Schedule and Meals
Typical MNLA Schedule is over a Friday-Sunday weekend. Arrivals and camps set-up starts early afternoon on Friday. Towards mid-afternoon, the Game Designers (GDs) hold an Orientation for all players. A short break for costume donning and GDs to get ready, then the game begins! At some point on Friday night, activity will diminish and most will retire to their beds. Saturday morning sees people rising at all hours, but GDs are not expected to be present with caffeinated beverages until 8AM. From experience, breakfast is best served out-of-game/character, though some players find it beneficial to begin their day as their character. Ready or not, role play happens! When the GDs are ready, they announce the Land Open. Time to get moving - adventure awaits. The game winds down late afternoon or early evening on Saturday. As players regroup in the Tavern, retelling of the day's events begins but the GDs job is not done until Dinner, usually a feast, is served. After darkness falls, fires are lit, full bellies recline and the Bardic Circle convenes. Everyone brings their talents to entertain one another - storytelling, music, song, dance, dessert, etc. Again the night welcomes sleepy heads and now weary bodies to their beds. Sunday comes all too fast; time to eat-up, clean-up, pack-up and return to the real world.
Be the Character
Is it necessary to be the character from head-to-toe, inside-out? No, but it helps augment the overall shared experience. Several things help prepare a player to enter the role of their character. Know yourself, or rather your character. Most of this may come from writing your character's background. Costumes certainly help a player feel the part. Props and scripted actions have been worth the effort players have put into them. Some people have felt the need to practice a little improv with friends before a game. Dare to step out of your player-self and into your role.
· Interact with others. You now have this great
character, and it’s time to role-play. That means meeting,
talking with, casting spells on, or fighting other players. No
one will ever know about your wonderful character if you never
interact. HAVE FUN!
· Be respectful of others’ actions. Nothing is worse
than casting a great spell or performing a fantastic display
of swordsmanship and having the other players not respond to
it. Just as you would wish to be admired for your roleplaying,
please pay the same compliment to others by acting
appropriately. PLAY NICE!
Loot & Treasure
· Booty bags. Red bags to carry coin and treasure will be issued to everyone. Bringing your own Booty Bag from previous adventures is absolutely acceptable! Red booty bags should be worn in an obvious location – preferably on the belt – and can be looted, either by stealth or off the dead. It is reasonable to expect some coin or treasure to be carried elsewhere on a person, but these stashes are not to be taken. It is ok to hide your treasure in game, but be fair and keep at least some on you. You wouldn’t want to go through the hassle of defeating an enemy or accomplishing a daring theft only to find an empty booty bag.
· Coin of the Realm. There is no specific coin of the realm; there are many realms each with their own coin. Coin values will be determined by the local money changers or merchants. Barter of other sorts will be considered as payment as well.
· Jewels seem to be a currency with some value in these adventures, of course the amount depends on the characters trading items or services. Jewels are not commonly found in the average purse.
· Treasure. Finding treasure is a great pleasure for any adventurer. If the treasure is marked with GREEN, it must be RETURNED to the game designers or the player it came from. Treasure marked in RED is lootable and can be KEPT. Take a chance and keep your treasure in your booty bags.
Magic & Medicine
Using magic has always been a tricky thing to role-play and
many different practices have been developed over the years.
Many players have avoided interacting with or using magic
because it has seemed too difficult or too dangerous. We want
to encourage creativity in the use of magic. Your magical
effect should not present any danger to other players. All
magic, including healing potions, must be cleared by the
Game Designers.
· Spirals and Squares: Two symbols used in the game
are the Compulsion Spiral and the Aversion Square –
representing GD magic that affects all characters. The
Compulsion Spiral means you are attracted to it and must read
the message nearby. The Aversion Square pushes you away and
blocks your path in the direction that you see it. These will
only be used by the Game Designers, unless approved for
specific magic-uses.
· Magic is rare. It is very unlikely that the average
person can perform magic. It takes years of study for a mage
to learn his/her spells so it is also unlikely that a warrior
would know many (if any) spells as he/she spent much of
his/her life learning combat.
· If you cannot use magic, then you cannot divine or resist magic. A non-magic-user cannot read scrolls or spells, avoid magical traps, see invisible things, etc. If someone casts a spell on you or if you wander into a magical area on the land (environmental magic), then you may not resist it.
· Do not ignore spells. If someone is casting a
spell, pay attention to it and respond appropriately even in
the heat of battle. If a mage cast a successful spell on you,
play it up! Remember that this is why you are here, to have
adventure and interact with others. If you are a mage, this
could be your opportunity to reply with a counter spell. If
you are not a mage, this may be time for a strategic retreat.
But listen to what the spell is trying to do and react to it.
· A noticeable action should accompany every spell cast.
A nerf/kush ball may be used as a fireball. The completion of
your spell may be simply a dramatic handclap. Your methods
should match your type of magic.
· Communication is the key to good magic. If people
can’t understand you, then you cannot expect the spell to
work. If you are not clear with what you want, players can be
free to interpret your spell much differently than you
intended. For example, a mage wants to paralyze his attacker
so he shouts “By the power of Suma’s grace, I bind you from
moving a pace!” Now the mage intended for the warrior to be
frozen. But the warrior took this to mean that just his feet
were bound, so he throws his sword instead and impales the
surprised mage. Also, if you have some sort of magical
protection, it is up to you to tell your attacker that you
have something that is protecting you from their spell.
Clearly tell them what it is.
· Magic takes energy. Magic takes effort;
otherwise, everyone would be using it. You cannot throw around
spell after spell and not be affected. Be tired after casting
a major spell. Collapse after a magical battle. Be dramatic
about it so that others will respect magic as much as you do.
· Magic takes concentration. You cannot be doing
something else—running, sneaking, eating, etc.—while you are
casting your spell. If your concentration is broken before you
can finish your spell, then you did not succeed.
· NO ‘Power Words’. Single word spells can be
confusing. ‘Freeze!’ might cause one person to start
shivering, another to stop for a moment, and another to halt
all actions until the spell is released. Therefore, an
explanatory phrase or couplet must be said to convey what your
spell does. If you are capable of wielding fatal spells then
use props, chants, and whatever else looks good to make your
spell as dramatic as possible. Screaming ‘die!’ is
unacceptable. It sounds more like a threat than a spell.
Incantations and movements will not only enhance game play,
but your victim will be able to look back fondly on a
wonderful interactive moment.
· Healing power. Healer resurrections are next to
impossible. Healers usually get their power from within or
from their gods. A deep concentration over the wounded player,
hands hovering over the wound, perhaps murmuring a prayer have
been well played in the past. Maybe you use a focus for your
healing, an amulet or ring or even another person. Healing
magic, however, is very exhausting for both the patient and
the healer. Do not use your powers lightly! You should act
weak and drained after a major healing.
· Potions and Poisons: Small bottles, rings,
bracelets, and lockets that have a tiny-hinged compartment are
great for potions or poisons. Make sure the contents are
harmless! (Colored water, tea, honey, Kool-Aid). Write the
spell on blue paper and tie it to the bottle so that the
player can read it and act out the affects once the potion is
taken. (Example: for the next 10 minutes after drinking this
potion, you will be unable to tell a lie). If you are secretly
slipping the potion to victims, then wait until they drink it
and then give them a note that says what the spell does so
they can act it out. (A good assassin trick is to put sugar
cubes into their victim’s drinks and then slip them a note
after they drink it that tells them that they are poisoned.)
Like magic spells and abilities, potions and poisons also need
to be cleared by the Game Design Team well in advance.
· Magic Items: These are very rare. If you have a magic item of some type, it also needs to be cleared by the Game Design Team. Why/how you got your magic item should be included in your character back story.
Fighting
Take it easy. Slow down. Pay attention. Communicate.
In melee, we have a tendency to let adrenaline rule the
moment. Remember that this is still play and how are you
supposed to know what hits if everything is whizzing faster
than you can process for reaction?
Do not ignore wounds or special defenses. A constant
complaint among players is about the player who wouldn’t die
even after being hit a hundred times. If someone is resisting
your blows there may be a good reason for it – a magical
shield, a body made of rock, a different plane of existence,
etc. Find a way in character to figure out why your hits are
ineffective. Verbal interaction is the best way to convey
these things. The experience can be better if players slow
down, calculate moves and communicate rather than just
hammering away at each other in fierce attacks. On the other
hand, without a special defense, you need to be mindful of
your injuries and play them. An arm hit with a sword blade is
useless. You’ll drop to the ground if you are hit in the leg.
If you are hit with a fatal blow or spell, then die! The
wounded must be healed or else bleed to death.
Armor does not equal invulnerability. If you are wearing armor, then you may take a couple of hits in the same area before becoming wounded. Armor can be damaged. Wearing a short-sleeved tunic that only hangs to your knees means that your forearms and your legs from the knees down are unprotected!
Fighting No-No’s:
· Do not hit children! You may defend yourself from
them but should cautiously return blows. Children should also
not antagonize adults. Parents should make this clear to their
child player. If a child or a hoard of children attacks an
adult, the adult may defend and may hit back. After all,
children can die too and then go to the land of the dead.
· Do not hit someone in the head or neck! These are
illegal hits with real possibilities of injuries. Accidents
happen. It will be up to the victim whether or not they wish
to play the hit.
· Pushing and bodily charges are intentional acts of harm
and may result in your being asked to leave the event. (If you
are pushed into or stumble into someone else, try to resolve
the matter immediately, even if you have to break character to
apologize.)
Dying
Death is a possibility. Do not let the threat of death limit your role-play. Death of your character is not the end of your participation in the game, or even the end of that character, as death may be a means to uncover new aspects of the storyline. Not that you shouldn’t take your character’s life seriously, but if you are killed, then die. What does your death scene look like?
Out-of-Game
While being part of the Adventure is exciting, occasionally, players find the need to step out of their character role and address a situation as a player. For instance, a player who is confused about what to do next in the game might seek counsel with a Game Designer. Perhaps a player would like to snap a quick photo. A player might need to seek first aid or other help. Sometimes GDs or their volunteers need to move props, food or other items. In all of these instances, the player uses a yellow band or hood to designate Out-of-Game and might verbally announce why they need to go Out-of-Game. As soon as the player is ready to rejoin the game, they need only doff the yellow and jump back in.
