New Player Guide

What Is Live Roleplaying?How Do You Do It?How Does Fighting Work?Is It Difficult?Is Help Available?Who Does It?Will I Enjoy It?What Do I Need?Can My Character Be Anybody?

What is Live Roleplaying?

Roleplaying just means assuming or acting out a particular role. In live roleplaying (often abbreviated to LRP or LARP), we take on a character for the enjoyment of playing the role alongside other players. One of the best ways to understand live roleplaying is to look at the similarities and differences with related hobbies.

Roleplaying games

In online roleplaying games and tabletop roleplaying games players create a character who can explore the setting and interact with other characters in the game. The world is usually filled with challenges and dangers for the characters to overcome.

Live roleplaying is similar but it is all done for real. You dress, speak, and act as the character you have created once the game begins.

Empire has more in common with popular MMOs like EVE Online. The foundation of the game lies in the activities and relationships between the characters rather than in a single overarching story spun by a game master.

Acting

In the theatre, actors embody the character that they're playing for the entertainment of an audience. When on stage, they stay in-character, either following the script, or improvising their lines as needed.

In live roleplaying, you are both actor and audience, improvising lines for your own character and witness to the actions of the other participants in the game. There's no script - rather there's a shared understanding of the kind of things that might happen in the game, and a detailed setting that provides a framework and prompts for your characterisation.

Everyone is roleplaying together, so the only audience is the other players. It doesn't matter how much experience you have, nobody is judging you and you can take a break in the out-of-game area at any time.

How Do You Do It?

When you are live roleplaying you simply pretend to be your character; you speak and act for your character. Unlike other roleplaying games, you never describe what your character is doing, instead you just attempt the action. If you want to challenge another character to a duel, you must call them out, then draw your sword and try to strike your opponent with it.

At Empire, we strive to make the imaginary world feel as real as possible for all participants. We ask players to try to avoid references to the real world and instead remain in their chosen role as much as possible. Our goal is to make the experience feel truly immersive for everyone.

How Does Fighting Work?

Many live roleplaying games involve physical combat, with players using latex weapons to actively fight against other participants. Each game has it's own rules to provide a framework for fighting so that you know what to do if you get hit.

At Empire, there are opportunities to take part in thrilling large-scale battles that complement the social and political conflict of the event. Our new player team schedule an opportunity to try out combat before the event starts, which is highly recommended if you have never done live roleplay fighting before. It only takes a few minutes to learn, and plenty of players will be happy to help you pick it up.

All our combat is done for real, so if you take part in one or more of the fights then you'll be trying to hit your opponents with your weapon and they will be trying to hit you. Everyone has to pull their blows so that they land with as little force as possible but there is always a risk of bruising or injury for those who choose to fight.

What If My Character Dies?

It's quite unusual for your character to die unexpectedly in Empire, but it can happen if you go on a battle. But don't worry if it does, you can create a new character at any point during the event and we'll help you get back into the game as quickly as possible. The easiest thing to do is to make a new character in the same nation or even group as before, especially if you die unexpectedly in the middle of an event, but you can use character death as an opportunity to try another part of the game if you are feeling adventurous.

It's quite normal to experience powerful emotions when your character dies, so if you do create a new character at an event you can amend it later once you've had a little time to think about it.

Do I Have To Fight?

Fighting can be exhilarating but it's not for everyone. Many Empire players choose to avoid combat altogether, preferring to focus on the social and political side of the game. Although you can never be certain what will happen to your character, most people who attend our events have little trouble avoiding combat if they make an effort to do so.

Is It Difficult?

No - anyone can live roleplay and enthusiasm is more important than experience. If you can pretend to be someone else then you can live roleplay.

Live roleplaying has rules just like any game, but we've designed the rules of Empire to be as straightforward and simple to learn. Experienced players are understanding with new players who are still learning the rules and the setting so don’t be put off if you can’t remember all the details.

Everything you need to know to play Empire, the rules and a complete description of the setting, is available on our wiki.

Is Help Available?

We have a dedicated team of volunteers to help new players get the most out of Empire. They are there to answer any questions you have and to offer advice and guidance to help you start playing the game. You can email the new player team at any time before the event starts.

To help new players find their feet we arrange several meetings just for you, on the Friday before the game starts. The meetings give you a chance to ask questions, meet other new players, and hear members of the team explain how to get the most out of your weekend. There's even a chance to try your hand at fighting for the first time.

There are members of our crew, called egregores in each nation camp who are there to help players at the event. Their main focus is helping new players get started as your first event can be pretty bewildering. Each egregore has a radio, so if they can't help you or answer your question then they can find the right member of our volunteer team who will be able to help.

You will also find that other players can be very helpful. We have an incredibly welcoming community as most live roleplayers love to help new players discover the hobby. The community created the special phrase “I'm new to Anvil” that your character use to let others know that you're a new player. Most of our existing players will give you extra help and support if your character slips that into conversation with them.

Who Does It?

Live roleplaying appeals to all kinds of people and everyone is welcome at Empire. We welcome participants of every gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and background. We've explicitly designed the Empire setting to try to provide equal roleplaying opportunities for everyone regardless of identity and we have strict conduct rules to try to ensure that all participants are treated with respect and dignity.

Players of all ages live roleplay and many families enjoy roleplaying together. For Empire, we created the Academy specifically to provide roleplaying opportunities for younger players, where they can train to become the heroes of tomorrow.

Live roleplaying can be challenging for participants with disabilities. We strive to make Empire as accessible as we can, and provide advice and information here to help you assess the event. If you have specific accessibility needs, then we encourage you to email us so that we can identify what additional assistance we can provide.

Will I Enjoy It?

Live roleplaying, like acting, is enjoyable purely for its own sake. Most participants find that by immersing themselves in the character they have created, they can forget about the pressures of real life for a while, but different people get different things out of the hobby. Some live roleplayers enjoy the social interaction, some prefer the thrill of battle, whilst others relish the opportunity to create and wear amazing costumes.

There is no winning or losing. Just as real life doesn’t offer clear cut win or lose situations, neither do most live roleplaying games. However live roleplaying presents opportunities that you could never normally experience, allowing you to become the protagonist in historical or imaginary settings. In the end it is impossible to know whether you will enjoy live roleplaying unless you try it.

What Do I Need?

As with any hobby, you will need some equipment to enjoy live roleplaying. For Empire, the bare minimum you'll need is some appropriate costume, somewhere to sleep, and an appropriate weapon if you plan to do any fighting.

Costume

Costume is very important in live roleplaying because you need to dress as your character would. A costume should be appropriate to your character and the setting, so you can't wear modern clothing such as trainers, jeans, or printed t-shirts when you're roleplaying. Our wiki has a look and feel guide for each nation that provides advice on costume that is suitable for a character from that nation. If you follow the advice then you can be confident that your costume will look fine and be suitable for the game. If you have any questions about the suitability of a piece of costume then it is best to email us and we can give you specific advice.

You can purchase costumes, weapons, and armour from one of the many traders who support the hobby. We have traders at all our events and they sell everything you need for your character. Details and links for traders are also available on our wiki. If you have the time and the enthusiasm to make your own costume then there is a wealth of advice and guidance available online to help you create something amazing.

It is important for your costume to be warm and dry - don't forget that the events are outdoors in the British weather, so it can be cold and wet. The more layers your costume has, the warmer you will be. If you can get some thermals to wear under your costume when needed, then that will ensure you stay warm no matter how cold it gets.

Weapons

Most live roleplaying events in this country use specially made weapons that are constructed from foam and latex and are designed to be as safe as possible. For Empire we have strict safety guidelines and every weapon must be checked to ensure it conforms with the rules before it can be used. As a result it's much harder to create your own weapon than it is to create your own costume, especially if you are new to live roleplaying.

We recommend buying a weapon from a professional live roleplaying weapon manufacturer who is trading at the event. There are traders at every event offering thousands of different costumes and weapons that you can choose from. You can buy live roleplaying weapons online, but there's no substitute for picking a weapon up to get a feel for the weight and the balance, so the best way to find the perfect weapon is to browse the stalls on the day.

But don't forget that you'll only need a weapon if you plan to fight. Lots of characters at Empire don't carry any weapons at all!

Food and camping

For a weekend live roleplaying event, everyone needs somewhere to sleep, as well as food and drink. While it's possible to book into a nearby hotel, most players bring or hire a tent with them and camp. At Empire there are large areas set-aside for camping that is adjacent to the main arena where the game actually happens. If you have a period tent that is suitable for the setting then you can arrange to pitch that in the main arena and use it in-character, but that's not something we recommend new players worry about for their first event.

You will need to think about food and drink for any live roleplaying event that lasts longer than a few hours. At Empire, you can bring your own, but there are a range of professional festival caterers at every Empire event who sell a wide range of options. There are standpipes around our site for drinking water.

Can My Character Be Anybody?

All live roleplaying games are different and each one has a setting that describes the world the game takes place in. If you think about a Shakespearian play, you wouldn’t expect Julius Caesar to come on stage during a performance of Romeo and Juliet. In the same way, any character that you play at Empire must be appropriate for the world the game takes place in.

Because you need to create a character that fits the setting, it is best to avoid trying to play a character taken directly from a film or book. Although you may be inspired by a character you have seen or read about, it is much better to try and create your own character after you have had a look at the setting. The wiki provides an overview of the game world to help you get a feel for the kind of characters that are suitable to play.

Creating your first character can be a real challenge, but we're here to help. You can find experienced players to talk to about your ideas using our forums and facebook groups or chat by email with members of our new player team - all of whom can give you help and suggestions.