First time players are a welcome addition to our gaming family here at Cambrion.  Whether your an experienced LARPer or this is your first time playing a live action game there are a lot of rules to digest and we want to make your first experience with Cambrion a fun one where you can focus on the game at hand and still have a chance to try some of all the available skill sets.

As you can find in other parts of this web page characters in Cambrion are skill-based which means you can pick up just about any skill in the game for your character.  You can be a spell-caster wielding magic and learn to use a sword.  You can be a humble cook who happens to also own a set of chain armor and wield a wickedly sharp pole-arm.  The problem is there's a lot of difference between saying, Oh, I've always liked playing magic-user in a game like D&D and actually having to go through the requirements of playing one in Cambrion.  It's not that it's really all that difficult it's just that each system has their own way of handling things and we think it's best for new players to get a taste of the mechanics for physical combat, casting magic, and casting power before they decide what they really want to play.  We've had players come out with long years of experience playing mages in other systems who decided they much prefered physical combat after trying it out in Cambrion and we've had the reverse too.  So experienced player or new player we really do suggest you use our first time rules coming out.

What follows is a verbose explanation answering all the questions about the first time rules.  If you want a very short, printable summary to take with you use this link.

So what are the first time rules?

The same rules that apply to everyone else apply to your "first time" character in Cambrion, however, first time characters have skills from each of the skill sets available.

The character is considered "rank 2" but if you tried to build a character with the same skills they'd technically have to be a much higher rank to do all the same things.

Race

First time characters are expected to be human.  Until you've had time to see the become accustomed to the system you don't necessarily know what races exist nor how they are treated.  If, however, you really want to be another race (perhaps you are an elf in another system and have a good costume for it) you can be but there are some detriments to not being human as well as the fact you may wind up being a target/victim for your race choice alone.

Specifically for experienced games... languages and cultures are already in place in Cambrion.  As much as we encourage creativity it creates all manner of problems trying say "no, really, I'm an elf from a small culture your people know nothing about and we have our own language and own system of magic".  That can wind up going directly against existing plot, contradict it, and even wind up making your character fit in even less as some will consider them either lying or mad.  There's also the sometimes used "but I'm from another dimension".  While it's technically a possibility realistically dimensional travel is supposed to be considered so rare that's it's largely unheard of by the common people.  In the Cambrion universe the rules of mechanics very rarely change.  Magic in the realm Cambrion is played in works the same there as in any other plan the characters can visit (with only very rare limited exceptions) meaning any differences you're trying to explain by being "from another dimension" run just as much risk as you run from saying "I'm from another forest and things are different there".  On top of all those risks you also run the additional risk of stating impossibilities about how high level magic works which makes your character even more impossible and wrong.  For all these reasons it really is best to usually play a simple, ignorant human the first time to give your self a chance to fit in then when you come out next you'll be far better equipped to recreate your favorite non-human character in workable Cambrion terms without it creating impossible situations you can't ever recover from.

Certain races are restricted as well so if you really still want to play a non-human please talk to a ref before you come out to make sure your race choice is approved and to get some idea what additional issues or limitations your choice may cause for you.

Weapons

A first time character can use any one-handed or two-handed melee weapon.  You can use a sword or a mace or a club or whatever is at hand.

If you don't have one we should be able to provide one to you from the NPC kit for use that day.  If you have your own weapon it will have to pass our safety inspection check.  While it may be considered perfectly safe in another system each system has it's own requirements for weapon standards and it may or may not meet Cambrions.  If the weapon passes you may use it.

Are you using a sword currently?  Just killed an orc with a two-handed mace you'd like to try out?  Ask the NPC.  If the equipment isn't needed for another encounter you may well be able to swap out and use it instead.  If it's another player's weapon instead of a kit weapon then you'll need to ask that player directly if you can use it and the answer is up to them.

You can use any dagger, axe, sword, mace, club, staff, or polearm.

You can not use thrown weapons (knives, rocks, etc) or bows.  Cambrion does not have chain weapons (flails, morning stars, etc) or weapons with stabbing tips.

Other Gear

First time characters may start with leather or fur armor.
You may not start with chain or plate armor or anything of equivalent armament value.

If you have a shield you may use that as well.  The NPC kit typically does not have spare shields to lend out.

Other gear, such as waterskins, cloaks, clothing, jewelry, etc are all permitted.
If you bring out a very fancy gold necklace inlaid with gems, however, it will be considered "a very nice fake" in order to prevent new players from handing off valuable items to existing characters.  New characters are not intended as a means of bringing out-of-game wealth and items into in-game existence.

Ambidexterity

Most characters can only use their dominant hand for fighting or casting (the hand you write with).  There is a skill in game that allows use of either hand equally well for fighting or casting called Ambidexterity.  Your first time character already has this skill.  This allows you to fight with two one-handed weapons (two swords, a sword and dagger, etc), to cast with either hand, or even to use a weapon in one hand and cast with the other.

Casting Magic

Your character has a very limited amount of spells they can cast.  In Cambrion spells are allocated as "spell slots".  You have three spell slots.  That means you can cast three spells throughout the event you attend.  They can be any spells in any combination from the following list:

Bolt 1 - you thrown a small ball of fire up to 20 feet away at your target doing 1 damage to their torso.
Detect Magic - you can detect if a specific object within 1 inch of your hand is imbued with Magic.
Destroy Object - an object you touch (2-handed weapon size or small) is destroyed unless it is somehow protected by magic or power against such a spell.
Restore Object - the shattered remains of an item (2-handed weapon size or small) is restored to it's original condition provided all it's parts are present.
So you can cast the same spell three times or three different spells or whatever you want.  Unfortunately your character needs to be attuned to a specific spellbook before they can relearn spells and spellbooks are too expensive to give out at starting events so your character has no way to re-learn spells during an event.  Use your spells wisely.

How do I cast Magic?

All magic is cast with the following line: "Into My Hand I Call Forth Magic" followed by the name of the spell and appropriate action.

For example:
Into My Hand I Call Forth Magic - Bolt 1 orc!   (it helps if your pointing the casting hand at your target orc.  If you know the target's name that's even better)
Into My Hand I Call Forth Magic - Destroy Object  (while your touching the object you are attempting to destroy)

One slight discrepancy in the game is that destroy object is considered black magic and restore object is considered white magic.  Not only is it impossible to learn both but when cast by a first-time player the alignment of such spells are "overlooked" in order to allow a new player a chance to better experiment with magic.  If an existing player says something akin to "isn't destroy object evil?" you can point out you're using the first-timer rules.  Odds are they'll already know that though.

Other big numbers... not all numbers cast after a magic spell are damage.  Some spells affect your character's rank and your character is the lowest rank possible so all such spells will affect you.  If it sounds like damage (bolt, burning hands, lightning storm) assume it is.  If it sounds like an "effect" (blindness, petrify, freeze) assume it affects your character and do what makes the most sense.  If you're not sure, ask someone near you.  Most effects have a duration of 15 minutes so if you're "blinded" close your eyes for the next 15 minutes.

Casting Power

All characters have innate "Power".  Power is somewhat a measure of both life-essence (not life points / hit points) and mental vitality.  It is the essence from which healers draw forth their powers to heal and from which necromancers harness the power to raise undead.  In some systems this might be considered the equivalent of "clerical magic".  Your starting character has 5 power... unless you've chosen to be something other than human in which case you'll have less.  (3 for demi-humans like elves, 4 for humanoids like orcs and dwarves).

You use your Power to cast invocations.

(magic = spells, power = invocations.  You may get corrected if you use them wrong but don't take it personally, it just helps people keep things straight when they know precisely which is being referenced so most people start using the specific terms early on.  Don't worry, there's no test here.)

Unlike Magic you don't need to worry about spell slots.  Power invocations are used directly from your "Power Point" pool.  Each invocation you cast takes 1 Power point to cast and is cast.  You can cast invocations in any combination from the following list:

Heal 1 - heals 1 point of damage to a targeted location your casting hand touches.  (head, torso, left arm, right arm, left leg, or right leg)
Detect Power - you can detect if a specific object within 1 inch of your hand is imbued with Power.
Share Power - this is a very special invocation that lets you take the Power from another living being provided they are either willing to allow it or are unconscious and providing they still have Power left to take.  Once cast you must stay in contact with the target for the duration and are essentially in a trance-like state unaware of your surroundings.  It's generally a good idea to make sure someone else is keeping an eye on you so you don't get attacked while you're in your trance.  For every 30 seconds you are in contact with your target 1 point of Power is transfered form the target's Power pool to your own Power pool.  This continues until: you break contact with the target, you choose the invocation to end, the target chooses the invocation to end, or the target runs out of Power.

How do I cast Power?

All power is cast with the following line: "Into My Hand I Call Forth Power" followed by the name of the invocation and appropriate action.

For example:
Into My Hand I Call Forth Power - Heal 1  (while touching a wounded party member's arm)
Into My Hand I Call Forth Power - Share Power (while resting a hand lightly on a consenting party member shoulder, then 30 seconds later they lose 1 Power and you gain 1 Power, repeated for every 30 seconds you remain in contact)

While Power doesn't have "slots" the way magic does you do have to be careful not to run out of Power.  If you ever run out of Power entirely (reduced to 0 Power) your character is unconscious.  This is similar to what happens if you were to try to stay up cramming for a major final test in school doing nothing more than studying for 2-3 days.  While you may not have done anything physically strenuous your brain and body are just so taxed and in need of rest now you fall unconscious and will not be able to be roused until you have at least 1 point of Power again.  Unfortunately any power summoned into your hand at that point also dissipates entirely unused.  There are no "sacrifice heals".  You can not use your last point of Power to heal someone.  The moment you say "Into My Hand I Call Forth Power" and summon that last point of Power into your hand you're already unconscious before you can even focus it into an invocation for use.

Very fortunately you can get power back just by resting!  For every 15 minutes of resting, defined as sitting or laying comfortably in one place while not performing any strenuous activity you get 1 point of Power back.  You are entirely aware, you can talk, you can play chess if you happen to have a chess set.  You can take a nap, etc.  You can NOT cast spells or invocations, fight with someone, get up and walk around, do push-ups, etc.  If you take damage (from anything other than a disease or poison) you will be disrupted from resting.  If disrupted from resting you can resume resting from that point and the 15 minute timer starts over.

You can not have less than 0 power and if you are at 0 power, barring extenuating circumstances, you are unconscious and have to lay there waiting for 15 minutes of undisturbed rest until you gain a point of Power and are once again Conscious.

Big numbers and Power...  much like Magic, Power has numbers that can me damage or effects.  If it sounds like damage (power strike) treat it as such.  If it sounds like an affect (fear, blindness, etc) assume it affects you for the next 15 minutes.  About the only other confusing number for power is "power drain".  If that happens, a "drain" only affects your Power Pool. So...
Power Strike - you take damage
Power Drain - subtract from your power pool
Anything else with a number - probably just did something to your character like made them afraid or paralyzed them or something along those lines.

Stats

You start with 12 Total Life (TL)
     4 TL in the head
     8 TL in the torso
     4 TL in each arm (hands are considered part of the arm)
     4 TL in each leg (feet are considered part of the leg)

As indicated above you also have:
     5 Power
     3 Spell Slots

General Comments on Combat

Combat is described in much more detail in the rule book however we'll provide a brief summary here.

Most damage in combat occurs from weapons however both magic spells and power invocations can both cause damage as well.

Weapons, when swung, are accompanies by a number being called out indicating how much damage that person does with that weapon.
If someone hits you in the left arm with a sword and calls out 4, that means you just took 4 damage in your left arm.
If you have armor on the exact spot you were hit you subtract the value of the armor.  For example, if you were hit in the forearm where you were wearing a leather bracer (AC 1) you would take:
4 damage - 1 AC = 3 damage in your left arm.

All weapons are to be swung to touch.  Please don't swing as if you're batting for a home run.  Hits should be just hard enough for your target to know where they've been hit.

If someone throws a power strike at you (a power invocation focusing their power into damage) they must be no more than 20 feet away and will call out the damage.  For example:
A power-user 20 feet away says "Into My Hands I Call Forth Power - Power Strike  2" and points at you.  You take 2 points of damage to your Total Life.
(Power strikes do not go to locations, just total life)

If someone throws a magical lightning bolt at you they must be no more than 20 feet away and will call out the damage.  For example:
A mage 10 feet away says "Into My Hands I Call Forth Bolt 8" and points at you.  You take 8 points of damage to your Torso.

Special damage:  If someone swings a weapon at you calling 2 numbers, such as a warrior with an enchanted sword calling 4 magic 2 every time they swing, you only take the largest number that affects you.  What they're calling out means they're swinging hard enough to do 4 damage every time they hit you and the blade is enchanted to do 2 magic damage but the effect is NOT cumulative.  Only the largest damage gets through.  They may be attacking an opponent with plate and chain and leather armor that is completely immune to their normal sword blows but the magic is cutting right through the physical armor.  In your case, in most instances, whatever the largest number being called is what you'll take so here you'd likely be taking 4 damage every time they hit you.

That pretty much sums up combat, however, damage...

Damage, Unconsciousness, and Death

Most often damage is done to a specific location.  Any damage done to a specific location is also done to total life.

Above you've seen where your character has 12 total life but each location also has a TL value.
If a location goes to 0 TL it stops working.  If your arm hits 0 TL it's so battered it's hanging limply at your side.
Head and Torso are special locations, if they go to 0 you are unconscious until both locations are back above 0.

If a location goes to negative it's original value (-4 for head, arms or legs.  -8 for torso) that location is broken.  Refs can help with what this entails but for now suffice it to say, it isn't working.

If a location goes to twice negative it's original value (-8 for head, arms or legs.  -16 for torso) it is severed entirely.  If your head or torso are severed your character is dead.

If your overall Total Life falls to 0 your character is unconscious until they return to a positive overall TL value.
If your overall Total Life falls to -1 your character is dead.

If your character dies lay down where they died and start a silent count of seconds in your head.  If you're very lucky another character may have an elixir of life and use it on your to revive you from death.  The problem here is elixirs have a very limited duration within which to work and you need to know how recently you were killed to know if you are revived or still dead.  Remain "dead" in the same location until it's determined if you are alive again or you are told you're definitely dead and aren't coming back.  If your character is definitely dead beyond reviving join the refs and NPCs (non-player characters).

Using our examples above...

In the examples above the sword did 3 damage to the armored forearm.  On your character record you would subtract 3 damage to both your left arm AND your total life.

The power strike did 2 damage to your total life so you would only take 2 damage off your total life on your character record but no damage is done to your limbs.

The bolt is a special example.  Bolt damage always goes to the torso, it's the only spell that does this.  All other spells that do damage either hit a specific location being touched (for spells like burning hands) or are area spells (which you will rarely see at low ranks) which damage all locations equally.  You would take 8 damage to torso and take 8 damage to overall TL.  In our example above even if you were completely unwounded to start with you took 8 damage to your character's torso which reduces their torso to 0.  Remember, torso or head going to 0 makes your character unconscious so at that point your character would likely grab their charred chest in pain as they slump unconscious to the ground until such time as someone heals them and brings their torso back above 0.

Did you get that all?

We recognize this is a lot for a true first-time player to bear in mind.  There are hundreds of spells, invocations, and effects to try and remember on top of the fact that people will be shouting numbers at you every time you get hit with a weapon.  It can be a lot to take in.  So your first time out just remember, Have Fun!  As for the rules; pretty much any other player will be glad to help you figure out what's going on.  The majority of what happens to your character that matters here will be physical combat with weapons so focus most on keeping a rough tally of total life and limb damage during a fight.  After every fight we'll call a "time out" and we'll go over character records (aka battleboards) and someone will walk through the battle step by step with you to determine where you were hit, for how much, and let you know where you are stat-wise when we go back to time-in.

As for the magic and power some effects you may be able to quickly work out on your own but there are just so many things to try and remember when you're just starting.  Don't hesitate to lean over to someone near you and ask "what does that do?"  We've all been there at the learning stage and we all remember what it's like.

In an absolute worst case its not a bad idea to err on the side of being unconscious if you're not sure what just happened.  Monsters and NPCs know getting used to all that quick math can take a bit so when a low rank character falls down they aren't supposed to be hit any further (except in extentuating circumstances) so falling down assuming your unconscious rarely turns out bad for a starting player.  Provided the entire party wasn't wiped out odds are if you fall down too early you're character was just "dazed" and gets up after the fight.

Link to Summary or First Timer Rules