House Rules

[jwconvery]

So, I just finished my first season in Alliance. I had a great time playing in my home chapter and even got to travel a little. Now that the season is over, I've been talking with my new friends about this and that. It sounds like a lot of the things that happen in one chapter don't always work the same way in other chapters. Different interpretations of the rules by different owners, and sometimes just different views on the logistics of playing the game. Hopefully next year I am going to travel more so I am a little curious about how standard everything is.

Let me preference this entire post with the fact that I am not complaining about anything, just curious about what tricks different chapters use.

Body Tags: So how in the heat of battle are you supposed to collect all those !@#!@-ing little pieces of paper to show your current body. I understand you keep track and do the actual trading off after the fight/mod. But do people honestly walk around with a huge ring full of cure morts and lights that they've received to keep a running Body count? I've see some people just keep a note on their card for current body, others don't seem to be noting it in anyway I can tell. I had 1 body for 95% of the event, so it was easy for me. (Yay newbie scholar) But my wife is playing a fighter, and it seems pretty cumbersome when it doesn't need to be.

Protectives/healing given by NPCs: all they have is a monster card, so how am I supposed to take a tag from them? People call Magic Armor or whatnot that they get from their backpacks in battle all the time; without physically receiving the tag first. Why does it matter out of battle? I get that the idea is to prevent cheating, but with so many exceptions, it just seems to muddy the waters.

I saw a lot of higher level players make little tag sheets for their column/ items. IT seemed really helpful, everything in one place without having to sift through all your tags to remember if you've cast all four spell shields or just three. At the end of the fight, they'd take out a pen and mark off what they cast. No issues with tags ripping inside pouches or getting wet. It's was a lot easier just to pull out one sheet of paper and a pen, then go one by one through your ring. Less wasteful too.

Like I said before, I am not trying to call anyone out for cheating. I just hope to travel next season and I want to make sure I'm am picking up universally accepted 'tricks.' If a given chapter really uses the body tags as written in the rulebook how do players physically do it? Figuring out your body has to be the longest simple math problem in history. Do some chapters out their use these tag boards to replace tags altogether? or are they just a very helpful tool?

-Joe

 

[Dreamingfurther]

as far as body tags are concerned people usually get healed up pretty soon after getting hurt. (Or the rez) so usually people just rip the healing tags and keep their body tags. If you were running around hurt for several hours it might make sense to rip body tags.

Also, having what some people call "battle boards" to help remember what you have left and have used for the day is fine. But it is important to use tags to back that up. As tags are harder to "accidentally cheat" with. Cause if you use and rip a tag, then its not there anymore so clearly you don't have the skill anymore.

Per the rulebook tags are required for everyone for every event. Tags can be written differently and often are in different chapters that's fine. Using things other than tags to help keep track of everything is also fine, but tags are required everywhere.

Like I said I've never been anywhere that requires people to put cure tags onto their tag ring and rip body, but if they wanted to require that they could. However that is the exception from my experience, not the rule.

 

[obcidian_bandit]

Notes on your things:

1) No one keeps track of tags in battle. They determine what/how much they've used in their head, then deal with the tags afterwords.
Realistically, no one tears their body tags after a battle unless they're still hurt. They simply take the tags for the healing and throw them out/turn them in, and keep their body tag intact. If you are, in fact, still hurt after a battle, it might be worth your while to tear your body tag down. In that case, replace it with the tag for the healing receive. Don't keep a bunch of Cure Light tags on your ring if someone drops a Crit on you, throw out the Cure Lights and rip the Crit tag to what you need.

2) Protectives are like body. If an NPC claims to have one, you don't need to claim a tag for it from them after a fight. If they cast a protective on you, and you don't use it during the fight in which they give it to you, they should have a tag for you. Some places are pretty loose with this, but they are also the same places that are loose about collecting tags after a fight, so it evens out. Technically, anyone with a spell tree is supposed to have tags, but that's not really very realistic.

3) Those little sheets are known as Battle Boards. They're not a replacement for tags, they're a supplement. People who use them still use their tags as normal, but they have a quick sheet that they can glance at in combat to get an idea of what abilities they still have left that they haven't used yet, without digging through their tags. They're for the convenience of the player, not for easier logistics.

~Matt

 

[obcidian_bandit]

Double team, assemble!

 

[markusdark]

Notes on your things:

2) Protectives are like body. If an NPC claims to have one, you don't need to claim a tag for it from them after a fight. If they cast a protective on you, and you don't use it during the fight in which they give it to you, they should have a tag for you. Some places are pretty loose with this, but they are also the same places that are loose about collecting tags after a fight, so it evens out. Technically, anyone with a spell tree is supposed to have tags, but that's not really very realistic.
~Matt

Now, do realize that if someone comes to you and says "Can I have the tag for that Magic Armor you used to stop my Terminate" and you cannot produce it, that is a major faux pas. You might be able to get away with a "McBeany cast it on me but never gave me the tag," but it's better to have the tag than the word.

 

[phedre]

Other PCs shouldn't be asking you for tags. If there is any doubt that another player had appropriate tags/skills, you should see a marshal to resolve the situation.

NPCs not giving out tags is pretty standard... We probably should, but it would add so much time to statting (I had an NPC character last weekend that would have required 72 tags. That's just a waste of time and paper.)

If a marshal asks you for tags for spells cast on you by a benny, go get the NPC and use them to clarify the situation.

 

[youthculture]

Other PCs shouldn't be asking you for tags.

Unless they've put something into a spellstore, given you a protective, etc. -- then PCs have the right to ask for the tag so they can keep it on their ring until the effect is used.

 

[phedre]

Right, but not "Hey, my slay/assassinate/terminate/prison/disarm blew your resist/spell shield/magic armor."

Getting a tag for further use is one thing, getting a tag for a popped protective or used defensive is something else entirely.

 

[James Trotta]

I'm not so sure. Let's say my buddy is slept. I throw a dominate gas at him to return him to normal. I probably should puill the tag, rip off unused and give it to the pc I used it on. If my first dominate blows a poison shield I'll remind that player to pull their poison shield (but I wouldn't collect it personally) and give the pc my 2 gas tags.

And you know if some pc deaths me and amnesias me that I wanna see those tags...

Right, but not "Hey, my slay/assassinate/terminate/prison/disarm blew your resist/spell shield/magic armor."

Getting a tag for further use is one thing, getting a tag for a popped protective or used defensive is something else entirely.

 

[jpariury]

I'm not so sure.

Agreed. If you use a tagged effect on me as a PC, I'll need to see the tag get burned/torn/thrown away. If you're an NPC and you use a production item on me, I'll need to see the tag.

 

[Toddo]

I'm not putting weapon tags on every sword that might hit you dude.

 

[markusdark]

I'm not putting weapon tags on every sword that might hit you dude.

That's fine with me (even though it is in the rules - pg.79) - unless you're referring to the 'useless for treasure' NPC weapons. But if, as a PC, I set up an ambush on another PC and my manages to shrug my waylay because of a Magic Armor spell or Parry a Terminate, I want to see that tag - or have a marshal see it. And if it is the latter, then they should be willing to come immediately with me to such a person to verify it.

 

[jpariury]

I'm not putting weapon tags on every sword that might hit you dude.

Good point, I miswrote. I mean more in the nature of scrolls, potions, alchemy, traps. Even if they're "unrecoverable", it should be on the NPC card that they are acting at the behest of plot to throw 30 Nauseas even if they only have a CLW elixir once I drop them.

 

[Gilwing]

I'm not putting weapon tags on every sword that might hit you dude.

Good point, I miswrote. I mean more in the nature of scrolls, potions, alchemy, traps. Even if they're "unrecoverable", it should be on the NPC card that they are acting at the behest of plot to throw 30 Nauseas even if they only have a CLW elixir once I drop them.

I hear that...I hate when an npc comes out with a hand full of gasses and we take em out instantly and they have no gasses. I understand that it must be taken out as treasure but that's the power of gasses...unlimited as long as you have the cash to back it up, npcs should follow the same thing. If you are throwing money, I should have the opportunity to obtain it if I take you out fast enough.

 

[Mike Ventrella]

Body Tags: So how in the heat of battle are you supposed to collect all those !@#!@-ing little pieces of paper to show your current body. I understand you keep track and do the actual trading off after the fight/mod. But do people honestly walk around with a huge ring full of cure morts and lights that they've received to keep a running Body count? I've see some people just keep a note on their card for current body, others don't seem to be noting it in anyway I can tell. I had 1 body for 95% of the event, so it was easy for me. (Yay newbie scholar) But my wife is playing a fighter, and it seems pretty cumbersome when it doesn't need to be.

Well, if you have 10 Body points total and after the battle, someone gives you a Cure Wounds, then there's no need to go through the whole process of removing your Body Points and replacing them with your new Cure Wounds tag, although technically that's the rule. NPCs who collect tags are just as happy with the Cure Wounds tag to show that you did indeed take the damage and was healed.

Protectives/healing given by NPCs: all they have is a monster card, so how am I supposed to take a tag from them?

You're not. They are not following the rules. All NPCs who cast protectives should be giving you a card. A chapter that is not doing that should be corrected. You should demand more from your chapter owner.

People call Magic Armor or whatnot that they get from their backpacks in battle all the time; without physically receiving the tag first. Why does it matter out of battle? I get that the idea is to prevent cheating, but with so many exceptions, it just seems to muddy the waters.

Well we rely on our players to be honest, because that's the big Prime Directive rule. If you received three Magic Armors through the battle, demand that you get three Magic Armor tags at the end of the battle, even if you have to give them to NPCs immediately afterwards.

I saw a lot of higher level players make little tag sheets for their column/ items. IT seemed really helpful, everything in one place without having to sift through all your tags to remember if you've cast all four spell shields or just three. At the end of the fight, they'd take out a pen and mark off what they cast. No issues with tags ripping inside pouches or getting wet. It's was a lot easier just to pull out one sheet of paper and a pen, then go one by one through your ring. Less wasteful too.

But not according to the rules. Are you saying they were not using tags at all?

 

[Mike Ventrella]

NPCs not giving out tags is pretty standard... We probably should, but it would add so much time to statting (I had an NPC character last weekend that would have required 72 tags. That's just a waste of time and paper.)

Right, EXCEPT for protectives that might be given to PCs.

If I have an NPC that is only casting damage-causing spells and protectives on other NPCs, then I don't need the tags BUT if I am a PC-friendly NPC then I will definitely need the protective tags.

 

[Mike Ventrella]

I'm not putting weapon tags on every sword that might hit you dude.

Good point, I miswrote. I mean more in the nature of scrolls, potions, alchemy, traps. Even if they're "unrecoverable", it should be on the NPC card that they are acting at the behest of plot to throw 30 Nauseas even if they only have a CLW elixir once I drop them.

Sometimes what we do is tell the NPC that they have X amount of Nausea gasses at the maximum, and for treasure you amazingly have three tags left no matter what happens.

 

[phedre]

If I kill an NPC that was throwing gasses and don't end up with tags as treasure, I always just assume that in death they fell on the globes and ruined them.

 

[jpariury]

Sometimes what we do is tell the NPC that they have X amount of Nausea gasses at the maximum, and for treasure you amazingly have three tags left no matter what happens.

Right. My only point is that their NPC card should have that specified. And it's especially important when applying other forms of PC-impacting elixirs (Amnesia, Dominate, etc), particularly to foodstuffs. Having an NPC say "Oh, btw, that's poisoned with <blah>" and having neither the tag affixed, nor their card suggesting that they have that right breaks what players are informed to expect by the rulebook.

Honestly, though writing it on the NPC card is a reasonable compromise, I'm also not a big fan of NPCs with nine orange packets in hand getting dropped and having only a CLW elixir on them either. Nothing allows PCs to say "Oh, those broke when I fell". I'd rather see an NPC go out with fewer packets than they are permitted to throw, and have enough tags to cover the number of packets they carry.

 

[jwconvery]

Also, having what some people call "battle boards" to help remember what you have left and have used for the day is fine. But it is important to use tags to back that up. As tags are harder to "accidentally cheat" with. Cause if you use and rip a tag, then its not there anymore so clearly you don't have the skill anymore.

Per the rulebook tags are required for everyone for every event. Tags can be written differently and often are in different chapters that's fine. Using things other than tags to help keep track of everything is also fine, but tags are required everywhere.

I don't follow how tags are harder to 'accidentally cheat' with. If you are not a dirty cheater, and just made a mistake over casting a spell, it's just as easy to realise this off a battle board then a tag ring. If the arguement is 'well you might forget to mark off your sheet' that holds true for both. You can forget to pull a tag. It just seems a one stop shop for effects is easier to look over and mark everything, then flipping through a tag ring one at a time. If you ARE a dirty cheater, either system seems pretty easy to circumvent the system.

If tags can be written differently, is it 'illegal', or owners choice, to use a battle board chapter wide and just explain it's use, if someone doesn't know?

Those little sheets are known as Battle Boards. They're not a replacement for tags, they're a supplement. People who use them still use their tags as normal, but they have a quick sheet that they can glance at in combat to get an idea of what abilities they still have left that they haven't used yet, without digging through their tags. They're for the convenience of the player, not for easier logistics.

I understand they are easier for the player. How are they not easier for logistics? I've helped out a little with log at my chapter and cutting/pulling tags is for the fail. It would seem easier if the player filled out their board, then just got it checked/signed off on. Plus less camp litter post-event.

Again, I am trying to figure out the reason behind different policies, not complaining about them. I like Alliance, so I like to learn more about the 'behind the scenes' stuff. The forums just seem as good a place as any to find out.

Thanks,

-Joe