Non-Players, Game Halts and Dangerous Play
Unlike tabletop roleplaying games, the dynamic energy of live-action roleplaying is heavily reliant on events and player actions occurring in real-time and in real-space. Thus, any mechanics that interrupt the regular flow of time or impede physical movement can be distracting or irritating for players. However, concessions must be made based on the real circumstances of the game and concerns of safety.
Because Guild games take place on the MIT campus, careful consideration must be given to non-players who share the same space with the players. Even if some games do not explicitly provide rules for interacting with most non-players, experienced members of the Guild always try to conduct potentially disruptive game actions away from populated areas of campus and keep corridors and passageways clear for foot traffic. Players are often advised to keep conversations low in volume when non-players are within earshot to avoid “freaking the mundanes � with alarming words like “bomb� or “gun.�
There are occasions, however, when a non-player (an “NP�) unexpectedly arrives in the middle of a pitched battle or a tense moment among characters. Players are allowed to call “game halts� that effectively pause all game activity until circumstances preventing the normal play of the game have been resolved. A player may shout “NP halt� down the hall when an NP approaches, informing everybody to stop what they are doing, stand in their places and wait until the NP has walked past the area where game interactions were occurring. Another signal (usually given by the player closest to the NP’s exit) will inform all players within the area that it is safe to resume the game.
Game halts can also resolve the consequences of mechanics that affect a large area. For instance, if a bomb (usually represented by some sort of alarm clock) explodes in the game, all the characters in a room might receive some sort of damage based on their proximity to a bomb. To allow players enough time to notice that a bomb has gone off and to assess the amount of damage that their characters sustain, bomb mechanics may include an automatic game halt. Occasionally, GMs call their own game halts to inform all players of a change in the game environment that all the characters should notice simultaneously.
GMs also use game halts to arbitrate player confusion resulting from near-simultaneous player actions. Players are allowed to call their own game halts if they notice that other players are getting upset or overly excited. By causing all game activities to grind to a halt, the ability of players to pause the proceedings of the game can be a powerful tool for reminding players of the difference between the game and reality. At the same time, such intrusions of reality can be highly annoying when the situation does not warrant a game halt. Thus, players are discouraged from calling game halts unless they believe that it is absolutely necessary.
A less disruptive way to prevent players from engaging in physically dangerous play is to explicitly state that certain actions would not be rewarded by the game. For instance, in a game with a lot of running, players attempting to attack each other within close range could easily collide and get hurt. Many high-speed combat games allow players to ignore damage that their characters receive if their attackers are within their “Zone of Control,� otherwise known as “ZoC.� ZoC is a relative measure of distance, defined by the ability of two players to touch each other with outstretched arms.
Similarly, some games state that projectile shots to the head and that combat occurring in stairwells will do no damage. These mechanics put a player who engages in dangerous play at a competitive disadvantage. Thus, they can be very effective in encouraging players to police their own actions.
