System Policies and Ethos

Game Team Policies

Our Right to Refuse Service

The Game Team reserves the right to exclude people from games if they believe it is necessary. If we receive reports of behaviour or witness actions we disagree with and we believe it is for the benefit and safety of all participants if an individual is removed from play then we will do so. Please respect these rules along with any decisions that the game team makes.

Ticket Lottery

Should the number of bookings for an event exceed the number available spaces, we will operate a lottery system wherein which every group or player booking will be assigned a lot and spaces will be fulfilled by randomised draw. We feel this is fairer than operating a first-come-first-served methodology.

Refunds

All ticket refunds must be requested before the two months prior to the event the ticket is for, after that point, refunds will be subject to the Game Team or your own Personal ability to resell the ticket. In order to encourage players to vary their play/crew habits with the existing player pool, we will be operating a system where players who have played two events in a row will be 'de-prioritised' and placed on a waiting list before players who have not attended two in a row.

Crewing Credit

We operate a policy of rewarding crew for their hard work, no LRP can run without the support of many individuals, to this end the Game Team grants each individual who crews a game a 'credit' that allows them to book in an exclusive priority booking period for people with crew credits. Crew credit may be transferred to another individual but it is still consumed when used. If the number of bookings exceedes the number of spaces available and as a result goes to a lottery any crew members who miss out on a spot will be able to transfer their credit to a later game.

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The Importance of Self Care

We as a system support people making sensible choices about their ability to safely and enjoyably experience the game. Balancing medical needs and the desire to enjoy the game should be made as easy as possible.

To that end if you need to leave due an a medical situation of any nature you will retain any crew credit you used to attend that event.

We will try our best to make any reasonable adjustments to assist players in difficulty, but trust you to know when that is not going to be sufficient.

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Character Conflict and PVP

PvP = Player vs Player, conflict between player characters (PCs), often referencing to violence between PCs, but equally including social conflict.

PvE = Player vs Environment, where the primary conflict is between PCs and Non-Player Characters (NPCs).

Death Unto Darkness is a PvE game, it represents the struggles of the beleaguered servants of the Imperium against an ever-multiplying number of threats within and without. To this end going into our second season of play following the Covid-19 epidemic we have decided to make a shift in our PvP policies to emphasise the game we want to run going forth.

This change represents a conscious shift to making DuD a game focused on PvE then the previous mixed PvP and PvE policy that we used in the past.

PvP Violence is not Supported. The DuD Version 2 combat system is designed to create a frenetic and exciting PvE experience but if it has to litigate for players fighting with each other then it will be severely diminished. To this end you may not attempt to engage in violence with your fellow players, where duels, executions or similar violence need to happen for the sake of roleplay the victor should be agreed and no calls or mechanical injury will be inflicted, where both sides want a sense of ‘randomness’ to the victor then a member of the Game Team can be consulted as a neutral third party if they wish to do so. The use of Would you Kindly by a Player to cause another Player to engage in violence against themselves or others is also disallowed.

There are situations where a Player Character can be turned against the player party in this circumstance violence against them is considered PvE where they are a clear and present threat. A player character who is actively possessed by something or enslaved to the will of an NPC, or has chosen to throw themselves into worship of the Dark Gods is considered a NPC threat that players do not have to restrain themselves from using violence to protect themselves and others. This means if they have engaged in violent action towards someone, you have very clear evidence to believe they are possessed or under mind control and present a threat you cannot deal with in any other means, or are clearly about to do so (such as raising a weapon or aiming a gun) you may use violence to stop them. In almost all circumstances where this happens the now-hostile player will have been assigned a NPC statline instead of having access to their full abilities.

Inter-Player Cooperation is encouraged and while conflict is encouraged we want to discourage situations where it becomes so intense that the party can no longer cooperate. Going into Season 2 we are stressing the necessity of the need to work together against an encroaching threat, we want players to focus on working together, and while social conflict is a natural part of the Imperium due to innate attitudes around discrimination of specific social castes or genetic aberrations as well is inter-religious conflicts these conflicts exist to create depth for roleplay interactions rather than drive a wedge between groups of players forcing the formation of cliques. This is reinforced by the Player Character’s patrons who will often stress the necessity of cooperation even if they have their own personal objectives to grant players secondary narratives within events.

This does not mean 'don't disagree' sometimes characters will reach different conclusions or have different opinions and debate becomes necessary, we encourage situations like this where disagreements occur. Should players feel they have reached an impossible point where disagreements cannot be resolved by any means they can reach out to the game team for options (such as contacting their Inquisitors or, in extreme cases, violent solutions).

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Behaviour at Games

Bullying, Harassment and/or Discrimination

Any Bullying, Harassment or Discrimination against any Ref, Crew or Player on the basis of their real life identity is grounds for immediate ejection from a game. We will deal with issues on a case by case basis, but we will deal with things in a robust and final manner. DuD should be a safe environment for all involved. DuD has always been an inclusive game, and we strive to do our best to make it as such. The Imperium of Mankind has plenty of fear and ignorance in M.41 without needing to engage in outdated M.2 concepts of human division.

However on the flip side, there IS discrimination within the 40k setting. IC discrimination on the basis that a character is an Abhuman, Psyker, Xenos, a lower Societal Class, or follows a religious belief divergent with in universe norms is completely acceptable. Playing these characters comes with that challenge so it is not advised to play them if you have personal issues with that.

As far as the game is concerned, the Pratchett's quote “Black and white lived in perfect harmony and ganged up on green.” is a perfect summary for the unity of the Imperium. Humans are not divided, except by Class, there may be planetary cultures that do not understand each-other but the Imperium looks at a human and (after they’ve been gene tested for deviation) doesn’t take a particular interest in what they look like, what they identify as, or who they choose to partner with, so long as they are loyal to the Imperium.

Discrimination on the basis of disabilities, gender, sexuality adds nothing to our game and impacts severely on the game of others. Engaging in such discrimination, IC or not, is not permitted.

Controversial Themes and Dark Roleplay

The 40k setting is one filled with darkness and despair, but some topics are simply best avoided as in-game subjects because we believe that they add nothing to our game and can impact severely on players who may have had to deal with these subjects in real life. The following themes should never be used by players (IC or OOC) or in elements of plot:

• Sexual assault, sexual coercion and all forms of non-consensual sex including forced pregnancy (such as immaculate conception).

• Sex with minors.

• Infertility, Miscarriage and Stillbirth.

• Murder of Children
• Mental Illness/Learning Disabilities (While the ‘Madness’ system is designed to represent Lovecraftian mental trauma, these are things that face real people, even players on a daily basis, and so shouldn’t be used as plot devices.)

• Nazi/WW2 German symbolism, imagery and uniforms are expressly forbidden as are other hate symbols [linked] the knowing use of these in your kit is subject to an immediate ban and removal from games. The use of other real life political imagery is generally discouraged with the exception of imagery associated with gender equality and pride in gender/sexual identity. If you're unsure about a symbol or image you are using contact the game team and we will provide guidance on avoiding mirroring the symbology of hate groups.

Outside of these themes, there may be dark and sometimes disturbing imagery and themes used in the game, and we respect that some participants may find themselves affected by this. To this end you may use the ‘Traffic Light’ system to inform players, crew and refs of discomfort without needing to stop the game:

• Red should be used to indicate that you are extremely uncomfortable with the scene, and indicates to all participants to stop and move away from the subject matter being used/discussed.

• Amber indicates to others that you are affected by the subject matter and that they should be careful or back off from a subject to allow you to settle.

• Green can be used to indicate to others that you are comfortable and happy to move on with a subject.

If you are overwhelmed or completely unable to deal with a subject and need to bring an immediate end to it, you may call Stop the Game at any point. At this point all participants should cease roleplay to allow the participant in question to remove themselves from the play area and talk to a referee.  

Misgendering

Everyone has the right to be recognised for their identity, if you are ever uncertain it is better to ask then to misgender someone and never address large groups by gendered titles as a point of caution. It is always ok to drop OC to correct an individual on your pronouns and if your correction is not recognised, or you do not feel comfortable directly confronting someone yourself, it is always acceptable to approach a Ref to make this correction on your behalf. Malicious failure to recognise an individual by their chosen pronouns and misgender them repeatedly is grounds to be excluded from play.

Alcohol

You may bring your own drink please make efforts to disguise any branding or modern-looking elements to any containers you are using if you have it in an IC area, please dispose of your spent cans.

If you are drunk do not engage in combat, if you do it will be dealt with severely. A sip from a hip-flask is FINE but if you are going to engage in regular drinking that's the time to put your weapons down.

Drink in moderation, there are others around you who will NOT enjoy your drunken singing at 3am.

"I was drunk" is not an excuse for any behaviour.

Smoking

For the enjoyment of others, please ensure that if you are going to smoke (and sites may prohibit this) you do so away from buildings and other players, and dispose of your waste responsibly. If someone asks you to stop smoking or move further away from them, please do so immediately.

Recreational Drugs

Most sites we use operate a zero-tolerance policy on all use of recreational drugs on their premises, and many LRPers work in professions that mean they cannot be associated with, or may be forced to act, upon possession of them, or their use. As such we also operate a zero-tolerance policy on this, and will exclude people from games for bringing them onto site.

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Safety and Time In

OOC Calls "Time Out!" "Tim in!" "Safety!" and "Man Down!"

You must never use ANY of these calls for an IC purpose as they have distinct uses for indicating situations where there is OOC danger to an individual.

TIME OUT! : Indicates that you are to drop OOC immediately unless there is a personal safety reason to do so do not move from where you are, close your eyes and do your best to ignore anything going on around you.

TIME IN! : Indicates that an area has become 'live' and in-character, please cease any disruptive OOC activities or leave the area if you must continue them - otherwise assume the role of your character.

SAFETY! : Is used to indicate that while nobody has been hurt there is an emerging safety-hazard and the game needs to be stopped for a Ref to intervene stay where you are unless you are in danger or told to move by a member of the game team once the danger is resolved Time in! will be called.

MAN DOWN! : Is used to indicate that someone is in need of OOC medical assistance, stop what you are doing immediately and ensure other players and crew do so as well be aware of your surroundings, move to allow first aiders access to the individual(s) giving space where told to. Once the sitatuation is resolved Time in! will be called.

Sleeping Areas and Time In

Where possible at a normal event (10am-1am time in) we will try where possible to provide an area of the site for players wishing to remain in-character beyond 1am without disturbing others, in these situations if you go to sleep you will not be excluded from any plot by doing so. Should an event have a 24 Time In we will try where possible to provide a safe and quiet OOC sleeping area for those who require sleep, and endeavour to engage you in other ways to allow you to fully enjoy the event.

Contact and Touching

If you do not declare yourself ‘Non-Contact’ you are consenting to allowing yourself to be struck with LRP-safe props. However it is important that all participants are aware that consent to be struck by props is not consent to be touched with anything else, including hands. Should roleplay require you to come into physical contact with another person you must have their explicit consent to touch them before you do so. If you need to retrieve something from their character's person, and they do not wish to be touched, they can hand the prop to you while you mime searching away from their body.

You should never engage another person in unarmed combat unless you are specifically aware that that individual is comfortable with it and you confirm it with their positive consent before carrying out the RP. You will both be held responsible for any injury as a cause of your actions.

Combat Safety

Always Pull Your Blows. A blow should land with the minimum force required to indicate to someone they have been struck. If someone is hitting too hard, shout too hard at them or inform a Ref. A repeated failure to pull your blows is grounds for exclusion from combat. Repeated or extreme unsafe fighting will lead to you being removed from the event and potentially barred from future games.

This is a contact hobby, even with everyone trying to strike as safely as possible you can get hurt. Please do not engage in melee combat if you are uncomfortable with this. Certain people may be designated as ‘non-contact’ by their own request. These people will be indicated by the Refs at the start of an event and should NOT be attacked in a melee. Failure to observe this will be dealt with severely. Non-Contact individuals will state “Non-Com” and go to the Downed status if you engage them. The Game Team will do their best to ensure the safety of Non-Contact Individuals but cannot always guarantee safety from accidental blows from weapons.

Ranged combat is open to all but if you are being obviously engaged by a melee combatant and have chosen to be non-contact, please state ‘Non-Com’ to the individual and then go to the downed IC condition.

Where possible please avoid striking the head where other valid targets are presented. If your opponent is for example behind cover or a shield, these may be your only choices. In which case, take specific care and do not strike the face.

All weapons must be safety-checked by a Ref before Time In. This includes non-strike-safe firearm props that may have sharp edges or other safety hazards.

Prop Safety

The minimum length for a melee weapon should be seven inches (175mm) and care should be taken to ensure there is a good distance between the hand(s) holding the weapon and any striking surface as to avoid accidental blows with fists. Stab safe weaponry and flails are permitted, but will be approved on a case-by-case basis.

Weapons should be constructed from high-density closed cell foam, such as Plastazote or Evazote. Pipe lagging or upholstery foam would not be suitable as they are low-density, but can be used to ‘pad’ striking surfaces so long as the core construction is high-density foam. There should be a minimum of 12mm of foam between the core and any striking surface, but the ultimate test will be if the core can be felt through the foam.

Weapon cores should be fiberglass or carbon fiber and should be rigid, weapons should not ‘whip’ (unless they are flails). Any EL wire, gems or other hard elements of the weapon should be restricted to non-striking surfaces only.

Firearms props may be based around foam dart weapons or Realistic Imitation Firearms (RIFs), but actual firearms (deactivated or otherwise) are expressedly forbidden. Firearms props should at no point in game time be loaded with ammunition of any kind (any SFX should be electronically produced). If a firearm prop is going to be used in melee, the entire weapon should be made LRP-safe as per the rules above. Firearms props should not have any sharp edges that may damage players or melee weapon props.

Shields should follow similar guidelines to the above, but should not have a rigid core as part of their construction. Wooden/plastic shields (such as riot shields) are expressly forbidden, as all shields should be constructed primarily from foam.

Armour should be constructed from metal, foam, or plastic, and should not be constructed with any protruding sharp or hard elements. All edges should be rounded off for safety.

As with everything, the Death Unto Darkness team reserves the right to ban any prop from play if they feel it is unsafe. It is possible to construct a weapon within the best guidelines which is nevertheless entirely unsafe in practice. If you are making something and want assistance with construction, please talk to us in advance to avoid disappointment.

System Goals

• To create a vision of the Dark Millenium that is inclusive to all OOC orientations, identities and abilities – the Imperium doesn’t care what someone looks like, what they identify as, or who they choose to partner with, so long as they are loyal (and not Abhuman). At the same time, we aim to preserve the cloying horror of the setting and the grim and hateful nature of the Imperium – with a focus on existential and psychological terror instead of jump scares.

• To provide a coherent underlying narrative to the game; one that it is accessible enough that players can feel encouraged to interact with even outside of events with characters having the opportunity to act in the universe at large, while exploring plots, and interacting with permanent NPCs. Furthermore, players can find pursuable plot hooks through a multitude of means, both during uptime (through NPCs, sideplots, items, etc.) and downtime (through player downtimes, Gazetteer Updates, etc.)

• To create a visually impressive game, where players are encouraged to invest actively in the look and feel of their kit, and where the not-for profit nature of events ensures every bit of money not spent upon site hire and catering is invested directly into improving the visual look/feel of crew kit.

• To create a game where players feel like they can be proactive, and what they do will actively have echoing impacts on the narrative of the season, and the direction of events.

The Social Contract(s)

We rely on our players to maintain a high-quality game – both as players and as crew. Having a large number of crew members is vital to give our players the best possible experience; therefore, our social contract with players involves a “play one, crew one” agreement between us and our players. We understand that it is not always possible to attend every event, either as a player or crew, and that in certain circumstances (like an event set up in a specific planet or location, when another certain PCs will be in attendance, etc.), players might want to skip crewing an event so they can play it. We understand that, but we also ask our players to fulfil their side of the contract as soon as possible.

Crewing is incentivised by the offer of priority booking (to an event of the individual’s choice) – in order to ensure fair treatment of those who engage in the social contract. Any player who has played two events in a row will be placed on a low-priority list until they crew an event.

As for the Social Contract between players, it is the expectation that all players will endeavour to show respect to each other out of game, no matter how heated IC politics get – this is, and will always remain, a game, and, while investment in character stakes are encouraged, please do not allow them to spill into out of character disrespect for other players.

It is the aim of the game rules and combat design to encourage cinematic and entertaining fights to look at, rather than encouraging players to fight competitively. Combat is intended to be cinematic, with big telegraphed blows, and the intent of things looking mildly choreographed. This applies as much in Player vs Player fights as it does in Player vs Crew fights – the aim of Death Unto Darkness combat is to serve as a visceral physical way of expressing the violent moments of the story, not to ‘win’ a fight.

While there is active encouragement of IC prejudice against certain IC optional traits (like being a mutant or an Abhuman), it is expected of all characters to treat each other free of other prejudices (like sexism, ableism, racism, etc.). Prejudiced language and discrimination that target real life traits of a player is not tolerated, IC or OOC, and may result in summary removal from events, and you being asked not to return to the system.

For more details on how we handle these themes see our System Policies and Ethos

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Rules Design

When writing the current edition of the Death Unto Darkness rules, the design principle has always been to keep the game dramatic, and constrain the players less.

Because of this we ask players to embrace the following concepts:

The Player Characters are Tragic/Unexpected Heroes

The player characters are not the Imperium’s foremost heroes; rather than Rogue Traders, Space Marines or the rulers of worlds, they are the unsung heroes of hidden wars fought by the Inquisition in the shadows. They are a gathering of individuals who in other areas of the Imperium might stand out – and might come to the Inquisition’s attention themselves, as problems in need of a solution. Whether they were recruited from the Schola or out from in front of a firing squad, though, they now find themselves slaving away in the Inquisitorial ranks, bound by knowledge that would be a death sentence if they refused service, holy oaths their faith prevents them from breaking, or even stranger ties.

Dramatic Narrative Roleplay

DuD thrives upon players being as dramatic as possible. The 41st Millennium is a place of Space Opera and Grim Darkness – it is sometimes tongue-in-cheek, but the characters live in a sweeping world that moves in scenes and acts.

Often the rules will refer to a ‘scene’ – like in theatre or film. A scene ends where the narrative of the LARP has an obvious break or change in tone, such as the aftermath of a fight, a move from one location to another, or simply a break between waves of enemies when a character launches into a dramatic speech. We want this game to be about characters, and story, more than it is about mechanics.

There are several elements of the game that depend entirely on players hamming up their roleplay: for example there are as few ‘timers’ as we could manage, and certain area effect calls depend heavily on players and crew reacting as dramatically/appropriately as possible. If we follow this principle wherever we can, the characters’ stories will feel larger-than-life, and we can work together to create a more ‘cinematic’ narrative.

The Combat Social Contract

It is often easy in the flow of combat and the rush of adrenaline to forget that the most important rule is that roleplay is a two-way social interaction. Combat within DuD is an extension of that principle. Rules on what an aggressor needs to do to deliver damage, with the emphasis on dramatic blows and war-cries, are wasted if their victims do not return the gesture. In this way we can all reciprocate to ensure combat is a dramatic and exciting roleplaying experience rather than becoming too focused on a mechanical ‘game’ – the rules exist to tell a story, rather than to create a competitive sport.

This goes both ways: there are plenty of places in the game where a player is expected to make their character vulnerable for a few moments as part of the mechanics, be it just by reeling from a blow or other more dramatic effects. These aren’t intended to be situations where a ‘mook’ NPC minion will exploit them: only the most dangerous of opponents will deliberately set out to use these openings. We want to create a combat environment where people feel they can play up dangerous moments and take risks without automatically losing the battle because they weren’t fighting ‘efficiently’.

Just because there aren’t rules for it, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it

No larp system can ever have a rule for every situation – too many serendipitous moments and inspired spur-of-the-moment ideas come up at every single game and we want to support that from the ground up. If you want to try something then find a Ref and tell us your plan – we’ll figure out where it takes you. Of course, the more warning you can give us, the better – but if you’re under fire, and something’s a million to one chance but just might work, we want you to go for it. LARP is sometimes described as “sandbox free-form cross-country theatre”, and that’s the philosophy we ascribe to. There are background metaphysics in play, so plans that rely on warpcraft, xenotech or other mysterious elements may go weird as much as well – but they will almost always go somewhere.

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