SorinKatt
Adept
Weapons Policies on Packets
As our game has grown I have started to see a larger and larger variance in the design and construction of packets. Normally, variety is a good thing, it adds color and interest to our game and allows you to make weapons you feel reflect your character and your tactics!
This however leads into the issue that arises, weapons have basic safety restrictions that allow them to be used safely and this is true for packets as well. However, I have begun to receive complaints that some packets are skirting the edge of safe or being used improperly and this is resulting in injury.
The purpose of this post is to outline proper packet construction and usage and to provide policies that the weapons marshals will be following in the upcoming season.
1.Packet Construction:
Use birdseed that is free of any large seeds such as sunflower or other pointy seeds. Because we play at a girl scout camp avoid seed with peanuts or any sort of peanut flavoring advertised.
From the Rule Book
Spell packets are constructed with bird seed and fabric. The bird seed should be the small variety, with no large sunflower seeds or other heavy or sharp items that could hurt. Do not use replacements! Rice, for instance, can get wet and turn into a hardened ball. If you are caught using something other than bird seed, you will have your packets confiscated and will lose your spells for the rest of the day.
The birdseed is placed in the center of the fabric, and the fabric is gathered around it and held together with tape or a rubber band or sewn shut. If there is a “tail,” it must not have sharp tape extending past the end of the tail, and no metal or plastic tie wraps may be used. Packets should be loosely packed—tight balls of birdseed can hurt! You should never use so much material that the resulting packet cannot fit into a 35mm film canister (Remember those?). Packets that are larger than that will be confiscated by a marshal. The spell packet may be of any color except orange or blue. (Orange packets are used to represent alchemical gas globes and blue packets are for arrows and bolts.)
You may want to personalize your spell packets in some way by using a distinctive cloth or writing on the packets. This is a good way to make sure you can get your packets back after a battle without arguing with other spellcasters about whose packets are whose. Spell packets are visible in-game as an opaque colored aura of energy only when held in the hand. In-game they are visible but they do not produce any light. They are not in-game items and cannot be stolen, disarmed or removed.
Suggestions
We recommend fabric squares between 5 and 6 inches with roughly 1 ounces (The size of a standard 35mm mostly full Film canister) of seed in the middle. Pinch the fabric loosely around the back and rubber band it a few times to keep the seed from escaping. After doing this we suggest you roll the packet in your hands to loosen it and make sure the seed is not packed tightly. If the seed cannot move inside the ball because it is too tight, chances are it will fail inspection!
2.Packet Usage
Remember, when throwing packets that if your aim is good, someone is being hit by them. Alliance is a light touch system and this should apply to your packet throwing techniques as well. While we understand that mistakes can happen just like with weapon blows, it is important that you moderate the power of your throws to the range from the target. Throwing full speed at close range can be painful at the least and can cause injury if they hit a sensitive area like the face or groin. It is important that if you are told you are throwing too hard to listen to the critique and in good sportsmanship evaluate the strength of your throw.
Remember, Per the rule book:
Dangerous Combat Infractions: * Use of packets that are too large or filled with illegal packet materials
* Throwing packets too hard in such a way as to result in personal injury
These are right up there in the same category as charging and machine gunning. Let’s give packet safety as much attention as we do melee safety.
3.Packet Review by Weapons Marshals
Going forward packets must be evaluated just like weapons when you arrive on site. Please bring all the packets you intend to carry with you so that we can randomly sample some for safety. Bringing a few packets to be checked or using packets that have not been submitted for testing is a violation of the weapons policies just as using a weapon that has not been checked. We will use Film Canisters to check packets in order to insure they confirm. To be clear, the ball part of the packet must fit inside the canister not the entire packet.
As our game has grown I have started to see a larger and larger variance in the design and construction of packets. Normally, variety is a good thing, it adds color and interest to our game and allows you to make weapons you feel reflect your character and your tactics!
This however leads into the issue that arises, weapons have basic safety restrictions that allow them to be used safely and this is true for packets as well. However, I have begun to receive complaints that some packets are skirting the edge of safe or being used improperly and this is resulting in injury.
The purpose of this post is to outline proper packet construction and usage and to provide policies that the weapons marshals will be following in the upcoming season.
1.Packet Construction:
Use birdseed that is free of any large seeds such as sunflower or other pointy seeds. Because we play at a girl scout camp avoid seed with peanuts or any sort of peanut flavoring advertised.
From the Rule Book
Spell packets are constructed with bird seed and fabric. The bird seed should be the small variety, with no large sunflower seeds or other heavy or sharp items that could hurt. Do not use replacements! Rice, for instance, can get wet and turn into a hardened ball. If you are caught using something other than bird seed, you will have your packets confiscated and will lose your spells for the rest of the day.
The birdseed is placed in the center of the fabric, and the fabric is gathered around it and held together with tape or a rubber band or sewn shut. If there is a “tail,” it must not have sharp tape extending past the end of the tail, and no metal or plastic tie wraps may be used. Packets should be loosely packed—tight balls of birdseed can hurt! You should never use so much material that the resulting packet cannot fit into a 35mm film canister (Remember those?). Packets that are larger than that will be confiscated by a marshal. The spell packet may be of any color except orange or blue. (Orange packets are used to represent alchemical gas globes and blue packets are for arrows and bolts.)
You may want to personalize your spell packets in some way by using a distinctive cloth or writing on the packets. This is a good way to make sure you can get your packets back after a battle without arguing with other spellcasters about whose packets are whose. Spell packets are visible in-game as an opaque colored aura of energy only when held in the hand. In-game they are visible but they do not produce any light. They are not in-game items and cannot be stolen, disarmed or removed.
Suggestions
We recommend fabric squares between 5 and 6 inches with roughly 1 ounces (The size of a standard 35mm mostly full Film canister) of seed in the middle. Pinch the fabric loosely around the back and rubber band it a few times to keep the seed from escaping. After doing this we suggest you roll the packet in your hands to loosen it and make sure the seed is not packed tightly. If the seed cannot move inside the ball because it is too tight, chances are it will fail inspection!
2.Packet Usage
Remember, when throwing packets that if your aim is good, someone is being hit by them. Alliance is a light touch system and this should apply to your packet throwing techniques as well. While we understand that mistakes can happen just like with weapon blows, it is important that you moderate the power of your throws to the range from the target. Throwing full speed at close range can be painful at the least and can cause injury if they hit a sensitive area like the face or groin. It is important that if you are told you are throwing too hard to listen to the critique and in good sportsmanship evaluate the strength of your throw.
Remember, Per the rule book:
Dangerous Combat Infractions: * Use of packets that are too large or filled with illegal packet materials
* Throwing packets too hard in such a way as to result in personal injury
These are right up there in the same category as charging and machine gunning. Let’s give packet safety as much attention as we do melee safety.
3.Packet Review by Weapons Marshals
Going forward packets must be evaluated just like weapons when you arrive on site. Please bring all the packets you intend to carry with you so that we can randomly sample some for safety. Bringing a few packets to be checked or using packets that have not been submitted for testing is a violation of the weapons policies just as using a weapon that has not been checked. We will use Film Canisters to check packets in order to insure they confirm. To be clear, the ball part of the packet must fit inside the canister not the entire packet.
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