Sanctioned events
Overview
The Empire rules and setting are licensed under terms that allow anyone to use them freely for any reason and to modify them for their own use. As a result, anyone can choose to run a live roleplaying event and call it an Empire event if they wish. In fact, some elements of the setting were deliberately designed to facilitate this shared approach. Although there are many advantages to this freedom, the drawback is in the consistency of the setting and rules experienced by players. If someone runs an event that includes elements that contradict the material that Profound Decisions have published for Empire then it can negatively affect the campaign continuity or increase confusion about the Empire rules. To try and balance this we have produced a set of guidelines for sanctioned events (also known as "Player events") - Empire events which are considered by us to be a part of the same campaign that we are running.
Types of Event
There are three possible types of Empire event that are not run by Profound Decisions. They are social events, plot events, and unsanctioned events.
Social Events
- Events run by participants with no plot, no NPCs, and no threat or peril, beyond that posed by other player-characters
Social events are events run by participants which don't include any plot, but are considered to be part of the Empire campaign run by Profound Decisions. This means that they will have no npcs present - everyone will be playing their Empire character. It also means there will be no threat or peril, beyond that posed by other player-characters.
If you are running a social event then you must use all the normal Empire game rules and our conduct rules at all times. You should make sure your event is clearly promoted as an Empire social event, so that everyone knows what to expect. You do not need to contact Profound Decisions to inform us that you are running an Empire social event, but you should still let us know about any character deaths that take place, or any rituals or ceremonies performed. You can find a form for providing post-event feedback here.
Plot Events
- Any event run by participants that includes plot, NPCs, items, or additional sources of threat or peril beyond that posed by other player-characters
Plot events are events run by participants that are set in the Empire campaign run by Profound Decisions, which do include plot. The plot for the event can include NPCs, items, and sources of threat or peril beyond that posed by other player-characters.
All plot must be submitted to Profound Decisions by email to plot@profounddecisions.co.uk so that we can check it is consistent with the existing campaign material. You can only run plot that we have approved at your event. If you are running a plot event then you can make changes to the core game rule, but these must be sanctioned alongside any plot elements that you are creating. Your event must follow our conduct rules at all times.
You should make sure your event is clearly promoted as an Empire plot event, so that everyone knows what to expect. If the event is intended to include high threat or high combat then you must make that clear. You must contact Profound Decisions as early as possible once you have the outline sketch for the plot you wish to run at your event, so that we can discuss it with you. When advertising your event you must make clear if it is "sanction pending" or "sanctioned".
Unsanctioned Events
- Any event which has applied for sanctioning and been refused but which is still running anyway
As noted above, event organizers are free to run any event they like using the Empire rules or setting but we choose whether to acknowledge events as part of the canonical Empire campaign we are running. We will not sanction an event that is running plot which is inconsistent with the main campaign, or so wildly at odds in style and approach that it is likely to lead to inconsistencies. We will always have a dialogue with an event organizer over their event plot, and have always found it straightforward to reach agreement when elements need changing, but it is theoretically possible that that wouldn't happen.
If an organizer opted to run an event that included elements that we had refused to sanction, then the entire event would be treated as unsanctioned. As a matter of courtesy we would expect the organizers to make clear that the event is unsanctioned - but we would put out an announcement on social media to ensure everyone was aware. Anyone is free to attend the event and play anyting that is acceptable to the event organizers. Nothing that happens at the event would be considered to be canon for Empire.
Information for Players
- You must follow all the standard game rules and conduct rules at social events and plot events
- You must destroy any carded items used as normal
- Please email us with any changes that happen at the event
- If your character dies at a sanctioned event, you must update the online system to record this
- Events must take place in chronological order over downtime, and event organisers are discouraged from defining a specific date
You must follow the conduct rules when attending social or plot event. The event organizers will have indicated if there are any changes to the normal game rules in effect for a sanctioned event, otherwise you must follow all the standard game rules. This means rituals you perform have the normal requirements for mana cards, regio use, and so on. Likewise ceremonies require liao, etc. Any cards for resources that you expend, such as mana or liao must be destroyed as normal when used.
If you perform an ongoing ritual at a sanctioned event, then please keep any mana crystal cards that are used to one side and email us with a photograph and details of the ritual you performed. Please include details of any other participants, who the ritual was targetted on and any other appropriate details. Once you have sent us all the information we need, then we will process the ritual, so that any ongoing effects are included in any downtime processing. If an event takes place after downtime has been processed, then the rituals will take effect as if they were performed at the next Profound Decisions event. If you perform a ritual that does not have an ongoing effect then you do not have to inform us, but you must still destroy any mana cards used at the time.
If the magical items or bands that your character is bonded to change at an event then you should inform Profound Decisions by email so that we can update your character record. If your character dies at a sanctioned event you should report this by going into the page for your character on the Profound Decisions site and clicking "Report Character Death".
All events must take place in-character in the same order that they do out-of-character. This rule means that nobody can be placed in a position where they are attending an event set before one they have already been to. For this reason event organizers are strongly discouraged from defining a precise date for their event as this makes problems for other event organizers.
Information for Organizers
Please make sure that you read the sanctioned event advice for organizers carefully before you run an Empire event.
Further Reading