General Safety Rules
Default Physical Contact
The default expectation for physical contact in Aeternia is that all players consent to non-aggressive platonic touch on the hands, arms, and shoulders without any additional check-in needed. Players who wish to opt out of this level of touch should wear a red wristband as described in the Out-of-game safety Identifiers section.
If you wish to escalate physical contact to more areas of the body (e.g., as part of ritual or healing roleplay) or to be more aggressive, you should escalate slowly and/or check in out-of-game as described in the Escalation/De-Escalation section.
If you wish to escalate physical contact to be romantic or sexual, this should always be as the result of an out-of-game discussion. Lower levels of romantic physical contact such as flirtatious touch, embraces, and quick kisses are acceptable in public. Any more intense romantic or sexual physical contact should take place in privacy, be the result of significant out-of-game discussion, and always be fully consensual on both IC and OOC levels.
Default Social Aggression
The default expectation for PCs in Aeternia is that they may not always agree with one another and may express that disagreement strongly. If participating in that level of social aggression or witnessing even higher levels of social aggression is too much for you, Aeternia may not be the right game for you.
If you wish to escalate a scene with another PC to higher levels of social aggression, such as shouting, vicious insults, and so forth, you should escalate slowly and/or check in out-of-game as described in the Escalation/De-Escalation section.
If you wish to engage in intense social aggression that can escalate to physical aggression and would prefer not to be checked in with each time, you should wear a triple-black-diamond dagger icon somewhere on your person as described in the Out-of-game identifiers section. Wearing this does not obviate your responsibility from checking in with others before initiating escalation; it means they do not have to check in with you if they initiate escalation.
Please also be sure to familiarize yourself with the other Out-of-game safety identifiers we use in Aeternia!
Site-wide Signals
During game, you will hear a high pitched horn to signal various things. Our horn calls are mandatory to know! These are for both safety and logistical reasons. We have two horn calls:
- One Long Blast - Game On/Game Off. This signals the start and end of game. No action is required for game on, but at game off, it means come back to the lodge for debriefing!
- Three Short Blasts - This is an out of game emergency signal. If you hear three short blasts, drop whatever you are doing and come to the lower mod space / flag meadow. This means we have an emergency announcement that requires either everyone accounted for or a potential evac. This is the one we hope to never use, but it is important to know. This won't be used for personal issues, just something that might concern the whole game (from a fire/weather warning to a "pack up and go now")
Safety Calls
Hold
A call of "HOLD!" means "stop moving immediately and pay attention; an out-of-game unsafe situation is happening." Holds are most often called during combat but can be called at any time. A hold call is appropriate if someone is fighting unsafely, is genuinely injured, has dropped a delicate item such as glasses during combat, has broken a weapon in a way that renders the weapon unsafe, is too overwhelmed to continue fighting safely, or for any other dangerous situation. Anyone can call a hold and anyone who sees an unsafe situation should call a hold.
There are two types of hold - a local hold and a global hold. A local hold applies just to people in the general vicinity and is appropriate for situations like dropped glasses. A global hold applies to everyone and is appropriate for situations like injuries. The volume with which you say or shout "hold!" indicates the type of hold. When in doubt, assume if you hear "hold" called, it is a global hold and applies to you.
When you hear "hold," you should stop moving immediately and also call "hold!" You should remain silent and not move from your position or have any kind of in-game discussion during the hold. You may kneel or sit if the hold is taking some time.
When the situation that caused the hold is resolved, the person who called the hold or the safety team member who ended up in charge after the hold was called will as "Is there any reason for this hold to continue?" If you have a reason, please speak up at this time. Otherwise, please remain silent. The person who called the hold or a safety marshal will then call, "3, 2, 1, lay on!" at which point the game resumes.
Caution/Beware Hazard
Safety is everyone's responsibility. If you see someone about to back into a tree, step into a hole, or otherwise interact with a hazard, you should inform them. The best ways to do this are to say "caution" or to specify the hazard by saying, "caution: tree" or "beware hole."
Grievance Procedure
We're all here to have a good time and help each other have a good time, but sometimes, you may have an issue with another person. Aeternia's grievance procedure is the official path to resolving disputes with other players or members of staff. Following the grievance procedure is the most effective way to get your concern heard and ensure a safe and happy play environment for everyone.
To protect confidentiality, grievances that are handled between players or
that are adjudicated by a first-line staff/volunteer (e.g., safety marshal,
player rep) will by default not be documented unless this is requested by
the players involved or the incident involves a safety policy violation.
Grievances that are escalated to the Director level will be documented by
default to create a paper trail in case the problem recurs.
Grievances Involving Players
Take the following steps in order:
1. Discuss the problem with the other player as soon as is practical unless you feel physically unsafe doing so. Try to approach the situation constructively and politely.
2. If step 1 doesn't achieve a satisfactory resolution, discuss the problem with a member of Safety (if combat-related) or Player Rep (if not combat-related).
3. If step 2 does not achieve a satisfactory resolution, discuss the problem with the Director.
"As soon as is practical" varies based on the situation. For example, if someone is hitting you too hard in combat, you should immediately inform them that they are hitting too hard and ask them to stop. In another example, if someone is flirting with you in-character in a way that makes you uncomfortable, it is best to immediately ask them to stop but reasonable to take a bit of time to collect yourself and address it with them later in the day or between sessions. Your grievance is still valid if it takes you some time to report it, but Aeternia will be able to support you better if you report things sooner rather than later.
If the dispute involves combat, the ideal is to bring it to the nearest safety marshal in the moment. Safety marshals can be identified by a yellow-and-black scarf on their upper arm or belt. If you cannot locate a safety marshal in the moment and need to escalate a combat-related dispute, bring it to the head of the Safety team.
Grievances Involving Staff/Volunteers
Grievances involving staff members or volunteers such as player reps follow a similar procedure.
1. If you feel comfortable, discuss the problem with the staff member as soon as is practical. Try to approach the situation constructively and politely.
2. If step 1 doesn't achieve a satisfactory resolution or you don't feel comfortable addressing the issue with the staff member involved directly, if the staff member in question is not a Player Rep, discuss the problem with a Player Rep.
3. If step 2 doesn't achieve a satisfactory resolution or the staff member in question is the Player Rep, discuss the problem with the Director.
Fighter Authorization
In order to fight at Aeternia, you must be authorized by a member of the Safety team. If you are not authorized, you can participate in all activities but cannot use or pick up weapons of any kind. Authorization is a privilege which may be revoked if you are later found to be fighting unsafely.Authorization is a relatively brief process during which you demonstrate that you can strike at the appropriate calibration, acknowledge shots with which you are struck, recognize critical identifiers such as the non-combatant sash, and respond appropriately to safety calls such as "hold!"
You must authorize with each weapon form you use. If you authorize with a 1-handed sword with a stab-safe tip and later switch to a different 1-handed sword with a stab-safe tip, you do not need to reauthorize. However, if you later decide to fight with a spear, you must authorize with the spear. Thrown weapons and bows also have separate authorizations.
If you are not yet authorized with any weapon forms, you may choose to participate in combat via spells and you may be struck by weapons; however, you may not wield weapons or shields. If you desire to avoid combat entirely for safety reasons, see Non-Combatants below.
Someone with no combat experience will likely be able to pass a melee or thrown weapon authorization with no prior preparation (besides reading the rules) because authorization is about safety, not skill. Bow authorizations, however, require a much higher degree of preparation due to the skill needed to safely use a bow. Expect to spend 6+ hours practicing with your own bow and boffer-safe arrows before attempting a bow authorization. More practice time may be required if you do not have prior target archery experience.
Combat Safety
Combat is moderate contact, as described on the Combat System page. In combat, expect weapons to make moderate levels of contact with all parts of your body but your head and groin. While hands are not a valid target, they are likely to be struck on occasion and striking a hand is not considered a safety violation the way striking the head or the groin is. Note that while strikes to the head and groin are strongly discouraged, they may occasionally happen by accident; if you cannot risk suffering such a strike at all, you should consider being a non-combatant.
You may strike and be struck from any angle. There are no special rules for attacking someone from behind.
"Tests of strength" should be avoided. If you find your weapon or shield locked up against an opponent's weapon or shield, the correct action is to disengage, not have a shoving match. A good rule of thumb is that if your weapons/shields have been in nonstop contact for a three count, you are probably engaging in a test of strength and should both disengage.
You should not grab and hold on to any opponent's weapon, shield, gear, or body during combat. You may grab allies for the purposes of doing things like dragging a wounded ally to safety (e.g., as described under dropped). Incidental contact is likely to happen, but you should not engage in wrestling matches during combat or try to rip someone's weapon or shield out of their hands.
You should maintain control of your weapon and shield at all times. If you
drop an item for any reason, you should pick it up as quickly as possible to
avoid creating a tripping hazard. If you drop an item in the midst of a
chaotic melee it is appropriate to call "hold" while you retrieve the item.
This does not apply to thrown weapons.
Weapon/Armor Safety Rules
Melee Weapons
Melee weapons should have a flexble core, a padded striking surface, and be in generally good condition (e.g., core not visible, not bent in a way that indicates imminent breakage, no tears in the construction material, etc.). Weapons by well-reputed LARP weapon makers are generally going to be acceptible. Many home-made weapons will be as well.
Entangling weapons such as nets are not allowed.
You may wield any melee weapon that 1) is deemed to be safe by the safety team and 2) you can demonstrate you can use safely and within Aeternia's calibration standards. Do not be the reason that weapon standards have to become more detailed.
Ranged Weapons
Traditional or recurve bows with 30lb draw or less and boffer-safe arrows are allowed. Compound bows of any draw weight are not allowed. We highly recommend sticking to around 25lb at most as higher draw weights will require slightly stricter authorization. The heavier the draw weight of your bow, the greater the risk of accidental injury. We will therefore necessarily be stricter about safe combat behavior with bows that have a heavier draw weight. Expect to spend 6+ hours practicing with your own bow and boffer-safe arrows before attempting a bow authorization. More practice time may be required if you do not have prior target archery experience.
The archery safety authorization includes more requirements than the melee
safety authorization including the ability to judge when a combatant is
too close to be safely shot with a bow and demonstrating good
judgment in using partial draws when at intermediate range.
Additionally, "running shots" (drawing a nocked arrow while moving) directed
at other players are not permitted in Aeternia; you must be stationary
(e.g., both feet planted, kneeling, etc.) before you draw to
shoot.
Thrown weapons may either be coreless of any size or cored with no portion of the weapon being small enough to fit into an eye socket. They work just like arrows. If your thrown weapon is not substantial enough to be felt when it connects and it hits someone in the back and they don't notice it, that's a you problem; get beefier throwies. In-game, it hit at a glancing angle and didn't harm them.
Entangling weapons such as bola are not allowed.
Arrows and thrown weapons should be designed to present a minimal tripping hazard, as they are unlikely to be picked up immediately. By throwing a weapon or firing an arrow, you are consenting to the risk that your weapon or arrow might get accidentally stepped on and broken. You should try to avoid stepping on arrows and thrown weapons.
Shields
Shields should be light enough and have sufficiently padded edges to not
harm any players who accidentally come into contact with them or any weapons
that are deflected by them. There is not currently a maximum shield size; do
not be the reason a maximum shield size is added.
Shield bashing is not permitted.
Armor
Armor has no mechanical advantage except that conferred by the relevant
physrep bonus. Due to this, there are no specific rules about coverage or
materials except that the armor should fit the aesthetic of the setting
(e.g., no hockey pads, no motorcycle jackets) and look protective.
Armor you wear must allow you adequate visibility and range of motion to
fight safely, must not pose a safety risk to people or weapons (e.g., no
sharp metal spikes), and you must be able to feel hits of an appropriate
calibration through your armor. Armor should be inspected by the safety team
just as weapons are.
If you are frequently failing to notice hits that land on armored areas, you will be asked to stop wearing that armor. If someone else repeatedly fails to notice hits that land on their armor, politely inform them of this. Do not simply start hitting them harder.
Non-Combatants
Non-combatant characters (non-coms) may not be struck with any weapons, whether that is melee or ranged,
and players and NPCs should avoid using weapons in proximity to a non-com.
Any "combat" with a non-com must consist entirely of verbal calls (see
below).
A non-com may not initiate combat. Non-coms should do their best to avoid creating situations where their participation in combat would become absolutely integral to the story. Other players and NPCs should likewise avoid making situations in which it would become integral for a non-combat to participate in combat. Players and NPCs should avoid initiating combat with non-combatants unless it is absolutely integral to the story.
The signifier for a non-com player is a hi-vis pink sash, as depicted in the Out-of-game identifiers section. Do not strike players wearing one of these.
Non-com status is strictly a safety measure for use by players who absolutely cannot be hit for any reason, including health conditions. You can always choose to not participate in a fight without being a non-com.
If a fight breaks out or is obviously imminent, non-coms should do their best to leave the area. Moving to a position at least 30ft away from active combat is a good guideline.
Non-coms may use spells as is reasonable for the purpose of extricating themselves from combat while actively attempting to flee. For example, a call of, "I command you to flee in fear of my goddess" while actively retreating is reasonable but a call of "All allies within the sound of my voice, be healed by cleansing flame" is not because the latter incentivizes you to remain near combat and is not helping you leave the area. Use reasonable judgment; failure to do so will be considered unsafe behavior.
Just because someone is a non-combatant does not mean they are immune to in-game effects! If an enemy manages to close within about 10 ft of a non-com, they may point at the non-com and call “I drop you,” at which point the non-com is immediately put into the dropped state. All other calls, such as spells, work as normal.
However, NPC threats should not attempt to approach non-coms unless there are no more direct threats on the field. Use reasonable judgment; failure to do so will be considered unsafe behavior.
For the purposes of rules and visual identifier, there is only one kind of non-com status. There is no differentiation between voluntary non-com status or non-com status due to a safety marshal having determined that your participation in combat is hazardous to others.
COVID-19 Safety
All players must have received all up-to-date COVID-related vaccinations and boosters. Players who have a medical condition that means they cannot be vaccinated should email [email protected] to see if an exception can be made; exceptions will require some sort of documented evidence.
Players will need to send in proof of vaccination to [email protected] or show proof on-site at check-in. Please email or bring your vax card (or other vaccination record) or a photo of your vax card. We recognize that legal names on medical or government documents may be different than the names we know you by, so please let us know who you are when you send in your info!
Masking at games is not required, but anyone who wishes to wear a mask for whatever reason is welcome and encouraged to. If you are being treated negatively for wearing a mask, this is a CoC violation and should be reported to staff.
We highly highly highly recommend rapid testing the day of the event, no matter how you feel. In the event that you start feeling sick at game, we will have tests handy for you.
If you test positive for COVID, please do not come to game unless you test negative for at least two days in a row before game. Your ticket will be refunded, at your option, either fully with no boon advancement or partially to a non-attendance ticket rate (and you'll still get the boon).