Zeppelin Games Rulebook Complete v1.0

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The Zeppelin GamesRulebook

BEING A MANUAL FOR CORRECT BEHAVIOUR

AND PROPER CONDUCT IN THE PURSUIT OF

ENTERTAINMENT IN LIV E ROLE PLAYING GAMES,

SO THAT SAID GAMES WILL BE A JOY

FOR LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF ALL TASTES.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents .......................................................................... 2The Facts of Zeppelin Games ...................................................... 4

The Fundamental Principles 4The Masquerade 4The Narrative Objective 5Character Skill Vs Player Skill 6Opposed Skill Checks 7Co-Operative Skill Checks 8

Combat 8Roles 9

The Laws of Theatrics ................................................................ 10Rule One 10The Other Rules 10Age Restrictions 11Feeling Comfortable 11Alcohol 12Game Calls 12Combat 13Costume 17

The Anatomy of a Character ..................................................... 18Step One: Character Concept 18Step Two: Character Abilities 19A Note on Social Status & Finance in Fumare 25Step Three: Character Discussion 28Step Four: Props & Costume 29Step Five: Play the game! 29

The Common Arts ...................................................................... 30Mind (Untrained) 30Body (Untrained) 31Fumare Citizenship (Untrained) 32Socialise (trained) 35Perks Of the Common Arts 40

The Science of the Soldier .......................................................... 53Health 53Combat 59


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Safety In Combat 62Fighting at night 62Goggles and glasses 62

The "Fainting Rule" 63Armour Use (trained) 64Defence (Trained) 68Firearms (Untrained) 69Melee Weapons (Untrained) 72Perks of the Soldier 74Appendix: Exotic Weapons and Restricted Weapon Talents 85

The Methods of The Detective and His Opponent ................... 86A Dangerous Game 86Investigation (Untrained) 86Legerdemain (Trained) 88Stealth (Untrained) 90Perks of the Detective and His Opponent 91

The Learnings of the Academic ................................................ 99Illness 104Scholar (Trained) 99Medicine (Trained) 103Perks of the Academic 108

The Art of Invention ................................................................. 110Foreword - A Note about Form and Function 110Science (Trained) 111Designing and building Inventions 112Mechanical Engineering (Trained) 128Chemical Engineering (Trained) 130Aesthetic Engineering (Trained) 133Perks 135


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THE FACTS OF ZEPPELIN GAMES

Zeppelin Games is a remarkable, fantastical and generally quite

clever (or so says Roberts Mum) Live-Action-Role-Playing

assemblage run in and around the admirable city of Melbourne,

Australia set in a curiously fanciful steampunk-inspired universe.

The self-proclaimed ingenious inventors, writers, directors, creators,

producers, proprietors, Organisers, game masters and high overlords

of Zeppelin Games (at least at the time of writing) are Lisa McOrist,

Robert Anderson-Hunt, Gareth Jones and Joe Mills.

THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES

LARP or Live Action Role Playing, sometimes referred to as LRP

(Live Role Playing) is, in essence, a form of improvisational theatre.

Similar to acting, the goal is to take on a Character, though instead

of following a script you act and react as your Character would ifshe found herself in the situation before you. Its very much like the

make believe games that children play, though somewhat more

involved than most.

There are possibly hundreds of different kinds of LARPs going on

all around the world, but for the sake of convenience, from here on

we will only be describing LARP as it applies to Zeppelin Games.

THE MASQUERADE

As stated above the goal of a LARP is for the participants to fully

take on the role of a Character. This means that where possible, you

should talk as your Character would talk and do as your Character

would do. You are an actor playing a Character, and your Character

is your role. Of course, you also get to play scriptwriter, creating

your own background story, motivations, dark secrets and heroic


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dreams not only that, but you get to be the costumier, bringing

your Character to life with detailed costumes and props.

THE NARRATIVE OBJECTIVE

LARP is also about telling a story. This is a collaborative enterprise

in which all the people involved get to help shape and direct it. The

writers of Zeppelin Games events have created the world in which

your Character resides, full of plots and stories just begging for your

Characters entanglement - but it is up toyouto take part and its the

actions ofyourCharacter that will determine the outcome. Zeppelin

Games is primarily a free-form or sandbox style game.

Essentially, this means that you have full control over where your

Character goes and what they do within the game system. Naturally,

there will often be narrative consequences for their actionswithout

risk there is no gain, after all!

Indeed, your Characters actions will often have a lasting impact on

the game world. The world changes based on the actions of Players,

and the plot of the ongoing campaign is heavily Player-Character

driven.

A detailed world and culture brief can be found in The Nation of

Fumare. This booklet will also give you a good idea of the style of

the Zeppelin Games setting.

Of course, this is not only improvisational theatre, its also a game

and that means we need rules, and referees. The rules are needed tocreate balance (stopping one Character from being able to do

everything), to make it possible for you to play a Character vastly

different from yourself (by giving you capabilities that you cant

approach in the real world), to make it safer (by using things like

NERF guns in place of the real thing), to simplify the world and

how it works (because were not all physicists in nuclear medicine)

and because some people find playing with numbers fun.


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The referees or GMs are there to ensure the rules are being

followed, answer questions about the world and game, to fill in the

blanks (when its not possible to re-create something they are there

to describe it) and, of course, to find out what happens in the

story!

We cant do everything in life and neither can our Characters. What

a Character can and cannot do will depend on their talents, tricks

and training or what we commonly refer to as stats. All you

need to know about building a Characters stats can be found in The

Anatomy of a Character, but there are a couple of things that areworth mentioning here.

CHARACTER SKILL VS PLAYER SKILL

One of the key elements of Live Role Playing is the dynamic

between Character skill and Player skill. The game is more fun if

you as a Player get to do stuff just as your Character would do. In

many situations it is impractical for you to do exactly what your

Character would do (like shoot someone) so improvised tasks are

used to simulate the action the Character would be making (like

using NERF weapons).

In many situations, both Player skill and Character skill will come

into play to determine the outcome of a task. Talents and Skills are

designed to act as enablers. In practice, this means that most tasks

will have required Talent Ranks attached. If your Character lacks

the appropriate Talent, you may not attempt the task (well, you can, but youre guaranteed to fail). On the other hand, if the Character

does have the required Rank, you must roleplay through the task,

and your own skill will determine your success.

There will often be improvised challenges for tasks that cannot

easily be roleplayed. Unfortunately it is impractical to do this for

every situation that arises in-game. At these times Character skill


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will play a bigger part in determining the outcome. Generally

speaking, you should always attempt to roleplay the task as best you

can, i.e.; if you are hiding really try and hide, dont just rely on your

Hide Rank 3 to get you through.

For example, Katarina the Archaeologist is attempting to decipher

some strange text she has found on the wall of a cave. She has

Scholar 3, with the Skills Ancient History and Cryptography.

Katarina spends a few minutes taking down a copy of the strange

text in her notebook, then compares the lettering with some she has

found at another site that looks similar. After some time Katarinarealises that this writing must be in some kind of code and she sets

about trying to decipher it. ...

Katarina's Player asks a nearby GM if she can work out this code.

The GM (after checking the Character has the relevant Skills and

Talents) gives the Player the key to the code. ...

After a short while, Katarina finally works out the code that is beingused, and then spends a few minutes deciphering this ancient text in

her notebook.

OPPOSED SKILL CHECKS

When your Character is in active opposition to another Character, an

opposed Skill check may be called for. Your success would mean

their failure and vice versa (like in an arm-wrestling competition). In

these situations it is still vital for you to roleplay the task just as youwould any other. If your Skill is higher than your opponent you win,

if theirs is higher you lose. If your Skills are equal, things get a little

more complicated. Some of the rules will clearly specify who should

win a particular type of action, often based on another outside

factor- for example, If its night, or in a poorly lit area the Hider

will win, if its in a well-lit area the Seeker will win


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If there is a GM handy they will be able to adjudicate the result. If

not, and the rules dont specify the result, use the following

guidelines: First, can you determine the outcome via Player skill?

This could be done by one Playeracknowledging the other Player

has fairly won the challenge; second, look for an adequate

compromise, or have the contest result in a draw. Finally, if no other

solutions can be found, there is alwaysRock, Paper, Scissors.

CO-OPERATIVE SKILL CHECKS

A co-operative skill check is used when multiple people contribute

to a task to make it easier. You may only use skills co-operatively

when the task would actually be made easier by more people

helping - for example, when lifting a large heavy object. All co-

operative tasks must be adjudicated by a GM.

COMBAT

Combat in Zeppelin games primarily takes the form of simulated

gun fights using NERF weapons. You can read more about the rulesof combat in The Laws of Theatrics and about Health Levels,

weapons, and everything else in The Science of the Soldierbut there

are a few things to note that separate us from some other LARPs in

this regard.

Zeppelin Games considers itself to be a low combat game, and it is

entirely possible that you could go through a whole event without

getting into combat at all. If you are the type of person that is likely

to get bored if you dont get to hit something we suggest this isnt

the game for you.

Zeppelin Games aims to have a low Character fatality rate. The

system is designed around the fact that the world strongly believes

that killing a person is always considered an act of murder.

However, death is permanent. There is no way to resurrect or

otherwise revive a Character that has died.


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ROLES

A Participant is anyone that comes to a Zeppelin Games eventincluding Players and crew.

Player Characters (PCs) are Characters that are usually written by a

Player for themselves to play. They are self-governed. Some PCs are

pre-generated, which means they are written by the Organisers and

somewhat restricted in terms of their choices.

Non-Player Characters (NPCs) are Characters written by the

Organisers and played by volunteers. Many of these Characters will

be directed by GMs in order to facilitate the story.

A Character is a term used for the people who inhabit the game

world. This includes NPCs and PCs.

Crew is a general term used for people that are helping with the

running of the event. This includes NPCs, GMs and Organisers, but

also some PCs that take on extra responsibilities like cooking mealsfor everybody.

Game Masters (GMs) are responsible for the running of the event

once it has begun. They also act as referees. Note, for convenience

you will always be able to find a GM in the dining hall of the camp-

site. This person is referred to as the stationary or non-roaming GM.

Organisers (Orgs) are the people that organise the events, from

writing the NPCs and story, to booking the site, to building the

props.


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THE LAWS OF THEATRICS

BEING A LIST OF LIMITATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

OF THE FORMS AND RESTRICTIONS OF LIVE

ROLEPLAYING.

RULE ONE

Play fairly and safely.

THE OTHER RULES

Players are expected to stay in-Character at all times that means

that within reason, you act as your Character would act, and speak

as your Character would speak. Out of play areas are clearly

marked, and anyone in a play area is assumed to be in play. The

exceptions to this rule are GMs and those people involved indiscussion with GMs.

In general, the rules are pretty clear about what you can and cant do

(see the Character section, below for skill descriptions), but if youre

in doubt, or theres a conflict, check with a GM.

A GM call is final and play continues. The time to play rules

lawyer is after the game, when were happy to discuss and fix issuesbut disrupting play for a rules discussion is no fun for anyone, and

we will not do it.

Zeppelin Games Steampunk Live-Action Role-Playing involves

several possibly dangerous elements and may involve themes or

situations some participants may find uncomfortable. Therefore,

safety and comfort are of paramount concern.


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AGE RESTRICTIONS

Zeppelin Games events can and do deal with mature themes. TheOrganisers are not running a game for children, but for adults. As

such, the Organisers reserve the right to refuse any Player under the

age of 18.

Even if Zeppelin Games chooses to allow a Player under the age of

18, we will require prior and informed consent of a parent or

guardian.

FEELING COMFORTABLE

In-Character situations may arise that make a Player feel

uncomfortable or distressed. In such situations, Players should know

that they are able to call TIME OUT (see Game Calls, below) for an

opportunity to sort things out with the people around them.

Participants should be aware that other participants may be

distressed by certain topics for personal reasons, have issues with

touching or personal space, or have illnesses or conditions which

mean that certain behaviours or activities are off-limits. All

participants should respect such boundaries.

Participants who have allergies, medical conditions or other special

requirements should make them known to the Organisers before

play commences, preferably well before an event. The Organisers

will do their best to accommodate the needs of all participants where

possible.

Players who have an out-of-Character problem or grievance with

another participant should feel welcome to express their concerns to

an Organiser. The organising team will make their best efforts to

ensure that such out-of-Character problems are resolved where

possible.


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ALCOHOL

Participants under the effects of alcohol are not permitted to engagein combat activities. A rough limit of .05 blood alcohol content

should be used to determine if a Participant is under the effects of

alcohol. A GM may at any TIME INstruct a Participant to remove

themselves from combat on the basis of inebriation.

Participants under the effects of alcohol who find themselves unable

to avoid a combat situation should make use of the "Fainting Rule",

as described in The Science of the Soldier.

GAME CALLS

The following game calls and signals are used to interrupt and

recommence play at Zeppelin Games events. All Participants must

understand the meaning and significance of these calls. Game calls

should always be announced clearly and if necessary, repeated by

other participants in the area. Some can only be made by a GM;

others can be made by anyone.

CODE RED

The most important game call. This call can be made by anyone.

CODE RED indicates that an injury has taken place or there is a

medical or other emergency. Anyone who hears CODE RED called

should immediately stop whatever they are doing. CODE RED

immediately stops game play and play will not recommence until a

GM determines that it is safe to resume play and calls TIME IN.

TIME OUT

This game call can be made by anyone. TIME OUT stops game

play. This call is most commonly used by GMs to explain rules or

the environment in which the Characters find themselves. Players

may use this call to indicate that they need to briefly interrupt play

in order to clarify a situation, explain a dangerous or complicated in-

Character action or similar reasons. TIME OUT can also be used


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when an unsafe situation has arisen in order to make the situation

safe for gameplay. Play recommences when a GM (or, if

appropriate, the Player who called TIME OUT) calls TIME IN.

TIME FREEZE

This call can only be made by a GM. TIME FREEZE pauses

gameplay. Players in a paused area should stand perfectly still, close

their eyes and sing to themselves. This call is most commonly used

to allow a GM to set up an instantaneous in-game effect which

would take Characters by surprise. Play recommences when a GM

calls TIME IN.

TIME IN

This game call means that game play has commenced or

recommenced.

THE HALF-MOOSE

Not technically a game call at all, the Half-Moose is conducted by

spreading ones fingers and placing a thumb to the temple. This

signal can be made by anyone. This is a temporary way of

suspending Character to make a brief clarification either to a GM or

other Player. Please use it sparingly.

HAND ON HEAD

A participant with her hand on their head is not in-Character or

present in the game world. They should be ignored by all in-

Character participants. Abuse of this signal is strongly discouraged

and extremely annoying.

COMBAT

Players will occasionally engage in simulated combat using weapon

props to represent either melee weapons (such as knives or clubs) or

ranged weapons (such as guns). Several measures must always be

taken to ensure that such combat remains safe for all Players

involved.


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In combat, participants must:

Maintain self-control and behave in a safe fashion. Be aware of their surroundings and take steps to avoid

unsafe areas. If combat becomes unsafe, call TIME OUT

(see Game Calls, above)

Use only approved weapon props. Pull their blows at all times. Never hit harder than is

necessary. A hit should never be hard enough to leave a

bruise.

Never aim to hit the head, throat or groin. They arerestricted target areas. Weapon blows hitting these areas

will still count, but participants must never aim for them.

Unsafe participants should be reported to a GM, who may

remove the participant from combat.

Never stab or thrust with a weapon prop. Most cored latexweapons are not designed to be safe for thrusting, and even

thrust-safe weapons may not be used for thrusting at

Zeppelin Games events.

Never crouch or duck in melee, as this increases thelikelihood of being hit in the head or face.

Never swing a melee weapon blindly, strike outside yourfield of vision, or otherwise attempt an attack which

reduces your control of your weapon prop.

Never grab an opponent's weapon. This is unsafe, and mayalso result in very expensive damage to weapons.


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Unarmed combat of all kinds is prohibited. Never push,slap, kick, punch or trip another Player. Under certain

limited circumstances, with explicit prior negotiation

between both Players and a GM, Players may grapple each

other, but this is a rare exception to the normal run of

things.

Never use a ranged weapon prop for melee combat (or viceversa!) without the express clearance of the Organisers.

Be aware that many ranged weapon props are not safe formelee and caution should be used when taking them into

melee combat.

Players whose Characters faint or are injured to the point of

incapacitation (see The Science of the Soldier) should always ensure

that when adopting an unconscious position, it is safe to do so.

This includes moving away from any combat and checking terrain

for possible hazards. Players who are about to be trodden on shouldcall TIME OUT and move away. For this reason, prone Players

should always keep their eyes open during combat.

When fighting at night or in low-visibility conditions, all

participants MUST reduce their speed and exercise extra caution. A

GM may instruct Players to move at half-speed, meaning no

sprinting or rapid series of swings.

WEAPON PROPS

All weapon props should be checked and cleared as safe by

Organisers before play commences.

Ranged weapon props must be foam dart blasters such as NERF-

brand products. Home-made or modified weapon props are

permitted, if deemed safe by the Organisers. Any ranged weapon

prop must not shoot projectiles at a velocity which would harm


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another participant if they hit. A good rule of thumb is that dart

blasters with a range higher than 20m are unlikely to be cleared, but

weapon props will be individually tested.

Rounds for ranged weapon props will be supplied by Zeppelin

Games. Please inform the Organisers if the ranged weapon you wish

to bring uses unusual ammunition.

Melee weapon props must be latex or rubber foam LARP-safe

weapons in good condition. Weapon props with solid elements, thin

foam, exposed core or other defects will not be cleared as safe.

If a participant brings a weapon prop to an event and it is rejected on

the basis of safety, the Organisers will endeavour to supply a cleared

replacement, though this is not guaranteed.

PROTECTION

Players are encouraged to wear some form of eye protection to

Zeppelin Games LARP events. This is not obligatory, but

Characters will receive benefits from wearing eye protection (see

The Science of the Soldierfor details).

Players wishing to engage in melee combat may also wish to wear a

protective cup to prevent groin injuries, or in-genre headwear to

prevent head injuries. This or other protective gear is purely optional

and the responsibility of individual Players. Some protective gear

will provide in-Character bonuses, as described in the game rules.


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COSTUME

PCs are expected to have at least a base level of costuming. A base

level could be as simple as a button up shirt, slacks and comfortable

boots.

Sneakers, t-shirts or other obviously out-of-genre gear is highly

inappropriate, and we expect props to be built or modified to fit in

with the themes.

PCs are also expected to come with whatever props they need to

approximate the equipment of their Character.

NPCs will have some costumes and most props provided for them.

Please speak to an Organiser about what can and cannot be

provided.


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THE ANATOMY OF A CHARACTER

BEING AN IN-DEPTH DESCRIPTION OF THE ZEPPELIN

METHOD FOR CHARACTER CREATION

Being a roleplaying game, one of the first things you need to do is to

write your role which we refer to as your Character. This section

deals mainly with the numbers that define that Characters abilities,

but also with their personality, background, hopes and dreams and

importantly, with their costume and props as well.

A note here Characters in many roleplaying games start as

untrained beginners, building their way over time to become experts

in their fields. In Zeppelin Games, Characters are considered

competent professionals at creation.

STEP ONE: CHARACTER CONCEPTThe first step is to come up with a good idea of your Character.

Every other element of Character creation stems from this idea.

Think of who your Character is: Whats their name? What do their

friends call them? What does he or she do? Where is your Character

from? What are a few of his or her mannerisms? How does he or she

dress? You will want to spend some time reading or talking about

the setting of the campaign. The Nation of Fumare is an extremelyhelpful and pleasantly readable assistance in this endeavour.

It is also important to think about what kind of story you would like

to tell with your Character - a gung-ho sharpshooter wouldn't

necessarily be the best idea if you're looking to play a high society

game, for example.


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Make sure youre happy filling the role of your Character over a

number of events. Make them interesting.

Speak to an Organiser once you've got your Character concept

worked out. They are more than happy to help you ensure that your

idea fits into the setting and the genre, or to give you some advice

about the next step.

STEP TWO: CHARACTER ABILITIES

Once your Character concept is solid, you will need to decide on

your Character's abilities - the rules side of Character creation.

On paper, Characters are made up of five elements (of course, these

are near-irrelevant compared to the intricacies of personality and

costume, but are nonetheless necessary):

TALENTS AND SKILLS

Talents are ranked 0 to 4 (Inexperienced, Amateur, Experienced,

Professional, Master), reflecting how talented your Character is in agiven field. High numbers are better, but starting Characters can't

take any Talents above Rank 3 (you can take Talents to Rank 4

later).

Rank 0 (Inexperienced) reflects no understanding of that field at all.

Rank 1 (Amateur) is analogous to a weekend course in the field,

while a Character with Rank 2 (Experienced) might have a year or

two of training. A Character with Rank 3 (Professional) is extremely

competent, and at Rank 4 (Master), the Character is one of the best

in the world, and probably famous for their ability.

Talents are divided into two types; Untrained, where the Skills share

the same basic fundamentals, and Trained, where the Skills

represent specific and isolated areas of study and expertise.


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A Character very rarely uses a raw Talent they are further

modified by Skills. When performing Skill checks, if the Character

has bought the appropriate Skill, they use their full Talent Rank. If

they have not, and the Talent is a Trained Talent, then they are

considered to have Rank 0 in that Skill; if the Talent is an Untrained

Talent, the Character may use that Skill at one Rank lower than their

Talent Rank.

CREATIVE POINTS AND PERKS

Creative Points (CP) are used to activate Perks and to create

scientific inventions. Characters will generally receive 15 CP perevent, but a GM will notify you upon arrival of how many CP you

have available. For more details on using CP For Science! see The

Art of Invention.

Perks are tricks which your Character can activate during games, to

grant unique abilities. Usually, activating a Perk will require the

expenditure of Creative Points this is the Activation Cost of a

Perk. Perks will state their activation costs in their descriptions. IfPerks list multiple Talent Ranks in their requirements, the activation

cost is based off the higher of the Characters Talents.

To gain access to a Perk, Characters must spend XP to buy them

the XP cost of each Perk is also listed in its description.

HEALTH LEVELS

Characters in the Zeppelin Games system have six levels of health:

Healthy, Bruised, Wounded, Seriously Injured, Incapacitated and

Dying. At Character creation, they are considered Healthy. See The

Science of the Soldierfor more details.

INCOME

This is a reflection of your Character's personal income. Don't worry

if you don't take Ranks in Income, you won't be completely broke:


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Income Ranks are above and beyond normal employment. See the

Income & Ownership section below for more details.

REPUTATION

Characters whove been around a bit may have a Reputation. A

Characters Reputation includes two short descriptors, either

negative or positive, that describe how a Character is seen by the

world at large. At Character creation, most Characters will not have

a Reputation. See The Common Arts for more details.

DETERMINING YOUR ABILITIES

All Players receive a base of 200 Experience Points (XP) to spend

on a new Character, and these Characters also receive a few abilities

for free.

Characters from Fumare receive the following free at Character

creation:

The Fumarean Citizenship Talent at Professional, with one regionaland one social group Skill - this reflects your Character's general

knowledge, education, upbringing and so on. See the Common Arts

for more detail on the Fumarean Citizenship Talent.

The Body and Mind Talents at Amateur, with one Skill in each -

these reflect your Character's basic physical and mental capabilities.

See the Common Arts for more detail on the Body and Mind

Talents.

Starting XP are spent according to the Table below. Spend all your

points, but don't worry about not being able to take every ability you

want. You can earn more XP by participating in Zeppelin Games

events.


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ABILITIES XP COST TABLE

Talent Rank Starting Cost Improvement Cost

Inexperienced (0) 0xp None

Amateur (1) 10xp From Inexperienced10xp

Experienced (2) 30xp From Amateur20xp

Professional (3) 60xp From Experienced30xp

Master (4) -- From Professional 40xp +

additional requirementsspeak

to a GM

Skills - It costs 10 XP for each Skill after the first in each Talent.

Remember, you get to choose a free Skill with every new Talent.

Perks - Perks each have a different XP cost, described in the Perk

description. Perks are detailed within the Talent to which they

pertain. Note that most Perks from The Art of Invention take the

form of Blueprints or Recipes - things that your Character can make

or build.

Income - Income costs 10 XP per level.


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TALENTS FROM THE COMMON ARTS

BODY

A measure of natural physical ability and training.

FUMAREAN CITIZENSHIP

Understanding of Fumarean society, as well as certain capabilities

inherent to anyone who grew up in Fumare.

MIND

Quickness of wit, alertness and strength of will.

SOCIALISE

The fine art of conversational manipulation.

TALENTS FROM THE SCIENCE OF THE SOLDIER

ARMOUR USE

The ability to use protective gear and armours, and move around

while doing so.

DEFENCE

Keeping safe from harm when others wish to harm you.

FIREARMS

The use and care of shooting irons, be they rifle, pistol, or

something entirely other.

MELEE WEAPONSThe ability to hurt people up close and personal.

TALENTS FROM THE LEARNINGS OF THE ACADEMIC

MEDICINE

Diagnosis and treatment of ailments, injuries and sicknesses.


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SCHOLAR

Academia, curiosities and research into specialised fields.

TALENTS FROM THE SCIENCE OF THE DETECTIVE

AND HIS OPPONENT

INVESTIGATION

Reading information, turning clues into a book written entirely for

you.

LEGERDEMAINSleight of hand, pickpocketing and other tricks of the nimble-

fingered.

STEALTH

Remaining undiscovered until the right moment useful for either

predator or prey.

TALENTS FROM THE ART OF INVENTION

SCIENCE

The invention of weird, wonderful, or simply baseline functional

creations.

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Turning a lifeless blueprint into a mighty machine.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERINGThe creation of chemical compounds from base materials.

AESTHETIC ENGINEERING

Life without beauty is not worth living, as all civilised people

understand.


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A NOTE ON SOCIAL STATUS

& FINANCE IN FUMARE

EMPLOYMENT

The Characters you play are exceptional individuals, and can easily

find work if they want it. A Character will be paid Fumarean dollars

equal to the Rank of the highest Talent they have that is appropriate

to the field they choose to work in. Working at a job between events

is a time-consuming process and so a Character must spend 1 XP to

do so.

For example, Katarina has managed to find gainful employment as

a mechanic. Katarina has the relevant Talent of Engineering to

Rank 3 (Professional). This means that at the start of the game,

Katarina will spend 1xp and be given three Fumarean dollars from

her job. She could, if she chose, have worked as a manual labourer

instead, but as her Body Talent is only 2, she would only have

earned two dollars.

INCOME & OWNERSHIP

The other major source of income that a Character may have is

through the ownership of something profitable, bank interest,

investments, or any of a whole series of things that we roll into one

number, which we call Income. How a Characters Income is

reflected in the game world is up to the Player, who should discuss

something appropriate to their background with an ORGANISER

Income is measured in levels, and each level of income will supply

the Character with two dollars per game.

For example, Katarina has managed to gain ownership of a small

coal mining claim in Lesser Colton. The claim is worth 1 Level of

Income, which means that at the start of each event, Katarina will

get an additional two dollars from the claim, on top of her work.


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TITLES & LIFESTYLE

In Fumare, aristocratic titles are given based upon a Character's

income. Thats yearly income, assessed at tax time, not savings.

Academic titles are given (in-game) when a formally-educated

Character has achieved a certain Rank in a number of specific

Talents (Scholar (Formal), Science, Mechanical or Chemical

Engineering or Medicine). When a Character has one of these

Talents to the Professional Rank, they may claim the title of Doctor.

When a Character has one of these Talents to Master Rank, they

may instead claim the title of Professor. Academic titles are alsogiven by position within the bureaucracy. They are considered

significantly more prestigious than aristocratic titles.

For example, Katarina, being a mechanic, has Engineering to a

Professional Rank. Thus, Montverne University acknowledges that

Katarina is formally Doctor Katarina.

Having a title carries a number of responsibilities.

All Characters of a certain aristocratic status are expected by society

to live a lifestyle of a particular quality. Hence, each title has an

amount of money that must be spent in conspicuous waste. While a

Character may choose to not spend this money, acting against

society's wishes often has severe and surprising consequences.

Aristocratically-titled members of society are also expected to

devote a portion of their wealth towards the scientific and culturaldevelopment of Fumare. Hence, aristocrats are expected to take

requests for grants from Scientists, Artists and the like into careful

consideration.

Academically titled members of society are also expected to devote

a portion of their time towards the scientific and cultural education


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of Fumare. Hence, academics are expected to take requests from

potential students into careful consideration.

Note that it is possible to have both an Academic and Aristocratic

title.


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TITLES BY INCOME & LIFESTYLE COST

Aristocratic Title Minimum Income Lifestyle Cost

Sir/Madam 5 3

Lord/Lady 17 9

Count/Countess 65 33

Baron/Baroness 257 129

Duke/Duchess 1025 513

STEP THREE: CHARACTER DISCUSSION

Once you have decided on your Character concept and his or her

abilities, you should discuss your Character with an Organiser.

During this process, you should go over the details and discuss your

Character's background, make sure it fits with the campaign, get any

clarifications on how your abilities work, and so on.

This also gives the Organisers a chance to get acquainted with your

Character.

After the Organiser feels that your Character is finished, they may

assign a small number of additional abilities based on your conceptand any background you've given them to work with. Remember

that the Organisers love getting more details about your Character:

the more you put in, the richer your experience will be.


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STEP FOUR: PROPS & COSTUME

Getting dressed up is an important part of LARP! It's technicallypossible to do the bare minimum and still have a great time, but

having a great costume and a few interesting props will go a long

way towards enriching your experience.

There's no reason you can't start thinking about (or even working

on) your Character's props & costuming at any stage of Character

creation. The Organisers do feel that it's best to wait until you have

at least spoken with them about your Character concept - if only to

check if there are any good reasons not to start work.

The Organisers are happy to give advice on props and costumes, and

have a few tips on where to find inspiration, buy things, or get

materials.

STEP FIVE: PLAY THE GAME!

Once you've got your concept and abilities worked out, spoken to

the Organisers, gotten your costume together and picked up a few

neat props, you're ready to play.

Read over the rules, head along to the next Zeppelin Games event

and have an awesome time.

See you there!


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THE COMMON ARTS

BEING A FULL ELUCIDATION OF THE TALENTS THAT

RELATE TO ALL PEOPLE, AND THE LACK OF WHICH

COULD REPRESENT LIMITATIONS BELOW THE

EXPECTATION OF BASIC HUMANITY.

MIND (UNTRAINED)

The Mind Talent describes a Characters basic intelligence,

quickness of wit and strength of will. It describes their ability to

think on their feet, and to understand and make sense of the apparent

chaos of the world around them. Mind includes a Characters ability

to plan for the expected and react quickly to the unforeseen.

SKILL: PERCEPTION

Perception is a combination of actively watching your surroundings

and instinct. It reflects a Characters attunement to their

environment, and their degree of attentiveness to what they can see,

hear and touch.

Characters with high Perception ratings are particularly observant,

capable of noticing slight deviations from the norm and rarely

surprised. Conversely, a Character with low Perception may be

absent-minded, short-sighted or simply inwardly focused.

SKILL: WILLPOWER

Willpower measures a Characters mental strength and force of will.

It may show itself as a stubborn refusal to bend in the face of

adversity, or a flexibility of mind that takes adverse circumstances

and sees the opportunity in the crisis.


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Characters with high Willpower are difficult to sway once set, and

near-impossible to intimidate or break. They are also capable of

continuing through pain and injury.

SKILL: EMPATHY

Empathy describes a Characters ability to sense and understand

other peoples feelings, emotions and underlying aims. It does not

necessarily mean that Characters are sympathetic to those feelings,

nor identify with them.

Characters with high Empathy can read other people like books the slightest slip of expression or tone reveals entire essays, and

faces are much like pages of diaries. Manipulations and obfuscations

seem clumsy and obvious to them.

BODY (UNTRAINED)

The Body Talent describes a Characters basic physical capabilities,

whether gained from natural talent or a significant amount of time

exercising.

SKILL: FITNESS

Fitness is the measure of a Characters physical strength and

stamina. In game, it is often used to lift heavy loads, perform feats

of strength or resist physical hardships requiring brute force or

endurance. Characters with high Fitness are highly resilient, and

capable of doing hours of hard labour.

Some objects will require a Fitness Rank to lift. If one of these

objects is dropped on a Character it will do damage equal to the

Rank needed to lift it. To throw the item requires a Fitness Rank

twice the Rank required to lift the item.


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SKILL: AGILITY

Agility is the measure of a Characters speed, dexterity and manual

deftness. Hand-eye co-ordination, litheness and sheer grace of

movement are all functions of a Characters Agility. In game, it is

often used to avoid physical hardship through grace or speed.

FUMARE CITIZENSHIP (UNTRAINED)

This Talent effectively represents the amount of time you have spent

in Fumare. It represents all the knowledge gained from living in

Fumare, including the spoken and written language as well as

understanding the culture and customs. The Skills represent the

areas in which you have spent most of that time, and potentially

your social position.

All Fumarean Characters begin the game with Fumare Citizenship at

Professional and two free Skills (one Regional Skill and one Social

Group Skill).

Note that while other cultures also have Citizenship Talents, theseare restricted. If you would like your Character to be familiar with a

different country, please speak to an Organiser.

See The Nation of Fumare for more details on the social classes and

areas of Fumare.

Inexperienced: A Character with Inexperienced Fumare Citizenship

does not come from, has never been to and knows very little aboutFumare.

Amateur: The Amateur Rank represents a Character that has

possibly spent a small amount of time in Fumare, or read a bit about

Fumare. They recognise the language and may be able to speak a

few simple words or phrases. They may simply know someone from


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Fumare that has talked about it in some detail. They know a little bit

about Fumarean culture and customs.

Experienced: The Experienced Rank represents a Character that has

spent a significant amount of time in Fumare, though they are

recognisably outsiders. They can speak the language, though they

will have a thick accent and may have a somewhat limited

vocabulary. They know enough about Fumarean culture and

customs to get by without offending people.

Note that without the appropriate Skill in the subculture or class thisis the Rank many Characters will find themselves operating at when

in areas or classes they are unfamiliar with.

Professional: The Professional Rank represents a native; someone

that has lived in Fumare for many years or their whole life.

Characters with this Rank have almost certainly finished a primary

school education. They speak the language fluently. They know all

general cultures, customs, and other matters that are commonknowledge to the people of Fumare.

Master: The Master Level represents an intimate and studied

understanding of Fumare. They know all the cultures and customs

including those specific to subcultures within that country. They can

not only fit in as a native, they will be accepted amongst any class

and in any region.

SKILL: REGIONAL

These Skills represent the area where your Character was born or

where they have lived most of their life. They know the

idiosyncrasies of the area, and can fit in as a local in that area. They

can find their way around and can answer most where can I find

this? questions. They dont stand out as a tourist.


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Admontein: The lost capital of Fumare, former home of the Arts

Faculty and University administration. Before the Disaster,

Admontein was the most populous city in the nation.

Montverne: Montverne is home to the Science Faculty. Situated in

south-west Fumare, the cultural capital of the nation is progressive

and modern. Montverne was originally settled by the Lelibrans and

to this day remains Fumares most cosmopolitan region.

Welleston: Welleston is home to the Engineering Faculty. Situated

in north-east Fumare, the manufacturing capital of the nation is apowerhouse of industry. Steeped in tradition, Welleston has become

Fumares financial centre since the Admontein Disaster.

Rural: The Fumarean countryside is wide and varied, taking in such

diverse locales as the orchards of Appleton, the seedy riverways of

Westlake and the surprising potential of Lesser Colton.

SKILL: SOCIAL GROUP

These Skills represent the social strata in which a Character has

spent most of her life. A low-class Character will not understand the

intricacies of high society, and an aristocrat will be completely out

of place on the streets.

The Public: The working class of Fumare are straight-forward and

diligent. Nonetheless, they are educated and intelligent.

The Faculty: The upper class of Fumare technically includes boththe aristocracy and academia. They are expected to adhere very

closely to a strict set of social rules. The Faculty wields all political

power in Fumare.

The Military: The military of Fumare makes up its own social

class. Most members join very young, often straight out of primary

school, and many remain in the Service for life.


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SOCIALISE (TRAINED)

The Socialise Talent represents a Characters ability to read people,understand what motivates them and to find the best way to

communicate with them. It also covers etiquette and the methods of

proper behaviour.

Socialise can be used to make friends, influence people, conceal

your identity and to hold interesting conversations.

This Talent will not force a Character to do anything, and neither

will it make them give up strongly-held principles. It can however

make them more likely to listen to opposing arguments.

The description of each Skill includes its opposing Skills these are

used to resist the influence of the socialite. If a Character attempts to

resist the use of a Socialise Skill, compare the resisting Characters

opposing Skill to the active Characters Skill. If the resisting

Character has a higher or equal rating, then the effect of the Skill is

resisted and can be entirely ignored. Characters can always choosenot to resist.

Most of the Skills in this Talent have similar in-game effects, but

they differ in style and flavour. Some Characters will be more

susceptible to particular Socialise Skills a coward might be more

likely to bow to Intimidate than agree with Convince, while an

aristocrat might take umbrage at heavy-handedness but bend to

flattery. Players are encouraged to also decide upon strengths andweaknesses their Character may have and roleplay them, though no

rules effects are given for these.

Players should roleplay the Rank of the Skill their Character has (or

lacks!), and pretend that the Character they are interacting with is as

interesting and convincing as their Skills indicate. Characters should


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generally listen to Characters with higher Socialise, unless they have

good reason to do otherwise or can successfully resist.

Some roleplaying by the Player is still required for this to come into

effect. The Socialise Talent is designed to be used as an enabler and

a Character bonus and is not supposed to replace good roleplaying

or genuinely interesting conversation. Socialise Three, this

conversation is awesome is actually pretty tedious.

Prior to his unfortunate demise, the unlucky Stevie was arrested.

Katarina, wanting to help her friend, tries to get into the prison tospeak to him. To achieve this, she needs the permission of the local

constable. Approaching the Constable, Katarina speaks to him for a

few minutes, pointing out her need to get Steves side of the story, to

check that hes okay, and to ensure he has access to the justice that

Fumarean citizens have a right to expect. The Constable doesn't let

just anyone in to see prisoners, but as Katarina has a high Rank of

Socialise (Convince), he decides to make an exception in this case...

REPUTATION

Actions have consequences. Characters will find that notable

behaviour gets people talking. Characters develop Reputations,

which any half-competent socialite will discover almost

immediately. To reflect this in the game rules, Characters may

develop a Reputation. A Characters Reputation includes up to two

short descriptors, either negative or positive, that describe how a

Character is seen by the world at large.

A Character may only have two Reputation descriptors at any time.

These descriptors have levels representing how widespread and

ingrained that Reputation is. Perk uses modify the level of these

descriptors. The descriptor itself is set at the creation of that

Reputation and never changes.


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If a Character already has two Reputations, then one of them must

be removed (by permanently reducing its level to 0 through the use

of Perks) before another may be given.

If a Players Character has Socialise (Any Skill) at Amateur, that

Player may, by briefly dropping out-of-Character and asking,

immediately discover a Characters Reputation. If a Character has

no Socialise Talent, they may still have a Reputation. They will not,

however, know about it Reputations are out-of-Character

knowledge for non-Socialites.

A Reputation may be modified temporarily or permanently,

depending on which Perk is used. If a rating is temporarily

modified, this should be stated as part of the Reputation Ranking,

e.g., a Character could have Really Quite Clever 3, and A Bit

Violent 1 (temporary).

SKILL: CONVINCE

The Convince Skill is used when a Character is making a reasonedargument in an attempt to sway the judgement of another Character.

The socialite who relies on Convince makes a claim and supports it

with evidence, clear examples and logical reasoning in order to

build a strong argument. You can choose to lie with this technique

but most find it is more successful with the truth, said in the right

way.

Convince is opposed to Convince or Empathy, whichever is higher.

SKILL: INTIMIDATE

Intimidate is used to change minds through fear, whether via overt

threat, subtle insinuation or simply terrifying demeanour. Characters

with high Intimidate give off a near-tangible aura of danger, when

they choose to do so.


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Intimidate is opposed to Intimidate or Willpower, whichever is

higher.

SKILL: CHARISMA

Charisma represents a Characters presence, force of personality, or

just sheer physical beauty. Characters with high Charisma are

attractive and magnetic, and people just generally want to make

them happy. Use Charisma when youre trying to get what you want

by charming someone.

Charisma is opposed to Charisma or Willpower, whichever ishigher.

SKILL: FAST TALK

There are times when you actually dont have solid evidence or a

good argument for your point, but you need to make it anyway.

These are the times when you use Fast Talk, glibly overriding

objection, deflecting argument and generally spinning a web of

verbosity that makes it impossible to argue against you.

Fast Talk is opposed to Fast Talk or Empathy, whichever is higher.

SKILL: LEADERSHIP

Great leaders exude authority and competence. Their presence

inspires those around them to new heights, their passion is

infectious, and lesser mortals have no choice but to fall in line.

Leadership is used whenever a Character invokes their personal

authority or particular competence to bring about desired outcomes.

Leadership is opposed to Leadership or Willpower, whichever is

higher.

SKILL: DISGUISE

The Disguise Skill is used to obscure your identity, whether with

elaborate costume, makeup, or simple misdirection. The thief who


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pretends to be a guard, the spy who appears as just another man in

the street and the wanted criminal with a fake moustache are all

beneficiaries of the Disguise Skill.

If you suspect that a Character is in disguise, you may speak to that

Player or a GM and call your Disguise or Perception, whichever is

higher. If your Skill is higher than the targets Skill, the Player or

GM will give you an indication of whether or not that Character is

in disguise. Seeing through a disguise does not give any further

informationonly that the Character is in disguise.


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PERKS OF THE COMMON ARTS

CRAFTY

Requirements: Mind (any Skill) at Professional.

Description: Youre inventive, creative, and a source of inspiration

and interest. You always seem to have new ideas and approach

situations from a unique point of view.

Effects: The Character has an additional three Creative points in

their poolan average Character with this Perk would thus have 18CP to use per event rather than the usual 15.

Countering: None.

Experience Cost: 10 Experience points.

Activation Cost: This Perk is always active.

BUILT LIKE A BRICK OUTHOUSE

Requirements: Body (Fitness) at Professional.

Description: Youre solid, muscular, and tough as year-old jerky.

You can take hits that would fell anybody else and get up smiling.

Effects: The Character has an additional Health level. She has seven

levels rather than the usual six. Treat this additional level as a

second Healthy that is, after taking a single level of damage, theCharacter is still considered to be at Healthy, and it takes two levels

to Bruise the Character.

Countering: None.



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DISGUISE OTHER

Requirements: Socialise (Disguise) at Professional.

Description: Youve learnt how to teach others how to carry

themselves and how to fake identities. You can apply makeup, dress

them up and show them how to fool the casual observer.

Effects: You can apply a disguise to another Character. They are

considered to have the Disguise Skill to Rank 2 for that disguiseonly.

Countering: None.


Activation Cost: Activating this Perk costs 4 Creative Points at

Professional and 3 at Master.

I AINT GOT TIME TO BLEED

Requirements: Mind (Willpower) at Professional.

Description: Pain is for ignoring, and injuries are irrelevant. Youll

rest when youre dead, and the real problem is that the blood might

well ruin your suit.

Effects: The Character can activate the perk when Seriously Injuredor Wounded. They do so by saying something dismissive about their

injuries, or about those who let their pain slow them down. It allows

the Character to act as if they were merely Bruised, though the

Character does not regain Health Levels, and will still collapse if

Incapacitated.


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Countering: If the Character is Incapacitated, this Perk will have

no further effect.



Professional and 2 Creative Points at Master.

I THINK IVE BEEN THERE

Requirements: Citizenship at Professional (any Skill)

Description: Youre a well-travelled individual, or youve read

enough geography texts to fake it. You can recite enough pointless

facts about various places to bore anyone to sleep. Every now and

then, one of those facts proves quite helpful.

Effects: Activate this Perk by speaking to a GM and asking them

what you know about a particular place. The GM will usually

provide you with a fun fact or two, the sort of thing generally only

known to locals. Occasionally youll get nothing at all, and in these

cases you will not be required to spend Creative Points. This Perk is

used for esoteric information and triviality about geography,

population, and other wiki-esque snippets.

Countering: None.




ON THE TIP OF MY TONGUE

Requirements: Citizenship at Professional (any Skill) and Mind

(Perception) at Amateur.


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Description: Youre well-read, and pay a lot of attention to the

oddities and trivialities of history. Fumare is full of secret societies,

and its historical figures are almost invariably highly eccentric.

Youve paid attention to these things, and are full of esoteric

knowledge and interesting titbits.

Effects: Activate this Perk by speaking to a GM and asking them

what you know about a particular society, social group or historical

figure. The GM will usually provide you with a quick overview, or

some useful (or irrelevantly trivial) information. Occasionally youll

get nothing at all, and in these cases you will not be required tospend Creative Points.

Countering: None.




THAT NAME RINGS A BELL

Requirements: Socialise (any Skill) at Professional orCitizenship

(of the same nation as the target) at Master.

Description: Your social network stretches far and wide, and it

catches all sorts of interesting gossip about all sorts of people.

Effects: Activate this Perk by speaking to a GM and asking them ifyouve heard anything about a particular person. The GM will

usually provide you with a quick summary, along with some

interesting titbit of gossip. Occasionally youll get nothing at all, and

in these cases you will not be required to spend Creative Points.

Often, youll get something entirely irrelevant. Still, every now and

then youll hit gold.


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Countering: None.



Professional and 2 Creative Point at Master.

MAKE AN ENTRANCE

Requirements: Socialise (Charisma orIntimidate orLeadership) at

Professional.

Description: You are capable of turning heads effortlessly. When

you arrive at an event, conversations go quiet, all eyes follow, and

for the barest of seconds, you are the focus ofall attention.

Effects: Just before walking into a room, inform a GM that you

wish to activate this perk. Everyone in the room stops what they are

doing and looks at the door, while you walk through it.

Countering: None




SLIP OF THE TONGUE

Requirements: Socialise (any Skill) at Experienced or Mind

(Empathy) at Professional.

Description: Always composed, you recall details effortlessly. You

never forget a name or a face, and youre the one who remembers

that its the Professors daughters birthday today, and you gain

endless small favours because of it.


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Effects: You may slip out of Character for a brief moment by

putting your hand on your head to ask one Character one question

that you should know the answer to or consult a note (If the

Character has been introduced to you before this includes their

name). The Character you ask must be within close range of you and

not be inconvenienced greatly; you could also pull a GM aside if

theres one nearby.

Countering: None



Experienced, 3 Creative Points at Experienced, 2 Creative Points at


THE PERFECT ONE LINER

Requirements: Socialise (Convince, Charisma or Leadership) at

Professional andMind (Empathy) at Amateur.

Description: Always ready with a cutting quip or supportive word,

you can build someone up or tear their heart out with a single

comment.

Effects: This technique is activated by calling The Perfect One

Liner and the effect you wish to have on the target Character. That

Character will feel the emotion that you choose in response to your

brilliant quip, within reason.

For example, Duchess Katarina the Professional Ransom

Negotiator finds herself speaking to a pair of kidnappers. When they

dont trust her word, she convinces them with The Perfect One Liner

by saying The Perfect One Liner I am completely trustworthy!

The kidnappers are now prepared to negotiate.


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Countering: Empathy at Master can completely ignore this Perk.




KNOW THE SCENE

Requirements: Socialise (any Skill) at Professional.

Description: There are those who bluster and those who puff

themselves up, but you can read the looks and the hesitations, the

sideways glances and the vocal tones, and where the puppet strings

of power really lie.

Effects: When you are introduced to a group of people you may

spend some time studying the dynamics of the group. You must

observe and interact with some of the members of the group. When

it is convenient to do so you may inform a GM of what youre trying

to find out. Examples of possible targets include but are not limited

to;

Whos the most influential person in the room? (anindicator of Socialise Talent)

Whos the most important? (an indicator of social orpolitical power)

Whos the most powerful in the room? (an indicator ofwealth or other power).

Note that the GM might not answer immediately, and that the result

will rarely be the complete truth. You also discover the Reputation

of each person observed.


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Countering: Any Character with Socialise at Master can avoid

detection by this Perk if they choose to, and any Character with

Empathy at Master will see the Character using it.




DONT LOOK AT THAT, TALK TO ME!

Requirements: Socialise (Charisma orFast Talk) at Amateur.

Description: You can command the attention of your target, using

body language, social cues or scintillating conversation to focus

their attention entirely on you, missing those subtle secrets in the

background.

Effects: During a conversation with another Character, you may

activate this Perk (by calling Distracting, followed by your rating

in either Charisma or Fast Talk). The target Character, if their

Empathy is lower than the called Skill, has their Perception score

lowered by 1 for the duration of the conversation.

Countering: This Perk only works on Characters if their Empathy is

lower than your Charisma orFast Talk.



Amateur, 3 Creative Points at Experienced, 2 Creative Points at


DID YOU HEAR WHAT HE DID?

Requirements: Socialise (Any) at Experienced.


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Description: Reputation is the currency of the social scene, and

lives have been both created and destroyed on the fickle opinions of

the 'Scene. To a lesser extent, you know how to manipulate the

Reputations of others, as any good social warrior should.

Effects: Using this Perk will temporarily (until the end of the

current game event) give a Character a negative Reputation

descriptor with a level of 1. Use this Perk by speaking to a GM and

gossiping to other Characters about the target Character (which may

be yourself, of course).

This Perk may also be used to temporarily reduce a positive

Reputation level by 1, or temporarily increase a negative Reputation

level by 1.

Countering: Other Reputation Perks can be used to remove

Reputation descriptors given by this Perk.

Experience Cost: 10 Experience Points.




THAT GIRLS AWESOME!

Requirements: Socialise (Any) at Experienced.

Description: Reputation is the currency of the social scene, andlives have been both created and destroyed on the fickle opinions of

the 'Scene. To a lesser extent, you know how to manipulate the

Reputations of others, as any good social warrior should.

Effects: Using this Perk will temporarily (until the end of the

current game event) give a Character a positive Reputation

descriptor with a level of 1. Use this Perk by speaking to a GM and


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gossiping to other Characters about the target Character (which may

be yourself, of course).

This Perk may also be used to temporarily reduce a negative

Reputation level by 1, or temporarily increase a positive Reputation

level by 1.

Countering: Other Reputation Perks can be used to remove

Reputation descriptors given by this Perk.





SOCIALITE

Requirements: Socialise (Any) at Professional


the 'Scene. So used to dealing with the weapons of the Scene are

you, that you see more in a Reputation than others.

Effects: Using this Perk allows a Character to discover how

significant a Characters Reputation is. When you ask about a

Characters Reputation, they also give the level of the Reputation.

Countering: None.



SOCIAL KING

Requirements: Socialise (Any) at Master


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Description: Reputation is the currency of the social scene, and

lives have been both created and destroyed on the fickle opinions of

the 'Scene. As a master in this battlefield, the Reputations you can

now give to others or yourself are as permanent and as powerful as

hanging a medal around their neck.

Effects: Using this Perk will permanently give a Character a

positive Reputation descriptor. Use this Perk by speaking to a GM

and regularly gossiping to other Characters about the target

Character. See Reputation, above, for details on how to change

Reputation levels.

This Perk may also be used to reduce the level of a permanent

negative Reputation descriptor.

Countering: Other Reputation Perks can be used to remove (or

modify the ratings of) Reputation descriptors given by this Perk.


Activation Cost: Activating this Perk uses a variable number of

Creative Points, where the number of Creative Points expended

reflects the change in Reputation level.

SOCIAL PARIAH

Requirements: Socialise (Any) at Master


the 'Scene. As a master in this battlefield, the Reputations you can

now give to others are as permanent and as powerful as stapling a

dunces cap to their head.

Effects: Using this Perk will permanently give a Character a

negative Reputation descriptor. Use this Perk by speaking to a GM


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and regularly gossiping to other Characters about the target

Character. See Reputation, above, for details on how to change

Reputation levels.

This Perk may also be used to reduce the level of a permanent

positive Reputation descriptor.

Countering: Other Reputation Perks can be used to remove (or

modify the ratings of) Reputation descriptors given by this Perk.




reflects the change in Reputation level.

HOLD THE LINE!

Requirements: Socialise (Intimidation) at Professional and Mind

(Willpower)

Description: Sometimes, all a group of people needs to become a

cohesive unit is for someone to start shouting at them. After years of

practising your best Drill Sergeant voice, you have mastered this

trick.

Effects: To activate this Perk, you need to start commanding the

group of people that you are with. If they accept your command,

then for the duration of that encounter or scene, while obeying yourdirect commands, they may ignore wound penalties.

Countering: This perk only works while the recipients are obeying

the direct orders of the leader. Either disobedience or the removal of

the leader from command will end the effect.

Experience Cost: 15 Experience Points


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MY FELLOW FUMAREANS...

Requirements: Socialise (Leadership) at Master

Description: People hold hidden depths, and what they need to

bring those buried strengths to the surface is a muse. When the

Professors built the first steam-trains and zeppelins, when the first of

the Colonies was founded, when the military lines held against the

worst that the Ramian could throw against them, the effort alwaysbegan with a truly great leader giving them a truly great speech.... a

truly great leader like you.

Effects: To activate this Perk, you need to give an inspirational

speech describing a specific task. At the end of the speech, you may

distribute any number of your Creative Points among members of

the audience. These Creative Points may only be spent in directly

furthering the task described in the speech.

Countering: None.

Experience Cost: 20 Experience Points



reflects the number of Creative Points that you may distribute

amongst the audience.


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THE SCIENCE OF THE SOLDIER

BEING A FULL AND COMPLETE DESCRIPTION

OF ILLNESS AND INJURY IN ZEPPELIN GAMES, AND

DIVERSE MEANS OF INFLICTING

OR MITIGATING SAME.

HEALTH

This section outlines the rules for determining how healthy a

Character is, the penalties for being injured, and how to recover

from injury.

GETTING HURT

Characters in the Zeppelin Games system have six levels of health:

Healthy, Bruised, Wounded, Seriously Injured, Incapacitated

and Dying.

Harmful effects (such as being hit by bullets and so forth) have

specific damage ratingseach level of damage removes one health

level from the Character.

Some effects deal multiple levels of damage - it is possible to skip

several levels if hit by something significant, like a phosphorous

bullet, or a cannon shell. Taking damage has negative effects on a

Character's abilities and capabilities. If a Character loses all fivelevels of health, then they may die.

For example, Katarina the Bookseller has gotten herself into a little

trouble. The first edition she sold turned out to have been a water

damaged eighth edition, and the disenfranchised buyer has pulled a

knife and slashed her. The knife does two levels of damage, reducing

Katarina to Wounded. Thathurts.


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THE LEVELS OF HEALTH

Healthyis the default state of a Character. Theyre fine and well.

If a Character takes a level of damage, they are Bruised. Ouch.

Still, its only a flesh wound, and a Bruised Character can do

anything they could do when they wereHealthy , except that if they

take another level of damage...

They go to Wounded status. A Wounded Character is in serious

pain, and they should probably sit down, or maybe lie down, or find

a doctor or something. Theyre having trouble concentrating onmuch other than their injuries. Plus, if they take a third level of

damage...

Theyre in Seriously Injured condition. Seriously Injured

Characters cannot engage in rigorous activity (unless they have

specific abilities allowing them to do so). Theyre having trouble

walking, and lifting a big heavy revolver is impossible. Its hard to

speak, and if they take another level of damage...

Theyre Incapacitated. They are no longer able to stand and

walking is right out. If still conscious, the Character will definitely

be unhappy about it. Speaking will either be through gritted teeth or

shouting.

If the last level of damage is taken...

Theyre Dying. The Character has been rendered unconscious byher injuries and is unlikely to live without aid. Unless stabilised (see

the Medicine Talent) within five minutes, that Character is Dead. If

Stabilised, that Character regains a single health level, raising them

to the Incapacitatedhealth level, but will remain unconscious for

five minutes.


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Note that the Dying level is the lowest level a Character may be

reduced to with damaging effects. Further damage is effectively

ignored.

Continuing the example, Katarina the Bookseller has a couple of

friends on hand, fortunately for her. Two of these friends are

nearby, and theyre packing fairly significant firepower. They both

open up with their revolvers, dealing eight levels of damage to the

unfortunate buyer. How inappropriate. The buyer is reduced to

Dying, unconscious on the ground. The two additional damage

levels are ignored, and Katarina, suddenly remorseful, grabs hermedicinal kit and begins binding the wounds, Stabilising her

customer and ensuring his survival.

Dead Characters are no longer playable. There are no means

available to revive DeadCharacters. Participants whose Characters

have becomeDeadshould continue to roleplay their remains until it

is no longer necessary to do so, then speak to an Organiser.

While it is usually only possible for a Character to die by being

reduced to Dying and then bleeding out in their allotted five

minutes, note that it is also possible to die if a Character is the

victim of the "Coup de Grace" perk, or similar ability.

In Fumare, while violence in the cause of self-defence is laudable,

allowing another person to die is a serious capital crime (even if

they had such things in mind for you), and actually deliberately

killing someone is almost unthinkable. Players should seriously

consider the implications of such action; any Character who would

do such a thing is probably either socio- or psycho-pathic.


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HEALTH SUMMARY TABLE

Health

Level

Levels

remaining

Effects

Healthy 5 No effects: The Character can act normally.

Bruised 4 No effects: The Character can act normally

(but may be sore in places)

Wounded 3 The Character is in serious pain and must

show it - limping, wincing, etc. Fast or

strenuous action such as combat or running is

hampered, and impossible to sustain for more

than one minute.

SeriouslyInjured 2 The Character cannot engage in combat, run,lift heavy objects, or perform strenuous

activity. They may walk slowly or crawl, with

some difficulty.

Incapacitated 1 The Character cannot stand or walk. The

Character can only speak through gritted

teeth, scream, or accept assistance. It is

perfectly acceptable (and, indeed, likely) to

pass out from pain.

Dying 0 The Character is unconscious and will die if

left unaided for five minutes.


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GETTING HEALED

Modern Science is full of ways to treat or fix harm to the body. The

main Talent used to do so is Medicine, which is covered in full

detail in The Learnings of the Academic. Some mechanical

inventions or chemicals can also be used to heal, treat or stabilise

Characters. These are discussed in theArt of Invention.

It is vitally important that Characters who have received damage are

Treated for their injuries. An untreated wound cannot heal, and is at

risk of being Infected. Infections are covered in full detail in The

Learnings of the Academic. Any Character who has not receivedtreatment within an hour of becoming hurt should inform a GM.

Wounds that have been Treated will continue to heal at the rate of

one Health Level after each full night of rest.

There are four ways of assisting an injured Character:

TREAT WOUNDS, which avoids the possibility of infection or

illness stemming from raw injuries.

STABILISE, which prevents a Character fromDying.

BANDAGE, which heals the Character by granting temporary

Health Levels.

SURGERY, which can repair serious damage taken by a Character.

A Character with the Medicine Talent (at any Rank and with any

Skill) may Treat Wounds and/or Stabilise aDying Character.

TREAT WOUNDS AND STABILISE

In order to Treat Wounds and/or Stabilise a patient, the medic

should spend a couple of minutes with the patient and roleplay their

treatment (cleaning wounds and staunching bleeding, for example).

The Characters wounds will then no longer be at risk of becoming


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Infected. A Dying Character who receives this treatment is also

Stabilised and healed to theIncapacitatedHealth Level.

Dying Characters healed by this process should remain unconscious

for about five minutes after receiving aid, and will likely be in

considerable pain upon awakening.

BANDAGING

A Character with the Talent Medicine (Field Medic) at Experienced

Rank or higher may Bandage other Characters. Bandaging grants

Bandage Points, that act as "virtual" Health Levels while the patientheals.

If a Character isDying, they should be Stabilised (see above) before

being Bandaged. Their wounds should also be Treated, preventing

the risk of Infection.

A medic wishing to Bandage a Character should roleplay treating

the patient's injuries. For every two minutes of roleplay, the patient

receives a Bandage Point, until the Character is effectively Healthy

or has received a number of Bandage Points equal to the medic's

Rank in Medicine (Field Medic). When a medic uses this Talent,

any current Bandage Points on the patient are removed first, then the

new Bandage Points are applied.

The medic must also provide the patient with a prop (a bandage or

similar) to represent the treatment. This prop must be worn or

carried for the Character to keep the Bandage Points.

If a Character takes damage, it should be taken from their Bandage

Points before their Health Levels (but after their Armour Points, if

they have any). If a Character takes more damage in one hit than

they have Bandage Points, further damage will be taken from the

Characters Health Levels.


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After 4 hours of solid rest, Bandage Points are converted to normal

Health Levels. Further injuries are healed at the normal Treated rate

of one Health Level after each full night of rest.

Note that although this process is called bandaging this actually

represents any medical technique that could be used to treat a

wound, such as applying stitches, making splints, etc.

SURGERY

Some events might cause massive physical trauma such as severed

or broken limbs. Other conditions may also arise which requiremore complicated treatments altogether. These can only be repaired

through Surgery. This is covered in full detail in The Learnings of

the Academic.

COMBAT

The most dramatic method by which Characters may do harm to

each other is Combat.

Combat at Zeppelin Games events should always be conducted with

participant safety in mind. For this purpose, several safety rules are

in place, as well as rules covering the props that may be used in

combat.

There are two ways to engage in combat - either in melee (using

weapons to directly strike another Character) or at range (using

firearms to shoot other Characters from a distance).

PROPS AND SAFETY

All Players

Documents

Zeppelin Games Rulebook Complete v1.0