Knight Blades is a Live Action Fantasy Roleplaying Game in a medieval setting.
If you enjoy Renaissance Faires, The Lord of the Rings, Robin Hood, King Arthur, Harry Potter,
The Chronicles of Narnia, or Dungeons & Dragons, then you will surely enjoy Knight Blades!
Each player creates a fantasy persona known as a “Player Character” that may or may not be similar to the player. Everyone strives to stay “In Character” throughout the weekend to help provide a completely engrossing fantasy world. Elaborate costumes and props add to the atmosphere. This type of game is often referred to as a “LARP” (Live Action Role Playing).
We use foam-padded “boffer” weapons to produce a safe simulation of sword fighting. Each weapon strike does one point of damage, so damage numbers need not be called. Spell casting is simulated by throwing small soft beanbags.
We strive to maintain a balance of exciting combat, intense role-playing, and challenging problem solving.
Setting:
The game world is a fantasy setting that approximates the Medieval/Renaissance period in history. The land in which the campaign is set is the Kingdom of Baronia, currently ruled by The Good King Henry XXI. Baronia has a western European culture, but other cultures do exist in the game world. The In-Game year is 1007 by the General Reckoning. Time passes at the same rate as it does Out-Of-Game.
At the edge of the kingdom is a wilderness area that is very dangerous and mysterious. The Good King Henry has offered a generous stipend to any brave and daring folks willing to set up an outpost and settle this frontier land. The complex storyline includes many concurrent plots and subplots, but the main premise of the game is the Player Characters settling this untamed region.
The Player Characters will run much of the local government; in fact, the king has not even named the town yet. The Player Characters will name it, subject to the king’s approval.
Beneath the surface of the land is a vast underground environment. This subterranean habitat is known as The Underworld and is home to several unusual creatures that have adapted to life in the darkness.
The town happens to be located in an area that has several tunnels that lead to The Underworld. The game has an ongoing theme of conflict with the Underworld inhabitants.
Fantasy Races:
In order to enrich our high fantasy setting, we offer a wide variety of mythological races to play. In fact, we offer twenty-one different Player Character Races. Each race has its own advantages in the form of unique abilities. However, each Race also has its own set of distinct disadvantages and costuming requirements.
The Races players may choose to play are: High Elves, Dark Elves, Stone Elves, Blood Elves, Wood Elves, Silver Elves, Wild Elves, Half Elves, Dwarves, Deep Dwarves, Gnomes, Deep Gnomes, Halflings, Half Orcs,
Half Ogres, Cat-kin, Fauns, Fey, Minotaurs, Hybrids, and Humans.
Character Classes:
Our game allows Player Characters to choose a base profession known as a “Class”. Each Character Class allows access to certain skills and abilities. Players can greatly customize their characters by picking and choosing certain skill combinations.
The Base Character Classes are Warrior, Cleric, Mage, and Rogue.
A Warrior is trained in combat and survivability on the battlefield, using special fighting skills, weapon maneuvers, and tactics.
A Cleric is an extraordinarily pious and devoted follower of one of the game’s fantasy deities, and is granted magical powers by these deities.
A Mage is adept at manipulating the magical energies that permeate the world, concentrating these energies into magical spells.
A Rogue is an expert in stealth and pilfering, relying on cunning instead of brute strength or magical spells.
The Gods:
We have invented fantasy gods and goddesses to enrich the game world. Most people worship (or pay tribute to) one, some, or all of the gods. The gods are of differing ethics: some are good, some are evil, and some are of a neutral viewpoint.
Monsters:
In your adventures, you may encounter a variety of strange creatures and deadly monsters such as Orcs, Goblins, Ogres, Trolls, Fiends, Giant Bats, Giant Spiders, and numerous dreadful types of Undead. This is also the game where the mythological monsters of legend come to life, but there may be more to them than what you expect.
Combat:
Fighting with weapons (or claws, in the case of monsters) is simulated by sparring with soft foam-padded “boffer” weapons. Magical spell attacks are simulated by throwing small birdseed-filled beanbags.
Each weapon strike normally does one point of damage. Characters have a certain amount of damage they can sustain measured in Vitality Points. The final point of vitality, however, can only be taken away with a strike to the torso. The torso area is roughly defined as the area which would be covered by a sleeveless tee shirt (front and back) reaching down to the top edge of the pelvis bone.
All weapon strikes must be clean hits to be counted for damage. Forcing a weapon through an opponent’s defenses is not a valid tactic. The weapon must not make even the slightest contact with a weapon or shield during the swing, or it is considered deflected. This is to simulate blocking and parrying In Game by people who are not as physically strong as their opponent Out Of Game. It is also to increase safety, as combatants are not encouraged to fight with brute force.
There are skills that Player Characters can purchase to increase their effectiveness in combat. These skills can overcome real life inadequacy in order to even the odds with an opponent who is more skilled at swordplay Out Of Game.
Safety is of primary concern, and therefore several rules are in place to maintain a safe and exciting combat. Hits to the groin, head, face, neck, hands, and feet are illegal and no vitality points are lost if your opponent accidentally strikes you in these areas. No direct physical contact should ever be made unless both parties consent. The only way you may touch another person without their permission is with an approved boffer weapon or spell packet. All weapons will be safety-inspected at check-in and will receive an official safety inspection sticker after they have passed inspection. The weapons should be frequently inspected by the wielder of the weapon throughout the course of the event.
Death and Dying:
When a character reaches Zero Vitality, he or she falls to the ground unconscious and begins the “bleeding out” period of five minutes. If a character is magically healed at least one point of vitality (or given first aid) during the bleeding out period, he or she is revived and returns to consciousness. If not revived by the end of this period, the character is dead. If a character dies, the player must remain still for five minutes to allow others to search the dead body.
When a character dies, their spirit travels to The Realm of Death. There, the spirit meets with Death himself and finds out if a return to the land of the living will be granted.
The decision is arrived at by the outcome of drawing from The Bag of Death. If a black orb is drawn, then the spirit is doomed to forever remain in Death’s gloomy realm. Death has been known to take a bribe at this point, however.
Gaining Power:
As players attend weekend events and assist the game in various ways, they earn Character Points. These Character Points can be used to purchase skills for the player’s character. As the player earns more Character Points, his or her Player Character grows in power.
Roleplaying:
Become a great hero, and you may be knighted! Player Characters who are known for their good deeds may be offered special benefits by the kingdom’s powers-that-be. It will be a great challenge to play a noble, pure, and truly “good” person as there will be countless temptations to do evil…
The role-playing opportunities are limited only by your imagination and creativity!
Be a skilled craftsman, a beloved entertainer, a wise priest, a brave and mighty paladin, a ruthless sword-for-hire, a quirky alchemist, a shrewd merchant, a mysterious itinerant monk, a highly paid spy, a vile necromancer, a shifty thief, an infamous assassin, a much sought-after healer, a curious wizard dabbling in unwholesome magics …
…a leader, follower, or anything in between!
You could even run for mayor of this newly forming town!
A New LARP:
This is a new LARP and therefore there are many opportunities available for the players.
You can get in on the ground floor and have a head start on all future players. As an added incentive, we will be awarding DOUBLE the points for the game’s first five events!!!
The Core Staff:
We are looking for like-minded individuals to be part of our Core Game Staff and Management Team. Some of the responsibilities of the Staff are running plots, managing the Non-Player Characters & Monsters, and handling logistics.
The NPC’s:
NPCing is fun and rewarding. The term “NPC” or “Non-Player Character” is used to describe the players who come to the events to assist the Staff running the game. NPC’s may be monsters, villains, or helpful characters very similar to the Player Characters. NPC’s may provide combat excitement for the players, introduce and expand plotlines, or provide services behind the scenes.
NPC’s get to attend the game for free. They also earn Character Points and gold. For the game’s first five events, we are offering an added incentive of DOUBLE the gold for NPCing!!! Since NPC’s earn the same amount of points as the Player Characters, this means DOUBLE the points as well for the game’s first five events!
Why Play Knight Blades?
Membership is free.
The Knight Blades rulebook is free online.
Events are inexpensive, and there are many additional discounts available.
The rules system is clear and complete, yet not overly complex.
Damage numbers are not called when you swing a weapon.
There are no height requirements or other real-world restrictions to play any of the fantasy races. You may play any type of fantasy character you can imagine.
The game runs all weekend, starting promptly at 10pm Friday night and ending Sunday afternoon at 2pm. The game does not shut down at night. Certain cabins may be temporarily Out Of Game at night for Players who require sleep.
The Knight Blades world will not end prematurely. Knight Blades will never start the game anew, nor ever end the game if at all financially possible. If some important change is needed to the rules, it will be integrated seamlessly into the system.
We actively discourage and avoid anachronistic things that detract from the atmosphere (T-shirts, sneakers, logos, etc.).
The Knight Blades Staff is always readily available between events. Getting in contact with Staff is as easy as sending an email.
Staff will always be forthcoming with information, and will be careful not to mislead the Players in regards to Out Of Game topics.
We want to hear from our Players. All feedback (verbal as well as written) is greatly appreciated and taken very seriously by the Knight Blades Staff.
The actions your Player Character takes In Game will have a definite effect on plots and In Game situations.
NPC's will be kept active with endless opportunities to play roles that interest them. >
In Game items retain their In Game attributes. If you cannot attend events very often, you do not need to be concerned with your In Game items expiring.
Most importantly, there will be no Out Of Game favoritism: every player gets the same opportunity to be involved in the plots. This does not mean that every PLAYER CHARACTER gets the same opportunities! There are no “hidden” skills or “special” skills for “special” players. There will be no bending or breaking of the rules for certain players, and then expecting other players to abide by the rules. Everyone must follow the same rules.
We are a small LARP, and therefore, more attention can be given to each player by the plot committee. Players of larger LARP’s tend to get “lost in the crowd” and may find it difficult to get involved in the action. |
