Player Brief

The Concord LARP Player Brief is intended to provide a base understanding of Concord LARP for players to interact with its world, systems, and the community of the event. Everyone who attends a Concord event is required to complete the Player Brief before playing and periodically the Concord Team may require the whole community to re-do the Player Brief to ensure the community remains up to date on changes or expectations. The Player Brief is required for all attendees, including those who do not intend to fight or are part of the non-player crew. Players under the age of 16 are not required to complete a new player brief (but are subject to other requirements).

Any person taking part in Concord LARP is required to be a LARPWest member, as it provides insurance that makes our event possible. Details can be found at LARPWest Website

Where We Play

The majority of events for Concord occur at either the Bowden’s property in Oakford or the Smalberger property in Boddington. These sites are generously provided to us free of charge, and we are grateful to both families for facilitating our game.

In order to keep being able to use these sites, it’s important that we treat them with the respect they deserve. In general, this means listening to instructions from the property owners, not entering structures/areas you have not been given permission to, not bothering native animals/livestock, avoiding damaging the property and reporting any damage that does occur, and disposing of your rubbish correctly.

Rubbish is divided into four main categories:

10c Recycling: Cans/bottles etc. Anything with the label on the packaging
Recycling: Unsoiled cardboard, hard plastics etc.
Burnables - Typically only relevant at Summit: Soiled cardboard, paper, wood
General: Everything else!

10c and General bins are available at trainings, the funds from which are used to help provide the free sausage sizzle offered. Bins of each kind, as well as fires for burnables, are available at Summits. Refer to the Event Guide released before each game, or talk to your Realmic Camp Coordinator for more information.

Recycling and waste reduction are great passions for the Smalbergers, and sorting rubbish correctly is the least we can do when using their property. They, and the bump team, often have to sort through bags of rubbish after the game ends to make sure that things go where they need to, which is an unpleasant job that we can easily save them having to do. Where possible, the Concord Team recommends taking any rubbish you generated home with you when you leave Summit.

For events held at other locations you should display the same level of respect and follow any instructions provided by the owners. Please help us to keep the environment clean and maintain the wonderful spaces we have to engage in this hobby.

The Concord World and Game

Concord LARP tells the story of the people of The Concord, a union of five realms forced together through malady, misfortune, and war. The world of Concord is one of magic and mystery, difficult decisions and moral grays, sacrifice and subterfuge, hope and failure.

In Concord you play a Hero of The Concord, the term for those powerful, skilled, and influential few who attend the half-yearly Summits where the future of The Concord is decided. At these Summits, the Heroes will compete for power and control, battle the enemies of The Concord and each other, uncover the history of the world and beyond. They also celebrate, spend time at the tavern, and live their lives.

Concord is a game about power, sacrifice, and competition. It is also a game that continues outside of the mainline Summits, with year-round player run events, training, and out-of-character community. There is far more to the world of Esterra that can be found here, with more being available on the Concord Wiki.

Concord LARP Events and the Concord Community are guided by The Three Priorities:

Safety (both yours and others’)
Fun (both yours and others’)
The Rules System

Safety

You have a requirement to be safe to interact with and safe to yourself. Don’t put yourself into the circumstances that are unsafe for you, as often other people may not know what your circumstances are (fighting while dehydrated, over extending through an injury ect). You should also look out for people you are interacting with (help people who are injured, alert them to obstacles etc.)

Outside of combat, safety may mean ensuring you have the required medication and logistical support for a whole event, engaging in content that is within your comfort zone and abilities, and being a safe member of the community as per the LARPWest guidelines.

Without a focus on safety, events like this simply don’t exist and we need to approach this pursuit as a community that supports each other.

Fun

You have an obligation to be fun to interact with and pursue fun play yourself. This generally translates to allowing other players space to play within your interactions.

You don’t need to be fair, just give them space. For example; approaching an opponent from behind and striking them swiftly with no character or emotion until they admit defeat and fall down isn’t fun. You have no obligation to alert them to your approach, or even only hit them once, but striking reasonably and allowing them to die with character provides space for them in your play. Take your shots, give them some space to react and bring your character to the fight.

But you also have to look after your own fun. Seek out parts of the game you enjoy, as you have no obligation to perform tasks you don’t want to. Ensure that there is distance between yourself and your character, allow misfortunes and failures that befall your character to grow their story, and not to harm you. In the world of Concord your character will fail, your character will suffer, and they will likely perish. That is the story we are all here to tell.

The Rules

The rules exist to help clarify effects we can’t perform in the real world. This enables us to live in a fantasy world of magic and Heroes that we don’t normally. The expectation is that you will do your best to learn the rules, particularly those that apply to you. You will try to stay up to date with them and respect the rulings of The Concord Team.

But you will also recognise that the rules are complex and change. You will do your best to educate others when there is confusion and will accept when there are mistakes. We are all human. If the rules are unsafe or unfun, this is not intended; please let us know.

Basic Safety and Content

At all times, follow instructions of the Concord Team. They are there to facilitate the event. Details about the current members of The Concord team can be found on on their wiki page.

Consent

Do not touch other players without their consent. Consent can be revoked at any time for any or no reason. Consent should be given clearly but need not be an overly long exchange.

Players are permitted to give enduring consent to individuals, allowing them to touch or interact with them in a certain way. Where consent is provided but is not clearly enduring, players should not assume that it is.

Players are not permitted to ask for consent to touch from large groups. Consent to touch must be gotten from individuals.

Young Players

There are additional requirements on players under 18 and on guardians of these players. Details can be found here Children at Concord LARP

Unless you are the guardian of a child, never find yourself alone with a child. If such a situation occurs, leave the situation and alert a member of the Concord team.

Objects

Respect the objects of others. Players are not permitted to take objects, costume, or equipment that belongs to others unless they believe that the item has been lost. In these circumstances they should be taken directly to the events Lost and Found location.

If you damage or find damage to the site or event props, alert the Concord Team.

Characters are permitted to take objects, costume, or equipment provided by the Concord game. This includes:

Any objects, costumes, or equipment where a Concord team member has given you consent to take.
Any Game item such as:
- Coins
- Item Cards
- Wains
- Artisan Craft Tags

Players are permitted to retrieve, obscure, destroy, or duplicate (using in-world methods) items of text or images relevant to the game such as letters, advertisements, or similar, even if they are player created. When placing these items into the world, players should understand this risk.

Boxes, pouches, bags, and similar containers that are closed should be considered locked unless they belong to you.

Tents or structures that are closed should be considered locked unless they belong to you.

Players should ensure that important or sensitive personal out-of-character items are not placed in similar bags or locations to in-character items.

Alcohol

Individuals over the age of 18 are permitted to drink alcohol at Concord events, provided the event allows it.

Players should not become overly intoxicated. This is defined as:

Vomiting without this being a conscious choice.
Being unable to comply with requests by The Concord Team
Being deemed intoxicated by a licensed tavern at the event.

Players who are too intoxicated to drive are too intoxicated to fight and should proceed to Bleedout if a fight occurs in their vicinity.

Players are not permitted to roleplay being drunk or drunker than they are.

Costume

While in in-character locations players are required to wear in-character costume and kit. Obvious modern garments such as jeans, t-shirts, and white sneakers must not be on show. Most basic costumes are acceptable provided it is broadly medieval in style. It is fine to wear plain modern garments such as track pants, linen trousers, and nondescript leggings. We encourage players to be aspirational and make the best effort they can in growing their costume, but these minimum standards exist to allow everyone to attend events with confidence that the world will remain in-theme.

When wearing more modern clothing, players should ensure that sections such as pockets, zips and elasticated waistbands are covered by another garment. You should also ensure that items made of elasticated materials (e.g. leggings, sweatpants etc) are of sufficient thickness to provide adequate coverage as per the minimum costuming standards.

Costume must cover the same area as short shorts and a strapless crop top at a minimum. While in public out-of-character spaces (setup and packdown, toilet common areas, GOD) players must ensure their out-of-character garb also covers these areas.

Players should maintain the minimum costuming requirements while in in-character spaces regardless of weather. Players should plan their costumes to meet these requirements.

Content

Concord is an adult event with adult themes. As such swearing, roleplayed emotions such as aggression and sadness, lying, alcohol and drug use, violence, death and other heavy themes may be present. Be prepared for these things to occur and sometimes with little warning, as is the nature of a living world.

Concord is not a historic event but rather a fantasy one. Historic circumstances, styles, and events may inspire the game, but have no bearing on the world.

Concord is an accessible event with no OOC discrimination. Players and characters of any gender, age or sexual orientation may succeed in the world of Concord. A player's OOC identity should have no bearing on their in-character actions or success.

Some aspects of the game, such as titled play, are less accessible and will often involve hostile or antagonistic gameplay. Players seeking these parts of the game should be aware that such scenes can arise without warning, and should be aware of their comfort level and limits when deciding to pursue them.

Concord does not allow non-consensual sexual themes or references of any kind, implied consensual sexual themes are allowed if handled with tact.

Hostile and Antagonistic Play

Hostile Roleplay is any moment where your roleplay is particularly angry, aggressive, intense, or confronting, generally when directed at another character or group of characters. These moments are often the crux of arguments, betrayals, disagreements, or accusations.

Antagonistic Gameplay is any time when one character engages in mechanical actions which affect another character's mechanical circumstances, or uses systems of the game or world to affect another character indirectly. Examples include attacking another character, reporting a character for crimes or inquisition, running against another character for a title, or taking actions to affect another character's investment or downtime success.

Antagonistic gameplay differs from hostile roleplay as it can often be done indirectly with no social engagement and often has direct mechanical effects. Many times hostile roleplay and antagonistic gameplay will go hand in hand or one will follow the other, but this isn’t always the case.

When engaging in this sort of gameplay, players should do their best to be grounded and ensure their actions are coming from in-character motivations. You should attempt to remain and react in-character, and adapt to your plans changing unexpectedly.

If you are not confident in the rules, or would like an impartial observer for a scene, please seek out a Team member to confirm or supervise before engaging in antagonistic gameplay.

The full guidelines for hostile and antagonistic roleplay are available on the Hostile Play wiki page, including tips for how to engage in this sort of play from either directions as well as some other behaviours to avoid.

Communication

When players are in in-character spaces but need to speak out of character, they should place a hand over their head.

When players are in in-character space but wish to indicate that they are uncomfortable with the intensity of a scene, they should do this through a downwards ok hand signal (index and thumb forming a circle).

While this signal can be used to lower the intensity of a scene, and you can request to postpone a scene out-of-character, it is important to note that this cannot be used to escape consequences for your character entirely, even if they make you as the player uncomfortable.

When players are in an in-character space but wish to indicate that they are ok with a scene escalating in intensity, they should do this through an upwards ok hand signal.

While in an in-character space during in-character time players should endeavour to remain in-character.

Check-Ins

A check-in is where you contact someone out-of-character prior or following any hostile roleplay or antagonistic gameplay. It is an out-of-character re-emphasis that there isn’t any bad blood between players despite what is occurring in character. It's a chance to check the temperature and how players may want to proceed.

Check-ins should be clear and not disrupt the flow of roleplay. So we recommend that they are conducted a short time after rather than immediately. If you at any point are concerned that the other party has not checked in, then that is a sign for you to go and check in with them.

Check-ins are not mandatory, and are not an admission of guilt, but are a courtesy towards the other players involved. Communicate with other players in a way that forwards the play of the game and gives the benefit of the doubt wherever possible.

Disciplinary Measures

Concord has two disciplinary paths: The Concord Team and The LARPWest Community Support Team.

The Concord Team

The Concord Team will give disciplinary measures in the following formats. These may also be accompanied by the request to re-complete the Player Briefing:

Warning. An untracked notification. Whatever you’re doing, don't do it.
Yellow Card. Official tracked warning. Leave the current scene and wait to be spoken with by a Concord Team member for clarity.
Red Card. A serious official tracked warning. Leave the current scene and go to the Player Hub to be spoken with by a Concord Team member.
Move Along. Leave the event.

The LARPWest Community Support Team

The LARPWest Community Support Team is an approachable and diverse group of individuals tasked with handling issues and complaints in the WA LARP community on behalf of LARPWest. For simple disputes that occur at an event, they provide support to event organisers for their chosen resolution.

Where issues occur outside of events, or cannot be resolved by the event organisers, they will provide mediation between the involved parties. In cases of misconduct against the LARPWest Pillars Code of Conduct, or where there is the potential for risk to LARPWest or its members, they will fairly and impartially assess the situation for both factors and then provide an outcome to all involved parties.

Details for the LARPWest Community Support Team can be contacted at [email protected], and more information can be found on the LARPWest Website.

Basic Combat Safety and Interactions

Every player must complete a Player Brief. You may be asked to complete a player brief again at a later date if there have been significant changes or concerns.

Whenever something goes wrong in a scene or combat a ‘Check’ should be called by shouting the word “Check”. The person who calls the check should remain standing with their hands raised, while everyone who hears the check should drop to a knee. Only Concord Team members may call time in back from a check. Checks should be called for large-scale rules concerns affecting more than ten people, significant site dangers (vehicles approaching a fight, dangerous animals in the space, etc.), or medical emergencies or injuries.

The Concord Team will check all weapons and armour before players enter a conflux. Players must ensure that they bring safe weapons and armour onto the field and if they engage in combat outside of a conflux it is the players responsibility to ensure weapons and armour are safe and fit for purpose. Any homemade weapons must be approved before being used on the field at all.

These rules exist to reduce the probability and consequence of any incidents, but accidents occur. Be aware that you will likely get hit unexpectedly, or harder than you expect. If that is not something you can handle, please consider if you should engage in combat. Take responsibility for your own actions in entering combat, and only choose to enter combat if you are physically capable. Concord has a full game without any combat whatsoever.

Players will have two major opportunities to enter combat, on the mornings of the second and third days of Summit. One of these will be as their Player Character and the other as rank and file NPC for the enemy force. This allows us to simulate large scale battles that would not be possible without a significant NPC team. If you have -or intend to- take part in the Strategic Conflux as your player, then you are expected to take part in the other as an NPC. This is the only time the Concord Team expects you to enter combat. Please speak to a Team member if you believe you have extenuating circumstances.

All strikes should be at minimum force and appear reasonable for the weapon involved.If someone says you’re striking too hard, you are, and this includes swinging through your opponent’s guard, striking shields, and active blocking.

Torso, arms and legs are the only legal targets. Arms end at wrists, legs end at ankles. The only exception to this are open hands, which are also a hit location (hands currently holding an object are not hit locations).
Illegal hit locations should not be used to actively block.
No thrusting with weapons.
Players are required to react to any hits that they take. This reaction should be characterful and reflect the injury suffered. This provides feedback that you have taken the strike and brings character to the combat.
If you strike someone too hard or in an illegal manner and they have to leave the combat, you must do so as well, at their discretion.
Players may not hook or trap weapons. Trapping is defined as stopping a weapon from being moved at all by trapping it between two or more surfaces.
It is up to the person swung at to determine if they are struck and to track the effects.
At all times in combat, attempt to remain an arms distance from hostile players, and maintain reasonable personal space from all players, even friendly. This includes when running between people or people and obstacles.
Shields cannot be used to strike, and if using a shield, be aware how it extends past you.
Players should not strike or grapple with any other part of their body.

When blocking ranged weapons, players are required to do so safely, using minimum force required and attempting to stop the ranged weapon, rather than misdirect it. Players should not attempt to block ranged weapons with weapons. When blocking ranged weapons with shields, players should make an attempt to stop rather than swat the ranged weapon.

While on the field of battle the intent is to create an immersive experience of the frantic and dramatic nature of combat. Players should do their utmost to bring their characters' nature and story to the battlefield, rather than exclusively their personal skill. Players should deliver and react to strikes with emotion and weight but shouldn’t attempt to dominate space and limelight through pre-organised duels.

Regardless of player consent, you cannot break any of the rules above. Off the field of battle, players are permitted to organise non-standard duels or brawls provided they remain safe and consensual.

Basic Game Mechanics

All characters start with 3 hitpoints, wearing armour and certain effects can give you more hitpoints, but you can never have more than 10.

Melee strikes deal one damage. You may only be damaged by one strike per second per person. If multiple people hit you, they each damage you.

Throwing weapons deal one damage and have the same targeting locations and rules as melee strikes.

Archery

See Archery Clearance Document for more information.

Arrows have the same targeting locations are melee strikes, but deal varied damage based on location and armour struck.
Arrows that strike a limb deal 2 Damage and apply the Fracture effect. This effect can be blocked by medium or heavy armour, but the 2 Damage still occurs.The arrow must strike an item of costume that is medium or heavy armour for this to occur.
Arrows that strike the torso deal 4 Damage. If the arrow strikes medium armour on the torso, it instead deals 3 Damage. If the arrow strikes heavy armour on the torso, it instead deals 2 Damage.
There is a separate clearance if you wish to use a bow on the battlefield.
Bows should not be used to strike or be struck. If you parry with your bow, you must take the damage.
Archers are not permitted to shoot at targets within five metres.
Additional information for archers can be found in the Archery Clearance document.

Bleedout and Terminal

Characters who run out of hitpoints go into Bleedout.

While in Bleedout, your character is dying of their wounds and is in great pain. You may not move of your own volition. You may speak at any volume but it is important to remember your character is in great pain and is unlikely to be of much use. While in Bleedout you may not engage in combat, use abilities, cast spells, drink potions, although they may be fed to you.

You are permitted to and should move if your location is not safe out-of-character. In these circumstances you should move to a position of safety that is as close as possible with your hand over your head. You may not be interacted with during this time.

While in Bleedout you may be moved by others. Moving someone in Bleedout requires two free hands (either from one or two people). Players must obtain consent before touching someone. If the player being moved does not consent to being touched, the carrying individuals should mime doing so - this still moves the player.

A character can opt to go into Bleedout at any time. If you do not wish to, or cannot engage in combat, you should enter Bleedout when combat either strikes you or occurs in your vicinity.

Characters whose Bleedout time (3 minutes as standard) elapses become Terminal. Terminal characters have all the same limitations as a character in Bleedout. By the end of the current day of gameplay, this character must slip away into death at a time chosen by the player. The intent of the Terminal effect is to provide players a chance to dramatically close their characters’ story, not to spend eleven hours engaging in new content.

Characters can opt to go into Terminal at any time, however you cannot cut your Bleedout short to disadvantage another player. No getting hit once, falling over, immediately becoming Terminal and getting someone executed for murder.

Effects

Concord utilises a number of effects to communicate heroic or magical events on the field of battle. A full list of calls can be found here.

Effects can be delivered and communicated in the following ways:

Just the effect call: A strike that had to deal damage.

Magic+the effect call: Just has to touch you, but if it damages you that also occurs.

ARC+ the effect call: If you’re in the arc and no greater than five metres away, the effect occurs.

MASS+the effect call: If you hear it, the effect occurs.

The following are common hostile effects in the game, but please familiarise yourself with the full list:

Damage X: Take X damage.

Break: Struck weapon or shield becomes useless until repaired. This lasts until fixed.

Fracture: Struck limb becomes unusable. Arms dangle uselessly, legs cannot support weight. If two legs are affected, they cannot move. If affected by three, characters are reduced to 0 hitpoints. Effect fails if it strikes Medium or Heavy armour, in this case the person calls ‘Armour’. This lasts till fixed.

Stun: Target cannot move or act in any way for 10 seconds, or until they take 1 or more damage.

Knockback: Move back 5m and have your torso touch the ground. If you can’t do so for any reason, move back 5m and take “Stun”. If delivered by weapon, cannot be blocked or parried.

Shackle: Character may not move their feet for 10 seconds.