We wanted to share the Commandments our Staff and Full Time Volunteers use to guide our MonsterTown. These same guidelines apply to our players when you come to do your volunteer time.
1. Thou Shalt Have Fun!!!!
Our first priority, above all else, is making sure everyone playing Calamity is being safe and having fun. That means you too!! There are no winners, there are no losers, and it’s all about living the story of the world. We want everyone to have the chance to do fun things, explore different roles, be different creatures, and be a part of this crazy Weird West world we’re all making. So always remember, the ultimate goal is to have fun! If you’re not having fun, let us know. We’ll do our best to find new ways of making things fun for you.
2. Thou Art Entertainers
It’s a big responsibility, but we really need your help in entertaining the players in the most immersive and believable way possible. You should be having fun too, of course, but an NPC/Monster’s entire purpose is to make an encounter fun, safe, and exciting for the players. You’re NOT here to rack up a kill count, or mock the players in any way, or falsify how much damage you have taken so your monster lives longer. 90% of the time, your monster should live for a few exciting minutes and then die in some cool-looking way. You’re on stage, in a sense, so have fun!
3. Thou Shalt Ham It Up
In line with Commandment #2, the world is your stage. And with every monster/NPC role you’re given, you should act it out. If you’re a monster who just stands there and swings around plumbing supplies, the players are going to be less than excited. Pay attention to how your NPC should walk, talk, grunt, yell, fidget, sit down, etc. Bring your monster or NPC to life by giving him or her mannerisms! Try to put as much Roleplay effort into your NPC as you would your PC, even if the monster is only going to be around for a few minutes.
4. Thou Shalt Stay In-Character
No matter what you’re portraying, whether it be a wolf, a bear, a crazed ritualist, or a legendary gunslinger; from the moment you leave Monster-Town, you should be portraying that character. Don’t fall into the habit of chatting Out-Of-Play with other people as you walk into town, or while you’re leaving an encounter. There could be PCs hiding in the woods or just around the corner, and talking about the latest movie trailer
or sports-team scores will just ruin the immersion of the moment for them. So stay in character at all times. Once you’re done, just stay super quiet while you walk back to MonsterTown, then feel free to chat it up.
5. Thou Shalt Not Make A Mess
This seems like it would be an easy one, but it can get out of hand super-fast. Please throw away your used cups, plates, forks, used baby wipes, etc. into the provided trash bags. When you’re done with costumes, fold them up and put them back in the bin you found them (or up on a hanger, if one is provided). Weapons should be returned to the container they came from, and not just tossed around roughly. It’ll scratch the paint or dent the foam, and that’s uncool. And be SUPER conscious of makeup supplies so that they are not wasted, spilled, or otherwise lost. Backstage is where all the magic happens, and in order to keep things organized, we have to keep it clean.
6. Thou Shalt Not Rules Marshal
If there is a dispute about rules or combat during an encounter, it should be left to the Staff Member or Marshal to handle and resolve it. Don’t get involved in a war of words or numbers against a player. It never ends well. If you see someone breaking a rule, please feel free to point it out to them (in the best and friendly OOP way you can), but don’t pursue it further. If it continues to be a problem, speak to a Staffer.
7. Thou Shalt Be Safe
Even if the swords, clubs, knives and bullets are all made of foam, that doesn’t mean people can’t get hurt. Be exceedingly aware of how hard you’re hitting when using a melee weapon. It should only be enough strength to make solid contact. As for Nerf guns, we know dart accuracy can be unreliable. However, do your absolute best to avoid head and face shots. Be aware of your hits, be aware of your aim, be aware of your footing… just be constantly aware of your surroundings and be as safe as humanly possible. Injuries do sometimes happen, but we want to keep it to an absolute minimum.
8. Thou Shalt Eat, Drink, and Sleep
The Calamity Staff has been doing this LARP thing for a long time. We know all too well how easy it is to forget to eat, stay hydrated, and get a decent amount of sleep. That is until heat exhaustion sets in. Or sleep-dep headaches hit. Or the dreaded blood-sugar crash drops you to your knees. It’s the opposite of fun, and we’re here to have as much fun as we can. So please make sure you’re getting enough food, water, and sleep over the weekend.
9. Thou Shalt Listen And Obey The MonsterTown Manager
Whatever Staffer happens to be in charge at MonsterTown, they are the Boss of MonsterTown. They have final say of what you will be portraying during your Monster time, as well as what your stats will be, where you will go encounter PC’s, and how long you should be out. They will have final say on how MonsterTown is run and managed, especially in regards to clean-up, organization, and NPC wrangling. The MonsterTown Manager works in tandem with the rest of the Staffers, and there may be situations where another Staffer may take over the responsibilities for a time. Regardless, whoever is Managing MonsterTown gets final say of what they need you to do.
10. Thou Shalt Not MetaGame
“MetaGaming: Using information acquired Out-Of-Play to benefit you, or others, In-Play.” While you’re a monster or NPC, you’re going to be given little peeks behind the scenes of how Calamity is run. You’ll hear conversations you might not normally get to hear. You might find out information about fellow PCs no one else knows. You might even discover secrets about the world that you would not have known as your PC. It’s your responsibility to keep all of that information to yourself, and keep it secret. If it is discovered that you are using information you gained while NPCing, or keeping loot that wasn’t returned to MonsterTown, or spilling secrets (even Out-Of-Play) to other players, you could be given a
Sportsmanship Warning or possibly even asked to leave the game. Be mindful of it, keep your NPC secrets safe, and don’t be a plot-spoiler.
11. Thou Shalt Have Fun!!!
Yup. It’s on here twice. On purpose. That’s because it’s a huge deal to us. Monstering and NPCing is often dirty, sweaty, aggravating, tiring, and even boring. It can’t ALL be fun, even if we wish it could be. However, we know you’re volunteering your time and energy, and that’s truly valuable to us. So we want to make sure you’re having a fun time, with fun people, doing fun stuff as much of the weekend as possible! We’re all just big kids playing a game of make believe; hitting each other with plumbing supplies and Nerf darts, using our imaginations to see a Weird West fantasy world. We truly want you to enjoy this world we have created and to become a part of it!
Thanks!
Calamity Staff
