Conduct and Safety

Code of Conduct

Eldritch was restricted to people 21 and older, and all of them were held to one code.

A breach of the code brought a Warning, although staff could instead expel a player at once. A second Warning always meant expulsion from all current and future Eldritch events.

1. Illegal activities. Illegal activity under the laws of Washington State was reported to the authorities and meant expulsion.
2. Inappropriate behavior. The code barred abuse, bullying, griefing, trolling, unnecessary roughness, discrimination, sexual harassment, blurring the lines between in play and out of play, and spreading misinformation out of play.
3. Alcohol. Alcohol was permitted at most events, subject to site rules. An overly intoxicated player was asked to leave play until recovered.
4. Metagaming. Using information the player knew but the character did not was treated as cheating, whether or not it was intended. Using such information only to lift another player's game was allowed.
5. Consideration for fellow players. Conflict in play could never come at the cost of abuse out of play. Players were expected to check in with each other and respect boundaries.
6. The spirit of the rules. Players were not to exploit a rule against its intent. They could set a rule aside to reward an opponent or improve a scene, such as by falling to a fine blow with Armor Value left.
7. The Hold. Everyone in a scene stopped at a Hold and could not press the caller to continue. Abusing or ignoring a Hold brought a Warning.
8. Respect for staff. The safety owed to players extended to the team.

Social Contract

All members of the community, players and staff alike, were required to treat each other with respect and care for one another's safety. Staff would not tolerate discrimination based on gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or any other such ground.

The game held themes of political intrigue, horror, and the supernatural, and scenes could run too intense for a given person. Staff supported everyone's right to leave any situation that felt unsafe or uncomfortable, and players had to respect that right in others.

The Check In System

Hand signals let players and NPCs check on each other without interrupting roleplay. One player made the "OK" sign and held eye contact, which asked, "Are you okay?" The other could answer in three ways. A sign could also be given unprompted.

"Oh, Mother"

This in-character phrase signaled out-of-character discomfort and worked exactly like the flat hand. Others eased off at once, and it could not be held against the speaker in the game. A player gripped too hard by guards might say, "Oh mother, your grip is like iron!"

Safety Calls

The Hold

In imminent personal danger, anyone could shout "Hold" and repeat it until all nearby had stopped. Play resumed at the call of "Game On" once the concern had been resolved.

The Break

A fighter who was cornered or struck too quickly or too hard could call "Break." The opponent took three steps back, and the fight then resumed.

The Fade to Black

A player who accepted a scene and its consequences but did not want to roleplay it could say, "Fade to Black." The scene then went ahead by verbal description, and others respected the call without argument.

Staff and NPCs

All of these tools applied to NPCs and staff as well as to players.

Conflict Between Players

Eldritch was a player versus environment game with a consensual option for conflict between players. That covered political, emotional, and verbal conflict as well as physical conflict.

1. The player seeking conflict first opened an out-of-character discussion, and all players involved had to consent to the story. Character death was consensual. If a player did not want the character to die, the conflict needed another resolution.
2. If the players could not agree, or if one would not talk, staff could arbitrate and set up a mediation.
3. Once they agreed, the roleplay took place as settled, and any room for improvisation was defined ahead of time.

Danger From the World

Staff could not guarantee any character's safety in play. Taking part in combat or going near it meant opting into the risk of character death. Staff also kept to consensual play: a player who was not enjoying a plot aimed at the character could say so, and staff would work to change it.

In Play and Out of Play

In play meant an interaction between characters, and out of play meant an interaction between players. Everyone at an event was assumed to be in play between the Game On and Game Off times. A closed fist on the forehead, sometimes called "unicorn horning," marked a player as out of play. Those players moved away from others, so that their talk would not break a scene.

Play to Lift

Eldritch asked its players to make the game better for each other, and it pointed to an essay on the Nordic Larp site for the idea.

Collaborative Play

Staff did not conspire against characters, as a game master might at a tabletop. Players were asked to share their goals with staff so that those goals could enter the story, and setbacks were treated as part of a character's growth. Players could also write downtime stories and organize tournaments, hunts, and holidays of their own, without rewards from staff.