To date White Wolf have published live action rules for four of their table top games, but they have yet to publish rules for Mage. Several groups have developed their own in house rules, in this instance the rules are a composite of rules that have been used for a couple of years by two groups in the UK.
To determine if a character can accomplish a task, a test is performed using the Scissors/Paper/Stone game. An impartial referee plays against you and if you win the test you succeed in the task. If you draw the test then you usually succeed if your character has a minimum level of competence. But if you lose the test then you fail the task, however your character might still succeed if their capabilities are high enough.
If two characters are working against each other, they test against each other to determine who succeeds. The winner of the test succeeds in their task against the other character, the character with the highest traits will also win in the case of a draw. However a character with sufficient traits may even succeed if the player lost the test.
There are other live action systems available, most were designed for large scale, live action, fantasy war games. One of the main failings of such systems is that the "rank and file" of characters have little, if any, effect upon the outcome. The Mind's Eye Theatre system appears to be particularly suited to the small scale, character driven games that are currently popular amongst table top role players.
Within the World of Darkness there are several "alternative" cultures that are only hinted at. There are supernatural cultures co-existing beside the mundane world; Vampires, Werewolves, Magi, Wraiths and Changelings. The characters portrayed within the World of Darkness games (table top and live versions) are members of one of these other worlds. For more information about these creatures you might like to visit some of the sites listed on the external information page.
Scissors/Paper/Stone
This is a simple game played between two people using gestures that represent
a pair of scissors, a sheet of paper or a stone. Each symbol beats one of the
other symbols and is in turn defeated by the other. On the count of three each
player presents one hand gesture to the other and then the symbols are
compared:
| Symbol | Beats | Is Beaten By |
|---|---|---|
| Scissors | Paper (scissors cut paper) | Stone (stone blunts scissors) |
| Paper | Stone (paper wraps stone) | Scissors (scissors cut paper) |
| Stone | Scissors (stone blunts paper) | Paper (paper wraps stone) |
Scissors are represented by holding out the hand with two fingers extended in a "V" shape, Paper has the hand held out flat, and Stone uses a clenched fist. In some instance special rules may introduce an additional symbol called Bomb, this is displayed as a clenched fist with the thumb extended. Scissors beats Bomb by cutting the fuse, but Bomb beats Paper and Stone. If Bomb can be used, you are required to declare this before the test occurs (but you don't have to use it!)
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