YOUR CHARACTER’S BACKSTORY

  Player characters can come from just about any social background - no one in the City is so important that they are immune to exile. There are certain guidelines to follow when creating your character’s backstory. These guidelines are designed to give all characters points of commonality, no matter how different their circumstances in the City were.

 

Backstory Guidelines

• A reminder: as per the rules, we do not allow references to or depiction of sex work or sexual violence of any kind - including in backstories. There is no such thing as trafficking, prostitution, or sexual violence in the world of Amnesty.

• You were convicted of 1 of the following crimes: arson, apostasy, bootlegging, theft, sedition, necromancy, smuggling, mutiny, indiscretion.

• The punishment for your crime was exile from the City.

• There are no gates, gaps, or cracks in the City’s walls; you could not and did not leave voluntarily. Exile is not an escape; it is a death sentence.

• Depending on the nature of your crime and your social status, you may have had a brief time to get your affairs in order, or been snatched off the streets without a word of warning.

• You were imprisoned (either alone or with other soon-to-be exiles) for a time, then bound and escorted into a subterranean tunnel directly attached to your prison. You walked for a long time. You lost all sense of direction and distance.

• The tunnel ended with a massive vault-like door. It was opened, you were cast out, and the door was sealed behind you.

 

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BUILDING YOUR CHARACTER

This section will cover only the basics of character creation. Please see the full Rulebook for a comprehensive breakdown of Archetypes, Skills, Essence, etc.

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1. Commit Your Crime

What crime got you exiled to the Badlands?

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2. Choose Your Skills

All player characters begin the game with 3 CP available to spend. Spend these points or save them as you choose.

 

3. Decide Your Essence

All player characters begin the game with 3 Essence cards. You will write your Essences on these cards at the start of your first game.

 

4. Spread Your Rumor

The other characters who start their first game with you have heard something about you. Whether the rumor is true, false, or a mix of both is up to you. The form to submit your character’s rumor will open two weeks before your first game.

 

Costume Guide

The fictional world of Amnesty, while taking some inspiration from history, does not correspond to any real-world historical era. Aesthetically and technologically the world resembles America of the 1840’s - 1910’s, with a dash of Victorian England. The City that all player characters hail from is vast; fashions may vary quite a bit between districts, social classes, and occupations. It is much more important to fit with the genre of Amnesty rather than adhere to strict historical accuracy.

 

What Do I Wear?

Think about your character’s background and what they would have worn on a typical day in the City. Were they a politician? A singer? A fisherman? They will probably arrive in Amnesty in whatever they were wearing on the day of their exile. Look at fashion plates, illustrations, and magazine scans from the historical era that you wish to emulate. For example, you might search for “1870s working class,” or “late Victorian fashion.” 

We also have a Pinterest board for costume and setting inspiration! If you’re still scratching your head, it’s hard to go wrong with a simple linen or cotton shirt and trousers or a long skirt. Vests, scarves, hats, and other accessories make the outfit look lived-in. 

Below is a list of online resources to help get you started:

1. Victorian (1837 - 1901) Fashion History and DIY Costume Guides

2. Edwardian (1901 - 1910) Fashion History and DIY Costume Guides 

3. Clothes Not Costume – How to layer and improve your LARP costume! 

4. Wellesley’s Guide to Fashion Plates Sources 

5. Beginner-friendly tutorial on sewing a basic shirt:

6. I hand sewed a pirate shirt using 18th century sewing methods

7. Crow’s Eye Production’s “Getting Dressed” series:

8. Getting Dressed - Victorian Maid, Christmas 1853

9. Getting Dressed in the early 1870s

10. Getting Dressed in 1910s London - Working Class Suffragette

 

Do's, Don'ts, etc.

• Jeans of certain cuts and styles are permitted:

1. Dark colors only (dark blue, dark gray, black, brown)

2. Full-length relaxed fit only (no skinny, bootcut, flare, JNCOs, capris, etc.)

3. Button or concealed zipper fly only (no decorative zippers)

4. No distressing, fading, whiskering, or other modern embellishment

5. Jeans of the 1890’s were work gear and should be treated as such in the world of Amnesty. Think of them as similar to an electrician’s coveralls - not the person’s only type of clothing, and usually not worn outside of work

• Functional zippers and elastic in costuming is perfectly acceptable, as long as it is kept discrete. Decorative zippers are not allowed.

• Feathers, buckskin fringe, headdresses, and other appropriative “Native American”-themed costuming is not allowed. If you are ever in doubt about a costume element, contact staff at costuming@amnestylarp.com.

• Genre-appropriate shoes are encouraged, but solid dark-colored shoes of most kinds are acceptable for personal comfort and safety reasons.

• Natural fibers such as linen, cotton, wool, or natural/synthetic blends are preferred. Obviously modern synthetic materials like patent leather, crinkly polyester, and mesh are not appropriate.

• The devil’s in the details! Simple modifications like swapping plastic buttons for wood or horn go a long way in making a garment look more genre-appropriate.

• Foam dart guns (called “irons” in-game) must be painted to resemble metal colors OTHER THAN BLACK. Brasses, browns, and copper metallics would be the most common in the world of Amnesty.

• Every blaster needs an orange tip via paint, existing plastic, or tape.

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Please have a simple, genre-appropriate base layer outfit available for your NPC shift. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, just distinct from your character’s regular clothing. Any additional necessary costuming will be provided by the game.

 

Please also have a set of comfortable plain black clothing available in case you are asked to go “no-face” for your NPC shift. Leggings, scrub pants, sweatsuits and such are acceptable. Long sleeves are preferred but optional; it gets HOT in North Carolina and everyone should prioritize their safety and comfort.

 

Tips & Tricks

Trousers would typically be held up with suspenders rather than belts

1. Swap modern plastic buttons for 2-hole or shank-style buttons made of wood, horn, metal, shell, or bone

2. Ladies’ daywear usually features a high neckline and long sleeves; bare arms and décolletage were reserved for evening wear 

3. Gentlemen would rarely go out without a vest and/or jacket over their shirt