Contents
• Introduction
• Stuff Everybody Knows
• Game-Space and LARPing
• How Chips are Used
• Combat
• Contingency Envelopes
• Abilities and Role Playing
• Character Goals

(Our Version of History)

About 9 months ago, a young girl named Ruth Wilkins took ill in town. She laid in her bed, not speaking, staring at the ceiling, occasionally erupting in fits and convulsions. The local doctor, unable to come up with any known malady or cause, suggested it might be a result of witchcraft. Rev. Foster and Solomon King began interviewing the girl's friends, Susan Marsh and Prudence Gould. After some time, they pointed to Rev. Foster's servant girl Tituba and a local beggar woman Sarah Good. These women were arrested and charged with witchcraft. Shortly after their arrest, Ruth recovered.

John Hale, an expert on witchcraft, arrived in town, attracted by the case. He acted as an expert witness for the trial, educating the town elders on the nature of witches and their tricks. Susan, Prudence and Ruth accused other women. When the trial date arrived, the three town elders, Solomon King, Roland Thornton and Jacob Goodspeed presided as judges, Samuel Watson acted as prosecutor. Those that did not confess and repent, were convicted and hanged.

The hangings sent a shock through the town. Some began to question the trials and quietly speak against them. While Susan and Prudence continued to accuse folks of witchcraft, Ruth ceased to support their claims, apparently disturbed by the hangings. John Hale, began questioning the trial procedures, and eventually began defending the accused.

The accusations fell on more and more reputable people. Elizabeth Walters, the town midwife was accused. The last 6 babies delivered in town were still born or died soon after birth, one of them her own. The accusations say she used witchcraft to kill the babies because she could not have one herself. Her assistant Rebecca Goode stood at her hearing and defended her character, but her own uncle by marriage Thomas Walters supported the accusations. Rebecca was accused shortly after the hearing. Susan Marsh accused her friend Prudence, then the very wife of the Governor. In response to that last accusation, the Governor has sent a commission to Salem, they will be arriving tomorrow. The final clemency hearing for the last three condemned witches will occur tonight, along with the executions of those who do not repent.

It is harvest time. The game starts in the evening 3 hours before the clemency hearings. The witches are confined to the courthouse, but may mingle with the townsfolk not otherwise engaged in bringing in the harvest. There is a buzz as the townsfolk exchange gossip, rumors and hearsay….

The game space will represent several locations throughout Salem, which the GMs will describe for you. Please respect any areas designated "Off Limits", using the space is a privilege we don't want to abuse.

Salem is Burning is a Live Action Role Playing game, or LARP. Players take on the persona of a resident of Salem during the time of the Trials. Your character packet includes information about your history and life before the game. It also gives basic information on what you know about your fellow townspeople. Additionally, it details some basic goals that you may try to accomplish during the course of the game. Some of your goals might be directly contradictory to another player's goals. This is intentional, not everyone will be able to accomplish all their goals. Picking and choosing, making and breaking alliances and deals are all part of the experience. You make the game happen by talking to the other participants; a LARP is an interactive experience at its core. If you get stymied, talk to other players, they might not have the information or help you need, but maybe you've got something they have to have…and can be persuaded (or even blackmailed) to help you get what you need from someone who does.

The basic mechanics for the game are very simple. Each character has a number of poker chips; these represent the effort and focus they can put to one or more actions. These will not normally come into play very often. Any action which can be considered 'unopposed', such as opening a door, or talking to someone, simply happens. If you can do it easily, you may generally assume that your character will not have any trouble either. Only when there would be some doubt to the outcome of an action, such as punching someone, or picking a lock, will the chips be needed.

When you need to perform an action that might fail, you allocate one or more of your chips to the task. If you are in a combat situation, you may allocate some of your chips to 'attack' and others to 'dodge' as you choose. If you have a skill relating to that task (such as 'long arms' when firing a musket) you add the numerical value of that skill to the total number of chips you have allocated. This total is compared to a target number. If your action involves attacking another player, the target number is the total number of chips that player has allocated to dodging (plus any appropriate skill). If you're attempting to affect an inanimate object (such as picking a lock) the target number will either be indicated on it, or you may ask a GM for it. If the total number of chips (plus your skill, if any) exceeds the target number, you succeed. Note-you need not use all your chips unless you choose, sometimes it's better to hold some in reserve for defense, or to conceal your true abilities. If your total number matches or is less then the target number, you haven't succeeded. Some actions (such as combat) may be repeated, others might not, depending on the circumstances. Some characters may have special abilities which require them to temporarily or even permanently sacrifice some of their chips. These abilities will be detailed on cards in the character packet. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them during the pre-game briefing.

Occasionally, you might encounter a situation that can't be resolved without beating on someone. Combat is played out in 'rounds', for ease of resolution. Unless one person has made a genuine effort to achieve surprise, all players involved are assumed to be aware that combat has started. A general announcement of 'Combat' should be made by the player initiating the attack, loud enough for anyone in the immediate area to hear. This allows any player interested in participating in the combat to do so. At the beginning of each 'round' of combat, all involved people state who if anyone they intend to attack, as well as who they intend to dodge. Each player may only make one attack per round, however they may declare dodges against as many players as they like-subject to the limit of their total chips. At least one chip must be allocated to each action. Even if a player has a skill in the action, at least one chip must still be used. If a player has a skill in 'dodge', he may count that number with every dodge made during a combat round. Once everyone has had a chance to declare their actions, things are ready for the next step. On the back of each player's nametag is a number. The first digit of this number is that character's initiative. This determines the order attack actions are resolved (dodges always occur simultaneous to the attack). If two or more combatants have equal initiative scores, their actions are considered to happen simultaneously. The attacker's chips + skill are compared to the defender's chips + dodge. If the attacker exceeds the defender's total, a 'hit' has taken place. Each type of attack does a specified amount of damage. A punch/kick does 1 point of damage. A knife does 2 points of damage. A gun does 4. These points of damage subtract from the health levels of the defender. A person has 4 health levels, total. When all of these are subtracted, the defender falls unconscious. If a character is knocked out during a combat round before they've had a chance to act-their actions are forfeited. An unconscious person is at the mercy of all around. They may be searched, and all possessions taken or even killed out of hand. If an unconscious person isn't killed…another player may 'revive' him or her by spending a few moments to bandage them (just spend a minute or two of real time declaring this). The unconscious character then awakens with 1 health level restored. If no one aids or kills the unconscious character, they may awaken on their own after 5 minutes of real time have passed, again with 1 health level restored. There is no other natural healing in Salem is Burning, combat is not something to be entered into lightly.

Your character may have what are called "contingency envelopes." These are sealed envelopes that contain additional information or instructions that you may receive during the course of the game. Contingency envelopes are only opened when specific criteria are met, the requirements for opening an envelope are written on the outside of it. These typically are "When you see……", usually referring to the description on another player's nametag. Note-the trigger for opening a contingency envelope is nearly always something seen in writing. There may be exceptions to this case, but those will be clearly laid out on the envelope. If in doubt, please ask a GM before opening an envelope, as it may contain information your character can't access yet. When the criteria are met, you may immediately open the envelope, and act upon any information you receive. Instructions contained inside should also be followed as soon as possible. Again, please ask a GM to clarify any confusion.

The game is played on the honor system, while the GMs will do their best to ensure smooth and fair play, it's ultimately up to you to ensure that it happens. There is no winning or losing in a LARP, and no prizes to be won, except enjoying the game. There may be situations where you will be expected to 'not notice' something another player is doing, even if it directly involves you. You won't have to wonder about it, if it happens, you'll be shown an ability card detailing what happened. If you are not specifically told you are unaware of something-you may act on the knowledge that it happened. If you are shown an ability card telling you that you 'aren't aware" of something, you should continue to play your character as if you had no knowledge of what occurred, this is the essence of role playing.

Your character has been given several goals at the start of the game-these are objectives your character would like to achieve, if possible. However, you are not limited to what goals are in the document, you are encouraged to set your own course in the world. It may not be possible to achieve all of your goals, and it's also possible-even likely, that another character might have goals in direct opposition to yours. You might have to sacrifice achieving one goal to accomplish another, even make deals with a putative enemy to achieve your ends. Accomplishing the goals we've outlined for your character should not be used as a measure of success or failure in the game, the real test is simply if you enjoyed trying. If the answer is yes, then you win, and we did our job properly. So now we invite you to put the 21st century behind you, and join us in an earlier time, when evil stalked the night, and good people stood firm against it.

Welcome to Salem.