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Policies

This chapter deals with official Forest of Doors policy, which is important for ALL players to read and understand.

Character Retirement

We have labored to make Forest of Doors as friendly to new players as possible as a matter of fundamental principle. Many of us have played in LARPs where new players had little impact on the game due to a permanent cadre of old, powerful characters, and experiences like this are just not fun, period. If we did not have an enforceable retirement policy, and a game culture that encourages retirement as a matter of course, then old characters would dominate the game. To this end we have drafted a policy that, although it never forces anyone to retire their character, we hope it makes that retirement a more attractive option.

By the time your character hits a total of 300 CP (this includes starting CP, bonus CP earned from brownie or feedback forms, etc. All CP counts), you need to submit, in writing, your preferred retirement options. Staff will respond through email, and then we will have a face-to-face discussion with you about it. When you retire a character, you gain 10% of their total CP as bonus points to apply to a single new character. The most retirement CP that can be so applied, however, is 30, meaning that retiring a character whose point total is over 300 gets you no extra benefit for a new character.

If your character has not been retired by the time they hit 350 total CP, they then become a Legacy character. Legacy characters may be played like any other, but they will only ever earn 1 CP per event. You may still earn 1 CP for submitting a Feedback form, and you may likewise still turn in 3 Brownie for an additional 1 CP per event. For any 3-day event at which you play a Legacy character, you must perform 2 monster/tavern shifts instead of 1. At one day events, which normally do not require monster shifts, you must perform a single 3-hour shift. You earn 1 Brownie total for doing your required shifts, with extra brownie earned beyond this as normal.

Sportsmanship and Cheating

A LARP lives or dies by the honesty and integrity of its players. If you cheat, you violate both of these watchwords and damage the “fun factor” for everyone. As such, we are quite strict on those who engage in unsportsmanlike conduct. Here is a general list of reminders, which cover some of the more obvious sportsmanship issues. If you remember these, you will most likely have no issues with the staff, and, frankly, your enjoyment of the game will increase:

  1. Take your hits: we know combat can get a little confusing sometimes, but you should make every effort to take hits given to you. If someone thinks you are not taking hits, then they will likely not take yours, and everyone’s immersion suffers. NPCs err on the side of taking attacks, and if players do the same, combat runs a lot more smoothly.
  2. Slow down: FoD is not a speed game; “machine-gunning” or “drum-rolling” attacks are strictly forbidden, for safety, balance, and aesthetic reasons. The rule is 1 attack per second, period.
  3. Do your rituals: although rituals force a bit of game balance upon magic, their primary purpose is to make people who want to be magical, feel magical. Simply put, if you don’t want to do rituals, don’t play a character with magic. You’ll be more immersed if you do them, in any case.
  4. Be Generous: if someone says you are not taking your hits, not calling your verbals correctly, or striking too fast or too hard, acknowledge it. Even if they are mistaken, nothing is gained by having an out of play argument in the middle of battle! Trust us, if someone “cries wolf” too much, we will come down on them just as hard.
  5. Stay in Character: from game on to game off, you should be in character unless you have a very good reason not to be. Keep out of play asides and out-of-character talk to an absolute minimum. If other players are doing it, try and guide them back into game. Everyone will thank you for it.

Infractions

The following are the steps taken as disciplinary measures for combat and general safety issues, which must be our primary concern. Cheating and unsportsmanlike conduct will be treated in a similar fashion, with a similar amount of escalating consequences.

Step 1) If a member of Staff or other players see you fighting unsafely or being generally unsafe, you will be given an Informal Warning.

Step 2) If you continue to be unsafe, you will be pulled from that combat or scene and you will get an Official Warning.

Step 3) If you have an Official Warning, and you get called out again for unsafe behavior, you will be asked to go non-combat for the remainder of the event.

Step 4) Any further infractions will result in you being asked to leave the event and you will incur a suspension for a number of games. Extreme infractions warrant a permanent ban.

Note that Official Warnings are long-standing. If you have one from a previous event, it is still in place at future events, until such time as the staff deems it prudent to remove it.

Players will be required to sign a standard legal release form at their first event. Note that forms like this are quite standard in the LARP community, so please do not be alarmed.

Children & Minors Policy

Parents with young children The Forest of Doors staff wishes to make events available to all players. However, small children present exceptional concerns that must be taken into account. Failure to adhere to FoD policy and guidelines will result in the parent(s) being asked to leave for the duration of the event (no refunds will be given) and refusal to allow the child to participate in future FoD events. These guidelines were created by the FoD staff in the hopes of protecting not only the other players but the parent and child as well. Child Care Guidelines

  • A parent or guardian designated by a parent must accompany and be within sight of the child at all times. The Forest of Doors Directors must be informed of any designated guardians at the beginning of the event, in the form of a list of names with the signatures of designated guardians. NPCs will not be able to act as designated guardians due to the nature of their roles within the game. Any parent/guardians must sign a release form stating that they are responsible for the child for the duration of the event.
  • Parents or Guardians wishing to bring a child to a Forest of Doors event must notify the Forest of Doors Directors of their plans at least two weeks prior to the event. The directors have the right to deny such requests based upon the nature of the event.
  • The Forest of Doors staff requests that all non-combatants actively avoid combat areas to ensure their safety and the comfort and convenience of their fellow players. (This is intended as a common sense rule to avoid accidents.)
  • Both the child and the parent/guardian must wear an orange headband (day) or an orange glownecklace (night) at all times to indicate their status as a non-combatant. Parents/guardians are responsible for obtaining their own headbands.
  • Children under the age of 14 may not accompany their parents/guardians on Adventures or other specialty encounters.
  • Players intending to bring children to a multi-day event must arrange to have at least three other players, who do not mind the presence of a child, to share a cabin. These other players must indicate personally through e-mail that they are willing to stay in a cabin with children. Arranging a cabin and three other willing players is the responsibility of the parent - not the FoD Staff.
  • Both child and the parent/guardian must remain inside a cabin after 11:00 P.M. and before 8:00 A.M.
  • For children under six, one or more parents must remain within ten feet of their child at all times.

Non-Combatant Designation

  • Non-Combatants must travel with at least one combat active character when moving around on site.
  • Non-Combatants must wear an orange headband at all times
  • At night, Non-Combatant must wear a yellow glownecklace that is clearly visible.
  • Non-Combatants may not engage in combat and must avoid any combat or potential combat by moving to a different area of the site.
  • Non-Combatant may not be within 50 feet of active combat.
  • Monsters and combat-active NPCs are asked to avoid players in orange headbands. If attacking a party with a non-combatant, npcs should allow the player opportunity to move away from the combat area. The player must leave the combat zone immediately. If the player does not, the NPCs should call a hold and summon a marshall.
  • Players with orange headbands may cast spells and effects as long as those effects and spells have no negative impact on hostile NPCs or monsters.
  • Non-combatants may activate protective spells and call defenses against attacks so long as they are using these abilities to leave combat areas.
  • Non-combatants with a child may not go on any modules or adventures, if they are the primary guardian of the child at that time.
  • Non-combatants should do their best to avoid walking around the site at night.
  • Marshalls may always direct players in orange headbands to leave an area and have the right to restrict those players to specific areas of site — including their cabin. Note that Non-combatants are not superseded by being Out of Play. If the primary caregiver is out of play and on site, they must still abide by the relevant portions of the Orange Headband rules (including glow necklaces at night.)

Minors

No players under 18 years of age will be allowed at Forest of Doors events. We realize that there are some young people who do have the maturity to handle themselves well at events, however, we have come to the difficult conclusion that the risks are not worth the benefits at this time.

Discussion of Sexual Misconduct

Forest of Doors is a fantasy game that is specifically adults only. While certain mature topics such as death and violence will come up as a matter of game play, there are certain other topics that are expressly forbidden from discussion. The topics of sexual misconduct including but not limited to rape, child molestation, and incest, are all specifically forbidden from discussion in play and will not come up as a matter of the game. This policy is made out of respect to the sensibilities of all of our participants, and as a result, discussion on the in-play as well as the out of play forums should reflect these policies, as well.

While we realize that this may seem unrealistic and jarring to some, as a matter of suspension of disbelief, we remind you that this is not a historical venue, but rather a fantasy game with a particular focus on heroism and clearly defined morality.

As a final note we ask that all participants remember to use common sense, and to be respectful in all dealings with their fellow players, given all topics. We also remind you that most of these forums are public, and will be viewed by persons you do not know and who may be under the age of eighteen.