New to Numina

FAQ

These are the questions that come up again and again, gathered from years of people asking them. Where another page on this site already answers something properly, this one gives you the short version and points you there rather than keeping a second copy that will eventually disagree with the first.

Rules answers here reflect the current rulebook, which was substantially rewritten in January 2026. If something you read elsewhere contradicts this, the rulebook and staff win.

Before your first event

Is this game 18+?

Yes. Numina is an adults-only game.

Do I need to know the whole rulebook before I show up?

No, and nobody expects you to. The Accelerant core rules are deliberately small and everything else is built on top of them. Learn the safety calls and roughly what to do when something hits you, and let the rest arrive as it comes up. The Combat Quick Reference is one page and covers most of what you need in the moment.

Should I play a character or come as an NPC first?

Either works, and plenty of people do the second. NPCing costs nothing, needs no costume or character, and shows you the game from the inside. See NPCing.

What should I bring?

See What to Pack. The short version is that if you would wear it to a Renaissance faire you are fine, and you do not need to own a weapon before your first event.

Can I play a villain, or fight other players?

No. Numina III is player-versus-environment: the antagonists are staff’s to provide. Characters with an edge are welcome, criminals are welcome, redemption arcs are welcome, and villains belong on the NPC side. The full reasoning is on Characters.

Signing up and paying

Where do I register, and is registering the same as paying?

Registration happens at numina.lorelogic.info, and no — registering and paying are two separate steps. You can be registered and still owe money. When you pay in advance, put the payment reference into your registration record so staff can match the two up.

What does it cost and how do I pay?

See Quick Reference, which covers the fee, meals, and payment methods.

Can I cancel or transfer my registration to a different event?

Usually yes, handled case by case. Ask staff rather than assuming, and ask early rather than the week of.

Someone gifted me a registration — how does that work?

Registration can be paid for by someone else, but you still have to register yourself. If a payment covers more than one person, the note on it needs to name everyone it is covering, or staff cannot tell who has paid.

When are next year’s dates announced?

Camp Horizons dates are usually known well ahead. Prince William Forest Park books through a park-wide lottery shared with other groups, so those dates often are not confirmed until after New Year’s. Check the official site rather than assuming last year’s pattern holds.

Discord and getting help

How do I get the Discord channels I need?

Set your display name to “Real Name/Character Name”, then message a staff member and ask for the player or NPC role. This is a manual step someone has to do for you, it is not automatic, and it is the single most commonly missed thing new players run into. Culture channels are opt-in separately by reacting to a pinned post.

Which channel should I ask in?

Roughly: new-player questions in the new-player channel, anything you want a citable official answer to in the staff-questions channel, and rules back-and-forth in the rules channel. The rules channel is faster and more argumentative; the staff channel is slower and authoritative. For anything about registration or the database, use the database channel.

I asked staff a question and haven’t heard back. Is that normal?

Give it about three days. Staff are volunteers, and the week after an event and the week before one are both much slower than usual. If it has been longer than that, asking again is fine and not rude.

Who do I email for what?

The full routing list is on Quick Reference.

At the event

What are the cabins like? Can I tent instead?

Cabins are rustic, bunks with camp mattresses, and you bring your own bedding. No tent camping at either site. See Day in the Life.

What if I have a medical condition or mobility limits?

Accommodations are handled case by case, so tell staff in advance rather than hoping it works out on the day. Worth knowing: there is no professional medical staff on site. Bring what you need for your own care, including enough of any medication for a weekend away from a pharmacy. Medical devices do not need an in-fiction excuse — nobody will ask you to explain your insulin pump in character.

If you cannot kneel or get to the ground, ask plot about the standing rest posture — arms raised, hands behind the head — which does the same job.

Is there a non-combat option?

Yes, several. Non-combatants are marked with a glow necklace so nobody swings at them. There are also roles inside a fight that involve no fighting: scouting, running messages, and hauling the wounded out are all real contributions. See Community & Etiquette.

What kind of packets does my event use?

This differs by site — one uses birdseed and the other uses small pellets. It matters if you are making your own, so check before you build a batch.

Will I get my packets back?

Not reliably. Everything on the ground gets swept up together and redistributed. Do not put your only set of anything into a fight, and if you want a specific prop back, ask during a lull rather than mid-combat.

Is there a lost and found?

Yes. Ask at logistics or check-out. Putting your name on your gear makes this work far better than it otherwise does.

Can I set up a shop or merchant stall?

Ask staff first. In-game merchanting is a real thing people do, but it needs clearing in advance, especially if real money changes hands.

How do I handle something out-of-game mid-scene?

There is no out-of-game state, so the game has tools for this instead: the safety calls above, and the community habit of stepping to the edge of the scene in character rather than announcing you are leaving. See Day in the Life.

Your character and the database

Where do I build my character?

Registration and character building currently live in two different systems while the game migrates between them. Register at numina.lorelogic.info; if a link seems broken or a feature seems missing, that is usually the migration rather than something you did wrong. Ask in the database channel.

Do I need to send staff my character sheet before my first event?

No. Build it in the database and staff will have it.

Where does my backstory go, and is it worth anything?

Either upload it to your character’s Attachments tab in the database or email it to the history address on Quick Reference — both reach staff. It is worth bonus Character Points, so it is one of the cheapest ways to start with a slightly stronger character.

My sheet won’t let me remove a skill, only add one. What do I do?

Email the character-sheet address and ask to be unlocked. This is reportedly the single most common request staff get, so you are not doing anything wrong and you are not bothering anybody.

Do I get a free rewrite if I hate my build?

You get one free rewrite. Respecs after that are still possible, they are just not free.

Do I keep my Character Points through a database or rulebook change?

Yes. Earned CP carries over on top of the starting baseline. Rewrites of the rulebook have historically come with free respecs for anyone whose skills were affected, so if a change invalidates something you bought, ask rather than eating the loss.

Info skills and research

This is the most-asked mechanic in the game and the one least covered elsewhere, so it gets a little more room.

What are info skills, for someone who has never used one?

They are the mechanism for asking questions between events. You submit a question against a topic you have access to, and you get an answer back before or during the next event — sometimes as a plain answer, sometimes delivered in game as a letter or a rumor.

How many do I get?

Two per event, and that limit is enforced. True Sight sits outside that count and is limited to one per event on its own.

Where do my research topics come from?

From your culture, your Foundation, and your crafting skills — not from the Research skill itself. Buying Research without having any topics gets you nothing to ask about. If you have no culture, you have no culture topic. Some skills add a topic of their own.

I have two cultures. Do I get two submissions?

They are separate submissions, and each one counts against your two.

Can I send a letter for somebody else, or to an NPC I’ve never met?

No. Courier requires that you have personally met the recipient, or that the topic is on your own sheet. You cannot borrow someone else’s contacts.

Can my letters be intercepted in game?

No, unless staff has deliberately built that into a plot. This is a general rule specifically so nobody has to play paranoid about their own mail.

What happens if I submit something and then miss the event?

It rolls over at no cost. You do not lose it and you do not get an extra one.

When do answers come back?

Usually the week of the event, with staff aiming for midweek. Research answers are impartial and ignore your character’s reputation; Courier answers come from a person, and people have opinions.

What does “Imbued” mean on an info skill?

It means the answer comes with a mechanical effect attached rather than just information — you will be handed an effect card along with it.

Rules questions

Short answers to the ones that come up most. The governing text is in the Core Rules, and the one-page version is the Combat Quick Reference.

Does my shield block spell packets?

No. Shields and weapons block melee and missile attacks, including arrows. A packet that hits your shield still affects you. Rule of thumb: if the thing coming at you was launched from a prop, it is a missile and you can block it; if it came out of a hand, it is a packet and you cannot.

Can I block with a staff, or another prop that isn’t a weapon?

No. If a non-weapon prop gets hit, the hit counts as landing on you.

What order does damage come off, and does armor stack?

Armor first, then Protection, then Vitality. Armor caps out regardless of how many sources you have, so stacking beyond the cap does nothing. Protection cannot be healed or repaired and replaces rather than adds to what you have.

Which weapon combinations are legal?

This is the most persistent argument in the game, so precisely: a buckler is held in the hand and never strapped, which means no buckler with a two-hander. Spear-and-shield is not a legal combination — your options there are spear alone, spear with a buckler, or a one-handed weapon with a spear. You still need the underlying skill for whatever combination you are using; a style skill does not substitute for it.

Are bucklers and shields “weapons” for skills?

Generally no, which is why skills that enhance weapons do not apply to them, and why Destroy Shield exists as its own call. A shield straps to your arm; a buckler does not, so a plain Destroy takes a buckler the way it takes a weapon. Claws are never affected by Destroy Shield.

Can Thread Skills boost a Grant, or a crafted item?

No. This is the single most common rules misunderstanding in the game. Thread Skills apply to skills, not to Grants, not to crafted items, and not to effects that did not come from a skill.

What counts as a “spell”?

Any packet attack, and any beneficial effect delivered by touch. By default you need both hands free apart from the packet, though a handful of named skills explicitly let you cast with a weapon or shield in hand.

How hard am I allowed to swing?

Lightly. Contact should be a tap. Hard enough to move somebody’s shield is too hard here regardless of what is normal at other games, and you are expected to show a full swing arc rather than machine-gunning short pokes. See Community & Etiquette.

Are thrown weapons or Nerf darts legal?

Packets and approved foam props only. Nerf darts are not permitted.

Silence stops my casting — does Maim?

They stop different halves. Silence blocks the spoken component; Maim affects the physical one.

I got hit with Double Maim. Which limbs?

A melee or missile strike maims the limb it hit. A packet lets you choose, unless the verbal names the limb. Effects do not stack on the same limb, and one Cure clears one Maim.

How long does a Death Strike take?

Three seconds of uninterrupted contact while counting it out at a normal speaking pace, against a target who is genuinely unable to move. Step away or strike the weapon and it is cancelled.

Can NPCs lie to me?

Yes, most of them. The exceptions are impartial research answers and anything delivered with “Let Me Clarify”, which is an out-of-game guarantee that what follows is true.