The Firm

Rules of Engagement

BADGES

On arrival all attendees will be given a badge; this is an important part of how the event works, so please don’t lose it. The badges are necessary as the usual restrictions on CP – staff give it out, students take it – do not apply at LCPS. Anyone may give CP, and the badge indicates who takes it and how hard.

BADGE COLOUR

This indicates whether or not you take CP and how hard.

Event organisers who are not playing have plain white badges; if you see someone wearing a coloured badge with a white border, this means that they are playing but they are also part of the organisation team – it is therefore OK to complain to them about the lack of toilet roll, although we would prefer you to do it nicely. Especially if their badge is red…

Other information is conveyed by your badge, such as playing age and name.

PLAYING AGE

Playing age is indicated by a numeral – this is not your actual age, it is which class you arein. So first-years are indicated by ‘1’, and these are 12 years and under. Second year, indicated by ‘2’ is 12-13 year olds, third year is the 13-14 year olds, fourth year is 14-15 year olds, fifth year is 15-16 year olds, and the sixth form is 16 years plus. Teaching staff badges have ‘STAFF’ instead of a numeral.

YOUR NAME

The name on the badge is the name of the character you are playing; this may or may not be the name on your birth certificate. It’s entirely up to you.

GANG AFFILIATION

Your gang affiliation is not indicated on your badge. The way someone wears their uniform will help to indicate to you which gang they belong to. If their uniform isn't giving you any clues, careful questioning is the way to go.

EXAMPLE

See the example below for how it all fits together:

So you can tell that this boy is called John Good (despite the fact that his mother calls him Archibald Cholmondeley-Marjoribanks) and he is in the fourth year, which would make him fourteen or fifteen years old. His badge is yellow, so he takes medium-level CP.

OTHER NOTES

• Lots of people switch. Just because someone is wearing a pink badge doesn’t mean they’re not a demon with a cane.
  
  
• If a person is playing a member of staff, look at the badge colour, not the job. Some members of staff are willing to take CP – but you may have to work for the opportunity.
  
  
• Most of the people wearing red badges will probably be givers of CP, but this may not always be true. Some people may simply not want to play with anyone they don’t know very well – so if you see someone wearing a red badge but they are being merrily spanked by someone else, don’t assume they’re colour-blind. Red badges do not take CP from anyone unless they have already made arrangements with them specifically.
  
  
• If you are wearing a red badge, you will not be given CP unless by prior arrangement. It is therefore good manners not to push your luck – trading on your immunity to CP to get what you want will spoil it for others.
  
  
• If you deface or – worse – lose your badge, you may be liable for punishment.
  
  
• Character status does not confer authority over the running of the event, only over what the character can realistically achieve and would realistically know. The Deputy Head, apparently the most powerful person in the school, is still bound by what co-operation individual members of staff will extend, and the lowliest first year may come up with a gambit that no-one has thought of yet. Everyone has an equal right to enjoy and express themselves within the scenario and it is unfair to 'block' good ideas.
  
  
• I’ll just underline the bit about 'would realistically know' because it’s important; if (for instance) you’re playing teacher and your partner is playing student, you may know that he/she has brought in more contraband than Dr Syn, but your teacher self doesn't; if you want to find out and punish the villainy, you’re going to have to do the detective work.
  
  
• The best response to a suggestion is always 'Yes'; that allows events to develop. 'No' stops things dead.
  
  
• Be generous to other players, even if you don’t fancy them! Helping someone else express their character is a positive act, and it comes around like Karma; we work best by teamwork.
  
  

Other people's characters

Violence.