jdnd/ideas/Artifacts-Game.md

Game of Artifacts

This is the game of artifacts. The game involves three teams competing to find the most artifacts within the arena. There are two ways to obtain artifacts:

• find an artifact hidden in the arena
• force another team to drop an artifact

Artifacts are enchanted to be resistant to most spells. That includes spells like "locate object." Therefore, finding artifacts will usually take some time.

Taking artifacts from other teams usually requires force. Force should be used only when needed, in a spirit of good sportsmanship.

Victory Condition

There are ten artifacts. The goal of the game is to collect four of them. Artifacts are counted when they are deposited into vaults.

There are three vaults scattered throughout the arena. You must find them. You may use any vault to deposit an artifact. Once an artifact is deposited in a vault, it is counted.

The victory condition is simple: when a team deposits its fourth artifact, the game is over and the team wins.

Limitations on the Use of Force

If two teams come face-to-face and one of them possesses an artifact, then the two teams may fight for possession of the artifact. Either team may use deadly force.

If neither team possesses an artifact, then neither deadly force nor non-lethal force is allowed. No fighting. You may not cast spells on each other unless the other gives permission.

If you are dangerously close to death, shout, "I'm down!" Once you do, nobody may use force against you. You must stop fighting. You must fall to your hands and knees as soon as you are physically able, to emphasize that you are down. The only things you are allowed to do when down are heal yourself, receive healing, crawl to safety, and evade or block stray attacks. Even if healed, you may not reenter the fight.

You cannot carry an artifact while down. Shouting "I'm down" while carrying an artifact will cause the artifact to fall from your grip, with all that entails.

After the fight ends, anyone who is down can get back up and rejoin their team. They are no longer down.

These are the major violence-violations that can occur:

• Fighting when no artifact is at stake

• Attacking somebody who is down

• Fighting when you're supposedly down

Any of these violations will result in penalties. Penalties include debuffs, time-outs, teleportation, or in the worst cases, expulsion. It is entirely up to our referees to decide what penalty to apply. In general, they will take into account the amount of force, the degree to which the violation was intentional, and any mitigating factors.

The arena may contain monsters. You may always use violence against monsters. Monsters can be distinguished from opponents by the lack of clothing: players always have clothing or armor or both. You may not strip completely naked to make yourself look like a monster.

You may use violence against inanimate objects in the arena. You may break down doors, smash chests, topple buildings, and in general reshape the arena as you please.

Teleportation

Teleportation is when your entire team is teleported to a random location in the arena. All team members are teleported, even if your team is scattered prior to teleportation. All team members arrive at the destination together.

When your team is teleported, all artifacts that your team is carrying are left behind. Such artifacts fall to the ground. Teleportation always results in the loss of all artifacts carried by the team!

The following conditions will trigger teleportation:

• If any team member loses their grip on an artifact.

• If any team member loses consciousness or appears to be dying.

• If a team member carrying an artifact shouts, "I'm down!"

• If any team member shouts, "teleport us!"

In addition, illegal use of violence may be punished by teleportation, at the referee's discretion.

After teleportation, you no longer carry any artifacts. The rules of the game dictate that when you are not carrying artifacts, you are safe from violence. Therefore, teleportation always teleports you to safety.

Holding Artifacts

An artifact must be picked up by an individual. From that point, that individual must maintain a grip on the artifact. If that individual ever lets go, the entire team will teleport, and the artifact will be lost. It is not possible to pass an artifact to a different teammate.

You can deposit artifacts at vaults. When you do, you will obviously let go of the artifact, which means you will teleport. However, the artifact will permanently count toward your score from that point forward.

There is no limit on the number of artifacts you may carry at a time. However, carrying multiple relics is very risky, if something forces you to teleport, you will drop all the artifacts.

Carriers must hold artifacts with one of the following:

• Hands.
• Feet.
• Mouth.
• Big Nose.
• Tentacles.
• Prehensile Tail.

Special dispensation may be made for contestants who do not have any of these.

You may move an artifact from your left hand to your right, or otherwise shift your grip. You must maintain a grip at all times, though.

Healing and Resurrection

If any of your team members is injured, it is up to your team to heal them. However, in an emergency, you can request healing from our referees in exchange for the loss of one artifact. Such artifacts will be re-hidden in the arena. If you have no artifacts, you can still obtain emergency healing.

If it appears that one of your team members is dying, our referees may take it upon themselves to heal that team member without your approval. If they do, an artifact will be taken from your team. To avoid this outcome, make sure to heal your team members promptly before they reach dire circumstances.

This arena is located underneath Valhalla. As such, Valhallan rules apply: if you die on the field of battle, fighting with honor, courage, and determination, you will be resurrected at the end of the battle. However, such resurrection comes at a cost, imposed by the Norse gods, not by our organization. This is beyond our control. Avoid death.

Communication

Communication between players is explicitly allowed. You may taunt, persuade, negotiate, deceive, seduce, confuse, or in general, say or communicate anything you want to your teammates and opponents.

You may use magic or atypical means to communicate with your opponents. For example, you can use translation spells, long-distance communication spells, telepathy, interpretive dance, and the like.

If your communication does more than just communicate, for example, if it charms, ensorcels, or does psychic damage, then it is governed by the rules on the use of force.

Offering out-of-game money or favors in exchange for advantage in the game is disallowed.

Losing Artifacts in Vaults

For the most part, once an artifact has been deposited in a vault, that artifact is scored for your team permanently. There are only two ways that a deposited artifact can be lost.

One is to commit a severe misuse of violence and be sanctioned by the referees. There are a number of lesser punishments that the referees will generally try before resorting to this extreme. These include: debuffs like weakness or slow, time outs on the sidelines, or teleportation which causes the loss of carried artifacts. Only if a team persists in deliberate wrongdoing would an artifact be removed from a vault.

The other way to lose a deposited artifact is to reach the brink of death, and be rescued by the referees, which costs one artifact. Generally, this requires negligence. If a member of your team drops unconscious, you will all be teleported to safety. This gives you a chance to heal your own people. Only if you fail to care for your own teammates will the referees be forced to save you.

Artifacts removed from vaults will be re-hidden within the arena.

Brownie Points

Of course, it's possible to take artifacts by brute force. But remember: this is entertainment for an audience. If you can show more style or creativity, you get brownie points. You also get brownie points for using minimum force.

For example, if you were to trick your opponent into saying the words "teleport us," causing them to teleport away and drop an artifact, you would get a large number of brownie points, in addition to the artifact.

If you get enough brownie points, a brownie will be sent into the arena to assist you. You will very likely never see them, but you will often find that one of the following things has occurred:

• Your wounds are healed

• You have been magically buffed

• You hear a whispered hint about an artifact

Please do not attack the brownies.

Announcements

During the game, we will occasionally make public announcements. These events will always be announced:

• When a team takes possession of an artifact.

• When a team loses possession of an artifact.

• When a team is sanctioned by the referees.

• When a team deposits an artifact.

In addition, if the game appears to be bogging down, we will make announcements designed to accelerate matters. These may include but are not limited to:

• Hints about the locations of hidden artifacts.

• The locations of the teams may be announced.

In general, if any team uses a tactic that causes the game to bog down, we reserve the right to undermine that tactic. Remember, this is a show for the entertainment of guests.