I Want To Play!
What To Expect At An Event
Whether you Registered Online or just dropped by, this is a quick guide to what you can expect at your first PORTAL event and what to do when you first arrive!
Check In
You have arrived at Camp! Welcome, Please Proceed to Check-In!
Check In locations are noted for each individual event in that Event's Information and will be well signed at the location.
If you have a white headband, (don't worry if you don't) please put it on and proceed to the Check-In location.
Logistics personnel will greet you at the Check-In table and walk you through each step of the New Player Process!
Do I Need A Costume?
More Info
One requirement for whatever you’ll be playing: Bring a comfortable shoe or boot.
If you are NPCing the whole time, your costuming, weapons, armor and makeup will all be provided for you.
If you are PCing (playing your character) you should purchase your costuming ahead of time. Your costuming doesn't need to be expensive or complicated, check out the Costuming Page for inspiration and information!
While PORTAL strives to have as much costuming and accessories available for sale at each event, our supplies are currently limited.
PORTAL prefers medieval, period looking costuming and footwear; but don't forget, comfort rules the day when it comes to an active day or weekend of adventuring at PORTAL!
How Much Does the Event Cost?
More Info
Each Event Cost varies and is listed next to each event on the Events Page.
NPC's play for FREE. Costuming, weapons makeup, and accessories are provided by PORTAL.
You MUST bring your own footwear and undergarments!
There is a limit to the amount of people who can NPC at each event so register as early as possible to secure your spot!
Full Weekend Events are often around $90 per person (Friday evening-Sunday afternoon play), sleeping accommodations are included.
Food is available on-site at all Full Weekend Events and is available as an addition to your event cost as a bundle or a la carte.
Food typically averages out around $12 per meal.
Healthy & sinful snacks and beverages are also plentiful and available a la carte!
You may use PORTAL Cash to offset the cost of your event at 1 PORTAL Cash per $1 dollar (cap of $40 per full weekend pass)
Is There An Age A Requirement?
You must be over the age of 18 to attend a PORTAL event!
What is Membership and why is it free for the first event?
More Info
PORTAL Membership is $20 and helps to offset the cost of player insurance and organization fees.
Everyone must be a PORTAL Member to play, but PORTAL does not require your Membership to be paid until your second event.
Membership Forms are available at every event!
Roleplaying | Medieval Fantasy | Combat | Magic
What is PORTAL, how do we all “play this game” and what am I going to experience?!
↓
Role-Playing
However you are choosing to experience PORTAL, whenever you are playing the game, you will be Role-Playing!
What does this really mean for me?
When you are at PORTAL, In Game, you get to spend all day (and sometimes all night) being your character; making decisions, having conversations, adventuring, planning, living and dying as the character you have created would.
Learn More About How To Create Your Character
You get to do all of the same things as an NPC & RNPC, but these characters motives and actions are under the direction of PORTAL.
Oftentimes, these characters are monsters that you cannot play as a Player Character, affording NPCs & RNPCs the opportunity to experience Portal in a completely new way!
New Player Training
Every new player will get to experience New Player Training as part of their introduction to the amazing world of PORTAL and Telemere, the In Game world which awaits you.
Here you will quickly learn the rudiments of all the basics you need to play the game!
This includes but is not limited to: Common Terminology | Combat Training & Certification | Magic | Injury, Death, Dying, & Resurrection |
After New Player Training, (at In Game Events) you will be guided on your first adventure as an NPC so you can enjoy your first PORTAL experience with other new & experienced players (without worrying about killing your new character)!
Go have fun!
When you return, you can either go play your Player Character or continue to NPC/RNPC!
Adventuring
At our In Game events you are able to spend all day in your character, interacting with the other people of Telemere or embarking on a grand adventure!
Grab a drink at the Tavern and discuss the matters of the day, make new acquaintances and catch up with your old friends. Gamble the day away, battle your enemies or toil towards your goals, all of the choices are always yours!
All Player Characters (PCs) begin game as First Level Adventurers!
Adventurers share a special place in all the societies of the world.
In Valoria, almost all titles and stations have been bestowed upon powerful adventurers that have proven their loyalty and value to the Duke.
Adventurers are those special few that have chosen to follow different paths to the same ends, the myriad and often perilous journeys where adventure awaits.
Adventurers are typically the type of people that want, desire, or need….something, and are willing to go and do something about getting what they want!
Adventuring is about getting up and doing something!
Go help, go thwart, go study, go create, go cower in a corner; at PORTAL you have the opportunity to live very intense moments, very intentionally.
The Rules
Not every player will at all times know every skill and every single rule, PORTAL does not expect them to.
However, you are required to adhere to the Out Of Game Rules of the Organization as well as the In Game Rules at all times.
Here are some important examples:
The Hold Rule
More Info
The most important combat rule is the Hold Rule, a pause in gameplay, which can be invoked by any player at any time.
What Happens When You Call a Hold
If you hear the cry of “Hold” you should repeat it at once, and then stop any action you are involved in.
When someone calls the word “Hold,” you should stop what you are doing immediately, and stay exactly where you are.
Do not leave the spot you are safely standing on; even innocent shuffling around may cause inadvertant advantage, so please stay still and quite. Do not have any conversation during a Hold, In Game or Out Of Game, unless it relates to the specific reason why the Hold was called.
How to Call a Hold
To call a Hold, say/shout “Hold” loud enough for everyone in your encounter area to hear.
If you are ever uncertian about how loud to speak, then always speak louder. For instance, large battles may require you to shout since your encounter area is an entire battlefield. If you hear the cry of “Hold” you should repeat it at once, and then stop any action you are involved in.
In combat situations, be sure your opponent has recognized the Hold before dropping your guard.
When the reason for a Hold has been resolved, the player who called the Hold or a Marshal should call “Three, two, one... LAY ON”.
The game then resumes from where it left off.
In Game vs Out of Game
More Info
Formal Definition: You are In Game when you are interacting with the game world of PORTAL, you are Out Of Game when you are not interacting with the game world, whether you are attending to some logistical necessity such as tag exchange, a personal errand such as going to the bathroom, or the ultimate disappointment: the event is over until next time.
The game is better if you stay In Game as much as possible.
Try to keep out-of -game comments to a minimum. Remember, the more fully you immerse yourself in your character during the game, the more fun you, and those around you, will have with your character.
If The Rules Do Not Say You Can, You Cannot
More Info
The First Rule
If a skill, spell or other rule does not explicitly state you can do something, then you cannot do it.
For example, the Giant Strength spell does not say you can use it to leap greater distances, therefore, no matter how creative you may be in trying; you cannot leap with a Giant Strength spell.
Another example, the Slay skill says nothing about being used to break an object such as a door. During game play your character wants to get into a room behind a closed door. You cannot use one of your purchases of the Slay skill to break down the door.
PC | NPC | RNPC
PCing (Playing Your Character)
As a PC (player character), you get to make all the choices and decisions involving your character!
You are in charge of, and responsible for, the totality of all of your character’s decisions and actions.
You are free to act however you wish within the framework of PORTAL’s rules and procedures. This is your opportunity to create a character and interact with anyone in any way that suits your desires.
In Game actions have In Game consequences, so please take into consideration that other characters' desires and intentions may be different from yours during your adventures!
You should expect to be as involved as you want.
Very few things happen to those that sit and wait.
NPC
NPCing (Not Playing Your Character)
As an NPC (non player character), you will have the opportunity to play FOR FREE many different characters, classes, and professions, each with varying roles, cultures and experiences!
You will be based Out of Game in the NPC Area, and provided with everything that you will need to play the NPC’s that you are assigned, except for footwear, you must bring your own!
NPC’s are often given as many choices as possible, but ultimately the totality of all the the NPC’s decisions and actions are controlled by the Marshal that assigns you your role.
Outside of the parameters dictated by your NPC Character Booklet or given by the Marshal, there is no improvisation or self direction allowed.
There are always opportunities for vast amounts of fun in any NPC part!
RNPC
RNPCing (Recurring NPC)
As an RNPC (Recurring Non Player Character) you get to the chance to experience playing an NPC character that you help create and play!
You and an NPC Marshal will work together to create a unique NPC just for you.
Your RNPC will ultimately be under Portal control, and must be portrayed according to the RNPC card that you are assigned. The guidelines and boundaries that apply to your RNPC will be in your RNPC character booklet.
Within those guidelines and boundaries, you will be able to chart the course that your RNPC takes in any way you desire.
Your RNPC will receive build for each time you play that particular RNPC.
Spend that build to develop your RNPC as you play over time as you strive towards your given overall goals and objectives.
Full Events
Events from Friday evening thru Sunday afternoon. Some events run even longer!
On-site sleeping accommodations are available.
Game play is continuous throughout the weekend until it is “called” (over), typically on Sunday afternoon.
Immerse yourself into Telemere and the world of your character, day thru night; consider going to bed with your sword or spell packets under your pillow… just in case!
Character Creation Days
Come Create A Player Character and learn everything you want to know at our Character Creation Days: Single day gatherings that often occur on weekends!
Overnight sleeping available.
No storyline/roleplaying development.
Mingle with friends new and old, make skill choices, learn how to make weapons & garb, plan your character’s future, learn combat & spar in the woods, practice your verbals, learn the camp & come have FUN!
A social gathering where you can Create your Character, explore, learn and register for the next event IN PERSON!!
More About Roleplaying
You have complete control over your own character, you decide how your character feels, speaks, acts, lives, and dies; you are only subject to the rules of the game.
Your character could become the greatest hero to ever stride across the world, or the most wicked creature ever to have slinked in the shadows, depending on what YOU want to do and how well you tend to your desires.
Go help, go thwart, go study, go create, go cower in a corner; at PORTAL, you have the opportunity to live very intense moments, very intentionally.
At PORTAL, the characters effect the storylines and vice versa. PC’s have a dynamic and interactive relationship with what happens in the world of Telemere. You MATTER!
While you are playing (aka In Game), try to “be” your character.
When you see a player in a goblin mask, picture them as an actual monster; when your character is surrounded by enemies and all hope is lost, act valiantly or plead for mercy as your character would do. This should be applied to every character type, NPCs, RNPCs and PCs alike!
When your character’s limb is broken, try to act as if you’ve had your limb broken.
Your ability to interact in the game as your character is what makes the game fun to play and is what will make other players want to interact with your character.
Remember always – for good or for ill – In Game actions have In Game consequences.
More About Roleplaying
In a Live Action Role-Playing game, you take up the part of a character, performing all of the actions that character performs.
There are no buttons to push to determine the outcome of a battle and no dice to be rolled to determine if you can move quietly.
You, the player, must sneak around, fight the battles, and be aware of your surroundings; engage your senses, utilize your body and mind to achieve your goals!
When a character attempts to do something that the player cannot (such as swim across a raging river) there are Marshals to determine the outcome.
The Marshals supervise the world in which the players’ characters live. The rules of PORTAL help the Marshals decide what is and isn’t possible.
When there is a discrepancy, the Marshals will step in to settle the issue and resolve the situation.
Experiencing PORTAL – Playing The Game!
Unlike most games, winning and losing is a much more complex concept in a roleplaying game.
We believe that anyone who experiences PORTAL and has fun, has won!
There is no point in PORTAL where the game ends because someone has accomplished their goal.
Like in real life, each character will have a set of goals they hope to accomplish, defined solely by that character. While you set about attaining your goals, everyone else is attempting to do the same.
One character may hope to accumulate large amounts of money, another may hope to become a Guildmaster, and another may aspire to become the most feared assasin of all time. All of these are acceptable goals and the game is not won or lost for your character until you decide it is.
Every PORTAL Experience, Adventure & Event is an opportunity to continue your own story and to help others continue theirs, all while the In Game world continues to develop and grow.
Whether you are there or not, the game, it’s stories and characters live and continue to progress.
How often you play is up to you!
The Setting: A Breathtaking Immersion
Trout Creek Wilderness Lodge
Almost 200 acres of private trails and adventuring!
Located in Molalla, OR |Under an hour from downtown Portland!
Food, Delicious Food!
Meals are a source of pride at PORTAL, we seek out the most natural and nourishing ingredients and carefully plan our menus in concert with our players needs.
Drinks & snacks are important too, and always available for purchase at the Tavern Bar.
Meals should be affordable! $10 /per person a la carte for: Breakfasts, Dinners, & Brunches!
Feasts are $15 /per person a la carte.
Meals are $40/ per person bundled with your Online Registration for a 3 Day, In Game Event which includes:
Friday Dinner
Saturday Breakfast
Saturday Feast
Sunday Brunch
Friday Dinners are a one plate meal. Saturday Feasts are elaborate and festive occasions where everyone gathers around at the same time to gab and gobble, cultural experiences abound and the food is commensurately more sumptuous...plus dessert is included!
We have run Inns across the country and cooked for hundreds of people at monthly LARP events for years, we are no strangers to amazing eats!
Accommodations
Rustic Cabins, Teepee Living, A Bed at the Inn, Tent Camping & More!
So many options to play & stay; Register early to secure your favorite spots!
The Story: The World of Telemere
Settled & Wild, Telemere is much like the people who inhabit her.
Jutting mountain peaks meet fertile valley plains, adventurers & townsfolk crash through existence to create this wonderful world we all call Telemere!
Welcome Home!
The Duchy of Valoria
Located in a lush, fertile valley, Valoria is a Duchy of The Lithian Empire, which controls vast swaths of Telemerian lands & peoples.
Valoria is our city, proudly protected by her fierce adventurers!
Who is in charge?
The Political Structure of Telemere
By far the most common system of government throughout most of the known world is feudal.
The most powerful political personages in the realm are the Kings, Queens, Emperors, & Empresses of their respective Kingdoms & Empires.
Their word is law and all things belong to them.
Beneath them are their respective Dukes and Duchesses. Their authority is projected through vassals, to the barons directly beneath them, then to the lords of the smallest rural holdings.
Oaths of absolute loyalty, fealty, and service are sworn to the Duke & Duchess by their Barons. The Barons & Baronesses receive similar oaths from their subordinates and this continues in an unbroken chain down to the Vassals of the lowest Lords & Ladies.
The Towns & Taverns
New in town or just plain thirsty?
Stick near the tavern to sate your tastebuds and quell your curiosities about the land of Telemere and this strange town you find yourself in...
Guilds
The Guilds of Telemere are associations of people from the same trade or industry that come together to share and protect their business interests and secrets from competitors.
They also aid each other by policing and working to improve their crafts.
Cultural Norms
Cultural Norms Blurb
Fantasy Reigns
Magic Is Here!
The orcs attack! The clash of steel against steel rings out as your warriors battle against the monsters.
You stand behind the fighters, an incantation at the tip of your lips, as you watch for an opportunity.
There is a break in the ranks as one of the fighters steps back momentarily.
You recite an arcane phrase and a ball of flame forms about your hand. You cast the Fireball at the orc and the your enemy screams in pain as flames envelop it;
you are powerful!
Harness The Power
There are higher powers in the world, diametrically opposed to one another.
Their eternal fight has raged across the land, continues to this day, and will most likely continue to the end of time.
In these modern days, the war is fought by the followers of the Higher Powers; do you possess the faith?
Character Booklet
In your Character Booklet you will find your name, your character’s name, and a list of all the permanent abilities that your character has.
Your Character Booklet represents all the abilities that are inseparable from your character!
For example, your character will always be an Elf, always knows Rank 3 Ice Magic, and always knows how to wield a small weapon.
The blank pages of your Character Booklet are used to record all of the temporary and permanent changes made to your character during an Event.
If your character learns a new skill, the teacher writes the name of the skill and their player number and initials on the back of the card. If you go through a module, the Build Points awarded are noted by a Marshal on the back of the card.
Temporary changes that occur should also be noted on the blank spaces provided. Such changes include but are not limited to: changes in Body Points from damage and healing, latent spell defenses and Racial Abilities.
When you receive your booklet at the Logistics area, check that all the Build Points and abilities that you gained at your previous event are included on the booklet.
If you do not have your Character Booklet with you, you cannot play!
Monsters
Goblins | Orcs | Undead | …100+ Monsters
Common Monsters
Adventurers can often expect to encounter Orcs & Goblins, Zombies, Skeletons, & Ghouls just outside (and sometimes inside) of Valoria.
Action lurks around many corners!
Dark in Disguise
Those who don’t appear to be monsters but are!
Your fellow adventurers or even “townsfolk” can often be much more or even much less dangerous than they seem!