Introduction:

Imagine yourself as a fighter, wielding a broadsword to win your way free of enemy warriors. Or play a magic user with mystical abilities in a glorious battle. Perhaps you have pictured yourself as an infamous rogue, slinking into a dragon's treasure cavern. This is the world of IFGS gaming, where you can roleplay anyone you want to be for a day. We invite you to join us!

The International Fantasy Gaming Society (IFGS) is a not-for-profit organization created to design and run safe, live-scale, outdoor fantasy games. If you like fantasy, science fiction, or heroic games, you will enjoy gaming with us. The IFG S has designed a live-scale fantasy gaming system with mechanisms for fighting and for roleplaying. The adventurers who travel with us encounter hungry Dragons, Wizards, Trolls and other opponents. They also encounter Kings, Queens, Knights, fair Damsels in distress, warrior Amazons, and Elven folk.

We have produced hundreds of games in Colorado, Alabama, Georgia, and all around the nation. Our intrepid adventurers have ranged in age from 5 to 60, and even some entire families have enjoyed adventuring together. Everyone is welcome!

What Games Are Like:

• IFGS games are usually played on weekends. The average game usually runs about six to eight hours. Several teams play in each game. Each team averages six to eight players. The teams begin the game at timed intervals so they do not encounter each other on course. Each team is led by a Lore-master who organizes the players on the team and makes sure the novice players are prepared.

• Once the game begins, the team follows a set course and will encounter many Non-Player Characters (NPCs - the actors in the game). The NPCs that the players meet will give out clues or information for the game, or may engage the players in com bat, according to a script that the designers of the game have written.

• Games have a set purpose for the players...

  • Saving a king's daughter
  • Restoring a land to order
  • Or finding an important item
  are all possible gaming scenarios.

• During the game, the players maintain the persona of the character they have invented, adding to the game's atmosphere. This is a form of acting that is called roleplaying. As you continue to play a character in different games, the character will go up in levels, giving you more game abilities. However, you are free to start a new character whenever you want.

How To Get Involved in the Game:

• There are several ways you can participate in our games:

  • as a player character (PC) who participates in adventures for experience and treasure
  • as a player character (NPC), one of the actors or actresses in the game
  • or as the game staff: the game producers, the safety officials and many other positions.
• As a player character you design your own character. You have the choice of playing any one of several different classes:
  • Cleric
  • Druid
  • Fighter
  • Knight
  • Magic User
  • Monk
  • Ranger
  • Rogue
  
  
  
  You decide your character's name, history and all other details; your character history may be as brief or as extensive as you like. The personality of your character is limited only by your imagination (and some rules, of course)

If you are interested in participation in a game, contact your local IFGS chapter. Don't worry about being an inexperienced player - the IFGS has a rule requiring teams to include at least one novice. New members are always encouraged and needed.

Safety and Insurance:

Above all else, safety is the goal of the IFGS. Everything that is done, from designing a game, to building a weapon, to making a costume, is done with safety in mind. In addition, the IFGS carries a comprehensive insurance policy, in case an accident should happen at a sanctioned event.

To date the policy has never needed to be used.

Come Prepared:

Your safety and comfort are essential to each game, and being prepared will ensure that. Below is a checklist of some of the more important items you should be aware of, or bring to the game. This list is not intended to be comprehesive .

Costumes

You should have a costume for the game. A simple tunic or robe will be fine; however, you can be as creative as you like. Costumes need to be clearly one identifiable color. Be prepared for all kinds of weather. Be sure your foot-gear provid es support and is comfortable.

Rules

Familiarize yourself with the IFGS gaming rules. Rulebooks can be purchased from your local IFGS chapter.

Weapons

For safety reasons, REAL WEAPONS ARE BANNED from IFGS events. You must borrow or construct a safety-approved weapon. Instructions are provided in the rulebook, but it is recommended that you have someone show you how. All we apons are checked before each game to be sure they are safe.

Minors

Minors are welcome in IFGS games. They must have:

• permission slip
• liability waiver signed by their parents
• and a card in their pocket with:
  1. Their name
  2. The name of their parents or guardian
  3. Their phone number
  4. Any medical conditions or known health problems

Minors should tell their parents where they are, and should arrange their own transportation. There will always be someone present with the minor while they are on course.

Role Playing:

Roleplaying Combat

IFGS games involve a varying amount of mock combat situations. The following discussion does not cover combat in detail, and you should read the rulebook to better understand how the combat system works. Most IFGS chapters have weekly weapons pr actice and they welcome novices.

All weapons are foam-padded, and must be approved by an IFGS Safety Officer before they are allowed in a game. The most commonly used weapons are:

• padded swords
• staffs
• polearms
• and bows(real arrows are never carried or fired)

Each of these weapons does a defined amount of damage with a successful hit. Damage that a character does depends on the level and class of the character. Hits to the head, throat, hand, or groin area are not allowed at any time, but hits virtual ly anywhere else on the body are permissible.

Most of the character classes are allowed some kind of armor protection in the game; however, the armor isn't actually worn, but is indicated by wearing a small square of colored cloth. Leather, chain mail, and plate mail are used, and offer dif ferent degrees of protection against damage.

Each character has a fixed number of life points, depending on their level and character class, and a character remains "alive" (in a game sense) until they reach zero life points. Life points are recoverable in many different ways within the game system. If a character "dies" during a game, which is a rare occurrence, they have several options, including following the team around, or starting a new character.

Roleplaying Magic

The magic roleplaying system is highly developed in IFGS games, and much of the rulebook is devoted to the magic roleplaying system and the description of the mock spells and their effects.

A character is given a certain number of spell points for each level of experience. New spells become available with each level, with varying spell point cost per spell. A character who is a spell caster is required to take a set amount of time for their casting. This is followed by the name of the spell, the effect of the spell, and the target of the spell. Spells can cause a target damage, but many spells are also of a healing or informational nature.

For More Information:

If you want to get involved with the IFGS, consult the chapter nearest you. You do not need to be a member to participate, but membership in the IFGS entitles you to a subscription to both the local newsletter and the National Newsletter, the Chainmail.

Membership fees are $20 for a full member, and $15 for a junior member (under 18 years old).

The newsletters carry a list of games, when games are planned for, and often have flyers for game registrations.

The IFGS is a growing, safe, not-for-profit organization. We are looking for new people of all ages and skills. Please join us!

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Last Edited: 04/22/97