Modern Technology

The collapse of the technological infrastructure and the alterations in natural law have made some previously common technology either hard to find, or completely nonfunctional on Endgame Earth. Listed here are a few things that survivors of the Invasion might wish to have handy; as you’ll see, not all of them are as useful as they used to be.

Keep in mind that, because of the Live Action nature of Endgame, it’s possible that some of these items could be damaged if you use them in play. Fragile items like PDAs and flashlights are brought into game at your own risk.

Armor

Two types of armor are available on Endgame Earth. The first are more primitive armor types, such as leather, chainmail, or plate, which are commonly handcrafted. Players may have this sort of armor without restriction, provided they have an appropriate armor prop. More modern armors, such as kevlar or flak jackets, have special properties and must be found in play.

Cars

Cars are now completely nonfunctional, with no gas available to run them and no easy access to maintenance. Sometimes, even cars that ought to run fine, simply will not start. There are rumors of cars covered with Artificing sigils that still run, but they remain only rumors.

Computers

Desktop and laptop computers do not have power to function in any commonly accessible game areas. Players may not bring or use these sorts of computers.

Firearms

Firearms still work, but ammunition is in short supply. Most guns that are still in working condition are damaged or worn, may frequently jam, and have to be carefully maintained to keep them functional.

Endgame uses Actionsoft guns and ammo, available from the Adventurer’s Outlet. (http://www.larpsupply.com/) Player-constructed guns that fire Action-soft ammo will also be considered for use, but should be of equal power to Adventurer’s Outlet weapons and must pass a safety check. Mass-produced soft foam dart guns, such as many Nerf products, are also acceptable on a trial basis. Any such weapons must fire entirely soft ammunition. Any weapon that holds more than two rounds of ammunition is considered a lower-caliber gun and does one point less base damage (3 for pistols, 4 for rifles.) Low-caliber guns may still use Artificing skills, tagged ammunition, and other means to increase their damage.

Rifles, regardless of the weight or balance of the prop, must be held in two hands to be fired. You cannot wield another weapon prop while holding a rifle.

Bullets are treated as packets for determining whether they have hit a target; so, a bullet that strikes a shield or weapon will affect the person carrying the item. Bullets are also affected by the "Costume" rule of etiquette, where a ranged attack that passes the body of a target but happens to clip a garment such as a cloak or trenchcoat on the way by does not hit. Players may call "Costume" to indicate the attack has missed; the "Costume" rule is covered in more detail in the Core Rules.

If your weapon jams in a way that the bullet does not actually leave the gun, you do not need to expend the attributes or marksmanship for the shot. Similarly, if the weapon misfires such that there was no way your shot would hit, regardless of how good your aim was (dribbles out of the end of the barrel, for instance) attributes/marksmanship are not wasted. This is a judgement call on the part of the player who attempted to fire the weapon.

Because a gun prop is not a legal parrying device, if your gun is struck, you must either take the effect or drop the weapon. However, players are not encouraged to strike gun props, as they could be damaged. A hit to the limb(s) holding the weapon counts as a hit to the weapon for purposes of landing such effects as Disarm or Destroy on a firearm.

Flashlights

Flashlights are still perfectly functional, and both flashlights and the batteries to run them are fairly easy to scrounge in most areas. Many people have started using hand-cranked, no-batteries required models, but all types are still in common use.

Players may bring and use flashlights without restriction, although there may be some places in game where they will not function. Any such area will be clearly marked. Small flashlights that are intended for close-up work, such as for traps and locks, may be unfiltered. Other lights must have a colored filter to reduce the chance of harming someone else’s night vision. In particular, any lights mounted on weapons or helmets must be filtered, as the user is not always entirely in control of where the beam ends up. Players may not use any light source to attempt to blind another player.

Food and Drink

Nutritious food and clean drinking water are hard to come by after the invasion. Players are unrestricted as to what food items they bring to eat on site, but in order for your character to survive you must turn in a “Ration” card at the beginning of each event, representing food and drink that your character has found or purchased in play. Characters who do not turn in Rations will weaken, and eventually die of starvation. Characters are exempt from the need for a Ration card on their first event.

If you turn in two different types of Ration card (Meat and Vegetables, for instance) representing a more full and balanced diet, you gain one additional point of Vitality for the duration of the event.

Glowsticks

Cylume sticks are restricted for certain magical or supernatural effects, such as the Ghostwalking skill, Ghost Lantern. Players may not use glowsticks unless they have a skill that allows them to do so. This includes both chemical and battery-powered glowsticks.

GPS Systems

GPS systems will sometimes still work, after a fashion, but what they display is often confusing, contradictory, or meaningless. Many people using GPS to navigate have simply disappeared. Most people would not trust these devices anymore.

Handheld Computers / PDAs

Handhelds still work fine, although few people use them because they consume battery power pretty quickly.

Melee Weapons

Due to the scarcity of ammunition, many people have fallen back on melee weapons to defend themselves. While swords are fairly rare, practically anyone can find a poker, baseball bat, or chair leg to defend themselves in an emergency. Players are restricted in their choice and use of such weapons only by their skill choices, although we encourage people to use scavenged or improvised-looking weapon props to add to the atmosphere of the game.

Mobile Phones

No telephones of any sort work any more; there is no network to run them, and most of the rechargeable batteries used to run them are long since dead.

Cell phones cannot be used in game.

Portable Music Players

Music players that do not depend on radio still work fine, although many people consider them a frivolous use of scavenged batteries. While devices with headphones are acceptable, devices using speakers are disruptive to the game atmosphere and are not allowed.

Radios

Battery powered or hand-cranked radios still work, although Radio Free Earth is the only station on the air in North America. Any radios brought into play must be tuned only to that station, and most likely will not get a signal over much of the site.

Two-Way Radios / Walkie Talkies

Walkie-talkies still work, when batteries are available, but many survivors have noticed a pattern of disappearances among people who make use of them. It’s likely that local radio transmissions are being monitored, or even traced, by one or more of the Invader races.

Two-way radios may be used in play, but they are not recommended.

Visual and Hearing Augmentation

Devices such as shotgun microphones, listening devices, nightvision goggles, and other such sensory aids are unlikely to ever come into play. If they did, they would be tagged items, requiring that they be found in game. Binoculars are fairly common and easy to maintain, and may be used without restriction.

Other Devices

Modern tech not covered on this list should be approved by plot before coming into play. Once an item is approved on a trial basis, there is still no guarantee that it will continue working at later events, or that it will always work as expected.