How the New Life Rule (NLR) works

The New Life Rule (NLR) is the second-most asked-about rule on Obey. Here's how it actually plays out in practice.

When does NLR trigger?

NLR triggers when one of two things happens:

• You bleed out and respawn at a hospital.
• A medic officially declares you DOA (Dead on Arrival).

If you get revived on scene, NLR doesn't fully trigger — but you have new RP obligations (see "Stage 1" and "Stage 2" below).

The Memory Wipe

When NLR triggers, your character forgets:

• Everything that led up to the death.
• The identity of the killer.
• Plans / conspiracies discussed in the scene.

You also can't return to the death location for 30 minutes. This is the rule that stops "I died, I logged in fresh, I went straight back to get revenge". It forces the world to keep moving.

The State Rule (Revivals)

If a paramedic gets to you fast enough, NLR doesn't fully trigger — but your behaviour after revival depends on which stage you'd reached.

Stage 1 — "On your side"

Revived early. You remember the event but must roleplay your injuries: hazy memory, physical pain, can't run for a while. Don't sprint back to the gunfight; your character was just dying ten seconds ago.

Stage 2 — "Flat-backed"

Revived from full unconsciousness. Major trauma. You forget all events leading up to being downed and must leave the scene immediately once treated. You may not re-engage in the ongoing scenario. The NHS scene becomes the next chapter, not the same one.

Why this exists

Without NLR, gunfights have no consequence. With NLR:

• Hospital scenes matter. Paramedics become protagonists.
• Revenge happens on a slow burn — through arrests, court, gangs, not the same evening.
• The map "resets" naturally as the dead person is barred from returning.

Common edge cases

• You ran out of the green zone after revival. That's fine — green-zone rule only applies to entering for safety, not leaving.
• You died but the killer's identity is on a body cam. PD can use it. You still don't know it.
• You were on a death-by-cop scene. Officers writing the report use what their character witnessed; if they only knew you as "suspect" the report says so.

Formal rule: 4.2 New Life Rule (NLR).