Across the Sea of Stars

The Rules

This is a game of characters who are telling Tales of Time and Space, from the history of their race and other, all while trying to navigate the perilous maelstrom of the current crisis. These rules define how you'll do that over the course of the LARP.

Home Character

This is your primary character, the one who you will start and end the game with. During the game, your Home Character may take part in the telling of a Tale. During that time, your Home Character will take on the role of a Tale Character.

Tale Character

There are figures from the histories of every race, known and forgotten, who were at those interesting junctures of Time and Space. When you are telling a Tale, you get to play those interesting figures. For the duration of the Tale, you become the Tale Character, to live or die, to find glory or ignominy. If you die as a Tale Character, your part in the Tale is done. When the Tale is done, you return to playing your Home Character.

Traits

All characters are defined by three very general traits:

  • Diplomacy
  • Economics
  • Technology

These represent a wide variety of possible dimensions in describing a character.

Each character (Home or Tale) will have numbers for each of these traits. The normal range is from 1 to 6, although some characters may have higher values. For example, Jean Cartier, Frenchman of Mars, might have traits like:

Statistics
Diplomacy 4
Economics 2
Technology 3

Tale Characters have their own set of traits separate from your Home Character traits.

Diplomacy trait

Diplomacy is the art of negotiation, and it can involve words or combat.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.

Will Rogers

Diplomacy is the art of letting someone have your way.

Daniele Vare

In many ways, diplomacy can be considered as how much muscle you have to get your way. It doesn't matter if you use war or peace to negotiate, all is fair in diplomacy.

Economics trait

Economics is the art of numbers.

Economics is the art of trying to satisfy infinite needs with limited resources.

Albert Camus

Economics is the art of making most out of life.

George Bernard Shaw

In many ways, economics can be considered as any mental effort involving numbers or calculations. It is the mathematics of society, the logistics of life and death, and the limits on every endeavor. Economics is much more than "supply and demand" or money.

Technology trait

Technology is science and understanding made manifest.

Technology is the art of guiding the forces of nature according to human purposes.

Unknown

Technology is the art of applying scientific knowledge.

Unknown

In many ways, technology represents machines and how to use them. It represents the means to understand the Universe at large, and to explore it. Technology is the better mousetrap, the fusion bomb, a simple lever, a hyperdrive, the ability to make aluminum, digital watches, and everything in between.

Challenges

All conflicts in Across the Sea of Stars are resolved by a challenge. You may challenge someone to fight them, to persuade them about some important idea, or to get them to do something.

To challenge someone, speak to them using the word "challenge" and employ the name of a trait. Suppose that it is Jean Cartier, the Frenchman of Mars, asking the Martian Karvz Karkassiz for the directions to the Princess of Lithium. For example:

"With Diplomacy, my good Martian, I challenge you to lead me to the palace of the Princess of Lithium!"

The challenged must respond with a trait of their own:

"By the Two Moons, do you not see that my limbs outnumber yours six to four?"

While Karvz Karkassiz did not actually use the term Economics in the response, it should be clear that it was the intent. If in doubt, ask.

The winner of the challenge is the one with the higher total of the two traits. As shown above, suppose that Cartier has a Diplomacy [the trait Cartier challenged with] of 4 and an Economics [the trait Karkassiz responded with] of 2, totaling 6. There are three possibilities in this challenge:

Winning a Challenge

To win the challenge in the example, Jean's total of 6 has to beat the total of Karvz Karkassiz. So, if Karvz had a Diplomacy of 1 and an Economics of 4, then the Martian's total would be 5. All those extra limbs would not help enough to defeat Jean in the challenge.

As the victor, Jean can require the loser to perform a forfeit. Forfeits are described in detail below.

Tying a Challenge

If Karvz had a Diplomacy of 1 and an Economics of 5, that would make a total of 6 for the Martian, tying Jean's score. Ties go to the challenger, so all those extra limbs would still not help enough in the challenge. As the challenger, Jean still wins.

Losing a Challenge

If Karvz had a Diplomacy of 1 and an Economics of 6, that would make a total of 7 for the Martian, beating Jean's score. Those extra limbs helped to defeat Jean Cartier!

As the loser, Jean may have to perform a forfeit for the victor.

Challenges where both declare the same trait

The challenge started when Jean Cartier said:

"With Diplomacy, my good Martian, I challenge you to lead me to the palace of the Princess of Lithium!"

Suppose that Karvz Karkassiz had replied:

"By the Two Moons, are you not Diplomatic enough to concede that I am stronger than you by far?"

In this case, both are challenging with Diplomacy. When both traits in the challenge are the same, double the value of the trait and use that to resolve the result. Jean's 4 becomes 8 (4 + 4). Karvz's 1 becomes a 2 (1 + 1). Karvz is clearly not too bright to answer the challenge in that form, which may be entirely appropriate to the story.

Challenges involving three or more characters

When a challenge is announced, anyone present may announce that they are helping one side or the other. They must say so immediately (within a count of three) and announce who they are siding with. Each person assisting a challenger adds 1 to the total of traits of that challenger. It does not matter what traits are being used or the traits of those lending a hand; each assistant still counts as one.

Suppose Jean Cartier has his score of 6, and is assisted by Anders Fritz. It does not matter that Anders has a Diplomacy score of 5 or an Economics score of 2. Jean just gets one additional point for Anders, bringing the 6 up to a 7. If Karvz has three Martian allies, it only adds 3 to Karvz's score.

Regardless of the number of people on either side, the winning side only gets to claim one forfeit. This can either be a forfeit for a specific losing character or the same forfeit for all the losing characters.

Forfeits

A winner in a challenge can require the loser to perform some action, subject to three limitations described later.

The forfeit should be one task or effect that is appropriate to the challenge. For example, suppose that Jean Cartier won the challenge with Karvz Karkassiz. How did the Tale play out? How should the Tale play out?

If Jean was glib and convincing, then the challenge could have been one of wits. Jean could ask Karvz to step aside or even to walk with alongside for a while, in an attempt to make friends. If Jean was forced to use his rapier in the combat, then Jean could capture, wound, or even kill Karvz, subject to the limitations below. Jean could also force Karvz to flee. If Karvz was carrying some treasured object, then Jean could force the Martian to hand it over. Jean could demand a map to the Palace of Lithium or some other favor. This is deliberately vague and open ended. Do what is best for the Tales.

The winner of a challenge gets to pick one reasonable result. The loser should go along with that choice.

The three limitations to the forfeit are:

  • The Five Minute Rule
  • The Ten Minute Rule
  • The Home Character Exemption

The Five Minute Rule

You may not challenge the same character twice within five minutes. Win or lose, you cannot come back to challenge someone until this time has passed.

The Ten Minute Rule

No forfeit, special ability effect, or any other game circumstance lasts longer than ten minutes unless the victim wants it to. If you are imprisoned, wounded, or whatever, you escape or recover after ten minutes.

The Home Character Exemption

Home Characters are never permanently removed from play. If you are killed while playing your Home Character, see a GM immediately. You should immediately leave any Tale you were involved in, if any. Had you been in that story, you would have died! You may not play your Home Character for ten minutes. You may play Tale Characters during this period, or take a break. (It takes a little time for advanced medical science to do its rejuvenating work!)

Props

Props stay with the associated character. If your Home Character has a Blaster, it stays with that character. If your Home Character plays a Tale Character, then the Tale Character does NOT have a Blaster unless the Tale specifically calls for it. Props that are used by a Tale Character vanish when the Tale ends.