Maelstrom FAQ Last Draft before submission
Continuing the quest to make an FAQ, I present the final draft. I'll cross post this onto Rule 7 when it's gathered some more questions.
(edit: Have sent this across to PD. Thanks to everyone.
purplewizard,  PD's Head Yellow Cap, has sent me this note:
"Just so you know – we’ve gone through this and I am glad to say nearly every point that is connected to event rules in your FAQ is already cleared covered in the new third edition rulebook.

However due to our rules updating / streamlining / mangling there are several rules in the FAQ that will be clearly wrong once the new book comes out.

Just thought I would alert you to this fact! :-)"

General

 What is FOIP?
It stands for ‘Find out in Play’, it’s a bit like a ‘Spoiler warning’ on a movie review.
 Certain pieces of information are only available to players who learn them during the course of play. For example, most of the races have some sort of special ability, but the exact details of these are ‘find out in play’. Clues are given in the Almanac and other IC documentation, however.
Players are in the Maelstrom campaign are asked not to give away these potential “spoilers” to other players between events, hence the often used response ‘find out in play’.

I would like to join the Crew/NPC/Monster a Maelstrom event. How do I do that?
PD tends to avoid using players as NPC/Monster crew. There is no harm in asking (You need to ask Matt or another full time staff member) however.

 I can't tell the difference, IC, between an Eidolon and an Undead. Is this correct?

The minimum phys-rep requirement for both races is a soul symbol on the forehead. If your only criteria for identifying undead/eidolons are to look for a soul symbol, then yes, this is correct. Any other criteria Player Characters decide to use should be discovered in play.

Character Creation

I've got this really cool idea for a character but I don't know if it would fit into the setting/established background for the race and/or culture I intend to play. Who should I speak to in order to find out more?
Email: background@profounddecisions.co.uk

 Are Trade Houses like ‘Guilds’ in other games?
No, they are not. It’s more ‘the backing of a large global corporation’ than a guild.  The idea is to have diverse businesses protected by an umbrella organization. For example, Rimic Cappel handle money, which means that gambling dens, postal services, loan sharks and bookies would all benefit from being Rimici Cappel. If you are concerned about people telling you what to do, see that questions on Status below.

 I’m not sure if my group fits in with any of allegiances, should I just play Independent?
Try to avoid being an independent. The game is weighted in favour of the Churches, Colonies and Trade Houses, and those allegiances allow for a very wide variety of concepts and ideas. You will still be able to do what you want to do, and you’ll have access to things that independents don’t, which are designed to maximise your fun. If you really must, go for it, but if you aren’t sure, discuss it with background@profounddecisions.co.uk first.

Can I transfer my character from another system?

No.
  

Advantages

What does Status do, exactly?
Several things. It provides another advantage, based on culture (for example, Fidelians get one point of blessing per point of status). It also functions as how much ‘pull’ you have back home, which is useful when trying to get support from the Old World. In addition, the person with the highest status gets to say who is in charge. (Whether people listen to him is another matter though).

Do I have to do what a person with Status tells me to?
No. There is no rule that says you have to do what someone else tells you to.

 I've taken the Blessing background, what sort of thing can I suggest it does? Will I get penalized for being cheeky?
Anything that’s appropriate to the character and his faith. The Character Creation Booklet has guidelines on writing backgrounds. You will not be penalized for being cheeky, and a simple list of ‘things you’d like the blessing to do’ will do you no harm and give PD an idea of what you want.

A common mistakes is to ask for a power that allows someone to detect the truth or force people to tell it. For the most part, this is an inappropriate blessing. Another error is to submit a background with no connection to the characters professed faith, no sign of why they would be blessed, and no indication of what their blessing might be for.

Event Rules

I've had a really cool idea involving doing something that doesn't seem to be covered in the rules. Can I do it?
If it’s appropiate, check the description of your skill. Some skills have expanded descriptions of their abilities in the booking pack. If not, go see a ref. Either go to GOD, find a yellow capped Ref or use the ‘Phone-a-ref’ service. The campaign encourages experimentation.

 When do I tear a ‘tear-able’ lammie? Does it have to be as soon as I use it?
The earliest, sensible moment. For example, right in the middle of a fight isn’t practical or safe, but straight after the fight is. You should destroy ‘one-shot’ lammies like drugs and potions. (Talismans can be recharged, however). Remember not to litter.

OOC armbands- are they 'standard issue', do we have to buy them seperately from PD or can we provide our own?
An OOC armband should have been issued to every player upon attending their first event.

You can buy them from GOD for £1. Note that PD has ran out in the past ( Players tend to buy spares) and it's quite labour intensive for the PD volunteers to make them.  Feel free to make your own, or even make some to sell to players.

 If I don’t have an armband, what can I do to show I’m out of character.
If you are in an IC area, then your options are: To change into out of character clothing, or get consent from everyone in the area that you are OOC. Many players use hand signals, such as raising a hand in the air in some way, to indicate they are OOC, however, this is not an event rule and relies on the good will of other players. Please avoid using hand signals.

 What about ‘making a quick out of character comment?’
Try to avoid doing so, as it can break the mood for others within earshot. If you do need to say it, there's a good chance you can actually say the comment, or a variant of, IC. If you absolutely must, ask for prior consent from those near you. Remember, if you say something to someone OOC, they are allowed to use it IC. (They may not. It's just not against the rules for them to do so. It may be 'bad form', but it's allowed.)

 If you're negating a portion of a call (e.g. ignore mortal wound but take effect and damage) do you call "Negate" or "Negate mortal"?
You only need to call Negate. You can call more if it’ll make things easier, but negate is all you need.

Combat and Healing

 What are appropriate phys-reps for ‘Surgeons tools’?
Anything you can imagine being in a medieval/renaissance doctors medical bag. LRP safe knives and saws, bandages, pouches of herbs, jars full of leeches (rubber ones only please), etc.

 Can I staunch my own wounds if I'm mortally wounded?
 Only if you're neither debilitated or incapacitated, and capable of using both hands.

Can I staunch my own wounds if one of my hands is shattered or similiarly limited?

Yes, provided at least one of your hands could normally perform fine motor function (such as write, wield a weapon, or use a shield with that hand.)

How do I render someone unconcious? Is there a ‘Subdual’ system?
Not really. You can incapacitate someone by dropping their total hits to zero. An incapacitated character cannot talk, walk, or take any useful action whilst incapacitated. You can either lie comatose or scream incoherently in agony. Please note that the mortal blow ‘Stun’ means you cannot cast a spell, use a magical item, run, or attack for two seconds, and also follows the rules of a mortal (and thus potentially deadly) blow.

I've seen people count out execution actions, do I have to do that?
No, however you must role-play hacking the victim to pieces for thirty seconds, in a way that is obvious to all in the vicinity. When executing a character you must not make contact with the victim with your weapon, you should stop your blows just short.

What are the types of mortal blow?
They are listed comprehensively here: http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/rules/rules.asp?NavID=83

Is Coup-de-grace a mortal call?

There is no such thing as a 'mortal call'.

There are 'mortal blows' and 'mortal wounds'.

Coup de grace is not a mortal blow.

Coup de grace does cause a mortal wound.

How does Coup-de-grace work?
From the Rulebook: If you have a weapon safe phys-rep then you may perform a Coup De Grace on an incapacitated or unresisting character. No skill is required to perform a Coup- de-grace, you place the weapon on one shoulder of the incapacitated character, place your free hand on the other shoulder and give the call Coup De Grace in a clearly audible voice. Armour will not protect against this attack, nor is it affected by this attack. The victim of a Coup De Grace is mortally wounded and is bleeding to death. If they were already mortally wounded then the Coup De Grace has no additional effect.

You may perform a coup-de-grace with a loaded darkpowder weapon by touching the barrel of the weapon to the stomach or lower back of an incapacitated or unresisting character. If the weapon successfully discharges then you may call a coup de grace.

If Coup-de-grace causes a mortal wound, can use a talisman that resists mortal wounds to negate it?
Talismans that protect against mortal wounds will be effective against a mortal wound caused by a coup de grace.

Talismans that only protect against mortal blows will not protect against a coup de grace.

Can I call a Coup de Grace on myself while debilitated?
Yes you can do although second edition effectively implies you can't. They will fix this in 3rd edition.

 Can I call a Coup de Grace while I am Incapacitated?
No. You cannot talk, walk, or take any useful action whilst incapacitated. You can either lie comatose or scream incoherently in agony.

How does the Talisman "protection of blood and bone" interact with mortal calls?
The next time you are hit with a mortal call you call "Negate" to show that the mortal damage has been prevented. You must make the call clear enough that nearby players know you have made it. You do not begin bleeding to death and do not need to start your death count. You do take the damage and any other effects from the mortal such as being disarmed or knocked down.

 What about activating a talisman or drink a potion while either debilitated or incapacitated.
Talismans cannot be activated by a character who is incapacitated or debilitated. Potions can be drunk whilst debilitated, but not incapacitated, as an incapacitated person cannot swallow. Other alchemical preparations do not need to be swallowed.

 What exactly does "Unresisting" mean?
Needs an answer

Can you do unarmed fighting (without claws) as long as you're careful and call "Zero"? E.g. slapping/punching someone in the face. Or is it considered to be unsafe to even mime?
Doing this kind of thing is completely unsupported by PD.

 However, if the other person is agrees to engage in "brawling" activity (ie: You've asked them quietly OC before-hand), one can quite easily mime such actions. One system that some players use is to obviously mime such actions (eg: a slap to the face) making sure they are far enough away as not to actually hit the other person and quietly stating what their are doing (eg: "Slap"). Needless to say, such actions are always calls of ZERO and can't inflict Mortal Wounds or COUP DE GRACE. If you both agree not to call do damage, there is no need to call it.

If you wish to engage in this kind of thing, you must be sure that the other person involved is fine with it OC, and that it's somewhere where it will be safe to do so (ie: in the middle of a big melee would be a really bad idea, but when you're having a row in a private tent it might be OK). Please bear in mind that this is inherently a more unsafe activity than normal LARP and PD do not support it. If you end up going to the First Aid Tent afterwards, it’s your own fault.

Contrabando

What phy-reps do you advice for contrabando X?
ou don't need to be exact about the qualities of the phys rep - that's why the lammy says an exact description. One cheap and cheerful solution is to use small paper 'sweetie bags', with sweets in them, folded and sealed.

Deity Stuff

If my blessing turns out to be entirely inappropriate can I get it changed?
Often, yes. If possible, it helps the creative team if you give them a clear idea what sort of thing you'd like and what would be inappropiate. (For example, if you've no interest in Downtime, then a downtime related blessing is a bad choice.)

When you pray, does the prayer go to your god at the moment you phys rep the prayer? E.g. If I am about to be killed, can I mutter a quick prayer as the knife goes down?
Yes. You may submit a final 'death' prayer provided you've had time to do it before your character died, though it’s likely to be short EG: 'Oh god, I will be with you soon'. The prayer should be submitted at the same time you go to GOD to inform them that you have died.

Can I submit a prayer in downtime?
Yes send them to: prayers@profounddecisions.co.uk

 My character prays every day, do I have to send an email every day?
No, don’t do that. A simple statement on your prayer saying ‘I pray everyday’ will suffice.

What sort of thing should I pray about?
Useful prayers are filled with information that is likely to be of interest to the deity. Remember that a prayer is an in-character action and is dealt with in an in-character way.

Does spelling matter?
The clearer and easier to read you can make your prayer, the better.

Trade

Can I make and sell 'unlammied' stuff, like food or posters?
Yes, but the usual rules of Health and Safety apply, as does common sense. The event rules also apply. For example: It would inappropriate to sell cans of drink as they are too modern, but bottles of drink  with campaign appropriate labels on is fine.

Downtime

How do I get to place 'b' from place 'a'?
You need to select the following:

 Add Action -> Act at Location -> [Select Location] -> Move to [Location]. This move action will take 1 day. You can also do the same thing with actions like Preach, Protect, Sabotage and spy. If you do not have the location on your list, you need to get someone who is at that location to invite you to go there, using the ‘co-ordinate action’ option.

 Why am I in [arbitrary place]? In what way do various actions (teaching, studying Act At Location etc.) effect where my character is during DT?
It will affect the currency used to produce goods, and the kind of rumours you will hear in downtime.

 I'm in [insert place here] and I don't know where it is!! How do I find out?
Ask people during play, or look on the ‘New World Map’ in the campaign section of the website.

 Can I trade unlammied stuff in downtime the same way I can trade crops?
Not really. It counts as ‘roleplaying’ and is similar to sending letters home. You won’t get rich doing it, but it may generate an interesting response from the people in the Known World.

 How do I get letters from home?
In short, by interacting with the campaign, and interacting with people with status and by sending letters home.

 What sort of thing should I put in a letter home?
Anything you want. If you’re expecting anything more than basic interaction with an NPC, then you’ve got to give a little to get a little.

 How do I send letters home?
You need to find a ship’s captain who is going to the place you’re sending the letter to. They need to put it in their downtime ‘baggie’ at the end of the event.

 Can I send a letter home via Email?
The same rules apply. You need to find a ships captain who is going to the place you’re sending the letter to, and they need to email your letter to downtimes@profounddecisons.co.uk