Triaging the Rulebook

Do I really need to know the entire rulebook before coming out?

One of the most common questions I get asked by people coming out to an event is “do I really need to know the entire rulebook?” After all, the rulebook is 162 pages, covers a lot of territory, and contains a lot of details.

As with many roleplaying systems, there are a lot of things that you’ll learn over time and things that are mostly important if your character can actually do them, so it isn’t expected that you are going to know everything when you first come out. There are some basic core rules, and then you’ll need to know what your character can do (which is going to start at a very small number of things for your first level character, so it isn’t going to be excessive), but a lot of it will be picked up over time.

We’ll also cover a lot of it in your first event if you NPC and give you an opportunity to try out a lot of different things to see what you want to play, as well as get an introduction to the world, which is a great reason to start as an NPC and then become a player once you have a better feel for things.

That said, the more you know about the rules the more smoothly things will run and the more enjoyment you’ll be able to get out of the game. Even if you aren’t completely familiar, a basic familiarity will help you know what to expect. There are also some rules that, mostly for safety, everyone needs to know from the very start.

If you are trying to triage your time, the most important sections of the rulebook (to me only, I don’t speak for others), can be broken down into three sections: General Rules, For Players, and For NPCs. This is roughly in the order of importance as I think of them.

General Rules

• The Four Most Important Rules and How It Works, page 8.
• The Alliance Code of Conduct, pages 34—37.
• Matters of Life and Death, page 90.
• In-Game Limitations, pages 87—89.
• Combat, pages 93—95.
• Effects and Deliveries, up to Qualifiers, pages 96—97.
• Magic, to the end of Potions and Scrolls, pages 99—102.

For Players only

• Battleboards and Tags, page 86.
• As much of the Character Building as you can get through, pages 38—77, with a particular emphasis on whatever sections will be important for your character.
• If you are playing a caster, the incants (pages 104—105) and effects (pages 110—126) of any spells in your spellbook.

For NPCs only

• How to Be an NPC, pages 25—28.
• NPC 101: Surviving Your First Weekend as an NPC (this is not part of the rules, but is an introduction to questions such as “what do I bring”).

Conclusion

We certainly don’t expect perfect knowlege of the rules, and a lot of it you’ll gradually absorb over time, but this list will get you started and emphasize the rules that will be easiest to read beforehand. There are also a lot of good culture notes (e.g., on pages 29—33) that will tell you a lot about the nature of the world you are in and help you build a character, but which aren’t “rules” in the same sense.

Once you are in game, remember: If you don’t know what something does, put your hand on your head and ask! We have a lot of very friendly and knowledgeable players who will be glad to provide a quick answer.