New crew

Introduction

Thank-you for volunteering to crew one of Profound Decisions's games; we couldn't run this event without you. This page is intended to tell new crew everything you need to know about the practical aspects of crewing – and, if it doesn't, it'll tell you who to ask.

We operate a permanent crew system, we encourage people to become a full time member of the crew team rather than play some events and crew others. However, you are welcome to resume playing in the future if you choose to do so. Please let us know if you’re not enjoying what you are doing as crew and equally we’ll be honest with you if we feel it’s not working out.

Departments

We organise our crew into departments, with crew allocated to departments, based on their roles at the event. Each department has a head who confirms crew spaces for their department. If you want to volunteer for crewing then it's useful to tell us what departments you'd like to help out in. If you are an existing crew member and you want to get involved with the work another department are doing, then the head of that department is the first person to speak to about it.

Some departments, like the red hats (site crew), comprise multiple specialist teams such as set-dressing, tent-erection and sparkies. If you want to help out on any team, just talk to the head of the team involved.

Booking

Before arriving at an event that you intend to crew, you need to ensure that you're booked in as crew on the Profound Decisions website. This is important for us, as it feeds into the planning and preparation for the event – preparing crew meal tickets, hiring the right number of radios, and making sure there are enough crew in different departments to ensure the smooth running of the game.

To book in, follow this link to the main website. You'll be asked to log-in and then taking to the events page where you can let us know which events you are coming to.

If no events appear on screen after you log in and you cannot see the "Crewing" option in the "Booking" menu then this is because you are not flagged as crew on the PD database; you will need to email crew@profounddecisions.co.uk to get yourself added to the appropriate department.

If you book for an event and subsequently discover that you cannot attend for whatever reason, please email crew@profounddecisions.co.uk to let us know.

What to bring

You need to bring enough camping equipment to be comfortable overnight, and you need to bring work-clothes suitable for operating for extended periods in potentially unpleasant weather. In particular, sturdy, waterproof work boots with good ankle support are very strongly recommended.

If you expect to be helping with the moving of heavy materials (e.g. if you're helping with site set-up or take-down) then you may wish to bring some work-gloves to protect your hands. If you are helping with site set-up or take-down then bring several layers, including a strongly waterproof layer, as well as a hat to keep the sun off or the rain out.

You will need a tent or similar shelter. This should be able to cope gracefully in storm conditions and be able to resist both strong wind and rain. You will need enough bedding materials to be warm and comfortable. Bear in mind that it can get extremely cold overnight, particularly early in the year where temperatures below zero are not unheard of.

Bear in mind that you will be largely operating out of doors in all weathers without the protections typical of modern everyday life. We do not want you to be cold and miserable! Preparation is key.

You may also want to bring some standard LARP-suitable clothing for socializing on the IC field.

When to arrive

If you are helping with set-up then please arrive on site as early as possible - site crew are encouraged to arrive from Tuesday evening onwards. If you are not helping with set-up then you are welcome to arrive at any point from Thursday onwards.

By prior arrangement, it may be possible to arrange for someone to pick you up from Banbury station if you are arriving on a day where there is no regular mini-bus run for players. Such requests should be sent to the crew@profounddecisions.co.uk.

On Arrival

When you first arrive on-site, the gate will direct you to where crew are camping – you should proceed there and ensure that your own personal shelter and sleeping arrangements are seen to, before checking-in at GOD. Once you get to GOD, we will give you your meal-tickets and you can then join your head of department for duty assignments.

The out-of-character camping area is typically divided into two sections: player camping, and crew camping. Crew camping is exclusively for the use of crew; players are not permitted to camp there. If you are camping with friends or family who are players, then it is better to camp with them in the player area.

Crew have available to them a stash of crew mattresses, which are located in one of the old portacabins. You are not guaranteed to be able to use one - they are limited numbers available on a first-come, first-served basis to all crew. If you take a crew mattress then you must ensure you return it at the end of the event.

Induction

If you are brand-new crew, then we will aim to give you an introduction to how Profound Decisions works, and your role within it. If at any point you're not sure how to do what you've been asked to do, or you don't have the right tools for the job, then let someone know.

T-shirts

New crew t-shirts are issued to all crew at the start of each year for Empire and Odyssey; all crew are encouraged to take and wear a single shirt of the appropriate size for their personal use. If you join the crew during a year, then ask in GOD if there are any t-shirts remaining.

Crew Debrief

At the end of the event, there is a crew debriefing session which all crew should try to attend if possible. This occurs at 15:30 in the monster tent. Sandwiches are provided at the crew debriefing session, after which site take-down begins.

Crew Party

On the evening of the final day of the event, after all the players have departed, there is a party laid on with free food and drink. The party is a reward for those who stay to help with the event take-down. Everyone who has helped with take the event down is welcome to attend the party. This is not just the red hat team - there are roles anyone can help with on take-down - please ask a head of department if you want to help with take-down but don't know what you can do to help.

Recruitment

We are very often looking for more people to join our crew; if you know someone who you think would fit in well, then please ask them to register an account on the Profound Decisions website and email crew@profounddecisions.co.uk. Please do not simply bring friends to an event to crew without confirming it with the office first.

Commitment

You are welcome to crew as many events as you wish, but please don’t feel that you are expected to crew them all. Some roles are only suitable for crew who can make the majority of the events, but there are many crew roles that are useful even if you only make one event a year.

Contacts

• Office phone number (outside of events): 0845 0944 798
• Mobile phone number (during events): 07817 133 793
• Crewing administration questions / requests: crew@profounddecisions.co.uk