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  1. Notes

Systems

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The Emerald City LARP uses a streamlined version of the Chronicles of Darkness Storytelling System. The CoD system as written works in a tabletop format, but would frequently break the game flow if used in a LARP setting.

Sanctioned Materials

All content within these books are approved for general use in the LARP.

  • Changeling: the Lost 2E (some content is reserved for NPCs)
    • Group Beats: this optional mechanism (p 95) will be in force, as it allows Directors and Actors in any given scene to pool beats and distribute it among them.
    • Player vs Player Resolution: this optional mechanism (p 194) will be in force, allowing Actors to accept the offer given (for a beat), or offer an alternative.
    • Beaten Down & Surrender: this optional mechanism (p 183) will be in force, allowing players to achieve a victory in a fight without needed elongated fight scenes.

Limited Sanction

Limited content within these books are approved for general use in the freeform,

  • Chronicles of Darkness Core Book (Merits from this book will be allowed upon consideration with the Director)
    • Fighting Style Merits: the Fighting Style Merits in the CoD core book are not sanctioned for this Chronicle
  • Changeling: the Lost 1E (use these books largely for flavour, no mechanical elements from these books are being used unless specifically stated.
    • Autumn Nightmares; Winter Masques; Rites of Spring; Lords of Summer; Goblin Markets; Dancers in the Dusk; Swords at Dawn
  • Vampire, Werewolf, and Mage 2E: These books are limited to Director use to govern the behaviour and actions of the other supernatural creatures in the game. They are not sanctioned for Actor use.

Actor Wellbeing

Changeling features a lot of characters who endure trauma from their abduction. These topics carry a lot of baggage for players who put themselves into the mindset of these characters. It is important that all actors support the things outlined below to ensure the venue can dive into these topics relatively safely.

Topic Restrictions

There are some topics and elements that will be restricted in this chronicle. These are not rigid and may be adjusted according to player feedback/requests. What is listed here represents a foundation, but players may specifically communicate with the Director and Producer if there is a topic they would specifically like flagged, addressed, or banned.

Lines represent topics that will not be touched upon at all, representing topics and story ideas that are out of bounds for this chronicle.

Lines: sexual violence or assault; explicit depictions of torture; mutiliation; bestiality; paedophilia; necrophilia; child abuse. 

Veils represent things that can occur but are not played out (fade to black). 

Veils: body horror; dysmorphia; consensual sexual activity; human experimentation; emotional abuse; physical abuse.

Bleed Management

Bleed is used to describe the way that inhabiting these characters can spill out into our real world lives. Bleed management helps actors set specific boundaries and take control of personal circumstances where topics start bleeding.

Cross X: At any time an actor can call for an immediate halt to a scene and disengage by forming or tapping an X. Players can form this X with their arms, their fingers, or even have an X on a sheet on hand they can tap. 

Orange Light: Means “go slow”. This may be used in the event that a player is advising that there may be something uncomfortable for them, but they are okay for the scene to proceed slowly.

Experiences

Experiences reflect the way many little pieces of your life come together and resolve into moment of purpose and wisdom. A single experience reflects those many different lessons. Mostly, you will earn experience through beats, picked up during play. Occasionally, the Director may award a whole experience for something exceptional (entirely their discretion).

The maximum amount of experiences any single player may have is 10 + 2 per session.

Beats

Beats represent the resolution of dramatic moments in game. While beats may be claimed during game, experiences can only be claimed at the end of a session.

At the start of each session, each player will be handed an experience card. This card features six categories for beats. In a single session, each category may be ticked off once, allowing for a maximum of 8 beats in a single session.

Memory: If you provided a significant memory for the last game, you start with a beat.

Participation: You gain a beat for showing up on time and engaging with the game.

Intrigue: You gain a beat for proactively instigating plot and complications with other Actors.

Losing: You gain a beat for being defeated or losing during a dramatic scene.

Setbacks: You gain a beat for failing to overcome a significant difficulty or boundary.

Pledges: You gain a beat for participating in Oath matters in a significant manner.

Aspirations: You gain a beat for fulfilling or meaningfully contributing to one of your Aspirations.

Fate: On occasion, the Director will approach you with an offer that has a high price. If you accept, you earn a beat.

This is not yet approved for use. This is written up here as a way to organise and publicise my thoughts.

This modified system has three goals:

  • Adaptation not Reinvention: the system should largely resemble the CoD system, and should use the same rules for building a character.
  • Reduce complexity: many of the rules require calculations on the fly, which is not conducive to a LARP setting. Where specific rules require calculations they will be streamlined to reduce mental load.
  • Diceless Drama: dice-based resolutions shall be secondary, giving players means to resolve conflict without having to suspend the flow of the moment. Directors should never be rolling dice.

Theatrical vs Procedural

During game, Actors will default to theatrical scenes, but as a group Actors may agree to run them as procedural scenes. In general, Actors and Directors should default to the assumption that Actors get what they want, unless their is reason to doubt they can.

  • Theatrical scenes emphasise immersion and diceless negotiated conflict. This is the default method. 
  • Procedural scenes sees Actors place stakes on the table and resolve with a few dice rolls. 

Theatrical Scenes

Theatrical scenes are the default for this game and the interests of story serve first. If an Actor could reasonably achieve what they want to achieve, and it is dramatically interesting, it happens. It is more interesting for Actors to deal with significant things than to be bogged down in trivial consequences.

Occasionally, a theatrical scene warrants risk. Risk can be introduced either by a Director (if they are overseeing a scene) or even by another Actor acting as a narrator (this Actor cannot be involved in the scene). Only introduce Risk if doing so would serve some dramatic purpose.

Set Scene: Detail the scene and relevant aspects of the scene, giving a general idea of the Risk.

Define Approach: The Actor approaching the Risk should outline their general approach, which should determine the pool.

Count Flares: Take your pool total and divide the total by three (rounded down) to get a number of Flares. If you have a remainder after dividing, you can also take a Spark.

Give Chances: The narrator should outline any setbacks or openings. All Risks have at least one setback, but not necessarily an opening. Some Risks have multiple setbacks or openings. 

Setbacks frequently impose conditions or injuries on Actors. Openings show possible Tilts that players can exploit.

Use Flares: A player may spend Flares towards the following - goal (you get what you want), overcome (you neutralise a setback), exploit (you activate a Tilt). 

If you only have a spark, you can still try to achieve your action. Roshambo with the narrator. If you win, you get what you want but still suffer the setback. If you fail, you incur a twist of fate. This could mean you fail in a dramatic way, or you simply don't get what you want because of some new intervention from outside forces.

Contested scenes

When the conflict of a theatrical scene falls around the competing interests of one or more Actors, the scene is contested. Establish which Actor is making the advance, and who is resisting.

The Actor advancing the conflict will establish a pool of flares as usual. However, the defending player will instead establish setbacks and openings. They form a pool of flares as though they were an advancing player. However for each flare they may use them to alternate between creating setbacks and openings (starting with a setback). As long as their pool is not 0, they may create one setback, regardless of its size.

Supporting Actors

When conflict has multiple Actors involved, group them together by side. In each group, one Actor will lead (being the person who forms a pool of flares). For every supporting actor who could make at least one flare, will give one bonus flare to the lead Actor they are supporting.

Cinematic scenes

Theatrical scenes can be action oriented, and we might call them cinematic. Action takes place, but the emphasis is upon outcomes and consequences. Conflict or combat should not be resolved through a roll and react, turn-by-turn method.

At no time should significant time dilation take place: where a scene that plays out in a minute of game time, but takes over half an hour to resolve.

Procedural Scenes

Should Actors wish to subject their scenes to the will of fate, they make elect to run their Risk as a procedural scene. If you run a procedural scene, all relevant players should step to the side (off camera as it were). 

Set Stakes: All involved players may set up to three stakes, into the pool. Things they're willing to Risk to get what they want. A stake can involve Health, Clarity, material goods, public favour, intelligence, etc. Anything relevant to the conflict, but no more than three.

Each Actor should write these stakes in secret on piece of paper and reveal at the same time. They are put into the centre for the kitty.

Declare approach: All Actors declare their approach, and form dice pools accordingly. Whomever has the higher dice pool has the Edge (the upper hand). For each roll a player wishes to make, they need to indicate which of their stakes is on the line (they may not use the same stake twice). 

Roll and determine success: All Actors roll their respective pools simultaneously. Whoever has the higher number of successes takes the Edge. Their margin is the difference of successes, which accumulates from roll to roll.

If ever the margin is greater than three successes, the scene comes to a resolution.

If either player runs out of stakes the scene comes to a resolution.

If either player yields, the scene comes to a resolution.

Outcome: For each point of margin, the Actor with the Edge may damage one of the stakes in play or impose a relevant Condition on the other.

If the defeated Actor had accumulated at least three successes, they may damage one of the stakes in play or impose a relevant Condition on the other.

If the defeated Actor yielded, they may impose a relevant Condition on the Other.