This page is part of the Official Amtgard V9 Alpha-Playtest Rulebook.

The Amtwiki is the official home and primary source for Amtgard V9 Rules as of February 25, 2023.

These rules are currently in Open Alpha Playtest. See the Playtest Disclaimer for more details.

To learn more about Amtgard V9 Development, please visit Amtgard.com.

To view the current Amtgard V8 ruleset, please see the Amtgard V8 Rulebook.

Core Combat Rules

Most activities in Amtgard involve the core combat rules to some extent. From basic strikes to powerful magic and tense roleplay, this section forms the basis of all of the game's combat and player-interaction mechanics.

The Honor System

Before you ever step onto the field, it is important that you align your expectations for how Amtgard differs from traditional gaming and sports.

The brilliance of Amtgard happens when a field full of players can share the same imaginary experience together. A foam sword can sever Anne’s arm; a padded ‘fireball’ can immolate Alona’s shield; a magical incantation can bring Val back from the dead. This unique gaming experience is only possible through the willing cooperation and honorable conduct of each and every participant, friend and foe.

Amtgard puts a lot of weight on the honor system to manage it's rules because it would be logistically impossible to do what we do otherwise. Our referees, called Reeves, will do their best to keep everyone on the right track, but they simply cannot oversee each and every interaction. As such, the bulk of responsibility for honest and fair play falls upon the players themselves.

To support and demystify the honor system within Amtgard, the following Honor System Responsibilities were created to guide our members and help set fair expectations for others and oneself. All players should strive to to embody these values as they participate each and every week.

The Golden Rule: Participate Honestly & Act Good in Faith

By its very nature, an Honor System is extremely easy to cheat and exploit. Therefore it is crucial that all players be personally accountable, participate in good faith, and trust others to do the same.

Unlike a computer, Amtgard doesn’t have a central processor to guarantee gameplay always runs as intended. Instead, each player must personally ensure the rules for their actions are executed correctly and in line with the spirit of the rules. Because of this, the execution of Amtgard rules is always going to be a bit sloppy. If you expect the accuracy of a video game or tabletop RPG, you will be disappointed more often than not.

It is up to each player to work with their peers to build better habits and positively influence the behaviors of those around them. It is only through this combined effort that we can continue to bring such a magical and memorable game to life.

Respect each other, Respect the game, and most importantly: Have Fun!

Tread Carefully in Gray Areas

Gray Areas are 'technically correct' applications of the rules that appear to sit on the border of intended and unintended. Unfortunately, since everyone views the game through their own lens, players may have different interpretations of where the actual line is. This is inevitable. As such, all participants should be open to respectfully discuss ambiguous rules and interactions when they occur and resolve them fairly in the moment until such a time that it can be reviewed by a rules authority or resolved by official rulebook update.

Long Distance Communication

Foster Clarity over Confusion

Unlike mundane sports, Amtgard draws on the imagination of its players to take "real world" actions and turn them into legendary battles and wondrous feats. Many aspects of our game are imaginary and therefore invisible to other players, such as grievous wounds or mystical protections.

Players are responsible to help each other perceive the imperceptible aspects of our game and prevent rules-related confusion, even when it would be advantageous to do otherwise. We all want to know what we're walking into, and so withholding or misrepresenting details makes it difficult for players to properly engage with the game, often resulting in interactions that feel ‘cheap’ or unfair. That said, despite our best efforts this type of confusion will still occur from time to time, and when it does we all share a responsibility to avoid exploiting it for advantage and instead help the confused individual realign their perceptions with what is accurate.

What just happened...?

Have Compassion in Chaos

Unlike a tabletop game, Amtgard is experienced in first-person and in real time. Whereas tabletop players can spend hours resolving a 30-second engagement (thoroughly examining the entire battlefield and several rulebooks during that time), in Amtgard those 30 seconds of combat are always done in exactly 30 seconds and different players will each see, sense, and understand those moments in their own way.

It is crucial to recognize that everyone will process this game differently. Some players will need extra time to process, acknowledge, or ask for additional information in the middle of battle. Wounds and effects may be delayed because of this and strategic timings will often be impacted. Ideally players should not suffer negative consequences nor gain an advantage from these delays, but the chaos of live combat means that sometimes these moments of real life lag will give an unintentional edge to one side or the other. While it may be frustrating at times, we must strive to be kind, compassionate, and patient; working cooperatively to resolve each engagement as it happens to the best of our ability.

Expect Imperfection

To err is human. Every participant should expect there to be a multitude of honest mistakes made each and every battle. Estimated distances may be slightly off. Incantations may be slurred. Effects may be misremembered or misapplied. And so on.

Amtgard rules can be very complex, especially in the heat of battle, so all players share a responsibility to work through these mistakes with grace and respect.

It is important to note that this should not be taken as a license to seek advantage under the guise of ‘honest mistakes’, for we also share a responsibility to be cognizant of our mistakes and prevent repeated or egregious incidents.

Lead by Example

All Amtgarders share a responsibility to not just embody these Honor System Responsibilities themselves, but to actively inspire others to do the same. If someone is new or having trouble, we must help them learn and grow. If someone is acting in bad faith, we must help them climb out of those bad habits without lowering ourselves to their level. If we can become beacons of honor for each other, then together our game will flourish.

Best Practices for Resolving Issues

In a free-form game like Amtgard there are bound to be interactions and situations that come up that were not imagined or considered by the developers. It is understandably impossible for them to have accounted for every potential interpretation of the rules that may arise.

With that in mind, please consider the following as you apply the rules in this book during live gameplay. This section is especially useful for our Rules Authorities and Game Organizers who will often be required to make judgment calls on these matters.

Amtgard requires cooperation, honor, and fair play from all participants. Keeping the tenets of the Honor System in mind is a solid first step towards untangling any situation you may come across.
Imperfection and honest mistakes will inevitably occur. Human error should be expected and played through in good faith to the best of everyone’s ability. Don't punish the occasional honest mistake, especially if everyone involved is going along with it.
- For Reeves: If an error involves a lack of knowledge, show compassion and offer the correct information. If not, offer a warning and encourage the player to self-regulate. Do your best to acknowledge and recognize them when they succeed at correcting themselves. If an issue becomes a recurring or egregious then further action should be taken to prevent it from spoiling the experience for others.
Read the rules thoroughly and consider the bigger picture. The more familiar you are with the rules, the better equipped you will be to handle situations and interactions that are not explicitly covered. Rules may give one impression when read in a vacuum, but make sense when viewed within the larger context of the game. When possible, use the spirit of the rule to guide your interpretation of the letter of the rule.
If a specific rule contradicts a general rule, the specific rule should be favored. Abilities, magic items, and custom rules may allow players to do things that the general rules say they cannot. When this occurs, these more specific rules should always be seen as exceptions regardless of whether or not it is explicitly addressed in the general rule.
Use common sense and follow the guide of Safety, Fairness, Flow, and Fun when determining how to navigate an ambiguous situation.
- Safety of all members should always be the top priority.
- Fairness is about ensuring a decision in line with common sense and the spirit of the rule.
- Flow is about ensuring a decision is easy to execute and doesn’t needlessly encumber gameplay.
- Fun is about considering a decision's effect on the overall enjoyment of all participants.
Discourage confusion when possible, especially anything that could misrepresent one game mechanic for another, such as a sword that looks like a shield; a player casting a helpful spell at an enemy in an aggressive way to scare them; or someone pretending to be affected by a state to gain the element of surprise. Amtgard gameplay can often be very difficult to track even when everything is represented accurately, so deliberate deceit and misrepresentation of the mechanics of play should never be encouraged or supported by Rules Authorities
The rules only do what they say they do. Even though the game mechanics are presented with engaging and thematic names, they do not have additional powers beyond what is explicitly stated within the rules. For example, the ability called Fireball cannot light up a room or set someone on fire. With that in mind, inside the bounds of a Roleplay activity this type of thematic extrapolation may be encouraged, but only with permission from the Roleplay Organizer.
If a term is not defined anywhere in this rulebook, the most commonly accepted definition of the term should be applied. If multiple definitions exist, use the one that makes the most sense.
Keep Calm. Be Kind. It is important to be self-aware and personally accountable. Both players and reeves must work to resolve issues calmly and kindly without becoming over-reactive, dismissive, or condescending. If you feel yourself getting frustrated, take a step back or excuse yourself until you can address the matter with a cool head.

Safety

The most important rule when participating in Amtgard combat is to understand the priority of Safety. Safety considerations must supersede all other concerns in order to provide an environment that our players feel comfortable participating in week after week. For most people it is extremely difficult to relax and enjoy an activity while being legitimately concerned about your own safety or well-being.

That said, while these rules seek to mitigate potential hazards and unsafe behavior, each participant is ultimately responsible for ensuring their own personal safety while attending Amtgard functions.

Safety First
Any action or equipment that could be described as dangerous, reckless, or unsafe to such a degree that it could risk lasting harm to anyone at an Amtgard function is expressly prohibited - regardless of its inclusion, or absence from, these Rules of Play.

Safety Authorities

Safety enforcement and oversight is a shared responsibility of all Rules Authorities.

Halting Gameplay

A 'Hold' is called.

Gameplay will sometimes need to be halted to address a safety issue or some other out-of-game concern, such as a child running onto the battlefield. The following calls can be made to halt gameplay completely or in a localized area. These calls should be reserved for Reeves when possible but any player may use them if they feel it is necessary to ensure the immediate safety of themselves and/or others.

"HOLD!" (Full Halt Of Gameplay): If it is necessary to stop play for the entire field, you should loudly announce "HOLD!". During a Hold, all players must immediately halt all gameplay, cease moving, and kneel if possible until the Hold has been resolved and a Reeve restarts the game.
"SAFETY!" (Localized Stop): If an incident occurs and you need to direct combat away from an area without stopping the game entirely, remove yourself from play and loudly announce "SAFETY!" to get the attention of nearby players and direct combat away from the situation. You may need to repeat this several times if gameplay continues to flow around you. Nearby players should either shift combat away from the Safety area or remove themselves from gameplay altogether to provide assistance until the situation is resolved or they are relieved by a Reeve.

Specific Safety Issues

The following is a list of specific safety issues that players can expect to encounter from time to time.

Unsafe Equipment or User: If you believe a piece of equipment on the field is unsafe or being used in an unsafe manner, address it politely with the user as soon as possible or notify a Reeve.
- Some examples include: Unreasonably painful strikes; Excessively forceful two-handed attacks (executioner chops and baseball swings); Reckless flailing; Aimlessly firing projectiles into a crowd; Oversized or unreasonably heavy weapons, etc.
Rising Tempers:If you are concerned about the rising temper of another player, notify a Reeve as soon as possible. If you yourself become upset or angry, go take a break and come back when you’re able to continue for a cool head.
Safety-Related Movement or Speech: Some game effects may prevent a player from moving or speaking in game. These effects can never prevent a player from moving or speaking when it is necessary to ensure the safety of themselves or other players. If you choose to ignore effects this way, it should always be done in good faith and you should never capitalize on a gameplay advantage that might become available as a direct result of doing so.
Injury (Self): If you become injured during combat, immediately inform any player engaged with you and remove yourself from the battlefield if possible. If you need assistance in removing yourself, ask a nearby player or Reeve for help.
Injury (Other):If a player becomes injured in your immediate vicinity but actively shows signs that they only need a moment to recover, move yourself a short distance away and continue playing. If a player becomes injured and is unresponsive or needs assistance on the spot, use the ‘Safety’ or ‘Hold’ calls as appropriate to safeguard the area and get them help.

Developer Note: If there’s ever a doubt about whether or not to stop gameplay to tend to an injured player, choose to stop the gameplay. We would rather see a thousand 'Holds' for minor bumps and scratches if it means we don't miss a serious injury when it happens.

Sport Safety Equipment

Amtgard does not require safety equipment to be worn in order to participate, however doing so is an ideal way to further reduce the risk of injury that should be expected from any contact-sport experience, especially if you know you are predisposed to injury or want to play harder than normal.

Here are a few suggestions that may improve your Amtgard experience:

Sport Safety Goggles / Lacrosse Eye Cages: Protects your eyes and face from stray projectiles and strikes.
Impact Resistant Gloves: Protects your hands and fingers, especially while holding a weapon and using it to block. With a little bit of effort, these can also be converted into Gauntlets to offer in game armor bonuses.
Knee Pads: Protects your knees from rough terrain when you need to drop to the ground. Enables greater mobility in the kneeling position.
Terrain-Appropriate Footwear: Wearing cleats, gym shoes, or snow boots as appropriate can help you maintain proper footing and reduce trips, slips, and falls as you work to reposition and outmaneuver your foes.
Weather Appropriate Attire: Heat stroke, dehydration, frostbite, and hypothermia are all very real possibilities when participating in outdoor activities. Take precautions and adjust your attire accordingly.