Referee
Referees
- Refs are there to answer questions and ensure rules are being followed correctly
Referees at Empire are there to facilitate and assist with the rules of the game. If you have a question or need a decision about a character skill or action, then you should consult a referee. The referees will be wandering the IC field, but if you cannot find one then you can go to GOD and they will obtain a ref for you.
Identifying a Ref
- Refs wear a gold and black quartered livery coat
- Please avoid using a quartered gold and black livery coat as your costume
Our referees will be wearing basic costume and a gold and black quartered livery coat like the one pictured. On occasions where we need to put a large number of referees in the field at once then some refs may wear a gold and black quartered tabard instead. Anyone who is wearing a livery coat with this design should be treated as a referee. For this reason players are not allowed to wear this design of livery coat.
Referees in Empire are purely OOC. They do not exist in the game in any IC form. They are wearing a distinctive piece of costume so that they can be easily identified without breaking the visual immersion of the field, they should not be treated as characters.
When to get a Ref
- Performing any game action that involves direct player-versus-player conflict with participant
- Performing any curse ritual - you need a referee to inflict a pronouncement of doom
- Using any poison
- Before getting involved in combat if possible - the balance of doubt goes to the defender in a dispute if no ref is present
- You must get a ref before you attack another participant who is under sixteen
You should get a referee before you take any game action that involves direct conflict with another participant involving combat, magic or other rules elements. You must get a get before you perform a curse ritual, you will need their help to inflict the pronouncement of doom. You should also get a ref before using any poison, you will need a referee to use an ingested poison.
We would encourage you to get a referee to assist with:
- Attacking another character including poisoning or capturing them
- Stealing items or money from other characters
- Treating complex traumatic injuries
- Performing a Ritual
You don't have to get a ref before you attempt one of these actions, but the ref will help to ensure that all the rules are followed. As the defender has no chance to get a ref first (they don't know they are going to be attacked or robbed), if there is a disagreement between players then the balance of the doubt will go to the defender if there is no ref present.
Characters should have no need to attack a child but in the exceptionally rare circumstance where you need to initiate combat with a child then you must consult a referee first and follow their guidance. The referee will ensure that the child's OOC welfare is not compromised by your IC actions.
Ref Support
- Some crew who aren’t refs can also support the ref team by handling basic queries for you
- This includes some, but not all, egregores, civil servants and members of the GOD team
Some members of the civil service, some egregores and members of the GOD team can handle basic ref queries for you. Basic queries include:
- Processing item bondings and unbondings, unless the item is stolen or cursed
- Processing resource enchantments or personal enchantments
- Performing liao ceremonies
Not all members of the civil service or egregore team can help with basic queries. A member of crew will only be able to help you if they have a tablet and are trained in how to use it to handle simple ref queries. Ref training is an optional additional responsibility that some crew have chosen to undertake as they want to help with this. There will always be someone in GOD who can help handle basic queries for you under normal circumstances.
You must get the help of a full time referee for anything more complex than this.
Where to Find a Ref
- To find a referee, go to the GOD tent, to the regio or to the Ref Access Tent at the entrance to the Wintermark & Dawn field - refs are stationed at all these locations throughout time-in
- You can also find any crew member with a radio and ask them to assist you by radioing a request for a referee
- Wandering Anvil looking for a passing referee is not recommended
The easiest way to find a referee is to go to one of the three ref stations located around the site. There will be a referee on duty at each of these locations throughout time-in under normal circumstances. The three ref stations are:
- The GOD tent - this is the games operation desk, the central tent where you collected your pack at the start of the event
- The regio - this is the location where rituals are performed, marked with standing pillars near the Hall of Worlds. Please be aware referees here may be busy processing regio rituals.
- The Referee Access Tent - this is a tent at the entrance to the Wintermark & Dawn field, near the toilet block and Military Council tent
If you can see a crew member with a radio who is not busy, then you can ask them to radio the ref desk to request a referee. If we have can then we will dispatch the nearest available referee to your current location if we can identify it.
We do not recommend wandering Anvil looking for a passing referee. You are unlikely to find one this way, and any referee you come across is likely to be busy helping another participant already.
Marshals
- Marshals are there to oversee safety and perform specific game tasks
- Please do not approach a marshal unless it is an emergency
Marshals at Empire are not referees. Although they support the game they are not there to provide direct assistance to the players and they cannot help you with a general query or any game task you wish to attempt. In particular many of our marshals have no ref training or experience and would not be able to help you with a ref query even if they were free.
Marshals have a range of responsibilities, such as overseeing safety, handling special FX, and delivering messages or game rulings to players. A marshal may find you to deliver an item or game ruling but you should not approach a marshal looking for help, unless it is an emergency.
Identifying a Marshal
- Marshals wear a red and black quartered livery coat
- Please avoid using a quartered red and black livery coat as your costume if possible
Our marshals will be wearing basic costume and a red and black quartered livery coat like the one pictured for the referee but with red panels rather than gold. Anyone who is wearing a livery coat with this design should be treated as a marshal. For this reason players are not allowed to wear livery coats with this specific design and colour scheme.
Like referees, the marshals in Empire are purely OOC. They do not exist in the game in any IC form. They are wearing a distinctive piece of costume so that they can be easily identified without breaking the visual immersion of the field, they should not be treated as characters.
GOD
- If you have a query then you can go to the Games Operation Desk (GOD)
- You can phone for security at night or in an emergency
- On the rare occasions a member of GOD crew takes the field on an OOC basis they will be wearing Black and Blue coats similar to the ref jackets above. Please do not approach the GOD staff as they are likely to be busy at that time
All Profound Decisions events are administered from the Games Operation Desk (GOD) whose location is marked in each event guide. Members of the GOD crew are there to help you with any administrative or general queries that you may have about the event.
If you need a referee then the referees have a desk that is always near GOD. The first-aid team operate from their own tent if you have any first-aid needs. For all other queries, you should enquire at GOD.
When to go to GOD
You will need to go to GOD to resolve any of the following:
- Collect your pack at the start of the event
- Get errors with your pack corrected
- Check to see if an item is in lost property
- Register your character death or create a new character
- Spend experience points
- Mix herbs to make a potion
- Exchange IC money for other denominations
- Buy a new resource or exchange an existing resource with another character
- Hand in resources at the end of the event that you intend to use in your downtime (it's not a bank) by 17:00 on the last day of the event.
- Raise a complaint
Members of the GOD team do not handle complaints, but they will be able to get a member of the event management team or conduct team who will talk to you.
Members of the GOD team may be able to help you with some of the following:
- Find the answer to a rules query
- Process a ritual you have performed by yourself
- Obtain a member of the site team who can help you with a site issue
There is a referee stationed in the GOD tent who can answer rules queries; if there isn't one then GOD can usually raise one on a radio. It is better to get a ritual processed by one of the refs in the field, but if you are having problems then the GOD staff can help you find one or they may be able to process a ritual if no ref is available.