Accelerant (Roleplay)

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The Accelerant system is a LARP (Live Action Role-Play) system that functions as a set of core rules for guiding the interactions between characters in several New England-based LARP games. Formerly known as the nTeraction system, it is developed and owned by Robert Ciccolini.

While games that run using the Accelerant rules can vary widely in genre, theme, and "combat vs. roleplaying" ratio, they all share some basic characteristics. These include the use of boffer weapons and birdseed-filled packets as the means by which combat is resolved, and the general rule that one hit from a weapon or arrow (represented by a boffer weapon or packet, respectively) deals one point of damage in game terms, unless the attacker declares otherwise when they make the attack.

Players participate in these LARPs either as a Player Character (PC) or Non-Player Character (NPC). NPCs function as the monsters and other non-heroic characters that appear in the game at the direction of the game organizers, and a typical NPC will play several different roles through the course of the event. PCs build a character according to the character creation rules of the specific game using a Point Build system (referred to as Character Points). Starting PCs are given a certain number of points to create their character, and players acquire additional points by playing at events, assisting the game staff with cleanup, and other tasks.

Another feature of Accelerant games is that most of them participate in a Character Point exchange with other Accelerant games, meaning one can play a game as an NPC to earn Character Points and then apply those points to one of their Player Characters.

The general philosophy of the Accelerant rules system is that characters should be able to do as much as possible "in-game" without breaking character or interrupting the general flow of the game. No dice, cards, or rock-paper-scissors methods are part of the core rule system. The game employs a system of effects and traits defined by a common vocabulary which make it easy to resolve otherwise difficult or confusing actions without breaking the flow of the game.


List of Accelerant Games:

  • Madrigal is a High Fantasy game with quite a bit of backstory and a ten-year history of real-world existence. It is produced and run by the creator of the Accelerant system.
  • Endgame is a self-described "Postapocalyptic Heroic Horror" game set in the near future, After the End
  • The Calling
  • The Isles takes place in a multiverse, where players are allowed or even encouraged to come up with their own races and homeworlds. Known for a complex item production system which helps to simulate a “real” economy, PC craftsmen and merchants can play a significant role in the game without directly engaging in combat.
  • Mirror, Mirror
  • Seven Virtues
  • Valhalla is, as the name suggests, set in the Norse afterlife. It is a combat-heavy game that still manages to have an engaging and original plot, namely, that almost all of the Norse Gods have disappeared, and the PC's need to figure out why. Notable for it's one-day format, whereas most other Accelerant games take place over three days.
Tropes used in Accelerant (Roleplay) include: