If a Referee 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.

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.