Rules for Field Trip

Character Selection

Roles will be determined randomly right before play by selecting a character envelope.  Please pay attention to the notes on the outside of the envelope when choosing.  In particular, it is important to select a character of the same gender as yourself.  All envelopes will be marked “Male” or “Female”.  Additionally, these notes may give you some indication as to the type of role you’ll be playing by selecting the character.  For instance, envelopes may be marked with hints such as “Love Plot”, “Physical Goon”, or “Item Plot”.

Please do not open your envelopes until everyone has selected characters and the game briefing has begun.

Character Sheets and Stats

Your character sheet will indicate the name of your character, a brief stereotype of his or her role in the class, and a short back story.  A listing will be given of people in the class that you consider to be friends and enemies and crushes.  Your character sheet will also list your character’s goals, impulses, abilities, and statistics.

Goals are what your character is consciously trying to achieve.  Your character may want to get a date for the prom or stand up to the classmate who has been bullying them.  Goals are important to your character, but can be put aside if something that seems more important comes along.

Impulses are like goals, but are less conscious and your character has less control over them.  Your character may have the impulse to scorn her twin brother or to steal from classmates.  You should indulge your impulses most of the time -- even in situations where it doesn’t seem entirely reasonable.

Abilities are typically marked as either physical or social and indicate special things your character can do.  If you meet the criteria listed for an ability, it works…unless your target has a specific resistance ability.  Some examples of abilities are:

·         Allure (Social): If you spend five minutes sweet talking a member of the opposite sex, announce this ability.  Unless you are on the target’s Enemies List, the target gains the Impulse: Follow (your character’s) instructions

·         Trip Up (Physical): If you come within arm’s reach of a player running, announce this ability.  That character must stop and keep one foot rooted for five minutes.

Statistics fall into three categories that completely sum up teenagers: Determination, Desperation, and Dementia.  Your character will have a rating in one category and a list of events that can increase your rating in that category.  When one of these events occurs, peel off the appropriate level sticker on your character sheet.  You will be rewarded with a new Ability, Goal, or Impulse.  Additionally, you gain one HP.  Your rating in a category can never go down over the course of the larp.

Items

Items in this larp are represented by cards and fall into two categories.  General Items are generically useful (or useless) and will list instructions for their use.  Ability Items are only useful to a few specific characters and are ignored by everyone else.  So, you cannot pick up an Ability Item card unless you have an ability that mentions the specific item.  For instance the ability, “Lockpicking (Physical): You can enter rooms marked ‘Locked’.  You must possess the ‘Lockpicks’ item to use this ability” means that you can (and should) pick up any “Ability Item: Lockpicks” cards you find.  People without this ability will not be able to abscond with the lockpicks.

Location

This larp will be taking place on a field trip.  Rooms will be marked to indicate different locations at the trip site and will have brief descriptions posted.  A few rooms will be marked to indicate that you cannot enter without an appropriate ability.  Hallways represent roads and paths between the different locations at the site.  While roleplaying in the halls is allowed, we encourage people to have their scenes in rooms.

Combat

Teenagers sometimes fight.  In general, most of the characters in this larp are not disposed towards fighting, so you cannot initiate combat unless you have an Ability that says you can attack a specific person or group of people.  People who may need to fight will be given boffer weapon reps or similar.  Weapons count as General Items and can be picked up by anyone, but still can only be used by characters who have the ability to attack other characters.

Combat is simple.  Each hit you take (regardless of weapon) reduces your HP by one.  Your HP is equal to 3 plus your stat rating.  If you are reduced to 0 HP you are considered “Seriously Wounded” and can continue to roleplay, but cannot move, use abilities, or fight.  After 5 minutes of being “Seriously Wounded”, you should report to the out-of-game room for additional instructions”