Monstering a battle
Overview
Battles are a massive logistical undertaking involving well over 300 player monsters and crew, not including those players preparing to play the battle. This page should help guide players preparing to monster battles at an event. It provides basic hints and tips, gives you an idea of what to expect, and how to speed you through the process as quickly as possible.
Quick guide
- Find out when you will be monstering
- Ask your generals - they should be aware of the battle sides
- Look for signage we put on the toilet doors
- Ask your egregore
- Bring any kit, armour and weapons you can
- Hydrate and bring water with you
- Arrive between 09:30 and 10:30 at Battle Prep in the OOC area
- Pass Weapon Check and Nation Count
- Be assigned a battlefield role
- Ask for a low-combat role
- Equip yourself with armour and orc mask
How will I know I am monstering?
The first time that you might get an idea of when you might be monstering a battle is when the Winds of War are released and we notify the players of the major conjunctions at the event. It is likely that the Marcher generals will want to fight in the Mournwold, and the Varushkans in Karsk, or Highguard in Reikos; this means that these nations will monster the other battle. But don’t count on it, it is all down to player decisions...
Once the Military Council have met at the Muster on Friday and decided upon the two major conjunctions the heroes will take, word will start to spread (in character) about the battles being fought and who will be fighting them. Knowing when you will fight as your character will make it obvious when you will need to monster. Ask your national generals, your group leaders, and military-minded folk which battle your nation will be fighting and then you will know which battle to monster in.
Your nation's egregores will be informed of the battle choices by 22:00 on Friday night, once the Muster has concluded.
As well as the in-character dissemination of battle sides, the Battle Team will also put up notices in GOD, the Food Court tent, and the toilet doors around the site detailing the nations fighting the next day. These will provide basic information for the monstering nations, including:
- The barbarian force you are monstering as - Jotun/Grendel/Druj
- The main orc forces you will be monstering as - Heavy/Skirmish/Magic
- The equipment and costume useful for these roles - Armour/Weapons/Costume
- The available low-combat roles in the battle
Elite Monster Units
We also have a number of Elite Monster Units (EMU) formed from players in several nations. Commanders from these groups will attend a briefing the night before a battle on the role their units will play the next day. Otherwise, these groups will already know their briefs, have costume and know what they need to do when they monster. Please ask in your nation group if you are not already part of an EMU.
What do I need to bring to monster?
When you come to monster there are a number of things that you should bring if possible:
Clothing
You should wear a neutral base layer - a long-sleeved shirt and trousers (greys, blacks, and browns are ideal) - under any other costume or armour you have. This base layer should keep you warm, provide coverage from the sun, and help protect against any armour you might wear. A pair of thin gloves are also recommended. Ideally, you want to cover as much of your own skin as possible. We strongly advise wearing a decent pair of boots to avoid accidental toe stomping and provide ankle support on uneven ground.
Armour
Please wear any armour you have when you come along to monster. Using appropriate armour will provide your orc monster with additional hits and protection from some heroic calls as it does with your player character. Wearing padding is also advised to ensure the armour is as comfortable as possible and doesn't hurt you more than protecting you.
Weapons
Please bring along a weapon to use in the battle. For the basic orc troops most weapon combinations are fine to use - sword and buckler, axe & shield, spears, great weapons or paired weapons.
NOTE - the Jotun orcs disdain the use of bows or crossbows, please do not bring them to Monster when you are monstering as a Jotun orc. In some battles the Jotun yegarra might deploy with bow units and we will make this clear in the battle briefings in the Winds of War.
Water
You should bring water with you when you come to monster. A 500ml of water should be sufficient, but you might need more, especially if it is hot. A simple way to carry - and hide - a plastic water bottle is to wrap it in a sock and tie it onto a belt.
It is advisable to ensure you are hydrated before heading to Battle Prep and monstering; sports drinks or other soft drinks are ideal, especially if you were drinking the night before.
What will Profound Decisions provide?
Profound Decisions may provide additional items for you to borrow during a battle as your barbarian orc. Please ensure you return these when you leave the battlefield and let us know if they are broken or damaged. Unfortunately, we may run out of kit to provide players; our Battle Team have contingencies in place should this happen during Battle Prep.
Armour
Profound Decisions can provide additional items of armour to wear on the battlefield. The polyurethane breastplates, vambraces, greaves, and spaulders count as heavy armour if struck - protecting against the CLEAVE and IMPALE calls - and with sufficient coverage, they will provide additional armour hits. Wearing your own armour makes it easier for us to ensure we can equip as many monsters as possible with armour.
Orc mask
Profound Decisions will provide a basic orc mask for you to wear on the battlefield. These are cotton/lycra balaclavas with a natural rubber latex face that should fit most head shapes and sizes. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, we only use masks once an event, and we encourage players to take a mask and wear it rather than trying several on to find the perfect fit.
If you can bring your own orc mask to wear then that will help us equip other players with a mask. Owning a personal mask means you can customise it for comfort and fit - accommodating hair or a beard - and using it as the basis of your own orc monster costume.
What do I do when I arrive at Battle Prep?
Battle Prep will be open between 09:30 and 10:30. You must arrive between these times, and as early as possible. During this time you will have your weapons checked, be briefed, collect kit, and then deploy to the battlefield. If you arrive after 10:30 we will turn you away.
We want to ensure this process is quick and as hassle-free as possible for everyone, both players and crew. The main thing we want to do is to ensure the monsters are ready to begin the battle at 11:00. This is done to avoid everyone waiting around before a battle - both players and monsters. Importantly, we can not handle the hundreds of player monsters coming to Battle Prep all at once. Ideally we want a steady stream of people arriving over the course of the hour. Please choose a time that is suitable for you and your friends, make sure you have everything you need and get to Battle Prep as early as you can.
The process for monster preparation is as follows:
- Weapon check
- Roleplay nation brief and unit brief
- Nation number count
- Collect armour
- Collect orc mask
- Meet unit commanders
- Briefed by IC orc commander
- Deploy onto the battlefield
Low-combat roles
Not every orc needs to be a warrior. We also recognise that OOC not everyone wants a frontline combat role - just the same as when you battle as a player - and we need to offer an alternative. We offer 'low-com' roles for players to portray during the battle. Whilst there is every expectation that you might end up in combat and being struck, the chances of it happening are vastly reduced. These roles include:
- Orc priests, healers, mages and artisan support characters
- Human subjects and thralls fulfilling similar roles
Sometimes we might require additional players to take on NPC characters as part of a battle objective. These will be advertised as part of the Winds of War, and dealt with on the day by our Battle Team.
Non-combatants on the battlefield
You should not enter the battlefield - either as a player or a monster - if you consider yourself a non-combatant. We cannot guarantee you will not be hit on the battlefield, and the combat rules expect everyone to be able to fall over safely. If you are a non-combatant it isn't possible to volunteer to assist with the battles.
The battle
Our battles start at 11:00 and can last 60-90 minutes, depending on the scenario, how well the players fight, or how much resistance they face from the orc barbarians! Have fun!
Respawns
When your orc character is killed on the battlefield, you will need to head to a respawn point. We suggest keeping your hand in the air until you reach a respawn point to indicate to other players that you are out of character. Respawn points are located in several places around the field, but change between battles due to many reasons. Most monsters will know where to go, so do ask other orcs if you don’t know where you are. Referees will also be able to help send you in the right direction (Find one with a radio). If you get lost, head back towards Monster and the location that you entered the field from.
After the battle
After the battle it will take a short time to get off the battlefield, remove your orc mask and makeup, take off your armour and get back into character. Hopefully you will be able to go back in character from 13:00. We ask that you help our crew when leaving the battlefield and do the following:
- Turn your mask inside out and place in the storage boxes
- Return any unused herbs, mana and potions to the relevant box
- Return your armour to the correct sized pile
- Return any costume or props you have been provided