
them, try to eavesdrop, etc. Going OOG is useful when doing things like going
to your car to retrieve something, cooking, or just taking a
breather. 
Neon pink hi-vis sash (Non-Combatant)
A neon pink hi-vis sash worn diagonally across the body or as a belt indicates that you are non-combatant. Never strike a non-combatant with any weapons. See Non-Combatant rules for more details.
Red wristband (No touch)
A red silicon band worn on the wrist indicates that you prefer to be asked before any type of physical touch. By default, players may touch each other on the hands, arms, and shoulders without asking for consent; players pre-emptively give consent for this touch by playing Aeternia without wearing a red wristband.
Yellow and black scarf (Safety Marshal)
A yellow and black scarf (yellow with black border, yellow with black stripes, etc.) worn either around the upper arm or folded over the belt identifies a safety marshal. A safety marshal can perform combat authorizations, temporarily or permanently remove a combat authorization, and make safety-related rules calls during play.
Triple-black-diamond dagger icon (Escalation Opt-In)
A triple-black-diamond ski slop icon with a dagger in the middle worn on a pin, patch, etc., indicates that you prefer not to be asked OOG in the moment before another player escalates a scene socially or physically and you pre-emptively consent to any kind of aggression towards your character, up to and including character death, in scenes that may involve intense roleplay such as screaming and physical shoving. If you only wish to opt into some of these things, you will have to individually negotiate that with other players; the triple-black-diamond dagger icon is for those who opt in to all of them.
Note that this pre-emptive consent to roleplay escalation applies only to things that are reasonable in the context of a LARP. It does not apply to physical violence that may cause harm (e.g., a punch as opposed to a shove), verbal malice directed at traits the player shares with the character (e.g., physical disability, body type, etc.), theft of actual physical items, or sexual behavior of any type.
