If someone notices a potentially hazardous situation developing during combat, they may call “Hold!” to temporarily stop play and allow them to deal with the situation.

For example, if a combat is moving towards a barbed wire fence, a Referee may call Hold to stop the fighting, alert everyone to the danger once everyone has stopped moving, and ask all of the combatants to take 15 steps away from the fence, at which point they call “Game On!” to resume play.

Hold can also be called by players when they notice something that is unsafe out-of-game, such as a crush forming that poses a trample risk, or a downed player who may need medical attention.

If you hear the Hold call, stop fighting and put your hands in the air, and echo the call so that others around you know that a Hold is being called. Look around for what’s going on, and follow instructions from the nearest Referee until they call Game On.

If you feel that a Referee’s use of the Hold call would cause your character to die permanently, you may use the Deus Ex Machina call to exit the battlefield safely.