Game Rules
Ardent Spacers is a game about exploration, discovery, and first contact with new civilisations. Our rules are focused around encouraging cool roleplay and giving a structure to help players know to interact with the world.
Nothing is locked behind skills. Character builds can easily change based on what you want to play. The one main restriction is your Division; each one has extra unique ways to interact with the game, ensuring players must all work together to resolve the bigger issues, but even this can be changed between events.
The game focuses on four main gameplay areas – combat, engineering, biomed, and diplomacy. Each area uses its own set of mechanics, and can be interacted with at a basic level by everyone. When reading through the gameplay areas, if a section doesn’t specify you need an item, then you can just do it! You can opt to not know how to do something, for example you might feel your character doesn’t know how to use a sword, but these are restrictions you place on yourself and can change at any time.
This is an Item based rules system, instead of a Skill Point system. Different items and cybernetics will give you bonuses to interacting with gameplay mechanics or unlock different techniques for engaging with them. Some items may allow you to open Lammies to gain more information, others will allow you to use calls such as “Heal” to restore health. Every major prop you bring with you – swords, blasters, armour, injectors, scanners – must be bought as an IC item either at character creation or during the game.
Items will be far more common than at many other larps, and there will be a strong emphasis on how to best manage the mission’s resources as time goes on. There is also an IC Ship’s Shop to trade in old unused items and buy new equipment, as well as a range of single use items such as healing syringes.
The number 5 will appear a lot. We’ve kept all calls, timings, and as many other aspects of the game to 5 as much as possible so they’re easier to remember.
Character Creation
Character Creation
An introduction to creating a character, character progression, death, retirement, and having multiple characters.
Part 1: Choose your Division
Your Division is your in-game faction, and will affect the rest of character creation.
Part 2: Starting Loadout
Spend your character creation allowance on a selection of Equipment to start you off!
Mechanics
Combat
Combat situations are all about completing an objective while staying alive. Read on about HP, Death, and Weapons.
Biomed
Bio-Med encompasses anything relating to the body or other living beings, ranging from environmental study to surgery and first aid.
Engineering
You’ll be faced with a variety of physical activities and puzzles as an engineer, and are vital for keeping the AES Ardent working to its fullest capacity.
Diplomacy
Discussion, and how to master it. Diplomacy mechanics help codify a traditionally hardskill-only gameplay area, helping you get ahead with social situations.
Items
Equipment
Equipment is anything you equip to yourself to let you do something – like Blasters, Swords, and Armour. Treat Equipment like you would Skills at other games.
Expendables
Expendables are single/limited use, such as Healing Patches, Repair Patches, and Grenades.