Rules are the absolute physics of the game world and when they change that means the very world is changing under your character. How rules change may impact how you play your character and interact with the game OOC.

For the next game we’re clarifying two rules and only modifying one.

Let’s look at the clarifications first.

Armour is metal armour

This was our intention from the beginning. We have been saying this all along and everyone has been playing this way. However, it isn’t defined properly in the rulebook. We are fixing that.

You can heal yourself.

Again, this is the intention from the start, but we’ve inserted some technical wording into the rulebook that, in effect, says “you can heal yourself, regardless of the type of wound”.

You still have to do all the roleplaying and stuff. Also it won’t protect you from being murdered.

Rule changes

Alright, let’s wade into the actual change, and I realise that this is a nerf, in a very real sense. To the characters this effects, I apologise, but it was a decision we made (and not lightly) after we realised that there is a specific rule that causes play divergent from our vision.

We received a significant amount of feedback regarding the blood (in particular one very well thought out essay) that suggested that the blood was being used in a different fashion to our stated intention.

But, I don’t have the blood

You should do your utmost to ignore those monsters among you that have the blood.

But, I have the blood

You are opting in for a cat and mouse / hunter and hunted / survival horror / body horror thing. And the rules are changing, so pay attention.

How was the blood used previously?

One of the most common uses for the Blood, is that when a character with the Blood is injured, they activate the Blood, heal, stand up and wreck havoc. Cool.

Except that if you are in that fight and don’t have the Blood, you just got involuntarily opted-in to the game. Now you have to constantly ask if people you are fighting have the Blood and if so, face the reality that your combative victory just reversed and turned into a curb stomp. Not cool.

The rule change itself

Using the Blood to heal yourself takes the same amount of time as it would if a doctor healed you.

A few technical details: During that time, you are still invulnerable to damage. Your invulnerability lasts 30 seconds longer than that (I believe the technical statement is “When you use the Blood you heal to full health and then experience 30 seconds of invulnerability” or something like that).

I think this makes using the Blood in a reactive fashion a non-combat action, which protects our non-Blooded folks from being dragged into a game they don’t want to be in. I am giving them the chance to run away.

The Blooded, while weaker in an absolute sense, stay powerful and creepy.

The non-Blooded, get their opt-out.