This is the single most important rule in this entire book.
Many things can happen while players are on the field. If you see anything that appears to be unsafe, you can call a Pause Game. To do this, you shout the word “Pause” as loudly as you can, and everyone in the vicinity will drop to one knee. If dropping to a knee is unsafe or the player cannot, they must instead stay very still and alert. You’ll probably also hear the call echo down the field so everyone hears it.
Dropping to one knee ensures that combat, and any movement occurring, is paused exactly where it’s at. Every player on Pause is expected to remain in place, on a knee (or sitting) and remain quiet for the duration of the Pause.
If a player, or players, realize that they are backing into a copse of trees or thorny bushes, a Pause can be called to reposition the group into a spot that is slightly further away from the trees giving the players a safer combat position. The same goes for moving towards buildings or something deemed a tripping or injury hazard. Effect Resolution
This usually happens when a large group of players are attempting to kill the “Big Bad” and the Monster is being inundated with more calls than the Cast can process. At that point, a Pause will be called to make sure all the damage is deflected or captured appropriately before moving on with the battle. This kind of Pause is mostly prevented by making sure your calls are loud, clear and you are taking your swings appropriately.
Sometimes, traps or special abilities might call for a Pause Game in order to resolve.
This is the kind of Pause we don’t like seeing IG, but accidents do happen, bees sting, etc, and this is exactly why we call Pause. Once it’s established by a second party it’s an actual medical need and not an IG Healing issue, “MEDIC!” should be called, and any one of our players or staff that is medically trained will come and address the issue. The Pause will last until the player and Medic have decided it is safe for them to return to game or be removed from the field.
To end a Pause Game, once all issues are resolved, a Marshal or otherwise appointed individual will loudly ask “Is there any reason for this Pause to continue?” If there is no affirmative response, you will hear someone call you to return to your last position. Once it appears everything is back as it was, someone will loudly call “3, 2, 1, LAY ON!” Combat then resumes as it was.
We try to keep Pauses as rare as possible as it can disrupt the game flow, but we know they are sometimes necessary. So please, keep them to a minimum, and only call them when they are truly needed. If you need simple rules clarifications during combat, there are other ways this can be addressed, and other players will happily assist.