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    http://dreamings.ning.com 1

    a live game byDaniel Comstock

    special thanks: the Tales of the Dreaming staff, the Dreaming web community

    rulebook version 1.0 published March 25, 2010

    2010

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    Table of Contents

    Introduction ............................................................5Introduction .................................................5

    What is a LARP? .........................................5When / Where Can I play? ...........................5How do I play? ............................................5

    What Happens During Games? ...................5

    Dream Walks ...........................................6

    Territories ................................................6Combat .........................................................6

    Beyond the Veil ......................................................7

    You're a vehicle ................................................7Morality ............................................................7

    Cosmology .......................................................7

    Setting Basics .........................................................8What is the Dreaming? .....................................8

    Wakes ...........................................................8

    Races of the Dreaming:.....................................8

    Visions .........................................................8Fae ...............................................................9

    Dead Gods ...................................................9

    Lost Souls ....................................................9Dream Walks ....................................................9

    Astral Magic .....................................................9

    The Void .........................................................10

    Core Rules ............................................................10The Most Important Rules ..............................10

    In-Game and Out-of-Game ............................10Shades.........................................................11

    Game State Signals.....................................11

    Entering or Leaving ...................................11

    Disturbing the Dream ................................12In-Game Items ...........................................12

    Searching and Stealing ..............................12

    Calls ................................................................12Combat ...........................................................13

    Safety Guidelines ........................................14Life and Death ...........................................14Dragging Someone ....................................14

    Cuts in Play ....................................................15

    List of Dreaming Calls .........................................15

    the Basics ........................................................15Delivery Methods ...........................................15

    Duration ..........................................................16

    Calls ................................................................16

    Veritas .............................................................16Psychogeography .......................................16

    Rewards ................................................................17The Dreamstone .............................................17Gaining Resonance .........................................17

    Spending Resonance .......................................18

    Races of the Dreaming ........................................18

    Visions ............................................................18Description..................................................18

    Beginning as a Vision.................................18

    On Visions..................................................19The Dreams of Visions...............................19

    Fae ...................................................................20

    Description..................................................20Beginning as a Fae......................................20

    On Fae.........................................................20

    The Story of the Exile.................................21

    The Distant Horizon of Faerie....................21Dead Gods .......................................................23

    Description..................................................23

    Beginning as a Dead God...........................23On Dead Gods............................................23

    The Divine Brotherhood.............................24

    Lost Soul ........................................................26

    Description..................................................26Beginning as a Lost Soul............................26

    On Lost Souls.............................................26Dreams of the Dead....................................27

    Shades .................................................................28

    What is a Shade? ............................................28

    A Shade's Behavior .........................................28Monsters .........................................................28

    Types of Shades ..............................................29

    Native Shades ............................................29Imp.........................................................29

    Adept......................................................29The Void of Nonexistence ..........................29

    Demon....................................................29

    Gray Man ..............................................30

    The Unseelie Court.....................................30

    Goblins ..................................................30The Outsiders..............................................31

    The Labyrinthine........................................31

    Territories ............................................................32

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    Danger Level...................................................32Banishment .....................................................32

    Contested Territory ..........................................33

    Fertility ...........................................................33

    Atmosphere .....................................................33Folklore.......................................................33

    Social Networking...........................................34

    Dream Countries .................................................35Dream Countries ............................................35

    Voting .............................................................35

    The Shaper ..........................................................36The Shaper's Duties ........................................36

    The Shaper's Powers .......................................36

    Restrictions on the Usage of Veritas ..........37Dream Walks .......................................................38

    Overview.........................................................38Rewards...........................................................38

    Resonance...................................................38Archiving....................................................38

    Plot Influence..............................................38

    Playing a Dream Walk ....................................38Reading a Dream Walk ..............................39

    Running a Dream Walk .............................39

    Astral Magic ........................................................40Dreamscaping Rituals ....................................41

    Arena ..........................................................41

    Performance Hall .......................................42

    Feast Hall ...................................................43Haunt .........................................................44

    Oneiromancy ..................................................45

    Ashes of the Phoenix .................................45Land Hex ...................................................46

    Harvest .......................................................47

    Move Altar .................................................47Forge Weapon ............................................48

    Forge Wand ................................................49

    Unite Dream Country .................................50

    How to Make a Dreaming Character ..................51Welcome to the Dreaming .........................51

    How do I make a character? ......................51

    What if nobody's in my area? .......... .....51

    Character Creation: Character Concept ...............52Character Creation: Classes .................................53

    Guardian ....................................................53

    Slayer ..........................................................55Assassin .....................................................57

    Skirmisher ...................................................59

    Archer .........................................................61Sorcerer ......................................................62

    Shaman ......................................................64

    Summoner...................................................66Character Creation: Race Skills ..........................68

    Vision ..............................................................68Fae ..................................................................69

    Dead God .........................................................70Lost Soul ........................................................71

    Advice: Goals .......................................................72

    Location, Location, Location .........................72Dream Walks ..................................................72

    Experiences, Not Points .................................72

    Advice: Starting a Dreaming Group ....................73Advice: Archiving ................................................74

    What is the Archive? ......................................74

    Good Archiving ..............................................74

    What to Archive ..............................................74Resonance .......................................................74

    Glossary ..............................................................75

    Archive........................................................75Concentration..............................................75

    Dream.........................................................75

    Dreamstone.................................................76Rest.............................................................76

    Wake...........................................................76

    Zone............................................................76

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    Introduction http://dreamings.ning.com 5

    IntroductionIntroduction

    The Dreaming is both a social networking siteand a game. In the game, you will portray a character wholives in a Dream World which looks, coincidentally, almostexactly like the real world. Your character is a member ofthe dream world's society. You can choose to goadventuring with other characters and participate in thegame's ongoing plotlines. These adventures may involvelive combat using foam boffer weapons. Places where youand your friends actually hang out can become speciallocations within the game world. You can upload pics,videos, or post blog entries about your adventures, andearn points which give you additional skills or powers.

    There are no need for any game masters orreferees. Anyone can play anytime they want. Adventuresare run by the game's players, and plotlines arecoordinated over the social networking site.

    What is a LARPLARP stands for LiveAction Role Play. In short,

    it is a game you play by adapting a persona and pretending

    you are a character in our fictional dream world. Thegame has rules which dictate which weapons you can use,how many times you can get hit with a boffer weaponbefore you get knocked out, how magic works, and otherstuff like that.

    When Where Can I playThere are two components of the game, the

    social networking site and the live game. You can post tothe social networking site any time you want, even if yourcharacter has been knocked out of the game for the day.

    The live game is always going on. Any time youwish to play, put on the Game Badge. This signals to otherplayers that you are "in-game", and are a character whothey may interact with. Generally, you will want to play atthe same time as other players. We recommend theevenings, at a pre-agreed on spot. Some players willperform rituals which create special game territories.

    The Dreaming website works just like othersocial-networking sites you may be familiar with. Your

    profile on this site is your character sheet. You can use thesite to find out if there are any players near you.Generally, players will gather at an agreed on time/place.It is common to play in local parks, college campuses, or

    other relatively secluded spots where one can get into aboffer fight without accidentally hitting a bystander.

    How do I playTo play the live game, you have to build a

    character using our game rules. Among other things, youwill pick a race, a class, and a few skills. This gives you theability to fight with boffer weapons, throw spells, orperform other game actions which can harm othercharacters.

    The Dreaming is run on the honor system.Everybody has to keep track of their own skills andinjuries. There are no referees to toss you out if you're notplaying fairly. If you are caught cheating, or your play isotherwise disruptive, other players will avoid you or stopinviting you to their gatherings. It's possible for a localgroup to ban you from certain areas of the game.

    While in-game, you will portray a character in theDreaming. Unlike many LARPs, you do not have to weara costume or talk in a funny accent - people in dreamslook a lot like people in real life. Your character will make

    friends and enemies with other characters, and participatein ongoing stories and adventures. Much of the game'sstory is generated by other players.

    Certain areas are hotspots for the game and maybe points for action or intrigue. A park, restaurant, or trailthrough the woods can have a special meaning tocharacters in the Dreaming. They may be able to takespecial actions there which affect the Dream Country orits residents.

    What Happens During Games?In many ways, the Dreaming is a social game. You

    might want to participate in politics, trying to sway publicopinion about something. Players are free to creategovernments and attempt to rule over one another. Manywould-be rulers are overthrown in violent coups. Eachrace has its own role within the dreaming society. Youmight be interested in participating in guilds ororganizations, or just socializing with other characters.

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    Introduction http://dreamings.ning.com 6

    In other ways, the Dreaming is a competitivegame. Boffer combat is allowed in certain game areas.Characters can attack and kill one another. Death in theDreaming is not permanent -- if someone is killed, theircharacter merely "phases out" of the Dreaming for the

    night. While incapacitated in this way, you might have theopportunity to be summoned and play the game as ashade, a weak minion who does the bidding of hissummoner.

    Your character is a member of an imaginarydream society. People choose to become politicians,revolutionaries, philosophers, soldiers, whatever rolethey'd like in the Dream World. You are encouraged tohelp develop the Dreaming society through your actions -start a government, create laws, try to enforce those laws,try to destroy those laws... How you relate to this world isup to you.

    Dream Walks

    Dream Walks are special structured gameactivities. You might think of one as an adventure.(sometimes called a module) The Dreaming website housesa list of Dream Walks. Each Dream Walk has a "script",instructions for the adventure.

    If you want to go on a Dream Walk, print out itsscript and gather up your party. You'll meet in an agreedupon local spot, like a park or a friend's house. You willuse local geography as sites to have encounters, which aredescribed in the script. Each encounter may involvedifferent types of scenarios. They often involve combat,and physical or mental challenges. During Dream Walks,some players will turn into shades, hostile monsters whichthe others must fight off.

    Every character has a unique magic item called aDreamstone. By completing Dream Walks, you canawaken special properties of your Dreamstone. Over

    time, your Dreamstone will become more powerful.In order for a Dream Walk to count, somebody

    must "archive" it. This means posting photos, videos, orblog entries about the adventure. This documentation isalso a check against cheating. If you suspect someone hassome power that they shouldn't have, you can easily checkthe website to see what they did to earn it.

    For more information about Dreamstones andResonance, seeRewards.

    Territories

    The Dreaming takes place at locations chosen byplayers. By doingDreamscaping Rituals, you can turn alocation into an arena, performance hall, banquet hall,

    sanctuary, or several other types of areas. Combat maytake place in areas designate by territory's owner.

    Whoever creates a location may take ownershipof it. Each player may own one territory at a time. Theowner of a location is called a Warden, and is imbuedwith special powers they may use while there.

    Players can challenge each other to take controlof territory. Boffer fights, chess matches, foot races, andother types of challenges are allowed to contest a location.Though you may only own one location at a time, a groupof people working together can take over large portionsof the Dreaming.

    See also:Territories

    CombatCombat takes place using foam boffer weapons

    and spell packets. Generally, characters can about five hitsfrom a weapon before they lose consciousness. Somepeople have special attacks they can use with their bofferweapons.

    Some characters can deliver ranged attacks orspells usingspell packets. Spell packets are little pouchesfilled with birdseed that you throw at your target.

    Combat is based on the honor system. You areexpected to play fairly, only use what skills you haveavailable, and die when you've run out of hit points.

    Sometimes you will fight other players. OnDream Walks, you will generally fight shades - players whohave temporarily become monsters.

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    Beyond the Veil http://dreamings.ning.com 7

    Beyond the VeilHey there, Wake. Do you want to hear a secret?

    It's about your dreams. Did you realize you'rehaving a dream right now? Yes I mean right now, as you'rereading these words on the internet. You thoughtsomebody had linked you to a game of some sort, but thisis all a part of a dream. Look around - for real, stopreading for a second and take a good look at where youare. I know it all looks very familiar. It seems real. Andthat's because it isreal, in a sense. But you're not in thewaking world right now, you're in the Dreaming.

    You'll spend a third of your life wandering themisty cities of the Dreaming. Lots of stuff happens here -stuff you won't remember when you wake up. You'll justhave a vague impression of where you've been, a jumbleof images and emotions. That's why I'm going to tell youthe secret. You're not going to remember it later. So enjoyit while it lasts. Ready?

    All the people you see in dreams, they're realpeople too, others that are wandering the Dreaming. Someof them are having a dream, just like you. But some ofthem - theyarethe Dreams. They go on existing evenafter you awaken. You didn't just dream them up. They

    have their own lives. They live in a society you visit everynight but cannot remember.

    Youre a vehicleThe Dreaming is full of spirits: living beings who

    lack a body. Sometimes, while you're asleep, one of thesedream spirits will inhabit your body. It might be the spiritof a Vision, one of the people native to the Dreaming.But Visions aren't the only people who live there. Thereare a lot of creatures which people in the waking worldthink are imaginary. Like faeries, ghosts, and gods. Theyweave an awful lot of your dreams. One of these peoplemight spend a few hours every week hanging out insideyour head.

    These days, a lot of the spirits are actuallymonsters. If they inhabit your body, and on a long enoughtimeline they certainly will, they will try to slay the other

    Dreams. As the years go by, if the monsters win, they willgradually replace our dream world with theirs. And in thatnightmare, there shall be no rest, no inspiration, and nohope. If those that dream don't feel rested when they

    awaken, the Waking World will become a nightmare aswell.

    MoralityIn the Waking World, life is fragile and short. But

    in dreams, one may die many times and live to tell aboutit. Those killed today return tomorrow. Is it wrong to killsomeone in a Dream? Many would say it is not.

    The Visions say that the Dreaming is actuallyhealthier when it is filled with stories and emotion.Murder, if it becomes a good story, might be good for theDreaming.

    Those that came to the Dreaming from otherworlds are not used to this idea. Many humans areaccustomed to moral codes being handed down fromheaven - when they arrive in the Dreaming, they find outthat those divine forces are regular people just like youand me. And what does that say about right and wrong?There are no objective answers to these questions.

    CosmologyWe know of five realms, separated by great veils

    of mystery.

    TheWaking World is the material world, therealm of form and action. It is also known asAssiah. Thepeople living there only know of their realm. Unlike thepeople who live in other realms, they eat, reproduce, sleep,and die. When people from the Waking World go to sleep,

    their minds travel to the Dreaming. Sometimes theyreceive emanations from the higher realms, where Godsdwell. When they die, their spirits travel through thelabyrinth to one of the Afterlives.

    The Dreaming is a mirror of the Waking World.Those who live there are called Dreams. Those who onlyvisit are called Wakes. In the Dreaming, one feels no needto eat or sleep, but may do so if it pleases them. One willonly die if it is their will to do so. Wakes absorb some of

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    the emotions and narratives present in the Dreaming.Though they have trouble remembering it, the Wakes willcarry the energy back to Assiah where it becomes anemotion or a new idea. Without this continual stream ofenergy from the Dreaming, the Waking World will

    become a very gray place.

    The realm of Faerie is a land much like theWaking World, except more magical. Colors are brighter,water flows uphill, and the wind sounds like a song.Promises and oaths have a supernatural power. Thepeople who live in Faerie are called Fae. They have amagic called, glamour, a magical force which influencesperception. Wrapped in glamour, one can appear sexy,inconspicuous, or terrifying. The Fae have no gods, do notdie of age, and are only born rarely. When they sleep, theydo not dream. Faerie is currently overrun, occupied bymonstrous forces.

    The Celestial Spheres are a divine realm whichexists above the Waking World. It is also calledAtziluth. Itis the final resting place of human spirits who have passedthrough the Labyrinth. Godforms worshipped in theWaking World appear in the celestial spheres, from wherethey appear to be able to influence the Waking World.When a Godform is no longer worshipped in the wakingworld, it fades from the Celestial Spheres and appears(some time later) in the Dreaming. In a way, the Dreamingis the afterlife for the divine.

    The Labyrinth is the cosmic knot, the great

    mystery at the center of all existence. It connects all therealms and binds them together. Little is known about theLabyrinth.

    All of these realms appear connected in certainways. Events which occur on one plane often havecorrespondence on other planes. Great destruction withinthe Dreaming has ramifications in the Waking World. Theexodus of the Fae from Faeire coincides with theappearance of Lost Souls and monsters in the Dreaming.Many worry that the influx of people to the Dreamingwill have unpredictable repercussions on the WakingWorld.

    Setting BasicsWhat is the DreamingInterlaced with the world in which we live and

    die, there is a place called The Dreaming. It is said thathumans spend a third of their lifetime there, driftingthrough its misty corridors and shadowy forests. This isnot a place of logic, it is a place of surreality andabstraction. It is a place of mischief, politics, danger andadventure.

    WakesThe Dreaming looks just like the Waking World.

    The residents of the Dreaming can sense that real-livepeople (nicknamed Wakes) walk through another versionof their world which often overlaps with it. When playingthe game, we regard people who aren't playing as "Wakes"- people who are just having a dream. You can still interactwith Wakes, but they're not really a part of the game. Youcan light their cigarette, give them directions, ask them ifthey saw someone come running this way, et cetera, butthey cannot have any other influence on the game.

    Races of the Dreamingsee also: Dreaming Race

    VisionsVisions are the natural-born inhabitants of the

    dreaming. Visions usually look just like humansthemselves - humans are the most common thing toappear in a dream and the easiest thing to manifest.

    Visions are varied in personality and motivation.Many possess magical abilities which can affect theDreaming. One thing that all Visions share in common isa custodianship for the Dreaming. They know that theDreaming and the Waking World have a symbioticrelationship. As such they try to keep the Dreaming pure -this often involves slaying monsters and repelling invaders.

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    FaeFae are mythological creatures who come from

    realm called Faerie, an enchanted place where water runsbackwards and stories become real. There are many

    different kinds of Fae, including elves, leprechauns,goblins, dryads, and redcaps. Fae used to spend most oftheir time in Faerie, but would occasionally journey intothe Waking World. Now their plane is overrun bymonsters, and the Waking World makes them sick, so theytake refuge in the Dreaming.

    Many Visions are happy to give the Fae a home,as there is no lack of space in the Dreaming. But there arealso many Visions who do not like outsiders populatingtheir homeland and influencing the Dreamscape.

    All fae take an additional wound from irondamage.

    Dead GodsThe Sumerians and Babylonians, the Egyptians,

    the Native Americans, worshiped literally thousands ofGods, most of which have been forgotten. When a Godloses all his followers and belief, he falls into theDreaming and waits for his return to Earth.

    When an ancient God is worshiped again in themortal world, it will become real again. Until then, theywait in the Dreaming, vying for power and respect. A

    Gods power rests on Faith. It can be worshiped bydenizens of the Dreaming and gain Faith, which hechannel into powers and abilities. When a God loses all itsFaith, it will cease to exist. In a few days, Faith will slowlyreturn, allowing the God to rest in the Dreaming again.

    Each God has an Altar somewhere in theDreaming. An Altar is the Gods resting place, and issacred to that God. Each God has a Verse, a passage thatis chanted over and over to give the God Faith. The Godstry to get their allies to meet at the Altar and chant theVerse. Doing so will increase the Gods strength andabilities.

    Lost SoulsLong ago, Lost Souls were never heard of in the

    Dreaming. When a mortal died, his spirit would travelthrough the Labyrinth to the Afterlife. Certain Fae tookthe responsibility of guiding them into the next life,threading a holy path through the Labyrinth to that

    mortal's destiny. But since the fall of the Fae world, soulshave been know to become confused, and end upwandering the Labyrinth for eternity. Many pass into theDreaming.

    Lost souls are the most versatile race. Being thesouls of humans, they have the most sense ofindividuality and independence.

    Dream WalksA Dream Walk is an event or story which

    happens within the Dreaming. Characters must bandtogether into a party to go on Dream Walks. They usuallyinvolve walking or physically traveling somewhere. Whileon a Dream Walk, you may face danger, interact withNPCs, or solve puzzles. Other characters in your party willleave you for a little while to play monsters or other non-player characters.

    In-Game, a Dream Walk is regarded as a kind ofadventure. They are given the respect and reverence akinto a hunt or a rite of passage. It is known that if youbegin a journey and regard it as a Dream Walk, theDreaming will often change around you. Danger seems tofind you. But with skill and teamwork, you mayaccomplish what you set out to do.

    see also: Dream Walks

    Astral MagicAstral Magic is the art of manipulating the

    Dreaming. Dreams often gather to perform Astral Magic,actions which can affect the Dreamscape.

    Dreamscaping Rituals can create special areassuch as Arenas or Banquet Halls. The owner of theseproperties has special powers related to their function.

    You may gain blessings or bonuses for singing at aperformance hall or winning a fighting tournament at anarena. Dreams will gather at these locations regularly,often before embarking on a Dream Walk.

    Other rituals, called Oneiromancy, can put a curseon an area, create special items, or allow you to create anew character. Some rituals require you to collectcomponents created by other rituals.

    see also:Astral Magic

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    The VoidIn recent times, hostile monsters have begun toappear in the Dreaming. Their spirits drift aimlessly until

    they find a body which they can occupy. These monstersseek to slay Dreams and take their place. It seems thattheir goal is to corrupt the Waking World by filling theDream World with violence and suffering. If this takesplace, the wakes will get no respite or inspiration fromtheir stay in the Dreaming, and the Waking World willbegin to fall apart.

    The monsters come from a few different places.These monsters cannot be parleyed with and they are notopen to alliances or negotiations. Most people, especially

    Visions, feel that monsters are a blight on the Dreamingand should be destroyed.

    The Void energy can be dispersed by slayingmonsters. Sometimes Dreams will beckon monsters sothat they can be defeated.

    See also:Shades

    Core RulesThere are two components to the Dreaming: the

    social networking website, and the live adventure game.

    You will develop a persona who lives in the fictional worldof the Dreaming. At any time you like, you can enter thegame and experience the world through your character'seyes. When in the game-world, you must follow the rulesfor live play.

    These are special rules that everybody in the livegame must know. For example, if somebody says theword "slow", and hits you with a foam weapon, you havebeen wounded in a way that prevents you from running.

    It is possible to play the live game without evergetting into a fight. If you avoid dangerous places, you

    can live out your character's life without ever facing amonster or being slain by another character. Perhaps youfocus instead on participating in politics, or creating artand stories on the website. This is A-OK! But anybodywho plays in a "dangerous" area (one where boffercombat can take place) should know the basic rules.

    The Most ImportantRules1. The honor system: There's no local

    game masters to stop you from cheating. But whycheat? It makes the game less fun for everybody.If somebody is cheating, stop playing with them.

    2. Safety: Nobody should ever be injuredduring gameplay. Do not engage in riskysituations. We use a "lightest touch" fightingsystem. When attacking someone with a bofferweapon, you only need to touch them. You don'tneed to hit hard in order for your hit to count. Ifsomeone is swinging too hard, let them know.

    3. Follow the Law: Do not break the law

    while playing the Dreaming. Do not trespass orassault random strangers. If possible, we want toavoid any police attention.

    In-Game and Out-of-GameThere are two states that someone can be in.

    You can be in a dreaming state (often abbreviated as IG,

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    for in-game), or a wake state (often abbreviated asOOG, for out-of-game). To indicate that you aredreaming (and thereby, actively playing the game), wear agame badge (note: until the beta test is finished, an arm band willbe fine). You cannot try to hide or camouflage your badge

    in any way to conceal whether or not you are Dreaming orAwake. Likewise, you are not allowed to ask people whatstate they are in if you cant see their badge, you canttell whether theyre dreams or wakes.

    Most people in the world are wakes these arepeople who are having dreams of living out their lives,and their unconscious minds are wandering the dreaming,doing routine things like going to class, partying, andvoting in local elections. Wakes are non-players. They arenot playing, but they are still a part of the game. Forexample, if youre chasing someone and they get away,you can ask nearby wakes if they saw anyone run by.

    It is considered good etiquette to actinconspicuously around wakes. See also:Disturbing theDream

    There is little distinction between in-game andout-of-game knowledge. If you hear something while in awake state, you your character will know that knowledgeas well. Even if you are unconscious, if the people whoknocked you out are standing nearby and talking, you willstill be able to hear what they are saying (although if youare knocked out, your eyes must be closed, so you mightnot be able to identify them anyway!). No one can force

    you to ignore something that you see or know, unless it isknowledge you gained while playing an non-playercharacter for the games directors.

    While you are NPCing, people think of you asportraying a different "waking self". Please do not use thisinformation as your character. Doing so is called meta-gaming and is a form of cheating.

    ShadesIn the Dreaming, a wake can be inhabited by a

    Shade, a spirit which needs a body to act upon the

    Dreaming. Shades are distinguished by their blue armbands. They also often wear masks.

    There are several types of shades. Some shadescan be created or commanded by players. Hostile shades,called monsters, are manifestations of the Void. Slayingthem disperses some of the Void energy. Monsters areoften found during Dream Walks.

    Shades created by players aren't very intelligentand have little will of their own. They must obey their

    master's orders. You might play one of these shades as aminion if you die for the night.

    Game State Signals Game Badges indicate that you are in-

    game as your normal character. (note: until the betatest is finished, an arm band will be fine. Arm bands maybe any color except blue or orange)

    Blue Arm Bands indicate that the playeris a shade. While wearing an arm band, you arenot playing your character. You may not speak onyour character's behalf or act on your character'swishes.

    Orange Arm Bands or NPC Badgesare special markers which indicate you are playingan NPC. These characters have instructions given

    to them by a Dream Walk script or the Shaper.When you see someone wearing an NPC armband, you do not recognize them as their normalcharacter. Any knowledge you learn whileNPCing cannot be taken in-game.

    Entering or LeavingWhen you enter or leave game, you are essentially

    wandering "off-stage", or coming in from "off-stage".Since the stage of this game goes pretty much forever,"off stage" is any place where you're not visible to other

    characters. You can enter game whenever you are off-stage. Just put on your badge or arm band and come onin!

    Leaving the game is slightly more complex. First,you need to wander away from other players. It's possiblethat someone is following you, or spying on you. To givethem an opportunity to make their move before youwander off-stage, you must say "Does anybody contest meleaving game?" If anyone says yes, you must keep movingbefore you ask again. If nobody objects, you may take offyour badge or arm band.

    Usually, nobody is following you. But you have toask anyway, even if you're certain that you're alone.

    Whenever you enter the game "on-stage", (like ifyou are teleporting in, or you're a monster who isrespawning at a certain point) you must take three secondsto announce your appearance. You'll have a phrase whichdescribes what everyone else sees. In a clear speakingvoice, you must repeat this three times while counting. Forexample, if you are a monster who is climbing up out ofthe water, you enter game by standing next to the water

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    and saying, "I climb out of the water 1, I climb out of thewater 2, I climb out of the water 3." While you arecounting, you can take damage and cannot call defensiveskills.

    Disturbing the DreamAny action which you shouldn't take in real life,

    such as breaking the law, attack strangers with bofferweapons, or kidnapping someone and throwing them inyour car, cannot be taken in-game either. In-game thisrestriction is called "Disturbing the Dream".

    Characters in the Dreaming are incapable oftaking certain actions which might disturb the wakes. Ourgame is played in public, so we must take precautions tomake sure we don't draw too much attention to ourselvesor break the law. This is one of the reasons why mostDreaming players don't wear outlandish costumes or getin sword fights inside the mall. If you are in a crowdedrestaurant, it is definitely inappropriate for you to startthrowing spells at people.

    In-game, certain types of actions cannot be takenifit will disturb reality too much. While you might want tospell down your opponent while he's standing in line atthe post office, you cannot do so because it would disturbthe dream. Even mindless monsters cannot swing theirweapons in contexts where it might scare people,accidentally hit a bystander, or draw police attention.

    InGame ItemsSome game items have a tag, a slip of paper

    which describes the item's properties. For example, amagic sword might have a tag which says "Once per day,you can swing this sword for 5 damage".

    If the tag describes a physical item, you musthave a prop representing that item in order to use it. Sothe tag alone is not enough to use a magic wand - youmust also find a stick or object which fits the descriptionwritten on the tag. The tag should, if possible, be attached

    to the prop.

    Searching and StealingIf someone is unconscious, paralyzed, asleep, or

    otherwise incapacitated, you may go up to the player andsay "I search you." There are two types of searches: QuickSearches and Full Searches.

    AQuick Searchinvolves grabbing an

    object thats visible from someone. Obvious itemssuch as swords, worn talismans, or anyimmediately visible prop can be takenimmediately.

    A Full Searchis needed to take items out

    of pockets and pouches. You must then count tosixty while roleplaying patting down andsearching the person. During this 60 seconds, thetarget of the search will pull out all his in-gametags and shuffle them, out of the sight of thesearcher. He will then fan them out, and you maypick one. These tags physically change hands atthe end of the 60 count. If someone searchesyou, please be quick to hand over your items anddo not whine or take an extra-long time to getthem out in hopes that someone will come andsave you from being robbed.

    You can only be targeted by a Full Search onceper person per hour. That means that if someone fullsearches you at 11 PM, that person cant do it again untilmidnight.

    All props remain property of the owner even ifthey are stolen in-game. A tag may change hands, but theprop itself must be returned to the person who it's beenstolen from at the earliest convenience.

    Dreamstones cannot be stolen. See Rewardsformore details about how to awaken special powers within aDreamstone.

    CallsCertain game effects are linked to key words,

    called "calls". These calls let other people know that agame effect is taking place. For example, if someone says"3 damage" while swinging a sword at you, you will take 3wounds if it hits.

    If you are delivering a call with your weapon, youmust say the call as you're swinging. If you're delivering acall with a spell packet, you must say the call beforeyou

    throw the packet.The RP The Damn Effect Rule - If you use up

    an expendable skill and the target doesn't role play theeffect or call a defensive skill in reply, the skill is not usedup. At the very minimum, they have to call ugh toindicate to you that they registered the attack.

    See also:List of Dreaming Calls

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    CombatAll weapons in the game must be padded foam

    boffer weapons which are safe to fight with. Our goal isthat no one should get hurt while playing. Though your

    character may be injured or killed, you (the player)shouldn't suffer the same risk.

    Any character can use a one handed safety-approved boffer weapon. All weapon swings do onepoint of damage unless you call something out, in whichcase they may inflict more damage, or a status effect.Certain skills will allow you to use game calls with yourweapon.

    Weapons larger than 48 inches are called GreatWeapons and require two hands to use. To use a greatweapon or shield you must have the skill Martial Styles.

    Both hands must be on the weapon's grip in order for ahit or block to count. Martial Styles also allows you to usea shield. The perimeter of a shield must be covered infoam. A shield may not be used to attack or touch anotherplayer in any way.

    To use a weapon in your off hand, you must havethe skillTwo Weapon Styles. One of the weapons must bea short weapon or dagger.

    Weapons must be approved by the Warden ofwhatever territory you are in.

    Weapon Type Measurements

    Small weapons..............Up to 24

    Short weapons..............25 36

    Long weapons...............37 48

    Great weapons..............49 72

    If your swing connects with your opponent'sbody on anywhere except for the hands, head, neck, orgroin, the opponent takes a wound. All swings must bebetween roughly 45 and 90 degrees and must be deliveredwith a safe approved boffer weapon.

    It is considered courteous to call "hit" or "ouch"or "got it" after you are hit to let your opponent knowthat you registered the attack. We encourage you to roleplay the damage after all, you just got hit with a sword act like it!

    Drum Rolling: Any swings of less than 45degrees, or more than three strikes against the same bodypart do not count. This is called "machine gunning" or"drum rolling".

    Flurries: After you take three swings, whether

    they hit or miss, you must pause for at least one fullsecond. If someone attacks you and does not pause, everyadditional hit after the third does not count. You must say"flurry" to indicate to your opponent that the attack didnot effect you because they have not paused.

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    Safety GuidelinesLightest Touch: Our game uses a "lightest

    touch" boffer style. This means that you only need toswing hard enough to touch your opponent with your

    weapon. A hit still counts even if it only grazed you.There is no such thing as "not swinging hard enough forthe hit to count".

    We want to emphasize that boffer swordfighting is an entirely unique style it is not trying toemulate what a real sword fight would be like, nor is ittrying to be overly-realistic. The emphasis in boffercombat is on speed, skill, and finesse not strength orlanding hits on vital areas.

    Charging: You are not allowed to touch youropponent in any way shape or form except for throughsafety-approved boffer weapons and spell packets. Anytype of body contact is called "charging" An opponent isalso charging if they are close enough to you so that youcan reach out and touch their torso.

    Violations: People who are found to be fightingin an unsafe way may be issued a yellow card or red cardfrom a local Warden. If a Red Card is presented, you (theplayer) will have your right to use weapons removed forthe night.

    Legal Targets: Strikes to the head, neck, or groinare illegal. Shots against the hands do not count if theyare currently holding something. Anyone found to be

    repeatedly striking these spots will be issued a yellow card.Safety reports may be filed on the website.

    Weapon Construction: In order to ensure thatall weapons are safe, they must adhere to certain safetyguidelines, as described in this document. At any time, theWarden of the territory you are in may ask to check yourweapon. If they find any fault with its construction, suchas thin foam or exposed pipe, they will reject the weapon.This means you may not fight with it until it is fixed orremade.

    Life and DeathAll weapons do one point of damage (called a

    wound). People can use certain skills and abilities whichmay change this if they call out a game effect or numberof damage while they're swinging, the weapon deliversthat game effect or number of damage instead of a wound.

    Every character has a certain number of health.This is the number of wounds you can take before youlose consciousness. All characters begin with five health.

    (You can gain two more by picking the skill Toughness.)You cannot fall into negative numbers. For example, ifyou have two health left, and somebody hits you for tendamage, you will only be at 0 health.

    Certain spells or abilities can grant you additionalprotection, called armor. Armor works just like health,except that points of armor are lost before health. Armoris not refreshed by healing spells, it needs to be refit. Thespell or ability which grants you the armor will describehow to refit it. Armor from multiple sources does notstack. For example, if you were granted 1 point of armorfrom a Dead God, and 1 point of armor from yourDreamstone, you still only have one point of armor. Onlythe highest number you are being granted counts. Notethat there is no bonus for wearing real armor as part ofyour costume.

    When you have zero health left, you must falldown and act like you're knocked out. While you'replaying dead, you can't look around, call out for help, useitems or skills, or do anything. If you're lying in themiddle of a battle, you're allowed to crawl a few feet overso you don't get stepped on.

    Once you reach 0 health, you will be knocked-outfor five minutes. While unconscious, you are helplessagainst any attempts to kill you. During this time someonemay lay a weapon on your torso and deliver a DeathBlow. To do this, they say "Death Blow 1, Death Blow 2,Death Blow 3". This must take at least three seconds, andanyone may stop it by knocking the killer's weapon aside.When the blow is finished, you say "I phase out", and takeoff your game badge or arm band. If someone deathblows you while you are still conscious, you may say "noeffect" and ignore the blow.

    If you are unconscious for five minutes and youdo not receive a death blow, you regain consciousness andare at 1 health.

    If you are killed, your character vanishes for the rest of

    the day. You will be reborn at sunrise with no wounds. Inthe meantime, you can choose to be a Summoner's shademinion. You may still post to theAether.

    Dragging SomeoneAn incapacitated or otherwise immobile character

    may be dragged. To do this, you must have two free hands(so all in-game items you are holding must be sheathed ordropped). Put a hand on the character's shoulder and say

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    "I drag you". Once the character stands up, you may moveat a walking speed with the character. Using any in-gameskills or taking damage while dragging causes the draggedcharacter to be dropped.

    When you drop a character, he must lie downwhere you dropped him. If you pick him up again, youhave to wait for him to sit down and stand back up.

    Cuts in PlayThis rule is very important. If someone is hurt

    out-of-game, call out "Cut!" If you hear someone call"Cut!", you must immediately stop what you're doing andgo down to one knee. If you see other people on oneknee, they is probably a cut in effect and you should alsogo down to one knee. When the action is cut, the game is

    stopped, and everything should freeze. During a cut, youmay not be communicating with friends, planning strategy,or fighting.

    Cuts can be used to clarify rules or describe aspecial scene or effect, though this will not happen often.Since calling a Cut stops the game, do not call cuts lightly.They are usually used for emergencies, or to improve theflow of the game.

    When the game resumes from a Cut, the personwho called the cut will yell "everybody ready? 3-2-1,Action!"

    List of Dreaming Callsthe BasicsMany of the things that happen in the game are

    explained by the use of calls. These are out-of-gamewords and phrases which describe certain effects. Forexample, the call "roots" represents a force which pinsyour foot to the ground. 2 iron is a call that representsthat the attack does two points of damage with an ironweapon. (if you are vulnerable to iron, you take an extrapoint). It is necessary that you role play when you are hitwith these effects.

    If you use up an expendable skill on someoneand they dont role play the effect or call a defensive skill

    in reply, the skill is not used up. At the very minimum,they have to call got it to indicate to you that theyregistered the attack. If you miss with an attack, it isn'tused up either.

    Sometimes you may be able to call a defensiveskill in reply to another attack. For example, warriors havethe ability to parry weapon blows. To do this, you mustannounce "parry" in response to the attack. After theattack, you have three seconds to use a defensive call.

    Delivery Methods By Weapon in order to deliver a call

    through a weapon blow, you have to hit yourvictim in a legal target (anywhere other than theirhands, head, neck, or groin). For example, a roguewith a poison dagger must slice his opponentsuccessfully in order to deliver the call. All gameweapons must follow weapon safety guidelines.

    By Aura most spells are cast throughsmall cloth pouches filled with birdseed calledSpell Packets (or occasionally spackets.) In-game, people refer to these objects as aura. If

    you are holding spell packets, it looks like yourhand is glowing with magical aura. In order tocast a spell, you must say the full incantation ofthe spell and then throw the spell packet. If thepacket his your target or anything he or she iswearing or holding, then your spell shouldsucceed.

    By Gesture Some things (like wands)will allow you to target multiple people or peoplein the distance. In order to target someone in the

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    distance, you must call out the persons name or adescription of him or her. For example, Travenhas a wand that will cast a sleep spell. Whilepointing it at Nughaull, Traven calls out Hey!Fae wearing red, by my gesture, sleep. Some

    abilities will let you gesture to everyone aroundyou, or certain people who are nearby.

    By Voice Some large effects will bedelivered through the casters voice. If you hearthe incantation to the spell, you are affected by it.

    DurationSome effects will be instant, like effects that

    inflict wounds. Others will last longer. Most calls have a

    duration of "line-of-sight". This means, the spell stillaffects you as long as you are within the casters line-of-sight. To determine whether or not you are in line-of-sight, imagine a line being drawn between you and thecaster. If it is obstructed by buildings or stationary objectsfor more than ten seconds, the spell is over. To break aline-of-sight spell, you cant just face the other way or hidebehind people you have to step behind a building ortree.

    The duration of any spell that doesnt deliver animmediate effect (like damage) is line-of-sight unless adifferent duration is specified. For example, if someone

    hits you with a root attack, you are rooted in place untilthe caster leaves your line of sight. If the attack statesroots for 1 minute, you remain trapped for a fullminute.

    The duration "until rest" indicates that the effectwill go away once you take a five-minute rest.

    CallsBestow- the target receives a skill, ability, or

    bonus, as specified. Some bestowed abilities can only beused once, while others can be refreshed like an encounterskill. Unless another duration is specificed, allbestowments disappear at 6 AM.

    Bind - your arms are bound to your side. Youmay still move around. Any attacks that hit your weaponsor shield will effect you while bound.

    Disarm - you must drop the specified item. Youmay not toss it or throw it. You may pick it up again as

    soon as it hits the ground and stops moving. If this call isdelivered by weapon, the target is the weapon or limb ithits. The call will have no effect if the legs or torso are hit.

    Dispel X - the specified call is ended. For

    example, if you are effected byroots, someone could curebefore the duration has finished with "dispel roots". Anyunspent charges from an evocation spell can also besnuffed out by a dispelby targeting "dispel evocation".

    Drain - While drained, you cannot take any in-game actions or use any skills.

    Heal this call heals a point of damage. Anumber of wounds may be specified, such as "Heal 3".

    Knockout - you are unconscious and must fall tothe ground. You will wake up in 60 seconds.

    Push - the target must immediately move back

    until they are ten feet away, and cannot use offensive gameskills until he does. If he is unable to move back, he mustkneel for three seconds. If the target is already ten feetaway, this has no effect.

    Refresh - This call recharges one skill. Usually, aspecific skill or skill type will be specified, such as"Refresh 1 encounter skill".

    Roots When rooted, your right foot is stuck tothe ground. You may pivot on that foot, but cannot moveit from that spot.

    Slow- When slow, you cannot run.

    VeritasVeritas, the Latin word for truth, is a special game

    word which means the next thing you are about to say istrue within the context of the game. For example, ifsomebody points to the sky and says "Veritas: There's aUFO flying overhead!" you must act as if you see theUFO flying overhead.

    Game instructions may also be delivered with theword Veritas. For example, during a Dream Walk, you

    might hear, "Veritas - the pavement is hot lava. If you stepon it, you take one damage."

    You are only allowed to use the word Veritas if agame ability or Dream Walk script has permitted you todo so.

    PsychogeographyIn Dreams, a location can have more than one

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    identity. For example, a place can be botha park near yourhouse andthe ruins of an ancient battleground.Sometimes, (often on Dream Walks) you will venture intofantastic places which coexist with actual geography. Theword Veritas is often used to create this psychogeographic

    coexistence.

    For example, you might be on a Dream Walk to atemple in the peaks of the Himalayas. As you climb asteep hill, your party leader might say, "Veritas, you cansee for hundreds of miles up here!" When you reach thelittle gazebo at the top of the hill, he'll say "Veritas - look,over there, the temple!"

    RewardsThe DreamstoneAnyone who spends some time in the Dreaming

    may create a Dreamstone. This is a special stone whichgrants you powers or abilities. Every character may onlyown one Dreamstone. It will only work for that player,and cannot be stolen or traded.

    As you bring your Dreamstone with you in theDreaming, you may hear it begin to talk to you. Over time,it may teach you secrets or grant you special powers.

    People often choose a Dreamstone which sharessome quality with their character. Someone who's

    character is a dirty lowlife might have a lump of coal for aDreamstone. Someone who is very vain might carry abeautiful gem. A charismatic fast talker might choose avery smooth stone.

    Gaining ResonanceThe Dreamstone "wakes up" over time by taking

    it with you during your travels. Every time you complete aDream Walk which is Archived, you gain a point ofResonance. This Resonance can be spent to awaken yourDreamstone's powers.

    You can also be awarded Resonance for goodarchiving. This means writing good blog posts orsubmissions to the game. For example, if you post aninteresting journal, speech, artwork, or essay, a staffmember might reward you Resonance in that post'scomments. If you do something in the Dreaming whichcreates drama, story, or inspires others, you can beawarded Resonance.

    In your profile, there is a section titled "DreamLog". This section is used to record when and how youreceived Resonance. List the date, title, and link to the

    relevant archive entry. For example, if you go on theDream Walk titled "Fae Rescue" on November 4th, andsomebody posts a blog entry about it, record this:

    "11/24 - Fae Rescue -

    http://dreamings.ning.com/profiles/blogs/

    name-of-blog-entry".

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    Spending ResonanceTo awaken the Dreamstone's power, you must

    spend Resonance. Each power also has an upkeep cost, anamount of Resonance which must be paid each month. If

    the upkeep is not paid within 30 days, the powerdisappears.

    When you purchase a power, list it, and the dateon which you purchased it, in the profile section called"Dreamstone Powers". Spend Resonance on that powerby cutting it from your Dream Log and pasting it beneaththat entry.

    For example, if you buy the Dream Shield power,which costs 2 points, your Dreamstone Power sectionmight look like this:

    2/19/10 - Dream Shield - You gain 1 armor

    point. They can be refreshed by holdingyour Dreamstone and concentrating for 60

    seconds.

    1/10 - Fae Rescue -

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    we-rescued-some-fae

    1/15 - Awaken the Wakes -

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    putting-up-posters-downtown

    If the power's upkeep is 1, you would have to listan additional point of Resonance underneath that entrybetween 3/19 and 4/18. Another point would have to bespent between 4/19 and 5/18. If a power expires becausethe upkeep has not been paid, mark that power asINACTIVE. You may reactive it at any time by paying theupkeep cost.

    A point of Resonance can only be spent once.After it's been listed underneath an active power, it cannotbe spent again.

    For a list of Dreamstone powers,

    see the Dreaming website.

    Races of the DreamingVisions

    DescriptionVisions are the natural inhabitants of theDreaming, and are thought of as dreams themselves.Visions guard the Dreaming against outsiders. They takean additional wound when struck by essence damage.

    Beginning as a VisionIf you are playing aVision, your character will

    either be a wanderer who has just come here from someother part of the country, or a newly created Vision whowas just given birth by the Dreaming. New Visions do notknow the current events of the Dreaming and must learnin-game about the presence of Fae. Note that manyVisions dislike Fae and view their presence in theDreaming as a kind of intrusion, though they are for themost part willing to put up with the Fae until they canreclaim their homeland.

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    On VisionsJuly 23, 1852. Journal of Archilino Dulcinari, (d.

    1836) former member of the Roman Catholic Church, Officialscribe of the Italian High Shaper.

    Visions are an interesting specimen, perhaps themost interesting specimen that I have seen in this newworld. Visions are not born like you and I, in our homeplane. They are brought into being by the will of theDreaming itself. Sometimes they are born for apparentreasons, like decay within the dream country, sometimesfor no perceivable reason at all. It is their function tomaintain the dreamworld. It is necessary for the Dreamingto continuously modify and reshape itself, as this plane isfar more malleable than ours, and the agents throughwhich this is done are the Visions. They serve a secondaryfunction, as well, depending on the vision, in the form of

    quantifying, experimenting, and interpreting the vastamounts of data that they receive from the dreams of"wakes". Recently, they have adjusted to fit a thirdfunction, a function much like the antibodies in our body,fighting impurities in the Dreaming itself.

    All Visions are shapers of the Dreaming, and theindividual dreams of "wakes". Thus, visions are knownfrom time to time to fabricate dream visions in thesubconscious of other inhabitants of the Dreaming.

    All visions are made of the Prime Material of theDreaming, called Essence. If one can refine the metals of

    the Dreaming into a weapon crafted of Essence, it willseverely damage a vision.

    All Visions tend to share a custodianship for thedreaming, and most will support a Shaper. However,Visions are frequently xenophobic and will demand thatthis Shaper be a Vision, or at the very least a Dead God.

    The Dreams of VisionsIt is assumed that most of the time that a vision

    spends off-stage and out-of-game, they are in a sort ofbetween-worlds zone where they become the Dreams ofthe waking world. What exactly does this mean?

    When a wake goes to sleep, their mind drifts awayfrom their body. Seemingly effortlessly, it crosses throughthe mists and into the Dreaming. There, it wandersaimlessly through the Dreamscape, eternal visitors andtourists incapable of resting or staying in one place fortoo long. Despite the tireless travel, the mind is notfatigued, but rather, invigorated and rejuvenated by its

    glimpse at the Waking Worlds sister plane. Most of thisvoyage is unfortunately not remembered upon return tothe familiar shores of consciousness.

    While in the Dreaming, wakes often encounter

    Visions and other dreams. Visions have the talent ofstepping inside a Wakes consciousness and briefly craftingtheir reality. This can take place in two main ways.

    A Vision is capable of walking with the Wake anddescribing a scene in a way that it becomes real to him orher. The Vision shares the point of view of the Wake fora time, and then departs. They will walk together for awhile as the Vision narrates: There is a bucket by yourbed and a bat at the bottom of it. The bat is covered withants. You are horrified. Occasionally this narrative takesplace in the first person.

    While phased out, the vision is incorporeal.

    While in this state, he or she will skip from mind to mind,sometimes merely keeping pace with one wake, sometimesjumping from dream to dream like a stone skipping on thewater. Within a mind, the Vision is the master-painter, apsychedelic director, and for a short time, a part of theWakes internal consciousness.

    While within the dreams of wakes, a Vision has afleeting glimpse of that persons mind. This glimpse leadsto curiosity, but Wakes do not stay in the Dreaming longenough for to satisfy a Vision's questions. The way thatWakes experience the world is entirely different fromVisions. For a Vision, its somewhat like looking into akaleidoscope, but in addition to seeing colors and shapes,the Vision sees contradictory opinions, memories andemotions all blended into one strange impression. It is amuch more contradictory mode of experience than aVision can imagine. When retracting from this image andreturning to the Dreaming, the Vision must return to aworld with fewer rules, less structure, and less tangibility.This can be frustrating, but it often provides a sense ofpurpose and direction.

    The way that a Vision interacts with Wakes isoften a component part of that Visions personality. Some

    visions are called nightmares, and feel the greatestfulfillment from Dreams filled with horror and adrenaline.Some call themselves incubi or succubi, and enjoy dreamsof an indulgent nature. Most visions prefer to pick aspecific emotion or concept to center a Dream around.

    It is thought that Visions who spend too muchtime in Dreams can become trapped there, staringabysmally into the confusing mind of wakes. Meanwhile,Visions who do not spend enough time in Dreams findthemselves without direction, without motivation, and

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    occasionally, without emotion. These Visions seem tohave lost a part of themselves and can often benefit froman extended meditation within the Dreamscape offoreigners.

    Some Visions wonder if they are necessarily thetop level of unconsciousness. Dreams loseconsciousness too, and when they die, their essence istemporarily in Void. While they slumber, are the spirits ofVisions being explored by some beings in the Void? Noneremember long enough to tell.

    FaeDescription

    Fae are a magical and mysterious people displacedfrom their homeland, Faerie. Fae are refugees in theDreaming, hiding here while their homeland is consumedby war. Fae take an additional wound when struck by irondamage.

    Beginning as a FaeIf you are playing a Fae, you are a stranger in a

    strange land. You are an exile from your homeland, therealm of Faerie. You may have lived in the Waking Worldduring the time the Fae call the Great Fade, when the lastmagic in the world faded out and all Fae went color-blind.You might have lived in Faerie, the Faes homeland, whenthe Fae were forced them out of their homeland. Orperhaps you were born in the Dreaming and have neverknown either Faerie or the Waking World. Now youwander the Dreaming, looking for a place to call home.

    On Fae

    Welcome friend, sit down and chat with me. Theworld of the dreaming is a rough place - sometimes itseems so drab and bleak. This place makes me miss myhome more and more every day. But this is our home now,and I suppose all we can do is defend this, our laststronghold.

    I am Tak, a Fae. I used to be called a Satyr, butafter we came through the Rift to the Dreaming, ourforms ended up being a bit more mundane. Now none ofus have horns or wings or hooves - you can barely tell anyof us apart! Me and my kin live in the woods here.

    We tried to live in the Waking World for a while,but it's all black and white and it smells like oil. It's beenlike that since the Industrial Revolution. Humans still seethe color for some reason, but I don't think it's there, notlike it used to be. And when color went, we couldn't useour glamour, either. Our kind used to love traveling to theWaking World, but it was too sad to stay. So we left. Nowwe live in the Dreaming.

    It seems like so long ago. Once upon a time, welived in the land of Faerie where everything was bright

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    and colorful, the world oozed magic, and what humankindviewed as impossibilities were everyday occurrences.Those days are gone now. We were driven from our homeby war, a war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts. TheUnseelie brought the monsters to Faerie, and eventually

    the monsters overcame us both. Now our great land, oncean endless paradise, is a desolate desert. It is less ourworld now then theirs. After the invasion, many of ourkind died. Those of us who survived escaped through theRifts to the Dreaming only to fight amongst ourselves.

    The Story of the ExileThere have always been two houses in the realm

    of Faerie, the Seelie court and the Unseelie court. Thetwo courts have been at each other's throats for as long asanyone can remember. A long time ago, these courts oncestood for something - the Seelie court was associated withlight, beauty, and goodness, while the Unseelie epitomizedall that is dark, foul, and evil. Over centuries of warfare,each court took on some of its opponent's properties. Bythe 1800s, the difference between the two courts was inname only.

    In the mid 1800s, magic in the Waking Worldbegan to fail. Advancements in science and technologyresulted in a plague among the Fae. A widespread color-blindness and subsequent depression spread through the

    Fae as they began to wither and die. This was called theGreat Fade.

    Around the time of the Waking World's IndustrialRevolution, something happened to the Unseelie Court.They began to fight with no regard for their own survival.They began to employ unnatural creatures which had noplace in existence. The Fae were consumed by theirmission to destroy their enemies. History would revealthat the Unseelie leader's attempts to tap into the Void ofNonexistence had corrupted them beyond measure.

    Eventually, the void creatures were no longerunder the Unseelie's control. They began to slaughter

    wantonly, no longer fighting for one side or the other. TheSeelie and Unseelie courts were not able to fight a twofront war, and began to lose ground to the monsters.

    The war drew to a close in the year 2010, whenthe Unseelie Court succeeded in its ancient goal ofrepelling the Seelie Fae from Faerie. Spread thin, theywere unable to hold their ground, and were exiled as well.In their victory, they had also destroyed themselves. Theoutsiders had taken the realm, and its natives were

    displaced. Many members of the Unseelie Court still roamFaerie, which is now a deserted wasteland, overrun byhordes of ravenous monsters.

    With the exile both from Faerie and the Waking

    World, the Fae had few places left to go. In mass, theytraveled through large rifts to the Dreaming, where theymade their home. The Fae found that though they mayhave appeared as tiny leprechauns, intimidating giants, orany number of dazzling creatures, when their world waslost, they also lost their ability to enhance their appearancewith glamour. Now all the fae look quite mundane.

    The members of the Unseelie court have turnedup in the Dreaming looking for a place to stay. Somemembers of the Unseelie court have followed theirancient adversaries through the rifts to make trouble.Others are guilty for their deeds, or are unhappy with how

    the war was resolved. Many simply become monsters,wandering the Dreaming in search of the next fight.

    The Distant Horizon of FaerieThe Faerie ffolke have many things about them

    which seem strange to those that know only the WakingWorld. There are many traditions, rituals, and ideas thatare bafflingly foreign to mortals, their gods, and theirdreams.

    For one, there are many diseases which plagueFaerie. Humans are used to diseases which physicallyattack the body. The Faerie have diseases like these the(un)common cold, hayfever, tourettes syndrome, and thebubonic plague, to name a few in common. They alsohave an entirely different family of diseases which areaffective in nature. These diseases effect the mind and theemotions, not the body. One example of this disease isthe Scarlet Rage, a sickness that is perforates the mind andagitates it towards violence. Much like one might catch acold by not putting on a coat before going outside, peoplecatch the Scarlet Rage by feeling overwhelminglyfrustrated or hopeless.

    This disease is common especially amongRedcaps. When affected by extreme cases of Scarlet Rage,the sick Faerie sees everything with a red filter over it.People seem to be indistinguishable black silhouettes.Only those that the Faerie really trusts seem to be infocus, and then only briefly. When confronted with oneof these hateful black shadows, the Faerie is unable towithhold from violence. The Scarlet Rage is only curableby deep focused meditation, spread out over a long time.

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    Violence, unfortunately, only inflames the disease, butwith the brief-lived satisfaction of scratching poison ivy.

    When the Faerie came to the Dreaming, itseemed apparent that other races could get the Scarlet

    Rage (as well as other affective diseases, such asSadarrhea, the Inappropriate Giggles, and Chronic GothSyndrome) as well. Many beings laughed at this notion those silly Fae were thinking that peoples naturalemotions were a contagious disease! --And perhaps that istrue. But still, the Fae Elders warn against beingconsumed with violence it does not cure the ScarletRage, it only makes it worse. You may destroy yourself, intime. Ffolklore tells a few stories of Faerie thatsuccumbed to this rage and became beasts themselves.

    The Redcaps instead hold that this disease is asacred tradition called Bloodlust. When at the height of

    Bloodlust, a redcap will drink the blood of his foes anddip his cap in it, making it as red as his anger. This is aspiritual and personal moment characterized by pride,glory, hubris, and a sense of communion with oneself.

    The Fae have no notions of many things that arenatural to the joyless people of the Mortal Realm. Fae donot dream, and Fae do not think about the Afterlife. Theydo, however, have a few emotions that mortals do nothave. One particular emotion is called amaloom. Thisfeeling is a sense of distance from home and deephomesickness which words cannot describe. When aFaerie notices that another Fae is feeling particularly

    amaloomful, they will try to help out. The most commonway of doing this is by giving the amaloomy Fae a gift thatreminds them of Faerie. Leaves and flowers are common,but poems, drawings, kisses, and dirty limericks are alsopopular choices. Many Fae report feeling Amaloom insince they moved to the Dreaming. Oddly enough, somethink this emotion may also be a disease which can betransmitted to the youth. Many Fae who were born in theDreaming feel Amaloom as well, but have difficultyidentifying or explaining it.

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    Dead GodsDescriptionDead Gods were once worshiped in the Waking

    World, but their followings have been lost. With fewearthly worshipers, they are sentenced to wait in theDreaming until The End of the World.

    Dead Gods take an extra wound of damage fromeither silver, iron, or essence damage. You must choosewhich one at character creation. (Indicate yourvulnerability in the biography section of your profile.)

    Beginning as a Dead GodIf you are playing a Dead God, come up with

    some background information about your life. You wereworshiped in the Waking World at one point, probably bya long-lost culture such as the Babylonians, Sumerians, theCelts, the Native Americans, or any number of African orSouth American cultures. Or perhaps you're a newer God,someone who was worshiped in more recent times. Onceyou were no longer worshiped or believed in, you lostyour power and drifted into a long coma. Some time later,(could be a year, could be a few millennia) you awoke inthe Dreaming. This place is a kind of purgatory to you -you're waiting for someone to worship you again, or

    Ragnarok, the time when all Gods will walk the Earthagain. You do not need to be a historically accurate-god;

    you canmake up aGod, butthe cultureyou comefrom mustbe real, or atleast soundreal.

    On Dead GodsI am Koracotl, Forgotten Toltec God of

    medicine and healing. One day, I shall return.One day, I shall return. Thats the phase you will

    repeat over and over again as a Dead God. It gives youhope. Sometimes, a little hope is all you need to gothrough with your day-to-day life. Sometimes, all the hopein the world isnt enough.

    Originally, we were all real Gods. We wereworshiped by Sumerians. We were worshiped inBabylonia. We were worshiped in the dark parts of Africaand South America. The early peoples of North America.The Druids of Europe. Scores of others. But since ourglory days, we have been cast aside as false or just plainforgotten. With no faith left in our power, we come herethrough a painfully long slumber.

    They call us the Dead Gods. And howeverdepressing it is, we are Dead, in a way. Of course, it is apurely mortal concept that life stops at death. There ishope- if they begin worshiping us again in the WakingWorld, well get a chance to return. And when comethRagnarok, the end of the world, we will walk the Earthagain as the Gods we were. And are.

    When we come to the Dreaming, we fall into adeep coma-like sleep. This sleep can last thousands of

    years if we have no will to come back. When we finallywake up, we are powerless husks of our old selves and theworld has changed so much we doubt theyll ever worshipus again. Its tragic, really. Weve serve our purpose, andthe Dreaming is like the waiting room before we get ourpower again. But that doesnt mean were passive residentshere, we avidly participate in the politics and drama of theDreaming, we just dont feel its our destiny.

    We get along fairly well with the Visions, as theydo a good job of taking care of us until we can return toour full power. No specific problem with the Fae either;theyve lost their homeland too. The Lost Souls are a sad

    people I dont entirely understand, but we, of all people,can sympathize with wanderers who havent reached theirgoal.

    Now the trouble with us is that were pretty easyto kill while were on the Dreaming. If you cut us with aweapon, it challenges our power, decreasing our Faith.Once all our Faith is gone, we disappear from theDreaming to float through the Void of nonexistence. Ourcurse is that we always come back.

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    Every one of us has an Altar, somewhere. Itcould be an elaborate temple or just a spot in the woods.Its a good idea to hide your altar from everyone exceptyour close allies, as if someone knows where your Altar is,they have a certain degree of power over you- they can

    cut you back out of the Dreaming when you materialize,they can ambush you when you are being worshipped, andthey can sure-as-Ragnarok make you wish you could movethe damn thing.

    Thats another trouble with us: all our powercomes from the Faith that people have in us. In order togain more, we need people to come to our altar andworship us for a while. Its a good idea to create a Versethat your followers can repeat over and over again toglorify and praise of your might, wisdom, power, et cetera.Most of our powers do not serve ourselves, but ourfollowers, creating resources, protecting them from

    combat, that sort of thing. But this works out becausewithout our followers, we are nothing.

    So we sit and pass time in the Dreaming. Somemortals believe in a place called Purgatory where thosewho have not succeeded or failed in life are destined towait until they can rejoin their afterlife. Maybe it is themortals relatively recent belief in Purgatory that hascaused us to awaken here. Maybe it is the destiny of allGods to die and wait here, as karmic punishment forbeing the greatest beings in the universe.

    The Divine BrotherhoodThe Gods of the waking world thought

    themselves to be without rival until they learned that theirpower was equivalent to their followers faith in them.This sudden vulnerability came late in life. Much like afootball player who receives a back injury and mustforsake his destiny, the Husks of Gods have a sense ofgreatness that circumstance has whisked from them.

    One of the most daunting thoughts that mostGods have is the notion of unimportance. For their entire

    existence in the Waking World, the Gods thoughtthemselves the masters and creators of the universe. Theymay have known of other pantheons, but each Godregarded them as false mere pretenders and false idols.Most Gods believed that their pantheon was unique,cosmically important. Many believed that members oftheir pantheon did indeed create the universe.

    And though all these nations may be true, in theDreaming, the graveyard of the Gods, they face threats to

    their own faith in themselves. Gods are suddenlyconfronted with others of their previous stature. They seemortals who outrank them, and beings which do not fitinto their models of the universe (Who are all theseforeigners in Morpheus realm? some Greek gods ask

    themselves with a combination of frustration anddisbelief).

    The universe seems to be a strange and alienplace to a God who has freshly woken from the Sleep ofthe Forgotten. Furthermore, there are other gods whichcould not possibly exist! There are even Gods who nowwalk the Dreaming which were momentarily worshiped byschool children, the insane, and fictional