In order to promote our core values and the creative excellence of our community we expect our staff, contributors, and players to hold themselves to our standards of conduct at all times. The Aurum Directors reserve the right to ask any attendee to leave the event venue (for the remainder of the event or even permanently) should they disobey or consistently disobey the below policies or any conduct policy found within this website, the rule books, or expressed at live events. Furthermore, in addition to this Code of Conduct, all participants must abide by ALL local, state, and federal laws and regulations or risk involvement with appropriate law enforcement action.
The heart of our game lies in our core values. Members of our community must always embody these values to the best of their ability. In turn, Aurum staff promises to do its best to produce an environment built upon these values:
We value Kindness, Generosity, and Empathy
Aurum players are encouraged to know their own limits and protect their physical and emotional safety. If at any time a participant believes an activity may be unsafe for any reason, they should request a halt to activities until such time as the unsafe condition or situation has been remedied. If during the event a participant becomes aware of a situation that may jeopardize the safety of themselves and/or another players they should report it immediately to a marshal.
When interacting in-character, we require that players make efforts to ensure that they are respectful of other players' boundaries. That includes, but is not limited to, not touching another character beyond what is defined under the combat rules unless you have confirmed OOG that it is acceptable with that player. Being given OOG permission to touch a player does not grant that right indefinitely, a player may retract consent at any time.
Furthermore, players are expected to respect the OOG emotional boundaries of other players; if you intend to play bigoted or controversial character you are heavily encouraged to converse with your fellow players before and after game to make them aware of your intended roleplay behaviors and to verify their boundaries. If a player expresses that your actions have or will cross their boundaries, you do not necessarily have to change your character outright, but you should alter your future interactions in a way which still expresses your character's beliefs but will not cross established boundaries.
We value Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity
Aurum LARP promises to do its best to provide reasonable accommodation for any physical, mental, or emotional needs of all players, and to always keep the safety and inclusivity of all community members in mind when producing implementing, or enforcing event content, game rules, or conduct policies. In turn we ask all players to respect the privacy of players who utilize Aurum's accommodation practices, and to keep others' limits and abilities in mind when negotiating roleplay, engaging in combat, or otherwise interacting with other players.
We value Creativity, Integrity, and Expression
At Aurum, we strive to create an in-game (IG) experience that is rife with danger and intense emotions; out-of-game (OOG), however, we will not tolerate harassment on any grounds nor behavior that causes any participant to feel unsafe. Abusive, extremely insulting, or offensive language or actions that are intentionally harmful or demeaning to other players are never tolerated. We are committed to maintaining a fair environment for all participants regardless of sexuality, gender, race, ability, age, and faith.
Metagaming (i.e. using OOC knowledge to benefit your character in game) is contrary to the spirit of Aurum and is considered cheating. If you have doubts about how to apply something you’ve learned OOG to your character, or if you believe another player is engaging in metagaming, please speak to a marshal.
Aurum players are expected to be familiar with the Aurum rulebook and play by the established rules of the game. Our expectation is that a player will abide by the spirit of a rule rather than the letter of it. If you perceive an exploitable flaw in the system you are expected to draw it to the attention of a marshal and not to exploit it. When in doubt about the application of a specific rule, contact a marshal. Designated rules marshals are the final arbiters of all rules disputes. Game management will make all reasonable efforts to ensure that players are not cheating. If you believe a player is cheating, please do not directly accuse them. Approach a marshal with your concerns.
We value Communication, Polite Discourse, and Exchange of Ideas
Bringing out-of-game conflicts into game or in-game conflicts out-of-game is considered poor form and will not be tolerated. Players are expected to deal with each other civilly and sensitively at all times. The Aurum Directors reserve the right to ask a player to leave an event, or not attend future events, if we feel the player is negatively impacting the experiences of other players in any way. Aurum Directors are the final and only arbiters in this matter.
If you have complaints regarding another player, a marshal, or the game itself, please speak to a member of Aurum staff. If an issue is serious or distressing, we urge you to bring it to the attention of an Aurum Director as soon as possible. We take all concerns presented to us seriously and strive to keep all concerns confidential where possible; this may include being unable to provide a complainant with the results of an investigation. Regardless, the Aurum Directors and/or staff will seek to address and resolve all issues as quickly as possible to the best of our ability.
Aurum LARP requires all participants to be at least 18 years of age before being permitted to attend live events or participate in online content hosted on the official Aurum LARP Discord. Participants should be prepared to provide a valid form of identification (such as a state-issued driver's license or similar form of government-issued ID) to verify their date of birth during check-in at their first event.
Among themes of exploration, discovery, and invention, the in-game world of Aurum also includes themes of colonization, bigotry, and dislike based on heritage. The game may also deal with many disturbing and challenging subject matters, including but not limited to murder, slavery, colonialism and capitalistic exploitation. We believe roleplay exploration of a subject is just as valid as exploration in other media and we do not feel that exploration of a subject and glorification of it are synonymous. The overarching plot of the world or NPC viewpoints do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Plot team as a whole or individuals within it, and players are always welcome to address, combat, or subvert these views in-character.
We also want to make it clear that every NPC a character encounters may not be on the side of 'good,' and players are encouraged to have agency over their character in deciding whether to go along with an NPC or fight against their plans. The Plot team intends to react accordingly and shape the world around character decisions to provide the most fun, fulfillment, and excitement possible without causing out of game harm or at the expense of other's fun in a lasting manner.
Though many sensitive or challenging themes have a place to be explored in the game world, subject matters that will never be explored by Plot and are never permitted to explore by players are non-consensual sex/sexual assault and sex with minors. While we understand such things do exist in the real world, these are subjects which will never have a place in the stories of Aurum.
Handling Sensitive Content At-Events
If an Aurum player ever finds themselves in an IC situation or scene that they find distressing or traumatic out of character (OOC), they are encouraged to excuse themselves from the scene immediately, by crossing their fingers above their head and leaving the area. Players who excuse themselves will not be punished in any way by staff, and other players will not punish or ridicule a player who excuses themselves for this reason.
Aurum LARP will endeavor to have a quiet area (also known as a safe space) available at each event location for use if a player feels temporary removal of themselves from active play areas would be beneficial to them. Players utilizing the safe space are always considered to be OOG and will not be punished for utilizing the area for its intended purpose; however, players who attempt to commandeer a safe space as an excuse to avoid IG consequences or to target players using the safe space are breaching our Code of Conduct and will be subject to staff-issued consequences.
Illegal substances and alcohol are prohibited at all Aurum events. A player found to be in possession of illegal substances, alcohol, or is found to be under the influence of either will be ejected from game immediately.
Aurum staff will never require players to divulge their medical history or other sensitive information in order to participate. However, players with doctor-prescribed medications which may be taken during events are encouraged to inform Aurum staff of the presence of such medication and what potential side effects may be in the interest of safety of all players or in the event of a medical emergency. If necessary, Aurum will attempt to provide a secure location for the storage of medication at events to the best of our ability.
Currently, all attendees of Aurum LARP events are required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to gain admittance to the event. You must either email a clear photocopy of your vaccination card to our Logistics staff prior to an event or produce your vaccination card/a clear photocopy of your vaccination card for Logistics staff at check-in.
Players who are sick, have tested positive, or have been in close contact/exposed to a person who is sick/tested positive within 10 days of the event will not be allowed to attend, even with a negative COVID test. Players found to have knowingly and willfully concealed being sick/exposed when attending an event may face additional consequences, up to and including indefinite denial of entry to future events.
All players are encouraged to maintain social distance as much as possible, and, while masks are not required, players are welcome to wear a mask during play if they feel more comfortable doing so (players with full-face makeup requirements will not be penalized if they omit lower-face makeup while wearing a mask). Staff will ensure hand sanitizer is available for player use, and special procedures will be in place to ensure NPC costuming/gear is clean/sanitary throughout the event.
Players are also encouraged to Contact Us if they have any additional questions or concerns regarding our COVID-19 safety policies.