Empire - User contributions [en]

Online roleplaying

2023-08-06T15:19:46Z

Miranda: /* No Forums purely for IC roleplaying */

==Overview==
* '''Nobody is ever obliged to respond to communications sent between events and you must not put that expectation on other players'''
It is important that the key in-character activity of the Empire world takes place at events. The game is busier and better if everything that can happen in the field, does happen in the field. Trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse and political discussions and appointments are all examples of activities that should happen at events. For this reason, we generally discourage too much downtime roleplaying between events and put strict limits on what can be done online particularly using our forums and Facebook groups.

We know that many players enjoy sending and receiving in-character letters, but nobody is ever obliged to receive or respond to any communication like this. You must respect other participants and avoid putting any expectation on them to accept or respond to in-character letters.

==Avoid Contentious Claims==
* '''If another character would want to rebut your claim - don't post it'''
You must take reasonable steps to avoid making contentious claims or statements in anything you post. It's fine to post details about your character, but you should avoid making claims for things being true which are not widely supported by the wiki. The underlying goal is to avoid in-character conversations that are better had at events - so the acid test is if another character in Empire might reasonably want to post a rebuttal to your claim then we will take it down.

So you can lay claim to be the Cardinal of Vigilance - if the wiki acknowledges that you hold that title. But you shouldn't claim to be the favoured of Jaheris - because that's a contentious issue. You can claim to be a disciple of Jaheris - that's not something anyone can easily dispute - but you shouldn't claim that Jaheris is coming to save the Empire from Eleonaris. That's not a statement of fact supported by the wiki.

==Do Not Push Agendas==
* '''Do not promote your character's agendas'''
Empire is a game of player-vs-player politics - the key conflicts of the game arise from characters who attend the event having competing agendas. Your agenda might be personal advancement - you might want to stand for Cardinal of Vigilance at the next event. It could be military - perhaps you want everyone to unit to drive the Jotun out of Sermersuaq. It might be religious - maybe you want to have the Axiou be publicly declared as heretics by the Synod.

All of these things are wonderful ambitions to have - they're part and parcel of what Empire is built to support. But if this kind of roleplaying shifts online it will be to the detriment of the game. So we take down anything which could reasonably constitute promoting a character's personal agenda, so that roleplaying can be saved for the field.

==Observe the Conduct Rules==
* '''The normal conduct rules apply at all times'''
The standard rules for [[conduct]] at events apply to all posts made on our forums and facebook groups. Anything that breaks our conduct rules will be taken down, so you must ensure that you follow the guidelines.

==Avoid Haggling or Agreeing Deals==
* '''You may advertise in-character services provided you do not haggle online'''
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, but if it isn't free to attend, then if you are using Facebook, you should use the [[Forums & Facebook|most appropriate nation group]] and/or the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrppromo Adverts and Promotion group] rather than the main Empire LRP discussion group..

There are several guidelines that we ask participant to follow when posting an advert of this kind:

* '''Don't invite price negotiating''' - You can state a price or leave one off, but haggling or negotiation over prices must be left to the field
* '''Do not add additional comments''' - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world which is not permitted.

If possible, it is great if you can do both of the following:

* '''Provide a plain text version''' - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.
* '''Use the Hub''' - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

==No Forums purely for IC roleplaying==
*'''No IC forums for nations or Imperial political bodies'''
*'''Emails and group forums are fine'''
Our core goal is to ensure that important game decisions are taken at events, rather than between events. For this reason we are asking players '''not''' to create IC forums for one of the [[Nation overview|ten nations]] or for any of the core Imperial political bodies - the [[Imperial Senate|Senate]], [[Imperial Synod|Synod]], [[Imperial Bourse|Bourse]], [[Imperial Military Council|Military Council]] and the [[Imperial Conclave|Conclave]].

Although it is fine to send IC communications by email or use forums for groups, we would ask that you don't engage in important IC discussions of the kinds listed above unless you are at an event. It is ok to advertise IC services on the most appropriate nation Facebook group or the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrppromo Adverts and Promotions group], provided you don't then get drawn into IC negotiations with other players for those services. Please save this for when everyone is in-character at the event.

==In-Character Emails==
* '''It is fine to send emails as in-character letters'''
* '''You may use the forums to request email contacts'''
It is fine to send emails to players representing letters you have sent to their character. In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for individual characters you have met, or have a way of getting in touch with (eg specific Imperial title-holders, individual group leaders) to get in touch for separate IC letters. We ask people not to tag players of sought-after characters directly, in order that they can decide for themselves whether they want to engage - see if people they know can show them your post.

Although it is fine to send IC communications by email or use forums for groups, we would ask that you don't engage in important IC discussions of the kinds listed above unless you are at an event. Please save this for when everyone is in-character at the event.

==In-Character Documentation==
* '''Other players are free to make in-character phys-reps of any in-character material you publish'''
If you send an email to another character that is an in-character letter then they are free to turn that into an actual in-character document, the phys-rep of the letter they have received from your character. Likewise, if you publish an in-character announcement on the forums or facebook groups, or if you post an in-character advert then any player can turn that into an in-character document and use it at the events if they wish to.

==Communication with NPCs==
*'''You cannot send winged messengers between events'''
*'''We ask our NPCs not to send IC communications between events'''
You are welcome to send IC communications to egregores and Anvil civil servants between events but all our staff have been asked '''not''' to respond until the next event. They may ''choose'' to bring such IC communications with them to the next event and act on them there.

Rituals cannot be performed in downtime so you cannot perform [[Call Winged Messenger]] unless you are at an event.

Please also appreciate that our crew are all volunteers. While they may choose to respond to questions, Profound Decisions do not expect crew to handle any OOC communications between events. If you need a response, please email Profound Decisions instead.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Online roleplaying

2023-08-06T15:18:45Z

Miranda: /* In-Character Emails */

==Overview==
* '''Nobody is ever obliged to respond to communications sent between events and you must not put that expectation on other players'''
It is important that the key in-character activity of the Empire world takes place at events. The game is busier and better if everything that can happen in the field, does happen in the field. Trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse and political discussions and appointments are all examples of activities that should happen at events. For this reason, we generally discourage too much downtime roleplaying between events and put strict limits on what can be done online particularly using our forums and Facebook groups.

We know that many players enjoy sending and receiving in-character letters, but nobody is ever obliged to receive or respond to any communication like this. You must respect other participants and avoid putting any expectation on them to accept or respond to in-character letters.

==Avoid Contentious Claims==
* '''If another character would want to rebut your claim - don't post it'''
You must take reasonable steps to avoid making contentious claims or statements in anything you post. It's fine to post details about your character, but you should avoid making claims for things being true which are not widely supported by the wiki. The underlying goal is to avoid in-character conversations that are better had at events - so the acid test is if another character in Empire might reasonably want to post a rebuttal to your claim then we will take it down.

So you can lay claim to be the Cardinal of Vigilance - if the wiki acknowledges that you hold that title. But you shouldn't claim to be the favoured of Jaheris - because that's a contentious issue. You can claim to be a disciple of Jaheris - that's not something anyone can easily dispute - but you shouldn't claim that Jaheris is coming to save the Empire from Eleonaris. That's not a statement of fact supported by the wiki.

==Do Not Push Agendas==
* '''Do not promote your character's agendas'''
Empire is a game of player-vs-player politics - the key conflicts of the game arise from characters who attend the event having competing agendas. Your agenda might be personal advancement - you might want to stand for Cardinal of Vigilance at the next event. It could be military - perhaps you want everyone to unit to drive the Jotun out of Sermersuaq. It might be religious - maybe you want to have the Axiou be publicly declared as heretics by the Synod.

All of these things are wonderful ambitions to have - they're part and parcel of what Empire is built to support. But if this kind of roleplaying shifts online it will be to the detriment of the game. So we take down anything which could reasonably constitute promoting a character's personal agenda, so that roleplaying can be saved for the field.

==Observe the Conduct Rules==
* '''The normal conduct rules apply at all times'''
The standard rules for [[conduct]] at events apply to all posts made on our forums and facebook groups. Anything that breaks our conduct rules will be taken down, so you must ensure that you follow the guidelines.

==Avoid Haggling or Agreeing Deals==
* '''You may advertise in-character services provided you do not haggle online'''
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, but if it isn't free to attend, then if you are using Facebook, you should use the [[Forums & Facebook|most appropriate nation group]] and/or the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrppromo Adverts and Promotion group] rather than the main Empire LRP discussion group..

There are several guidelines that we ask participant to follow when posting an advert of this kind:

* '''Don't invite price negotiating''' - You can state a price or leave one off, but haggling or negotiation over prices must be left to the field
* '''Do not add additional comments''' - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world which is not permitted.

If possible, it is great if you can do both of the following:

* '''Provide a plain text version''' - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.
* '''Use the Hub''' - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

==No Forums purely for IC roleplaying==
*'''No IC forums for nations or Imperial political bodies'''
*'''Emails and group forums are fine'''
Our core goal is to ensure that important game decisions are taken at events, rather than between events. For this reason we are asking players '''not''' to create IC forums for one of the [[Nation overview|ten nations]] or for any of the core Imperial political bodies - the [[Imperial Senate|Senate]], [[Imperial Synod|Synod]], [[Imperial Bourse|Bourse]], [[Imperial Military Council|Military Council]] and the [[Imperial Conclave|Conclave]].

Although it is fine to send IC communications by email or use forums for groups, we would ask that you don't engage in important IC discussions of the kinds listed above unless you are at an event. It is ok to advertise IC services on the Empire Facebook group, provided you don't then get drawn into IC negotiations with other players for those services. Please save this for when everyone is in-character at the event.

==In-Character Emails==
* '''It is fine to send emails as in-character letters'''
* '''You may use the forums to request email contacts'''
It is fine to send emails to players representing letters you have sent to their character. In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for individual characters you have met, or have a way of getting in touch with (eg specific Imperial title-holders, individual group leaders) to get in touch for separate IC letters. We ask people not to tag players of sought-after characters directly, in order that they can decide for themselves whether they want to engage - see if people they know can show them your post.

Although it is fine to send IC communications by email or use forums for groups, we would ask that you don't engage in important IC discussions of the kinds listed above unless you are at an event. Please save this for when everyone is in-character at the event.

==In-Character Documentation==
* '''Other players are free to make in-character phys-reps of any in-character material you publish'''
If you send an email to another character that is an in-character letter then they are free to turn that into an actual in-character document, the phys-rep of the letter they have received from your character. Likewise, if you publish an in-character announcement on the forums or facebook groups, or if you post an in-character advert then any player can turn that into an in-character document and use it at the events if they wish to.

==Communication with NPCs==
*'''You cannot send winged messengers between events'''
*'''We ask our NPCs not to send IC communications between events'''
You are welcome to send IC communications to egregores and Anvil civil servants between events but all our staff have been asked '''not''' to respond until the next event. They may ''choose'' to bring such IC communications with them to the next event and act on them there.

Rituals cannot be performed in downtime so you cannot perform [[Call Winged Messenger]] unless you are at an event.

Please also appreciate that our crew are all volunteers. While they may choose to respond to questions, Profound Decisions do not expect crew to handle any OOC communications between events. If you need a response, please email Profound Decisions instead.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Online roleplaying

2023-08-06T15:16:41Z

Miranda: /* Avoid Haggling or Agreeing Deals */

==Overview==
* '''Nobody is ever obliged to respond to communications sent between events and you must not put that expectation on other players'''
It is important that the key in-character activity of the Empire world takes place at events. The game is busier and better if everything that can happen in the field, does happen in the field. Trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse and political discussions and appointments are all examples of activities that should happen at events. For this reason, we generally discourage too much downtime roleplaying between events and put strict limits on what can be done online particularly using our forums and Facebook groups.

We know that many players enjoy sending and receiving in-character letters, but nobody is ever obliged to receive or respond to any communication like this. You must respect other participants and avoid putting any expectation on them to accept or respond to in-character letters.

==Avoid Contentious Claims==
* '''If another character would want to rebut your claim - don't post it'''
You must take reasonable steps to avoid making contentious claims or statements in anything you post. It's fine to post details about your character, but you should avoid making claims for things being true which are not widely supported by the wiki. The underlying goal is to avoid in-character conversations that are better had at events - so the acid test is if another character in Empire might reasonably want to post a rebuttal to your claim then we will take it down.

So you can lay claim to be the Cardinal of Vigilance - if the wiki acknowledges that you hold that title. But you shouldn't claim to be the favoured of Jaheris - because that's a contentious issue. You can claim to be a disciple of Jaheris - that's not something anyone can easily dispute - but you shouldn't claim that Jaheris is coming to save the Empire from Eleonaris. That's not a statement of fact supported by the wiki.

==Do Not Push Agendas==
* '''Do not promote your character's agendas'''
Empire is a game of player-vs-player politics - the key conflicts of the game arise from characters who attend the event having competing agendas. Your agenda might be personal advancement - you might want to stand for Cardinal of Vigilance at the next event. It could be military - perhaps you want everyone to unit to drive the Jotun out of Sermersuaq. It might be religious - maybe you want to have the Axiou be publicly declared as heretics by the Synod.

All of these things are wonderful ambitions to have - they're part and parcel of what Empire is built to support. But if this kind of roleplaying shifts online it will be to the detriment of the game. So we take down anything which could reasonably constitute promoting a character's personal agenda, so that roleplaying can be saved for the field.

==Observe the Conduct Rules==
* '''The normal conduct rules apply at all times'''
The standard rules for [[conduct]] at events apply to all posts made on our forums and facebook groups. Anything that breaks our conduct rules will be taken down, so you must ensure that you follow the guidelines.

==Avoid Haggling or Agreeing Deals==
* '''You may advertise in-character services provided you do not haggle online'''
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, but if it isn't free to attend, then if you are using Facebook, you should use the [[Forums & Facebook|most appropriate nation group]] and/or the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrppromo Adverts and Promotion group] rather than the main Empire LRP discussion group..

There are several guidelines that we ask participant to follow when posting an advert of this kind:

* '''Don't invite price negotiating''' - You can state a price or leave one off, but haggling or negotiation over prices must be left to the field
* '''Do not add additional comments''' - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world which is not permitted.

If possible, it is great if you can do both of the following:

* '''Provide a plain text version''' - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.
* '''Use the Hub''' - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

==No Forums purely for IC roleplaying==
*'''No IC forums for nations or Imperial political bodies'''
*'''Emails and group forums are fine'''
Our core goal is to ensure that important game decisions are taken at events, rather than between events. For this reason we are asking players '''not''' to create IC forums for one of the [[Nation overview|ten nations]] or for any of the core Imperial political bodies - the [[Imperial Senate|Senate]], [[Imperial Synod|Synod]], [[Imperial Bourse|Bourse]], [[Imperial Military Council|Military Council]] and the [[Imperial Conclave|Conclave]].

Although it is fine to send IC communications by email or use forums for groups, we would ask that you don't engage in important IC discussions of the kinds listed above unless you are at an event. It is ok to advertise IC services on the Empire Facebook group, provided you don't then get drawn into IC negotiations with other players for those services. Please save this for when everyone is in-character at the event.

==In-Character Emails==
* '''It is fine to send emails as in-character letters'''
* '''You may use the forums to request email contacts'''
It is fine to send emails to players representing letters you have sent to their character. In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for people. For example, if you wish to speak to all arbiters of Urizen, then it is acceptable to ask the arbiters to contact you with an appropriate contact method but not to post up a letter into a group/forum unless your character is issuing a public announcement to anyone who wishes to hear it.

Although it is fine to send IC communications by email or use forums for groups, we would ask that you don't engage in important IC discussions of the kinds listed above unless you are at an event. Please save this for when everyone is in-character at the event.

==In-Character Documentation==
* '''Other players are free to make in-character phys-reps of any in-character material you publish'''
If you send an email to another character that is an in-character letter then they are free to turn that into an actual in-character document, the phys-rep of the letter they have received from your character. Likewise, if you publish an in-character announcement on the forums or facebook groups, or if you post an in-character advert then any player can turn that into an in-character document and use it at the events if they wish to.

==Communication with NPCs==
*'''You cannot send winged messengers between events'''
*'''We ask our NPCs not to send IC communications between events'''
You are welcome to send IC communications to egregores and Anvil civil servants between events but all our staff have been asked '''not''' to respond until the next event. They may ''choose'' to bring such IC communications with them to the next event and act on them there.

Rituals cannot be performed in downtime so you cannot perform [[Call Winged Messenger]] unless you are at an event.

Please also appreciate that our crew are all volunteers. While they may choose to respond to questions, Profound Decisions do not expect crew to handle any OOC communications between events. If you need a response, please email Profound Decisions instead.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Online

2023-08-06T15:10:08Z

Miranda: /* Traders */

==Overview==
Empire has a large and active social media presence. Our main Empire LRP Facebook group alone has over 4,000 members. We also have dedicated forums as well as accounts on Instagram, Twitch and Twitter. Having an enthusiastic and engaged player base is important to us and we love seeing everyone discussing the game and enjoying the world of Empire. We welcome debate and constructive discussion in all these places, but any feedback should always be sent to [mailto:feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk ] so that the game team can consider it properly.

The [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrp/ Empire LRP Facebook group] is for general Empire related chat and queries. We also have nation-specific groups where people can discuss national festivals, collective projects, the national briefs, and the best places to source kit. Camp planning is also announced in these groups. Our national groups are a great community both on and off the field and we encourage people to get involved and to go see what’s being discussed. We also have a [https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport/ Player Support Group] which might be a good starting point if you are new to Empire or to live roleplaying in general. The [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Empire LRP forums] have separate boards for all these things, and a few additional ones.

Unfortunately, the nature of the internet is that it removes the element of personal interaction and can exacerbate differences of opinion. If we are not careful this turns discussions into hot-tempered arguments in a way that is detrimental to the debate and the community. For this reason we’ve chosen to implement a set of rules for everyone who uses our official groups and have a large team of crew moderators who can respond to any breaches that occur that are reported to them using the platform’s inbuilt tools or by emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk].

Counting players and crew, Empire has nearly three thousand participants at each event; it's not realistic to expect anyone to like every other participant. What we require is that people treat each other with respect regardless of their personal feelings. Our rules are designed to give our team a basis for judging when that is not happening and to take action accordingly. All the applicable rules for [[conduct]] at events also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

We ask that the community support our aim to keep the game live and familiarise themselves with the rules governing [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Remember, every in-character communication you have between events is one that cannot be had face to face.

==Moderators==
We have a team of crew who moderate our social spaces, led by our head of online moderation, Miranda Brennan. The team work collaboratively, discussing cases and coming to an agreed response to get the most consistent and fairest outcomes possible when exercising judgement. When a post/comment is reported, the moderators will review it and if necessary discuss together or escalate to the Head of Moderation. Moderation decisions and evidence are stored centrally in case we need to refer to them in future.
{{CaptionedImage|file=MirandaBrennan.jpg|align=right|caption=Head of Online Moderation: Miranda Brennan}}
===How to report===
Given the scale of the internet, we can’t keep track of every comment and subthread on our official social media. We therefore ask our users to be aware of the posting rules and if they see a breach, to report it by either:

* Using the reporting tools available on that platform
* Emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] and linking to the post/comment you wish to report.

===What happens when a post is reported?===
If a post/comment is reported and the moderation team decides that it breaks our posting rules, we may delete the post. If we do this, a moderator will endeavour to contact the poster to explain why. If the poster disagrees with the action taken, they can contact the [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk head moderator]. If the matter is not resolved to their satisfaction after this point, the matter can be escalated to [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk]. It is not appropriate to discuss individual moderation discussions on our social media and posts doing this will be deleted.

Depending on the situation we may warn people who have broken the rules, suspend them from our social media spaces either short or long term, or ban them permanently at our discretion. This includes potentially being excluded from the events themselves. We take our rules for online conduct very seriously; we do not make an absolute distinction between behaviour online and at events.

For some breaches of the posting rules, the moderation team may contact the poster privately and give them the opportunity to edit their post in order to make it comply with the rules.

If a contentious post is resulting in some heated debate, we may lock the post from further comments whilst we review it. This is particularly likely if we’re short on moderation cover at that time as our moderation team are all volunteers. If a post has dissolved entirely into unconstructive argument, we will delete the post in its entirety and either explain why privately to the poster or add a post to the group in which it was posted.

===Contesting a Decision===
It is important to appreciate that moderation is not personal. Some of our rules are technical in nature - and people often have posts moderated or removed not because there was anything wrong with the content or the way they posted it but simply because they don't meet the strict guidelines we set for relevance to Empire. Everyone gets moderated from time-to-time, players and crew, so that we can keep our forums welcoming and full of relevant content. ''Being moderated is not a criticism of you or your post.''

Although you may be contacted by a moderator to inform you that a post has been moderated, please bear in mind that moderation decisions are taken collectively by the team, not by any one individual. You're welcome to discuss the matter with the moderator who is there to try and help ensure you understand why the decision was taken, but if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss a new issue, please use the appropriate methods to contact the whole team, rather than emailing or messaging an individual moderator. All of our crew are volunteers so they don't always have time to allocate to support you; this is why we have a team of people in place to deal with any issues. Please respect the system we have put in place and contact the team if you need to discuss something.

If you are not happy with a moderator decision then you are welcome to discuss that with us privately. Mistakes do get made and we are happy to look at any decision that has been taken and apologize if we have made a mistake and correct it where we can. If we stand by the decision after reviewing it, then we'll try to explain in more detail why we came to that conclusion so that you can better understand how the rules are being applied.

Please do not contest decisions in public - that is against our rules - and do not argue with our moderators or become hostile with one of them. They are members of our crew, and should be treated with the same courtesy and respect that you should show a referee at an event. All our crew volunteer their time to work hard on your behalf to provide a great game so we require everyone who attends our events to treat them with appropriate regard. There are no Empire events without our crew and we take their wellbeing very seriously.

Please [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk email mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss any issue. Private messages are not a good mechanism for contacting the team as they go to individuals who may not see them for several days or at all in some cases depending on the platform settings.

==Posting Rules==
* '''Treat each other with respect and assume best faith'''
* '''All posts should clearly relate to Empire'''
* '''Use the most appropriate forum or Facebook group'''
* '''Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month'''
* '''Report any breach of the rules to our moderators rather than responding yourself'''
* '''Don't start in-character conversations or post anything that is contentious in-character'''
* '''IC announcements, sales, adverts and letters are permitted'''
* '''You may cross-post winds of war and winds of fortune'''
* '''You may not post instructions or advice on military units'''
* '''No charity and fundraising posts'''
* '''Post links to photographs, don't repost them'''
* '''Do not post fanfiction'''
* '''Do not criticise other participants for their costume, roleplaying, or interpretation of the setting'''
* '''Do not discuss moderation decisions'''
* '''Do not post accusations of cheating or unsafe fighting'''
* '''Don't do stupid shit'''
* '''Streaming'''
* '''Smut'''

In particular, please note all the applicable rules for [[conduct]] also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

===Treat each other with respect and assume best faith===
We are proud that Empire players come from a diverse range of backgrounds and traditions of LRP. With well over 2000 players and crew, differences of opinions will occur and discussion of these is no bad thing, but needs to be handled carefully. Please respect people’s opinions, treat other participants as adults, and assume good faith. It’s easy to mistake someone’s intent over the internet and you may need to work a little harder to make yourself understood or be more patient when trying to explain something. Avoid making jokes about contentious subjects where the possibility exists to miss the humour and be offended as a result.

Don't harass other users, don't post anything that constitutes a personal attack and avoid forms of speech that could be interpreted as bullying or abusive. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. We will not tolerate any post that our moderators feel constitutes a personal attack on another live roleplayer - regardless of whether or not they use our official online forums/groups or are a regular attendee at our events. Avoid posting while angry; if you are disagreeing with participant then ensure that you remain polite and avoid [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem ad hominem] responses.

If you feel anything posted on our official forums or Facebook groups violates our rule prohibiting personal attacks then please report it to our moderators, do not respond in kind.

===All Posts Should Clearly Relate to Empire===
Please keep your posts on topic. Our forums and groups are for Empire, so if the discussion strays too far away the subject of Empire we will ask you to take it elsewhere. If the link to Empire is tenuous or would be unclear to a casual reader, our moderators may advise you that this would be more appropriate on your own wall or ask you to elaborate on the original post as to its relevance.

===Use the Most Appropriate Forum or Group===
Please ensure that your posts are in the most appropriate area. Do not duplicate the same or similar posts across multiple different forums or different groups. If your post is a bit more general but one nation may still have a special interest then ''at most'' you should post in the main Empire group and the single most relevant nation group. An example of this would be a Dawnish hosted player event, as Dawnish players may be especially interested, but other nations may also wish to attend. If multiple players all post the same or similar posts either in the same group or across multiple groups, the moderation team will remove the duplicate posts.

Duplicating a post on Facebook and the Forum is permitted as many participants may only use one of these platforms.

If you are a trader at our events then before each event, you may put a post into a single official nation group [[Forums & Facebook|Facebook nation group]] of your choice and/or the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotions Facebook group] to advertise your services or products. If you are not a trader at our events then using the same rules, you may post once advertisement a year, provided that the products or services offered are relevant to Empire players.
{{CaptionedImage|file=RougherMusic.jpg|align=right|width=350|caption=The Moderators are here to help you.}}

===Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month===
You can repost content up to once a month, if it's relevant to Empire. If you want to promote IC services or similar or you are discussing OOC arrangements relevant to the game then it's fine to repost them periodically - provided it is not too frequent. Our moderators will take down repeated posts if less than a month has passed since the last time it was posted. It's fine to update a post, but deliberately posting to 'bump' a post back to the top of the group is not in the spirit of the rules.

===Report any Breach of the Rules to our Moderators===
Each board has a couple of volunteer moderators and admins and we have a centralised place to discuss and document moderation decisions. Due to the high level of activity in our our official groups it is impossible for us to follow each and every interaction. Therefore, if you see someone infringing the posting rules, please help us by reporting this comment or post promptly rather than responding yourself. A moderator or admin will then respond as quickly as they’re able to.

Please don't call out other participants for posts that you think breach our guidelines, report it, and let the moderators handle it. On Facebook select "report to admin" by clicking in the top right hand corner of a post. On the forum click "...(show more)" then the flag icon on any post.

===Don't Post IC Conversations or Contentious Statements===
Please help us keep the game live and in the field as much as possible. Avoid starting in-character conversations about significant or controversial subjects so that discussion of important in-character issues can be kept for the live events. It is usually fine to post comments about events that have happened, provided that the posts are not contentious or likely to cause people to want to respond as their character. If you post something in-character that could be perceived as contentious on our official forums or groups, we’ll remove or edit this.

Empire is a game for people to say and do contentious things as their character - but we want those actions and the reactions to them to happen in the field when people are roleplaying.

===Post Links to Photographs, Don't Repost Them===
Profound Decisions are lucky enough to have a small team of volunteer photographers to document our events; there are also a number of players who take photographs in line with the [[photography|photography policy]]. These volunteers generously donate their time and energy to show our hobby in all its glory. To acknowledge their contribution you must link to the original photos rather than downloading them and re-uploading them on our forums.

Each photographer will have their own policy on using photos elsewhere (such as for profile or cover pictures). If in doubt, please contact the original photographer.

===IC Announcements and Adverts===
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. However, as the game has grown over time, we have needed to create a separate space for certain kinds of IC advert, so that our main Empire LRP Facebook group does not become overloaded.

It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, provided that you avoid posting anything that is contentious and only post it in the single most appropriate group.

You can use the main Empire LRP Facebook group to advertise free-to-attend uptime IC events such as meetings and festivals.

If you have an IC advert OR an OC advert for anything that costs IC or OC money, such as crafted goods your character is selling, you may use the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrppromo Adverts and Promotions Facebook group] group and/or the single more relevant Nation group.

Here are some examples of adverts the above rule applies to:

* IC items you are selling for money
* IC raffles, gambling houses, or tourneys which are pay-to-enter
* IC services such as poetry, fortune telling, or performance
* Artwork commissions such as character portraits
* IC snacks, meals, cafes and bars
* IC publications, papers and books
* IC auctions
* an IC business dealing in resources of any kind in uptime eg an apothecary service

All posts must follow the following rules:
* '''Do not add additional comments''' - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world, which is not permitted.
* '''Post at most once per month''' - Do not repost it more than once a month or deliberately bump your existing post to the top of a page.
* '''Avoid starting contentious in-character discussions''' -
* '''Don't spam multiple groups''' - do not post your advert across multiple groups beyond those permitted, ie the single most relevant nation and either the Adverts group or the Main group, depending on what kind of advert you are posting.

There are several guidelines that we ask participants to follow in terms of their ad content:

* State your Price - Haggling or negotiation over prices must be left to the field.
* Use the Hub in uptime too - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character.
* Provide a plain text version - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but please endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.

In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for individual characters you have met, or have a way of getting in touch with (eg specific Imperial title-holders, individual group leaders) to get in touch for separate IC letters. We ask people not to tag players of sought-after characters in order that they can decide for themselves whether they want to engage.

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

===You May Cross-post the Winds===
There is an exception to the normal rules on multi-forum posts for the official Profound Decisions event updates, the Winds of War, and the Winds of Fortune. It is fine to cross-post these updates to an Empire Facebook group or forum - but please only do that if you think it is relevant to that group and check to see if it has already been posted. There is no need to cross-post a Wind of Fortune update about trouble in Hahnmark to the Urizen group for example.

However please make sure you do not include any comment about the content of the Wind in the cross-post. If you want to comment on the issue, you are welcome to do that below your own cross-post, but we ask that players avoid making any comment when making the actual cross-post - just to ensure that there is a clear distinction between what an individual player thinks and the contents of the Wind itself.

===You May Not Post Military Updates===
Players are not permitted to post updates on the decisions of the Military Council, in particular on where the Council would like people to send their military units and fleets in downtime. This constitutes using an online forum to try and influence the choices being made by other characters, it is not compatible with the rules prohibiting the posting of contentious in-character material.

While we have turned a blind-eye to some of these posts in the past - the rules have now been tightened. When the game first started it was difficult for generals to communicate what their army was doing to players. However every player with a military unit or fleet can now see the precise wording of the order issued to each army or navy when they go to submit their downtime. There is no need to provide additional context to these orders.

===No Charity or Fundraising Posts===
We have taken the decision not to allow any charity or fundraising posts on our groups except where they are intended to raise money for things to be used at Empire events or where they are posted by us on the main Empire LRP page. Whilst LRPers are an incredibly generous community, applying the posting rules and deciding on whether a particular fundraising post is “Empire related enough” is an impossible task for our moderator team. Having to assess each one will inevitably cause friction whenever a post is deleted because it is not sufficiently on topic for the Empire forums.

Posts offering prizes must be compliant with the laws regulating such activities. We will remove any post if we are not confident that you are correctly licensed to engage in such activities.

===Do Not Post Fanfiction===
We understand that lots of people love to read and write fanfic - and the Empire community is no exception. However there is a small risk that players may confuse fanfic with canonical updates to the campaign if the fiction is posted on one of the main Empire Facebook groups. For this reason there is a specific Facebook group called [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165082270686010/?fref=gc&dti=470732939604433&hc_location=ufi Empire LRP: Fiction Sharing] which was explicitly intended as a place for Empire players to share stories they have created. All fanfic stories should be posted here, not in one of the main Facebook groups.

===Do Not Criticise Other Participants===
The Empire national briefs are designed to allow for a wide range of creative freedom whilst still maintaining that all-important, clearly identifiable, national identity. When offering support to other players in your nation please be aware that that are other interpretations of the brief which are different to your own but are still valid. Avoid telling other players that they are getting the brief wrong - and avoid presenting yourself as an authority on how the brief should be interpreted.

It is fine to identify parts of the brief that are relevant and encourage people to embrace them. What is not permitted is for players to tell other players what is and is not acceptable in-character. If you have any concerns about the way a player is interpreting the brief then you should report the matter to Profound Decisions who can issue a definitive ruling on the matter.

Likewise, our code of conduct asks all Empire participants to avoid [[Costume#Criticism|criticising other player's kit]]. You should assume that the player in question has followed our guidelines and made the best effort they can. Criticism of other players’ costume will be deleted.

Crowd-sourcing answers about rules often ends up with a variety of responses and opinions on how the rules should be applied in that particular situation. The only definitive and official answers will come by emailing [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Do Not Accuse Other Players of Cheating or Unsafe Fighting===
Do not make public accusations of cheating or of unsafe fighting at Empire on social media. If you have witnessed either of these happen at an event, please either speak to a ref as soon as you are able to after the incident or contact [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk] after an event to report it.

===Do Not Discuss Moderation Decisions===
It is not constructive to discuss individual moderators or moderator decisions in public. We do however welcome discussion and debate of our posting rules and moderation policy provided the discussion remains civil, hypothetical and does not include references to individual examples. To discuss individual moderation decisions, please contact the Head of Moderation at [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk]; if not resolved to your satisfaction after this point, please contact [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Don't Do Stupid Shit===
Don't post anything that's illegal, racist, sexist, homophobic, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise objectionable. This includes links to such material as well.

===Streaming===
The [[Streaming|streaming]] rules are set out in full elsewhere. In summary:
* You may make one post per month to promote your streamed content
* You can edit that post if you want to update any information in it, but don't deliberately bump your own post back to the top

===Smut===

Following the [[Rules update 2023]], you must be mindful of the requirement to avoid sexualising the environment in a way that makes other players uncomfortable. Lots of players enjoy smutty publications - and lots of players don't want anything to do with that in their LRP. We have updated our conduct rules on sexual activity at events to make clear that anyone who wants to engage in that kind of roleplaying must ensure that it is handled discreetly and in a way that doesn't force other players to be involved with it against their wishes.

In particular that means you can't promote it on our Facebook groups, since that's incompatible with the need to handle it discreetly in a way that doesn't cause discomfort for other players. I've asked the moderators to take down posts promoting material that is smutty or explicit in the future.

==Traders==
* '''Traders who pay for a pitch at Empire may post adverts up to once a month'''
* '''Empire participants who operate as IC pedlars and sell goods in uptime may promote their [[#IC_Announcements_and_Adverts|IC goods and services]] up to once a month'''
* '''LRP traders who don't have a pitch at Empire may post adverts once a year'''
We are happy to allow traders to make occasional posts to the Empire Facebook groups, particularly if the post is drawing attention to goods that are appealing to Empire players. At the same time we are keen to prevent the groups from becoming overburdened with adverts, and want to ensure that they do not become too repetitive. To give everyone a fair set of guidelines to operate to - we have decided that traders or groups who have a trade pitch at Empire may post one advert per month if they choose. If a trader isn't one of the Empire traders then they may post up to one advert a year. Any adverts posted more frequently than that will be deleted by the moderators.

A trader advert can be in the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotion] Facebook group and a single nation Facebook group provided it contains stock appropriate to that nation. Any advert posted across multiple nation groups will be removed.

==Hot Topics==
The areas below are topics that almost invariably degenerate into arguments, or are simply not appropriate or acceptable topics of discussion for our forums or Facebook groups. Some of these issues are controversial and tend to produce a lot of acrimony when discussed online giving the false impression that these issues dominate our events. Some of these issues are simply not appropriate or acceptable and will be deleted by our moderators as soon as they become aware of them.

Our moderators will closely monitor these "hot topics" and may pre-emptively delete any posts that they feel is highly likely to lead to an adversarial discussion of the issues.

===Politics, Religion, and Language===
Politics and religion are incredibly important subjects and the crew and players of Empire cover a lot of different religions and a wide spectrum of political opinions. However, our online community exists so that participants can discuss the imaginary politics of the world of Empire and not real world politics.

Discussions about inappropriate language, such as the use of gendered words, is a subject that we’ve learned from prior incidents rapidly degenerates into acrimony. We will allow positive discussion of ways that participants can embrace the gender-blind Empire setting and implement that in their roleplaying - but will delete anything that is negative, a personal attack or is based on criticism of other people's roleplaying or experiences.

In using our social media, participants are also bound by any applicable conduct rules, including those around gendered language. If you are concerned by a poster’s use of inappropriate language, then please bring it to the attention of a moderator and they will contact the other participant and remind them of our rules relating to this.

===In-character Debates===
Empire is ''not'' a system which employs "FOIP" - a requirement that you can only find things out in play at events. It is '''fine''' to ask simple in-character questions, things you think your character should know or any questions about the system. If the information you have asked for is not controversial in-character then other participants are free to give you the answer to your question or to encourage you to find their character at an event and seek out the information in-character.

However as per the posting rules we prohibit discussion online of important or controversial issues. These issues form part of the plot of our event and we ask everyone to respect that.

There are specific rules for [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Anything that breaches these rules - any post that contains trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse, or political discussions and appointments will be removed.

===Criticism of Empire and other LRP Systems===
Live roleplaying is an amazing community that is at its best when participants share original ideas and best practices between different systems. So it's fine to make a post calling out a positive example of something other games do well - or do better than Empire does - that gives us a basis for discussing ways to make Empire a better game. But please bear in mind when posting, that Empire is such a large system that we will have participants who love the game you are referencing as well as participants who tried it and did not enjoy it.

What is not permitted is ''anything'' that is critical or dismissive of other LRP systems. Most LRP systems have their own forums or Facebook groups for their players to post comments about their games - posts that are about other games should be posted on their Facebook page, ''not on our forum/groups''.

It is fine to use our Facebook groups and our forums to criticize Empire or Profound Decisions and we encourage people to post ideas for improvements to the game. Bear in mind that all LRP games are produced by the combined efforts of a team of volunteers who are passionately invested in the game they create. Criticism directed at named individuals will be treated as a personal attack and moderated accordingly and our rules requiring [[Feedback#Worst_Way|civility]] towards our volunteers apply on our forums and Facebook groups as well as at events.

We believe a good LRP stands on its merits, and benefits from analysis, critique, and discussion. We ask all participants to be mindful of the fact that just because you have not experienced a problem does not mean the problem does not exist. Our moderators will remove posts if they judge that their only contribution is to suppress criticism or silence debate about Empire.

Facebook is an excellent place to discuss Empire with other participants who use Facebook - it is not ideal for providing [[feedback]] to Profound Decisions. There is no guarantee that the people who can act on the basis of your feedback will even see it. We treat posts on Facebook as the basis for discussion between participants - the [[feedback|wiki page on providing feedback]] discusses the best ways to send actual feedback to the team.

==Unofficial PD groups==
There are a large number of unofficial Empire groups which people use for discussing issues and organising logistics, amongst other things. As these groups are not official, they are not moderated by us and they are not automatically covered by our rules on posting. However all our players are expected to observe the social contract and commitment to keeping the game live that prohibits online negotiations and discussion of controversial subjects.

Although these online Empire community spaces are not moderated by us nor covered by our rules, players who are use them are still bound by our rules on conduct and our equality and diversity policies that forbid harassment etc. Reported breaches of these rules in communal Empire spaces may result in action being taken by Profound Decisions. If you are experiencing online harassment by another Empire participant then we will take appropriate action if you report the matter to us.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Online

2023-08-06T15:05:24Z

Miranda: /* IC Announcements and Adverts */

==Overview==
Empire has a large and active social media presence. Our main Empire LRP Facebook group alone has over 4,000 members. We also have dedicated forums as well as accounts on Instagram, Twitch and Twitter. Having an enthusiastic and engaged player base is important to us and we love seeing everyone discussing the game and enjoying the world of Empire. We welcome debate and constructive discussion in all these places, but any feedback should always be sent to [mailto:feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk ] so that the game team can consider it properly.

The [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrp/ Empire LRP Facebook group] is for general Empire related chat and queries. We also have nation-specific groups where people can discuss national festivals, collective projects, the national briefs, and the best places to source kit. Camp planning is also announced in these groups. Our national groups are a great community both on and off the field and we encourage people to get involved and to go see what’s being discussed. We also have a [https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport/ Player Support Group] which might be a good starting point if you are new to Empire or to live roleplaying in general. The [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Empire LRP forums] have separate boards for all these things, and a few additional ones.

Unfortunately, the nature of the internet is that it removes the element of personal interaction and can exacerbate differences of opinion. If we are not careful this turns discussions into hot-tempered arguments in a way that is detrimental to the debate and the community. For this reason we’ve chosen to implement a set of rules for everyone who uses our official groups and have a large team of crew moderators who can respond to any breaches that occur that are reported to them using the platform’s inbuilt tools or by emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk].

Counting players and crew, Empire has nearly three thousand participants at each event; it's not realistic to expect anyone to like every other participant. What we require is that people treat each other with respect regardless of their personal feelings. Our rules are designed to give our team a basis for judging when that is not happening and to take action accordingly. All the applicable rules for [[conduct]] at events also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

We ask that the community support our aim to keep the game live and familiarise themselves with the rules governing [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Remember, every in-character communication you have between events is one that cannot be had face to face.

==Moderators==
We have a team of crew who moderate our social spaces, led by our head of online moderation, Miranda Brennan. The team work collaboratively, discussing cases and coming to an agreed response to get the most consistent and fairest outcomes possible when exercising judgement. When a post/comment is reported, the moderators will review it and if necessary discuss together or escalate to the Head of Moderation. Moderation decisions and evidence are stored centrally in case we need to refer to them in future.
{{CaptionedImage|file=MirandaBrennan.jpg|align=right|caption=Head of Online Moderation: Miranda Brennan}}
===How to report===
Given the scale of the internet, we can’t keep track of every comment and subthread on our official social media. We therefore ask our users to be aware of the posting rules and if they see a breach, to report it by either:

* Using the reporting tools available on that platform
* Emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] and linking to the post/comment you wish to report.

===What happens when a post is reported?===
If a post/comment is reported and the moderation team decides that it breaks our posting rules, we may delete the post. If we do this, a moderator will endeavour to contact the poster to explain why. If the poster disagrees with the action taken, they can contact the [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk head moderator]. If the matter is not resolved to their satisfaction after this point, the matter can be escalated to [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk]. It is not appropriate to discuss individual moderation discussions on our social media and posts doing this will be deleted.

Depending on the situation we may warn people who have broken the rules, suspend them from our social media spaces either short or long term, or ban them permanently at our discretion. This includes potentially being excluded from the events themselves. We take our rules for online conduct very seriously; we do not make an absolute distinction between behaviour online and at events.

For some breaches of the posting rules, the moderation team may contact the poster privately and give them the opportunity to edit their post in order to make it comply with the rules.

If a contentious post is resulting in some heated debate, we may lock the post from further comments whilst we review it. This is particularly likely if we’re short on moderation cover at that time as our moderation team are all volunteers. If a post has dissolved entirely into unconstructive argument, we will delete the post in its entirety and either explain why privately to the poster or add a post to the group in which it was posted.

===Contesting a Decision===
It is important to appreciate that moderation is not personal. Some of our rules are technical in nature - and people often have posts moderated or removed not because there was anything wrong with the content or the way they posted it but simply because they don't meet the strict guidelines we set for relevance to Empire. Everyone gets moderated from time-to-time, players and crew, so that we can keep our forums welcoming and full of relevant content. ''Being moderated is not a criticism of you or your post.''

Although you may be contacted by a moderator to inform you that a post has been moderated, please bear in mind that moderation decisions are taken collectively by the team, not by any one individual. You're welcome to discuss the matter with the moderator who is there to try and help ensure you understand why the decision was taken, but if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss a new issue, please use the appropriate methods to contact the whole team, rather than emailing or messaging an individual moderator. All of our crew are volunteers so they don't always have time to allocate to support you; this is why we have a team of people in place to deal with any issues. Please respect the system we have put in place and contact the team if you need to discuss something.

If you are not happy with a moderator decision then you are welcome to discuss that with us privately. Mistakes do get made and we are happy to look at any decision that has been taken and apologize if we have made a mistake and correct it where we can. If we stand by the decision after reviewing it, then we'll try to explain in more detail why we came to that conclusion so that you can better understand how the rules are being applied.

Please do not contest decisions in public - that is against our rules - and do not argue with our moderators or become hostile with one of them. They are members of our crew, and should be treated with the same courtesy and respect that you should show a referee at an event. All our crew volunteer their time to work hard on your behalf to provide a great game so we require everyone who attends our events to treat them with appropriate regard. There are no Empire events without our crew and we take their wellbeing very seriously.

Please [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk email mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss any issue. Private messages are not a good mechanism for contacting the team as they go to individuals who may not see them for several days or at all in some cases depending on the platform settings.

==Posting Rules==
* '''Treat each other with respect and assume best faith'''
* '''All posts should clearly relate to Empire'''
* '''Use the most appropriate forum or Facebook group'''
* '''Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month'''
* '''Report any breach of the rules to our moderators rather than responding yourself'''
* '''Don't start in-character conversations or post anything that is contentious in-character'''
* '''IC announcements, sales, adverts and letters are permitted'''
* '''You may cross-post winds of war and winds of fortune'''
* '''You may not post instructions or advice on military units'''
* '''No charity and fundraising posts'''
* '''Post links to photographs, don't repost them'''
* '''Do not post fanfiction'''
* '''Do not criticise other participants for their costume, roleplaying, or interpretation of the setting'''
* '''Do not discuss moderation decisions'''
* '''Do not post accusations of cheating or unsafe fighting'''
* '''Don't do stupid shit'''
* '''Streaming'''
* '''Smut'''

In particular, please note all the applicable rules for [[conduct]] also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

===Treat each other with respect and assume best faith===
We are proud that Empire players come from a diverse range of backgrounds and traditions of LRP. With well over 2000 players and crew, differences of opinions will occur and discussion of these is no bad thing, but needs to be handled carefully. Please respect people’s opinions, treat other participants as adults, and assume good faith. It’s easy to mistake someone’s intent over the internet and you may need to work a little harder to make yourself understood or be more patient when trying to explain something. Avoid making jokes about contentious subjects where the possibility exists to miss the humour and be offended as a result.

Don't harass other users, don't post anything that constitutes a personal attack and avoid forms of speech that could be interpreted as bullying or abusive. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. We will not tolerate any post that our moderators feel constitutes a personal attack on another live roleplayer - regardless of whether or not they use our official online forums/groups or are a regular attendee at our events. Avoid posting while angry; if you are disagreeing with participant then ensure that you remain polite and avoid [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem ad hominem] responses.

If you feel anything posted on our official forums or Facebook groups violates our rule prohibiting personal attacks then please report it to our moderators, do not respond in kind.

===All Posts Should Clearly Relate to Empire===
Please keep your posts on topic. Our forums and groups are for Empire, so if the discussion strays too far away the subject of Empire we will ask you to take it elsewhere. If the link to Empire is tenuous or would be unclear to a casual reader, our moderators may advise you that this would be more appropriate on your own wall or ask you to elaborate on the original post as to its relevance.

===Use the Most Appropriate Forum or Group===
Please ensure that your posts are in the most appropriate area. Do not duplicate the same or similar posts across multiple different forums or different groups. If your post is a bit more general but one nation may still have a special interest then ''at most'' you should post in the main Empire group and the single most relevant nation group. An example of this would be a Dawnish hosted player event, as Dawnish players may be especially interested, but other nations may also wish to attend. If multiple players all post the same or similar posts either in the same group or across multiple groups, the moderation team will remove the duplicate posts.

Duplicating a post on Facebook and the Forum is permitted as many participants may only use one of these platforms.

If you are a trader at our events then before each event, you may put a post into a single official nation group [[Forums & Facebook|Facebook nation group]] of your choice and/or the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotions Facebook group] to advertise your services or products. If you are not a trader at our events then using the same rules, you may post once advertisement a year, provided that the products or services offered are relevant to Empire players.
{{CaptionedImage|file=RougherMusic.jpg|align=right|width=350|caption=The Moderators are here to help you.}}

===Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month===
You can repost content up to once a month, if it's relevant to Empire. If you want to promote IC services or similar or you are discussing OOC arrangements relevant to the game then it's fine to repost them periodically - provided it is not too frequent. Our moderators will take down repeated posts if less than a month has passed since the last time it was posted. It's fine to update a post, but deliberately posting to 'bump' a post back to the top of the group is not in the spirit of the rules.

===Report any Breach of the Rules to our Moderators===
Each board has a couple of volunteer moderators and admins and we have a centralised place to discuss and document moderation decisions. Due to the high level of activity in our our official groups it is impossible for us to follow each and every interaction. Therefore, if you see someone infringing the posting rules, please help us by reporting this comment or post promptly rather than responding yourself. A moderator or admin will then respond as quickly as they’re able to.

Please don't call out other participants for posts that you think breach our guidelines, report it, and let the moderators handle it. On Facebook select "report to admin" by clicking in the top right hand corner of a post. On the forum click "...(show more)" then the flag icon on any post.

===Don't Post IC Conversations or Contentious Statements===
Please help us keep the game live and in the field as much as possible. Avoid starting in-character conversations about significant or controversial subjects so that discussion of important in-character issues can be kept for the live events. It is usually fine to post comments about events that have happened, provided that the posts are not contentious or likely to cause people to want to respond as their character. If you post something in-character that could be perceived as contentious on our official forums or groups, we’ll remove or edit this.

Empire is a game for people to say and do contentious things as their character - but we want those actions and the reactions to them to happen in the field when people are roleplaying.

===Post Links to Photographs, Don't Repost Them===
Profound Decisions are lucky enough to have a small team of volunteer photographers to document our events; there are also a number of players who take photographs in line with the [[photography|photography policy]]. These volunteers generously donate their time and energy to show our hobby in all its glory. To acknowledge their contribution you must link to the original photos rather than downloading them and re-uploading them on our forums.

Each photographer will have their own policy on using photos elsewhere (such as for profile or cover pictures). If in doubt, please contact the original photographer.

===IC Announcements and Adverts===
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. However, as the game has grown over time, we have needed to create a separate space for certain kinds of IC advert, so that our main Empire LRP Facebook group does not become overloaded.

It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, provided that you avoid posting anything that is contentious and only post it in the single most appropriate group.

You can use the main Empire LRP Facebook group to advertise free-to-attend uptime IC events such as meetings and festivals.

If you have an IC advert OR an OC advert for anything that costs IC or OC money, such as crafted goods your character is selling, you may use the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrppromo Adverts and Promotions Facebook group] group and/or the single more relevant Nation group.

Here are some examples of adverts the above rule applies to:

* IC items you are selling for money
* IC raffles, gambling houses, or tourneys which are pay-to-enter
* IC services such as poetry, fortune telling, or performance
* Artwork commissions such as character portraits
* IC snacks, meals, cafes and bars
* IC publications, papers and books
* IC auctions
* an IC business dealing in resources of any kind in uptime eg an apothecary service

All posts must follow the following rules:
* '''Do not add additional comments''' - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world, which is not permitted.
* '''Post at most once per month''' - Do not repost it more than once a month or deliberately bump your existing post to the top of a page.
* '''Avoid starting contentious in-character discussions''' -
* '''Don't spam multiple groups''' - do not post your advert across multiple groups beyond those permitted, ie the single most relevant nation and either the Adverts group or the Main group, depending on what kind of advert you are posting.

There are several guidelines that we ask participants to follow in terms of their ad content:

* State your Price - Haggling or negotiation over prices must be left to the field.
* Use the Hub in uptime too - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character.
* Provide a plain text version - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but please endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.

In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for individual characters you have met, or have a way of getting in touch with (eg specific Imperial title-holders, individual group leaders) to get in touch for separate IC letters. We ask people not to tag players of sought-after characters in order that they can decide for themselves whether they want to engage.

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

===You May Cross-post the Winds===
There is an exception to the normal rules on multi-forum posts for the official Profound Decisions event updates, the Winds of War, and the Winds of Fortune. It is fine to cross-post these updates to an Empire Facebook group or forum - but please only do that if you think it is relevant to that group and check to see if it has already been posted. There is no need to cross-post a Wind of Fortune update about trouble in Hahnmark to the Urizen group for example.

However please make sure you do not include any comment about the content of the Wind in the cross-post. If you want to comment on the issue, you are welcome to do that below your own cross-post, but we ask that players avoid making any comment when making the actual cross-post - just to ensure that there is a clear distinction between what an individual player thinks and the contents of the Wind itself.

===You May Not Post Military Updates===
Players are not permitted to post updates on the decisions of the Military Council, in particular on where the Council would like people to send their military units and fleets in downtime. This constitutes using an online forum to try and influence the choices being made by other characters, it is not compatible with the rules prohibiting the posting of contentious in-character material.

While we have turned a blind-eye to some of these posts in the past - the rules have now been tightened. When the game first started it was difficult for generals to communicate what their army was doing to players. However every player with a military unit or fleet can now see the precise wording of the order issued to each army or navy when they go to submit their downtime. There is no need to provide additional context to these orders.

===No Charity or Fundraising Posts===
We have taken the decision not to allow any charity or fundraising posts on our groups except where they are intended to raise money for things to be used at Empire events or where they are posted by us on the main Empire LRP page. Whilst LRPers are an incredibly generous community, applying the posting rules and deciding on whether a particular fundraising post is “Empire related enough” is an impossible task for our moderator team. Having to assess each one will inevitably cause friction whenever a post is deleted because it is not sufficiently on topic for the Empire forums.

Posts offering prizes must be compliant with the laws regulating such activities. We will remove any post if we are not confident that you are correctly licensed to engage in such activities.

===Do Not Post Fanfiction===
We understand that lots of people love to read and write fanfic - and the Empire community is no exception. However there is a small risk that players may confuse fanfic with canonical updates to the campaign if the fiction is posted on one of the main Empire Facebook groups. For this reason there is a specific Facebook group called [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165082270686010/?fref=gc&dti=470732939604433&hc_location=ufi Empire LRP: Fiction Sharing] which was explicitly intended as a place for Empire players to share stories they have created. All fanfic stories should be posted here, not in one of the main Facebook groups.

===Do Not Criticise Other Participants===
The Empire national briefs are designed to allow for a wide range of creative freedom whilst still maintaining that all-important, clearly identifiable, national identity. When offering support to other players in your nation please be aware that that are other interpretations of the brief which are different to your own but are still valid. Avoid telling other players that they are getting the brief wrong - and avoid presenting yourself as an authority on how the brief should be interpreted.

It is fine to identify parts of the brief that are relevant and encourage people to embrace them. What is not permitted is for players to tell other players what is and is not acceptable in-character. If you have any concerns about the way a player is interpreting the brief then you should report the matter to Profound Decisions who can issue a definitive ruling on the matter.

Likewise, our code of conduct asks all Empire participants to avoid [[Costume#Criticism|criticising other player's kit]]. You should assume that the player in question has followed our guidelines and made the best effort they can. Criticism of other players’ costume will be deleted.

Crowd-sourcing answers about rules often ends up with a variety of responses and opinions on how the rules should be applied in that particular situation. The only definitive and official answers will come by emailing [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Do Not Accuse Other Players of Cheating or Unsafe Fighting===
Do not make public accusations of cheating or of unsafe fighting at Empire on social media. If you have witnessed either of these happen at an event, please either speak to a ref as soon as you are able to after the incident or contact [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk] after an event to report it.

===Do Not Discuss Moderation Decisions===
It is not constructive to discuss individual moderators or moderator decisions in public. We do however welcome discussion and debate of our posting rules and moderation policy provided the discussion remains civil, hypothetical and does not include references to individual examples. To discuss individual moderation decisions, please contact the Head of Moderation at [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk]; if not resolved to your satisfaction after this point, please contact [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Don't Do Stupid Shit===
Don't post anything that's illegal, racist, sexist, homophobic, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise objectionable. This includes links to such material as well.

===Streaming===
The [[Streaming|streaming]] rules are set out in full elsewhere. In summary:
* You may make one post per month to promote your streamed content
* You can edit that post if you want to update any information in it, but don't deliberately bump your own post back to the top

===Smut===

Following the [[Rules update 2023]], you must be mindful of the requirement to avoid sexualising the environment in a way that makes other players uncomfortable. Lots of players enjoy smutty publications - and lots of players don't want anything to do with that in their LRP. We have updated our conduct rules on sexual activity at events to make clear that anyone who wants to engage in that kind of roleplaying must ensure that it is handled discreetly and in a way that doesn't force other players to be involved with it against their wishes.

In particular that means you can't promote it on our Facebook groups, since that's incompatible with the need to handle it discreetly in a way that doesn't cause discomfort for other players. I've asked the moderators to take down posts promoting material that is smutty or explicit in the future.

==Traders==
* '''Traders who pay for a pitch at Empire may post adverts up to once a month'''
* '''LRP traders who don't have a pitch at Empire may post adverts once a year'''
We are happy to allow traders to make occasional posts to the Empire Facebook groups, particularly if the post is drawing attention to goods that are appealing to Empire players. At the same time we are keen to prevent the groups from becoming overburdened with adverts, and want to ensure that they do not become too repetitive. To give everyone a fair set of guidelines to operate to - we have decided that traders or groups who have a trade pitch at Empire may post one advert per month if they choose. If a trader isn't one of the Empire traders then they may post up to one advert a year. Any adverts posted more frequently than that will be deleted by the moderators.

A trader advert can be in the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotion] Facebook group and a single nation Facebook group provided it contains stock appropriate to that nation. Any advert posted across multiple nation groups will be removed.

==Hot Topics==
The areas below are topics that almost invariably degenerate into arguments, or are simply not appropriate or acceptable topics of discussion for our forums or Facebook groups. Some of these issues are controversial and tend to produce a lot of acrimony when discussed online giving the false impression that these issues dominate our events. Some of these issues are simply not appropriate or acceptable and will be deleted by our moderators as soon as they become aware of them.

Our moderators will closely monitor these "hot topics" and may pre-emptively delete any posts that they feel is highly likely to lead to an adversarial discussion of the issues.

===Politics, Religion, and Language===
Politics and religion are incredibly important subjects and the crew and players of Empire cover a lot of different religions and a wide spectrum of political opinions. However, our online community exists so that participants can discuss the imaginary politics of the world of Empire and not real world politics.

Discussions about inappropriate language, such as the use of gendered words, is a subject that we’ve learned from prior incidents rapidly degenerates into acrimony. We will allow positive discussion of ways that participants can embrace the gender-blind Empire setting and implement that in their roleplaying - but will delete anything that is negative, a personal attack or is based on criticism of other people's roleplaying or experiences.

In using our social media, participants are also bound by any applicable conduct rules, including those around gendered language. If you are concerned by a poster’s use of inappropriate language, then please bring it to the attention of a moderator and they will contact the other participant and remind them of our rules relating to this.

===In-character Debates===
Empire is ''not'' a system which employs "FOIP" - a requirement that you can only find things out in play at events. It is '''fine''' to ask simple in-character questions, things you think your character should know or any questions about the system. If the information you have asked for is not controversial in-character then other participants are free to give you the answer to your question or to encourage you to find their character at an event and seek out the information in-character.

However as per the posting rules we prohibit discussion online of important or controversial issues. These issues form part of the plot of our event and we ask everyone to respect that.

There are specific rules for [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Anything that breaches these rules - any post that contains trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse, or political discussions and appointments will be removed.

===Criticism of Empire and other LRP Systems===
Live roleplaying is an amazing community that is at its best when participants share original ideas and best practices between different systems. So it's fine to make a post calling out a positive example of something other games do well - or do better than Empire does - that gives us a basis for discussing ways to make Empire a better game. But please bear in mind when posting, that Empire is such a large system that we will have participants who love the game you are referencing as well as participants who tried it and did not enjoy it.

What is not permitted is ''anything'' that is critical or dismissive of other LRP systems. Most LRP systems have their own forums or Facebook groups for their players to post comments about their games - posts that are about other games should be posted on their Facebook page, ''not on our forum/groups''.

It is fine to use our Facebook groups and our forums to criticize Empire or Profound Decisions and we encourage people to post ideas for improvements to the game. Bear in mind that all LRP games are produced by the combined efforts of a team of volunteers who are passionately invested in the game they create. Criticism directed at named individuals will be treated as a personal attack and moderated accordingly and our rules requiring [[Feedback#Worst_Way|civility]] towards our volunteers apply on our forums and Facebook groups as well as at events.

We believe a good LRP stands on its merits, and benefits from analysis, critique, and discussion. We ask all participants to be mindful of the fact that just because you have not experienced a problem does not mean the problem does not exist. Our moderators will remove posts if they judge that their only contribution is to suppress criticism or silence debate about Empire.

Facebook is an excellent place to discuss Empire with other participants who use Facebook - it is not ideal for providing [[feedback]] to Profound Decisions. There is no guarantee that the people who can act on the basis of your feedback will even see it. We treat posts on Facebook as the basis for discussion between participants - the [[feedback|wiki page on providing feedback]] discusses the best ways to send actual feedback to the team.

==Unofficial PD groups==
There are a large number of unofficial Empire groups which people use for discussing issues and organising logistics, amongst other things. As these groups are not official, they are not moderated by us and they are not automatically covered by our rules on posting. However all our players are expected to observe the social contract and commitment to keeping the game live that prohibits online negotiations and discussion of controversial subjects.

Although these online Empire community spaces are not moderated by us nor covered by our rules, players who are use them are still bound by our rules on conduct and our equality and diversity policies that forbid harassment etc. Reported breaches of these rules in communal Empire spaces may result in action being taken by Profound Decisions. If you are experiencing online harassment by another Empire participant then we will take appropriate action if you report the matter to us.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Online

2023-08-06T14:59:23Z

Miranda: /* IC Announcements and Adverts */

==Overview==
Empire has a large and active social media presence. Our main Empire LRP Facebook group alone has over 4,000 members. We also have dedicated forums as well as accounts on Instagram, Twitch and Twitter. Having an enthusiastic and engaged player base is important to us and we love seeing everyone discussing the game and enjoying the world of Empire. We welcome debate and constructive discussion in all these places, but any feedback should always be sent to [mailto:feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk ] so that the game team can consider it properly.

The [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrp/ Empire LRP Facebook group] is for general Empire related chat and queries. We also have nation-specific groups where people can discuss national festivals, collective projects, the national briefs, and the best places to source kit. Camp planning is also announced in these groups. Our national groups are a great community both on and off the field and we encourage people to get involved and to go see what’s being discussed. We also have a [https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport/ Player Support Group] which might be a good starting point if you are new to Empire or to live roleplaying in general. The [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Empire LRP forums] have separate boards for all these things, and a few additional ones.

Unfortunately, the nature of the internet is that it removes the element of personal interaction and can exacerbate differences of opinion. If we are not careful this turns discussions into hot-tempered arguments in a way that is detrimental to the debate and the community. For this reason we’ve chosen to implement a set of rules for everyone who uses our official groups and have a large team of crew moderators who can respond to any breaches that occur that are reported to them using the platform’s inbuilt tools or by emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk].

Counting players and crew, Empire has nearly three thousand participants at each event; it's not realistic to expect anyone to like every other participant. What we require is that people treat each other with respect regardless of their personal feelings. Our rules are designed to give our team a basis for judging when that is not happening and to take action accordingly. All the applicable rules for [[conduct]] at events also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

We ask that the community support our aim to keep the game live and familiarise themselves with the rules governing [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Remember, every in-character communication you have between events is one that cannot be had face to face.

==Moderators==
We have a team of crew who moderate our social spaces, led by our head of online moderation, Miranda Brennan. The team work collaboratively, discussing cases and coming to an agreed response to get the most consistent and fairest outcomes possible when exercising judgement. When a post/comment is reported, the moderators will review it and if necessary discuss together or escalate to the Head of Moderation. Moderation decisions and evidence are stored centrally in case we need to refer to them in future.
{{CaptionedImage|file=MirandaBrennan.jpg|align=right|caption=Head of Online Moderation: Miranda Brennan}}
===How to report===
Given the scale of the internet, we can’t keep track of every comment and subthread on our official social media. We therefore ask our users to be aware of the posting rules and if they see a breach, to report it by either:

* Using the reporting tools available on that platform
* Emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] and linking to the post/comment you wish to report.

===What happens when a post is reported?===
If a post/comment is reported and the moderation team decides that it breaks our posting rules, we may delete the post. If we do this, a moderator will endeavour to contact the poster to explain why. If the poster disagrees with the action taken, they can contact the [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk head moderator]. If the matter is not resolved to their satisfaction after this point, the matter can be escalated to [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk]. It is not appropriate to discuss individual moderation discussions on our social media and posts doing this will be deleted.

Depending on the situation we may warn people who have broken the rules, suspend them from our social media spaces either short or long term, or ban them permanently at our discretion. This includes potentially being excluded from the events themselves. We take our rules for online conduct very seriously; we do not make an absolute distinction between behaviour online and at events.

For some breaches of the posting rules, the moderation team may contact the poster privately and give them the opportunity to edit their post in order to make it comply with the rules.

If a contentious post is resulting in some heated debate, we may lock the post from further comments whilst we review it. This is particularly likely if we’re short on moderation cover at that time as our moderation team are all volunteers. If a post has dissolved entirely into unconstructive argument, we will delete the post in its entirety and either explain why privately to the poster or add a post to the group in which it was posted.

===Contesting a Decision===
It is important to appreciate that moderation is not personal. Some of our rules are technical in nature - and people often have posts moderated or removed not because there was anything wrong with the content or the way they posted it but simply because they don't meet the strict guidelines we set for relevance to Empire. Everyone gets moderated from time-to-time, players and crew, so that we can keep our forums welcoming and full of relevant content. ''Being moderated is not a criticism of you or your post.''

Although you may be contacted by a moderator to inform you that a post has been moderated, please bear in mind that moderation decisions are taken collectively by the team, not by any one individual. You're welcome to discuss the matter with the moderator who is there to try and help ensure you understand why the decision was taken, but if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss a new issue, please use the appropriate methods to contact the whole team, rather than emailing or messaging an individual moderator. All of our crew are volunteers so they don't always have time to allocate to support you; this is why we have a team of people in place to deal with any issues. Please respect the system we have put in place and contact the team if you need to discuss something.

If you are not happy with a moderator decision then you are welcome to discuss that with us privately. Mistakes do get made and we are happy to look at any decision that has been taken and apologize if we have made a mistake and correct it where we can. If we stand by the decision after reviewing it, then we'll try to explain in more detail why we came to that conclusion so that you can better understand how the rules are being applied.

Please do not contest decisions in public - that is against our rules - and do not argue with our moderators or become hostile with one of them. They are members of our crew, and should be treated with the same courtesy and respect that you should show a referee at an event. All our crew volunteer their time to work hard on your behalf to provide a great game so we require everyone who attends our events to treat them with appropriate regard. There are no Empire events without our crew and we take their wellbeing very seriously.

Please [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk email mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss any issue. Private messages are not a good mechanism for contacting the team as they go to individuals who may not see them for several days or at all in some cases depending on the platform settings.

==Posting Rules==
* '''Treat each other with respect and assume best faith'''
* '''All posts should clearly relate to Empire'''
* '''Use the most appropriate forum or Facebook group'''
* '''Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month'''
* '''Report any breach of the rules to our moderators rather than responding yourself'''
* '''Don't start in-character conversations or post anything that is contentious in-character'''
* '''IC announcements, sales, adverts and letters are permitted'''
* '''You may cross-post winds of war and winds of fortune'''
* '''You may not post instructions or advice on military units'''
* '''No charity and fundraising posts'''
* '''Post links to photographs, don't repost them'''
* '''Do not post fanfiction'''
* '''Do not criticise other participants for their costume, roleplaying, or interpretation of the setting'''
* '''Do not discuss moderation decisions'''
* '''Do not post accusations of cheating or unsafe fighting'''
* '''Don't do stupid shit'''
* '''Streaming'''
* '''Smut'''

In particular, please note all the applicable rules for [[conduct]] also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

===Treat each other with respect and assume best faith===
We are proud that Empire players come from a diverse range of backgrounds and traditions of LRP. With well over 2000 players and crew, differences of opinions will occur and discussion of these is no bad thing, but needs to be handled carefully. Please respect people’s opinions, treat other participants as adults, and assume good faith. It’s easy to mistake someone’s intent over the internet and you may need to work a little harder to make yourself understood or be more patient when trying to explain something. Avoid making jokes about contentious subjects where the possibility exists to miss the humour and be offended as a result.

Don't harass other users, don't post anything that constitutes a personal attack and avoid forms of speech that could be interpreted as bullying or abusive. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. We will not tolerate any post that our moderators feel constitutes a personal attack on another live roleplayer - regardless of whether or not they use our official online forums/groups or are a regular attendee at our events. Avoid posting while angry; if you are disagreeing with participant then ensure that you remain polite and avoid [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem ad hominem] responses.

If you feel anything posted on our official forums or Facebook groups violates our rule prohibiting personal attacks then please report it to our moderators, do not respond in kind.

===All Posts Should Clearly Relate to Empire===
Please keep your posts on topic. Our forums and groups are for Empire, so if the discussion strays too far away the subject of Empire we will ask you to take it elsewhere. If the link to Empire is tenuous or would be unclear to a casual reader, our moderators may advise you that this would be more appropriate on your own wall or ask you to elaborate on the original post as to its relevance.

===Use the Most Appropriate Forum or Group===
Please ensure that your posts are in the most appropriate area. Do not duplicate the same or similar posts across multiple different forums or different groups. If your post is a bit more general but one nation may still have a special interest then ''at most'' you should post in the main Empire group and the single most relevant nation group. An example of this would be a Dawnish hosted player event, as Dawnish players may be especially interested, but other nations may also wish to attend. If multiple players all post the same or similar posts either in the same group or across multiple groups, the moderation team will remove the duplicate posts.

Duplicating a post on Facebook and the Forum is permitted as many participants may only use one of these platforms.

If you are a trader at our events then before each event, you may put a post into a single official nation group [[Forums & Facebook|Facebook nation group]] of your choice and/or the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotions Facebook group] to advertise your services or products. If you are not a trader at our events then using the same rules, you may post once advertisement a year, provided that the products or services offered are relevant to Empire players.
{{CaptionedImage|file=RougherMusic.jpg|align=right|width=350|caption=The Moderators are here to help you.}}

===Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month===
You can repost content up to once a month, if it's relevant to Empire. If you want to promote IC services or similar or you are discussing OOC arrangements relevant to the game then it's fine to repost them periodically - provided it is not too frequent. Our moderators will take down repeated posts if less than a month has passed since the last time it was posted. It's fine to update a post, but deliberately posting to 'bump' a post back to the top of the group is not in the spirit of the rules.

===Report any Breach of the Rules to our Moderators===
Each board has a couple of volunteer moderators and admins and we have a centralised place to discuss and document moderation decisions. Due to the high level of activity in our our official groups it is impossible for us to follow each and every interaction. Therefore, if you see someone infringing the posting rules, please help us by reporting this comment or post promptly rather than responding yourself. A moderator or admin will then respond as quickly as they’re able to.

Please don't call out other participants for posts that you think breach our guidelines, report it, and let the moderators handle it. On Facebook select "report to admin" by clicking in the top right hand corner of a post. On the forum click "...(show more)" then the flag icon on any post.

===Don't Post IC Conversations or Contentious Statements===
Please help us keep the game live and in the field as much as possible. Avoid starting in-character conversations about significant or controversial subjects so that discussion of important in-character issues can be kept for the live events. It is usually fine to post comments about events that have happened, provided that the posts are not contentious or likely to cause people to want to respond as their character. If you post something in-character that could be perceived as contentious on our official forums or groups, we’ll remove or edit this.

Empire is a game for people to say and do contentious things as their character - but we want those actions and the reactions to them to happen in the field when people are roleplaying.

===Post Links to Photographs, Don't Repost Them===
Profound Decisions are lucky enough to have a small team of volunteer photographers to document our events; there are also a number of players who take photographs in line with the [[photography|photography policy]]. These volunteers generously donate their time and energy to show our hobby in all its glory. To acknowledge their contribution you must link to the original photos rather than downloading them and re-uploading them on our forums.

Each photographer will have their own policy on using photos elsewhere (such as for profile or cover pictures). If in doubt, please contact the original photographer.

===IC Announcements and Adverts===
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. However, as the game has grown over time, we have needed to create a separate space for certain kinds of IC advert, so that our main Empire LRP Facebook group does not become overloaded.

It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, provided that you avoid posting anything that is contentious and only post it in the single most appropriate group.

You can use the main Empire LRP Facebook group to advertise free-to-attend uptime IC events such as meetings and festivals.

If you have an IC advert OR an OC advert for anything that costs IC or OC money, such as crafted goods your character is selling, you may use the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrppromo Adverts and Promotions Facebook group] group and/or the single more relevant Nation group.

Here are some examples of adverts the above rule applies to:

* IC items you are selling for money
* IC raffles, gambling houses, or tourneys which are pay-to-enter
* IC services such as poetry, fortune telling, or performance
* Artwork commissions such as character portraits
* IC snacks, meals, cafes and bars
* IC publications, papers and books
* IC auctions
* an IC business dealing in resources of any kind in uptime eg an apothecary service

All posts must follow the following rules:
* '''Do not add additional comments''' - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world, which is not permitted.
* '''Post at most once per month''' - Do not repost it more than once a month or deliberately bump your existing post to the top of a page.

You must follow the normal posting rules - don’t say anything in-character that would be contentious and put each post [[#Use_the_Most_Appropriate_Forum_or_Group|in the most appropriate forum or Facebook group only]]. Do not spam it across multiple groups or repost it more often than once a month.

There are several guidelines that we ask participants to follow where possible when posting adverts for IC services:

* State your Price - Haggling or negotiation over prices must be left to the field.
* Use the Hub in uptime too - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character.
* Provide a plain text version - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but please endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.

In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for individual characters you have met, or have a way of getting in touch with (eg specific Imperial title-holders, individual group leaders) to get in touch for separate IC letters. We ask people not to tag players of sought-after characters in order that they can decide for themselves whether they want to engage.

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

===You May Cross-post the Winds===
There is an exception to the normal rules on multi-forum posts for the official Profound Decisions event updates, the Winds of War, and the Winds of Fortune. It is fine to cross-post these updates to an Empire Facebook group or forum - but please only do that if you think it is relevant to that group and check to see if it has already been posted. There is no need to cross-post a Wind of Fortune update about trouble in Hahnmark to the Urizen group for example.

However please make sure you do not include any comment about the content of the Wind in the cross-post. If you want to comment on the issue, you are welcome to do that below your own cross-post, but we ask that players avoid making any comment when making the actual cross-post - just to ensure that there is a clear distinction between what an individual player thinks and the contents of the Wind itself.

===You May Not Post Military Updates===
Players are not permitted to post updates on the decisions of the Military Council, in particular on where the Council would like people to send their military units and fleets in downtime. This constitutes using an online forum to try and influence the choices being made by other characters, it is not compatible with the rules prohibiting the posting of contentious in-character material.

While we have turned a blind-eye to some of these posts in the past - the rules have now been tightened. When the game first started it was difficult for generals to communicate what their army was doing to players. However every player with a military unit or fleet can now see the precise wording of the order issued to each army or navy when they go to submit their downtime. There is no need to provide additional context to these orders.

===No Charity or Fundraising Posts===
We have taken the decision not to allow any charity or fundraising posts on our groups except where they are intended to raise money for things to be used at Empire events or where they are posted by us on the main Empire LRP page. Whilst LRPers are an incredibly generous community, applying the posting rules and deciding on whether a particular fundraising post is “Empire related enough” is an impossible task for our moderator team. Having to assess each one will inevitably cause friction whenever a post is deleted because it is not sufficiently on topic for the Empire forums.

Posts offering prizes must be compliant with the laws regulating such activities. We will remove any post if we are not confident that you are correctly licensed to engage in such activities.

===Do Not Post Fanfiction===
We understand that lots of people love to read and write fanfic - and the Empire community is no exception. However there is a small risk that players may confuse fanfic with canonical updates to the campaign if the fiction is posted on one of the main Empire Facebook groups. For this reason there is a specific Facebook group called [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165082270686010/?fref=gc&dti=470732939604433&hc_location=ufi Empire LRP: Fiction Sharing] which was explicitly intended as a place for Empire players to share stories they have created. All fanfic stories should be posted here, not in one of the main Facebook groups.

===Do Not Criticise Other Participants===
The Empire national briefs are designed to allow for a wide range of creative freedom whilst still maintaining that all-important, clearly identifiable, national identity. When offering support to other players in your nation please be aware that that are other interpretations of the brief which are different to your own but are still valid. Avoid telling other players that they are getting the brief wrong - and avoid presenting yourself as an authority on how the brief should be interpreted.

It is fine to identify parts of the brief that are relevant and encourage people to embrace them. What is not permitted is for players to tell other players what is and is not acceptable in-character. If you have any concerns about the way a player is interpreting the brief then you should report the matter to Profound Decisions who can issue a definitive ruling on the matter.

Likewise, our code of conduct asks all Empire participants to avoid [[Costume#Criticism|criticising other player's kit]]. You should assume that the player in question has followed our guidelines and made the best effort they can. Criticism of other players’ costume will be deleted.

Crowd-sourcing answers about rules often ends up with a variety of responses and opinions on how the rules should be applied in that particular situation. The only definitive and official answers will come by emailing [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Do Not Accuse Other Players of Cheating or Unsafe Fighting===
Do not make public accusations of cheating or of unsafe fighting at Empire on social media. If you have witnessed either of these happen at an event, please either speak to a ref as soon as you are able to after the incident or contact [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk] after an event to report it.

===Do Not Discuss Moderation Decisions===
It is not constructive to discuss individual moderators or moderator decisions in public. We do however welcome discussion and debate of our posting rules and moderation policy provided the discussion remains civil, hypothetical and does not include references to individual examples. To discuss individual moderation decisions, please contact the Head of Moderation at [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk]; if not resolved to your satisfaction after this point, please contact [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Don't Do Stupid Shit===
Don't post anything that's illegal, racist, sexist, homophobic, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise objectionable. This includes links to such material as well.

===Streaming===
The [[Streaming|streaming]] rules are set out in full elsewhere. In summary:
* You may make one post per month to promote your streamed content
* You can edit that post if you want to update any information in it, but don't deliberately bump your own post back to the top

===Smut===

Following the [[Rules update 2023]], you must be mindful of the requirement to avoid sexualising the environment in a way that makes other players uncomfortable. Lots of players enjoy smutty publications - and lots of players don't want anything to do with that in their LRP. We have updated our conduct rules on sexual activity at events to make clear that anyone who wants to engage in that kind of roleplaying must ensure that it is handled discreetly and in a way that doesn't force other players to be involved with it against their wishes.

In particular that means you can't promote it on our Facebook groups, since that's incompatible with the need to handle it discreetly in a way that doesn't cause discomfort for other players. I've asked the moderators to take down posts promoting material that is smutty or explicit in the future.

==Traders==
* '''Traders who pay for a pitch at Empire may post adverts up to once a month'''
* '''LRP traders who don't have a pitch at Empire may post adverts once a year'''
We are happy to allow traders to make occasional posts to the Empire Facebook groups, particularly if the post is drawing attention to goods that are appealing to Empire players. At the same time we are keen to prevent the groups from becoming overburdened with adverts, and want to ensure that they do not become too repetitive. To give everyone a fair set of guidelines to operate to - we have decided that traders or groups who have a trade pitch at Empire may post one advert per month if they choose. If a trader isn't one of the Empire traders then they may post up to one advert a year. Any adverts posted more frequently than that will be deleted by the moderators.

A trader advert can be in the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotion] Facebook group and a single nation Facebook group provided it contains stock appropriate to that nation. Any advert posted across multiple nation groups will be removed.

==Hot Topics==
The areas below are topics that almost invariably degenerate into arguments, or are simply not appropriate or acceptable topics of discussion for our forums or Facebook groups. Some of these issues are controversial and tend to produce a lot of acrimony when discussed online giving the false impression that these issues dominate our events. Some of these issues are simply not appropriate or acceptable and will be deleted by our moderators as soon as they become aware of them.

Our moderators will closely monitor these "hot topics" and may pre-emptively delete any posts that they feel is highly likely to lead to an adversarial discussion of the issues.

===Politics, Religion, and Language===
Politics and religion are incredibly important subjects and the crew and players of Empire cover a lot of different religions and a wide spectrum of political opinions. However, our online community exists so that participants can discuss the imaginary politics of the world of Empire and not real world politics.

Discussions about inappropriate language, such as the use of gendered words, is a subject that we’ve learned from prior incidents rapidly degenerates into acrimony. We will allow positive discussion of ways that participants can embrace the gender-blind Empire setting and implement that in their roleplaying - but will delete anything that is negative, a personal attack or is based on criticism of other people's roleplaying or experiences.

In using our social media, participants are also bound by any applicable conduct rules, including those around gendered language. If you are concerned by a poster’s use of inappropriate language, then please bring it to the attention of a moderator and they will contact the other participant and remind them of our rules relating to this.

===In-character Debates===
Empire is ''not'' a system which employs "FOIP" - a requirement that you can only find things out in play at events. It is '''fine''' to ask simple in-character questions, things you think your character should know or any questions about the system. If the information you have asked for is not controversial in-character then other participants are free to give you the answer to your question or to encourage you to find their character at an event and seek out the information in-character.

However as per the posting rules we prohibit discussion online of important or controversial issues. These issues form part of the plot of our event and we ask everyone to respect that.

There are specific rules for [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Anything that breaches these rules - any post that contains trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse, or political discussions and appointments will be removed.

===Criticism of Empire and other LRP Systems===
Live roleplaying is an amazing community that is at its best when participants share original ideas and best practices between different systems. So it's fine to make a post calling out a positive example of something other games do well - or do better than Empire does - that gives us a basis for discussing ways to make Empire a better game. But please bear in mind when posting, that Empire is such a large system that we will have participants who love the game you are referencing as well as participants who tried it and did not enjoy it.

What is not permitted is ''anything'' that is critical or dismissive of other LRP systems. Most LRP systems have their own forums or Facebook groups for their players to post comments about their games - posts that are about other games should be posted on their Facebook page, ''not on our forum/groups''.

It is fine to use our Facebook groups and our forums to criticize Empire or Profound Decisions and we encourage people to post ideas for improvements to the game. Bear in mind that all LRP games are produced by the combined efforts of a team of volunteers who are passionately invested in the game they create. Criticism directed at named individuals will be treated as a personal attack and moderated accordingly and our rules requiring [[Feedback#Worst_Way|civility]] towards our volunteers apply on our forums and Facebook groups as well as at events.

We believe a good LRP stands on its merits, and benefits from analysis, critique, and discussion. We ask all participants to be mindful of the fact that just because you have not experienced a problem does not mean the problem does not exist. Our moderators will remove posts if they judge that their only contribution is to suppress criticism or silence debate about Empire.

Facebook is an excellent place to discuss Empire with other participants who use Facebook - it is not ideal for providing [[feedback]] to Profound Decisions. There is no guarantee that the people who can act on the basis of your feedback will even see it. We treat posts on Facebook as the basis for discussion between participants - the [[feedback|wiki page on providing feedback]] discusses the best ways to send actual feedback to the team.

==Unofficial PD groups==
There are a large number of unofficial Empire groups which people use for discussing issues and organising logistics, amongst other things. As these groups are not official, they are not moderated by us and they are not automatically covered by our rules on posting. However all our players are expected to observe the social contract and commitment to keeping the game live that prohibits online negotiations and discussion of controversial subjects.

Although these online Empire community spaces are not moderated by us nor covered by our rules, players who are use them are still bound by our rules on conduct and our equality and diversity policies that forbid harassment etc. Reported breaches of these rules in communal Empire spaces may result in action being taken by Profound Decisions. If you are experiencing online harassment by another Empire participant then we will take appropriate action if you report the matter to us.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Online

2023-08-06T14:58:06Z

Miranda: /* IC Announcements and Adverts */

==Overview==
Empire has a large and active social media presence. Our main Empire LRP Facebook group alone has over 4,000 members. We also have dedicated forums as well as accounts on Instagram, Twitch and Twitter. Having an enthusiastic and engaged player base is important to us and we love seeing everyone discussing the game and enjoying the world of Empire. We welcome debate and constructive discussion in all these places, but any feedback should always be sent to [mailto:feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk ] so that the game team can consider it properly.

The [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrp/ Empire LRP Facebook group] is for general Empire related chat and queries. We also have nation-specific groups where people can discuss national festivals, collective projects, the national briefs, and the best places to source kit. Camp planning is also announced in these groups. Our national groups are a great community both on and off the field and we encourage people to get involved and to go see what’s being discussed. We also have a [https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport/ Player Support Group] which might be a good starting point if you are new to Empire or to live roleplaying in general. The [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Empire LRP forums] have separate boards for all these things, and a few additional ones.

Unfortunately, the nature of the internet is that it removes the element of personal interaction and can exacerbate differences of opinion. If we are not careful this turns discussions into hot-tempered arguments in a way that is detrimental to the debate and the community. For this reason we’ve chosen to implement a set of rules for everyone who uses our official groups and have a large team of crew moderators who can respond to any breaches that occur that are reported to them using the platform’s inbuilt tools or by emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk].

Counting players and crew, Empire has nearly three thousand participants at each event; it's not realistic to expect anyone to like every other participant. What we require is that people treat each other with respect regardless of their personal feelings. Our rules are designed to give our team a basis for judging when that is not happening and to take action accordingly. All the applicable rules for [[conduct]] at events also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

We ask that the community support our aim to keep the game live and familiarise themselves with the rules governing [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Remember, every in-character communication you have between events is one that cannot be had face to face.

==Moderators==
We have a team of crew who moderate our social spaces, led by our head of online moderation, Miranda Brennan. The team work collaboratively, discussing cases and coming to an agreed response to get the most consistent and fairest outcomes possible when exercising judgement. When a post/comment is reported, the moderators will review it and if necessary discuss together or escalate to the Head of Moderation. Moderation decisions and evidence are stored centrally in case we need to refer to them in future.
{{CaptionedImage|file=MirandaBrennan.jpg|align=right|caption=Head of Online Moderation: Miranda Brennan}}
===How to report===
Given the scale of the internet, we can’t keep track of every comment and subthread on our official social media. We therefore ask our users to be aware of the posting rules and if they see a breach, to report it by either:

* Using the reporting tools available on that platform
* Emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] and linking to the post/comment you wish to report.

===What happens when a post is reported?===
If a post/comment is reported and the moderation team decides that it breaks our posting rules, we may delete the post. If we do this, a moderator will endeavour to contact the poster to explain why. If the poster disagrees with the action taken, they can contact the [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk head moderator]. If the matter is not resolved to their satisfaction after this point, the matter can be escalated to [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk]. It is not appropriate to discuss individual moderation discussions on our social media and posts doing this will be deleted.

Depending on the situation we may warn people who have broken the rules, suspend them from our social media spaces either short or long term, or ban them permanently at our discretion. This includes potentially being excluded from the events themselves. We take our rules for online conduct very seriously; we do not make an absolute distinction between behaviour online and at events.

For some breaches of the posting rules, the moderation team may contact the poster privately and give them the opportunity to edit their post in order to make it comply with the rules.

If a contentious post is resulting in some heated debate, we may lock the post from further comments whilst we review it. This is particularly likely if we’re short on moderation cover at that time as our moderation team are all volunteers. If a post has dissolved entirely into unconstructive argument, we will delete the post in its entirety and either explain why privately to the poster or add a post to the group in which it was posted.

===Contesting a Decision===
It is important to appreciate that moderation is not personal. Some of our rules are technical in nature - and people often have posts moderated or removed not because there was anything wrong with the content or the way they posted it but simply because they don't meet the strict guidelines we set for relevance to Empire. Everyone gets moderated from time-to-time, players and crew, so that we can keep our forums welcoming and full of relevant content. ''Being moderated is not a criticism of you or your post.''

Although you may be contacted by a moderator to inform you that a post has been moderated, please bear in mind that moderation decisions are taken collectively by the team, not by any one individual. You're welcome to discuss the matter with the moderator who is there to try and help ensure you understand why the decision was taken, but if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss a new issue, please use the appropriate methods to contact the whole team, rather than emailing or messaging an individual moderator. All of our crew are volunteers so they don't always have time to allocate to support you; this is why we have a team of people in place to deal with any issues. Please respect the system we have put in place and contact the team if you need to discuss something.

If you are not happy with a moderator decision then you are welcome to discuss that with us privately. Mistakes do get made and we are happy to look at any decision that has been taken and apologize if we have made a mistake and correct it where we can. If we stand by the decision after reviewing it, then we'll try to explain in more detail why we came to that conclusion so that you can better understand how the rules are being applied.

Please do not contest decisions in public - that is against our rules - and do not argue with our moderators or become hostile with one of them. They are members of our crew, and should be treated with the same courtesy and respect that you should show a referee at an event. All our crew volunteer their time to work hard on your behalf to provide a great game so we require everyone who attends our events to treat them with appropriate regard. There are no Empire events without our crew and we take their wellbeing very seriously.

Please [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk email mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss any issue. Private messages are not a good mechanism for contacting the team as they go to individuals who may not see them for several days or at all in some cases depending on the platform settings.

==Posting Rules==
* '''Treat each other with respect and assume best faith'''
* '''All posts should clearly relate to Empire'''
* '''Use the most appropriate forum or Facebook group'''
* '''Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month'''
* '''Report any breach of the rules to our moderators rather than responding yourself'''
* '''Don't start in-character conversations or post anything that is contentious in-character'''
* '''IC announcements, sales, adverts and letters are permitted'''
* '''You may cross-post winds of war and winds of fortune'''
* '''You may not post instructions or advice on military units'''
* '''No charity and fundraising posts'''
* '''Post links to photographs, don't repost them'''
* '''Do not post fanfiction'''
* '''Do not criticise other participants for their costume, roleplaying, or interpretation of the setting'''
* '''Do not discuss moderation decisions'''
* '''Do not post accusations of cheating or unsafe fighting'''
* '''Don't do stupid shit'''
* '''Streaming'''
* '''Smut'''

In particular, please note all the applicable rules for [[conduct]] also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

===Treat each other with respect and assume best faith===
We are proud that Empire players come from a diverse range of backgrounds and traditions of LRP. With well over 2000 players and crew, differences of opinions will occur and discussion of these is no bad thing, but needs to be handled carefully. Please respect people’s opinions, treat other participants as adults, and assume good faith. It’s easy to mistake someone’s intent over the internet and you may need to work a little harder to make yourself understood or be more patient when trying to explain something. Avoid making jokes about contentious subjects where the possibility exists to miss the humour and be offended as a result.

Don't harass other users, don't post anything that constitutes a personal attack and avoid forms of speech that could be interpreted as bullying or abusive. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. We will not tolerate any post that our moderators feel constitutes a personal attack on another live roleplayer - regardless of whether or not they use our official online forums/groups or are a regular attendee at our events. Avoid posting while angry; if you are disagreeing with participant then ensure that you remain polite and avoid [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem ad hominem] responses.

If you feel anything posted on our official forums or Facebook groups violates our rule prohibiting personal attacks then please report it to our moderators, do not respond in kind.

===All Posts Should Clearly Relate to Empire===
Please keep your posts on topic. Our forums and groups are for Empire, so if the discussion strays too far away the subject of Empire we will ask you to take it elsewhere. If the link to Empire is tenuous or would be unclear to a casual reader, our moderators may advise you that this would be more appropriate on your own wall or ask you to elaborate on the original post as to its relevance.

===Use the Most Appropriate Forum or Group===
Please ensure that your posts are in the most appropriate area. Do not duplicate the same or similar posts across multiple different forums or different groups. If your post is a bit more general but one nation may still have a special interest then ''at most'' you should post in the main Empire group and the single most relevant nation group. An example of this would be a Dawnish hosted player event, as Dawnish players may be especially interested, but other nations may also wish to attend. If multiple players all post the same or similar posts either in the same group or across multiple groups, the moderation team will remove the duplicate posts.

Duplicating a post on Facebook and the Forum is permitted as many participants may only use one of these platforms.

If you are a trader at our events then before each event, you may put a post into a single official nation group [[Forums & Facebook|Facebook nation group]] of your choice and/or the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotions Facebook group] to advertise your services or products. If you are not a trader at our events then using the same rules, you may post once advertisement a year, provided that the products or services offered are relevant to Empire players.
{{CaptionedImage|file=RougherMusic.jpg|align=right|width=350|caption=The Moderators are here to help you.}}

===Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month===
You can repost content up to once a month, if it's relevant to Empire. If you want to promote IC services or similar or you are discussing OOC arrangements relevant to the game then it's fine to repost them periodically - provided it is not too frequent. Our moderators will take down repeated posts if less than a month has passed since the last time it was posted. It's fine to update a post, but deliberately posting to 'bump' a post back to the top of the group is not in the spirit of the rules.

===Report any Breach of the Rules to our Moderators===
Each board has a couple of volunteer moderators and admins and we have a centralised place to discuss and document moderation decisions. Due to the high level of activity in our our official groups it is impossible for us to follow each and every interaction. Therefore, if you see someone infringing the posting rules, please help us by reporting this comment or post promptly rather than responding yourself. A moderator or admin will then respond as quickly as they’re able to.

Please don't call out other participants for posts that you think breach our guidelines, report it, and let the moderators handle it. On Facebook select "report to admin" by clicking in the top right hand corner of a post. On the forum click "...(show more)" then the flag icon on any post.

===Don't Post IC Conversations or Contentious Statements===
Please help us keep the game live and in the field as much as possible. Avoid starting in-character conversations about significant or controversial subjects so that discussion of important in-character issues can be kept for the live events. It is usually fine to post comments about events that have happened, provided that the posts are not contentious or likely to cause people to want to respond as their character. If you post something in-character that could be perceived as contentious on our official forums or groups, we’ll remove or edit this.

Empire is a game for people to say and do contentious things as their character - but we want those actions and the reactions to them to happen in the field when people are roleplaying.

===Post Links to Photographs, Don't Repost Them===
Profound Decisions are lucky enough to have a small team of volunteer photographers to document our events; there are also a number of players who take photographs in line with the [[photography|photography policy]]. These volunteers generously donate their time and energy to show our hobby in all its glory. To acknowledge their contribution you must link to the original photos rather than downloading them and re-uploading them on our forums.

Each photographer will have their own policy on using photos elsewhere (such as for profile or cover pictures). If in doubt, please contact the original photographer.

===IC Announcements and Adverts===
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. However, as the game has grown over time, we have needed to create a separate space for certain kinds of IC advert, so that our main Empire LRP Facebook group does not become overloaded.

It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, provided that you avoid posting anything that is contentious and only post it in the single most appropriate group.

You can use the main Empire LRP Facebook group to advertise free-to-attend uptime IC events such as meetings and festivals.

If you have an IC advert OR an OC advert for anything that costs IC or OC money, such as crafted goods your character is selling, you may use the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrppromo Adverts and Promotions Facebook group] group and/or the single more relevant Nation group.

Here are some examples of adverts the above rule applies to:

* IC items you are selling for money
* IC raffles, gambling houses, or tourneys which are pay-to-enter
* IC services such as poetry, fortune telling, or performance
* Artwork commissions such as character portraits
* IC snacks, meals, cafes and bars
* IC publications, papers and books
* IC auctions
* an IC business dealing in resources of any kind in uptime eg an apothecary service

All posts must follow the following rules:
* '''Do not add additional comments''' - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world, which is not permitted.
* '''Post at most once per month''' - Do not repost it more than once a month or deliberately bump your existing post to the top of a page.

You must follow the normal posting rules - don’t say anything in-character that would be contentious and put each post [[#Use_the_Most_Appropriate_Forum_or_Group|in the most appropriate forum or Facebook group only]]. Do not spam it across multiple groups or repost it more often than once a month. You can post an in-character advertisement in any of our Facebook groups up to once per calendar month. The most appropriate group for anything which costs IC or OC money is the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261|the adverts and promotions Facebook group] and/or one Nation Facebook group.

There are several guidelines that we ask participants to follow where possible when posting an advert of this kind:

* State your Price - Haggling or negotiation over prices must be left to the field.
* Use the Hub - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character.
* Provide a plain text version - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.

In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for individual characters you have met, or have a way of getting in touch with (eg specific Imperial title-holders, individual group leaders) to get in touch for separate IC letters. We ask people not to tag players of sought-after characters in order that they can decide for themselves whether they want to engage.

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

===You May Cross-post the Winds===
There is an exception to the normal rules on multi-forum posts for the official Profound Decisions event updates, the Winds of War, and the Winds of Fortune. It is fine to cross-post these updates to an Empire Facebook group or forum - but please only do that if you think it is relevant to that group and check to see if it has already been posted. There is no need to cross-post a Wind of Fortune update about trouble in Hahnmark to the Urizen group for example.

However please make sure you do not include any comment about the content of the Wind in the cross-post. If you want to comment on the issue, you are welcome to do that below your own cross-post, but we ask that players avoid making any comment when making the actual cross-post - just to ensure that there is a clear distinction between what an individual player thinks and the contents of the Wind itself.

===You May Not Post Military Updates===
Players are not permitted to post updates on the decisions of the Military Council, in particular on where the Council would like people to send their military units and fleets in downtime. This constitutes using an online forum to try and influence the choices being made by other characters, it is not compatible with the rules prohibiting the posting of contentious in-character material.

While we have turned a blind-eye to some of these posts in the past - the rules have now been tightened. When the game first started it was difficult for generals to communicate what their army was doing to players. However every player with a military unit or fleet can now see the precise wording of the order issued to each army or navy when they go to submit their downtime. There is no need to provide additional context to these orders.

===No Charity or Fundraising Posts===
We have taken the decision not to allow any charity or fundraising posts on our groups except where they are intended to raise money for things to be used at Empire events or where they are posted by us on the main Empire LRP page. Whilst LRPers are an incredibly generous community, applying the posting rules and deciding on whether a particular fundraising post is “Empire related enough” is an impossible task for our moderator team. Having to assess each one will inevitably cause friction whenever a post is deleted because it is not sufficiently on topic for the Empire forums.

Posts offering prizes must be compliant with the laws regulating such activities. We will remove any post if we are not confident that you are correctly licensed to engage in such activities.

===Do Not Post Fanfiction===
We understand that lots of people love to read and write fanfic - and the Empire community is no exception. However there is a small risk that players may confuse fanfic with canonical updates to the campaign if the fiction is posted on one of the main Empire Facebook groups. For this reason there is a specific Facebook group called [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165082270686010/?fref=gc&dti=470732939604433&hc_location=ufi Empire LRP: Fiction Sharing] which was explicitly intended as a place for Empire players to share stories they have created. All fanfic stories should be posted here, not in one of the main Facebook groups.

===Do Not Criticise Other Participants===
The Empire national briefs are designed to allow for a wide range of creative freedom whilst still maintaining that all-important, clearly identifiable, national identity. When offering support to other players in your nation please be aware that that are other interpretations of the brief which are different to your own but are still valid. Avoid telling other players that they are getting the brief wrong - and avoid presenting yourself as an authority on how the brief should be interpreted.

It is fine to identify parts of the brief that are relevant and encourage people to embrace them. What is not permitted is for players to tell other players what is and is not acceptable in-character. If you have any concerns about the way a player is interpreting the brief then you should report the matter to Profound Decisions who can issue a definitive ruling on the matter.

Likewise, our code of conduct asks all Empire participants to avoid [[Costume#Criticism|criticizing other player's kit]]. You should assume that the player in question has followed our guidelines and made the best effort they can. Criticism of other players’ costume will be deleted.

Crowd-sourcing answers about rules often ends up with a variety of responses and opinions on how the rules should be applied in that particular situation. The only definitive and official answers will come by emailing [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Do Not Accuse Other Players of Cheating or Unsafe Fighting===
Do not make public accusations of cheating or of unsafe fighting at Empire on social media. If you have witnessed either of these happen at an event, please either speak to a ref as soon as you are able to after the incident or contact [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk] after an event to report it.

===Do Not Discuss Moderation Decisions===
It is not constructive to discuss individual moderators or moderator decisions in public. We do however welcome discussion and debate of our posting rules and moderation policy provided the discussion remains civil, hypothetical and does not include references to individual examples. To discuss individual moderation decisions, please contact the Head of Moderation at [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk]; if not resolved to your satisfaction after this point, please contact [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Don't Do Stupid Shit===
Don't post anything that's illegal, racist, sexist, homophobic, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise objectionable. This includes links to such material as well.

===Streaming===
The [[Streaming|streaming]] rules are set out in full elsewhere. In summary:
* You may make one post per month to promote your streamed content
* You can edit that post if you want to update any information in it, but don't deliberately bump your own post back to the top

===Smut===

Following the [[Rules update 2023]], you must be mindful of the requirement to avoid sexualising the environment in a way that makes other players uncomfortable. Lots of players enjoy smutty publications - and lots of players don't want anything to do with that in their LRP. We have updated our conduct rules on sexual activity at events to make clear that anyone who wants to engage in that kind of roleplaying must ensure that it is handled discreetly and in a way that doesn't force other players to be involved with it against their wishes.

In particular that means you can't promote it on our Facebook groups, since that's incompatible with the need to handle it discreetly in a way that doesn't cause discomfort for other players. I've asked the moderators to take down posts promoting material that is smutty or explicit in the future.

==Traders==
* '''Traders who pay for a pitch at Empire may post adverts up to once a month'''
* '''LRP traders who don't have a pitch at Empire may post adverts once a year'''
We are happy to allow traders to make occasional posts to the Empire Facebook groups, particularly if the post is drawing attention to goods that are appealing to Empire players. At the same time we are keen to prevent the groups from becoming overburdened with adverts, and want to ensure that they do not become too repetitive. To give everyone a fair set of guidelines to operate to - we have decided that traders or groups who have a trade pitch at Empire may post one advert per month if they choose. If a trader isn't one of the Empire traders then they may post up to one advert a year. Any adverts posted more frequently than that will be deleted by the moderators.

A trader advert can be in the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotion] Facebook group and a single nation Facebook group provided it contains stock appropriate to that nation. Any advert posted across multiple nation groups will be removed.

==Hot Topics==
The areas below are topics that almost invariably degenerate into arguments, or are simply not appropriate or acceptable topics of discussion for our forums or Facebook groups. Some of these issues are controversial and tend to produce a lot of acrimony when discussed online giving the false impression that these issues dominate our events. Some of these issues are simply not appropriate or acceptable and will be deleted by our moderators as soon as they become aware of them.

Our moderators will closely monitor these "hot topics" and may pre-emptively delete any posts that they feel is highly likely to lead to an adversarial discussion of the issues.

===Politics, Religion, and Language===
Politics and religion are incredibly important subjects and the crew and players of Empire cover a lot of different religions and a wide spectrum of political opinions. However, our online community exists so that participants can discuss the imaginary politics of the world of Empire and not real world politics.

Discussions about inappropriate language, such as the use of gendered words, is a subject that we’ve learned from prior incidents rapidly degenerates into acrimony. We will allow positive discussion of ways that participants can embrace the gender-blind Empire setting and implement that in their roleplaying - but will delete anything that is negative, a personal attack or is based on criticism of other people's roleplaying or experiences.

In using our social media, participants are also bound by any applicable conduct rules, including those around gendered language. If you are concerned by a poster’s use of inappropriate language, then please bring it to the attention of a moderator and they will contact the other participant and remind them of our rules relating to this.

===In-character Debates===
Empire is ''not'' a system which employs "FOIP" - a requirement that you can only find things out in play at events. It is '''fine''' to ask simple in-character questions, things you think your character should know or any questions about the system. If the information you have asked for is not controversial in-character then other participants are free to give you the answer to your question or to encourage you to find their character at an event and seek out the information in-character.

However as per the posting rules we prohibit discussion online of important or controversial issues. These issues form part of the plot of our event and we ask everyone to respect that.

There are specific rules for [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Anything that breaches these rules - any post that contains trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse, or political discussions and appointments will be removed.

===Criticism of Empire and other LRP Systems===
Live roleplaying is an amazing community that is at its best when participants share original ideas and best practices between different systems. So it's fine to make a post calling out a positive example of something other games do well - or do better than Empire does - that gives us a basis for discussing ways to make Empire a better game. But please bear in mind when posting, that Empire is such a large system that we will have participants who love the game you are referencing as well as participants who tried it and did not enjoy it.

What is not permitted is ''anything'' that is critical or dismissive of other LRP systems. Most LRP systems have their own forums or Facebook groups for their players to post comments about their games - posts that are about other games should be posted on their Facebook page, ''not on our forum/groups''.

It is fine to use our Facebook groups and our forums to criticize Empire or Profound Decisions and we encourage people to post ideas for improvements to the game. Bear in mind that all LRP games are produced by the combined efforts of a team of volunteers who are passionately invested in the game they create. Criticism directed at named individuals will be treated as a personal attack and moderated accordingly and our rules requiring [[Feedback#Worst_Way|civility]] towards our volunteers apply on our forums and Facebook groups as well as at events.

We believe a good LRP stands on its merits, and benefits from analysis, critique, and discussion. We ask all participants to be mindful of the fact that just because you have not experienced a problem does not mean the problem does not exist. Our moderators will remove posts if they judge that their only contribution is to suppress criticism or silence debate about Empire.

Facebook is an excellent place to discuss Empire with other participants who use Facebook - it is not ideal for providing [[feedback]] to Profound Decisions. There is no guarantee that the people who can act on the basis of your feedback will even see it. We treat posts on Facebook as the basis for discussion between participants - the [[feedback|wiki page on providing feedback]] discusses the best ways to send actual feedback to the team.

==Unofficial PD groups==
There are a large number of unofficial Empire groups which people use for discussing issues and organising logistics, amongst other things. As these groups are not official, they are not moderated by us and they are not automatically covered by our rules on posting. However all our players are expected to observe the social contract and commitment to keeping the game live that prohibits online negotiations and discussion of controversial subjects.

Although these online Empire community spaces are not moderated by us nor covered by our rules, players who are use them are still bound by our rules on conduct and our equality and diversity policies that forbid harassment etc. Reported breaches of these rules in communal Empire spaces may result in action being taken by Profound Decisions. If you are experiencing online harassment by another Empire participant then we will take appropriate action if you report the matter to us.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Online

2023-08-06T14:57:16Z

Miranda: /* IC Announcements and Adverts */

==Overview==
Empire has a large and active social media presence. Our main Empire LRP Facebook group alone has over 4,000 members. We also have dedicated forums as well as accounts on Instagram, Twitch and Twitter. Having an enthusiastic and engaged player base is important to us and we love seeing everyone discussing the game and enjoying the world of Empire. We welcome debate and constructive discussion in all these places, but any feedback should always be sent to [mailto:feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk ] so that the game team can consider it properly.

The [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrp/ Empire LRP Facebook group] is for general Empire related chat and queries. We also have nation-specific groups where people can discuss national festivals, collective projects, the national briefs, and the best places to source kit. Camp planning is also announced in these groups. Our national groups are a great community both on and off the field and we encourage people to get involved and to go see what’s being discussed. We also have a [https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport/ Player Support Group] which might be a good starting point if you are new to Empire or to live roleplaying in general. The [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Empire LRP forums] have separate boards for all these things, and a few additional ones.

Unfortunately, the nature of the internet is that it removes the element of personal interaction and can exacerbate differences of opinion. If we are not careful this turns discussions into hot-tempered arguments in a way that is detrimental to the debate and the community. For this reason we’ve chosen to implement a set of rules for everyone who uses our official groups and have a large team of crew moderators who can respond to any breaches that occur that are reported to them using the platform’s inbuilt tools or by emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk].

Counting players and crew, Empire has nearly three thousand participants at each event; it's not realistic to expect anyone to like every other participant. What we require is that people treat each other with respect regardless of their personal feelings. Our rules are designed to give our team a basis for judging when that is not happening and to take action accordingly. All the applicable rules for [[conduct]] at events also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

We ask that the community support our aim to keep the game live and familiarise themselves with the rules governing [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Remember, every in-character communication you have between events is one that cannot be had face to face.

==Moderators==
We have a team of crew who moderate our social spaces, led by our head of online moderation, Miranda Brennan. The team work collaboratively, discussing cases and coming to an agreed response to get the most consistent and fairest outcomes possible when exercising judgement. When a post/comment is reported, the moderators will review it and if necessary discuss together or escalate to the Head of Moderation. Moderation decisions and evidence are stored centrally in case we need to refer to them in future.
{{CaptionedImage|file=MirandaBrennan.jpg|align=right|caption=Head of Online Moderation: Miranda Brennan}}
===How to report===
Given the scale of the internet, we can’t keep track of every comment and subthread on our official social media. We therefore ask our users to be aware of the posting rules and if they see a breach, to report it by either:

* Using the reporting tools available on that platform
* Emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] and linking to the post/comment you wish to report.

===What happens when a post is reported?===
If a post/comment is reported and the moderation team decides that it breaks our posting rules, we may delete the post. If we do this, a moderator will endeavour to contact the poster to explain why. If the poster disagrees with the action taken, they can contact the [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk head moderator]. If the matter is not resolved to their satisfaction after this point, the matter can be escalated to [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk]. It is not appropriate to discuss individual moderation discussions on our social media and posts doing this will be deleted.

Depending on the situation we may warn people who have broken the rules, suspend them from our social media spaces either short or long term, or ban them permanently at our discretion. This includes potentially being excluded from the events themselves. We take our rules for online conduct very seriously; we do not make an absolute distinction between behaviour online and at events.

For some breaches of the posting rules, the moderation team may contact the poster privately and give them the opportunity to edit their post in order to make it comply with the rules.

If a contentious post is resulting in some heated debate, we may lock the post from further comments whilst we review it. This is particularly likely if we’re short on moderation cover at that time as our moderation team are all volunteers. If a post has dissolved entirely into unconstructive argument, we will delete the post in its entirety and either explain why privately to the poster or add a post to the group in which it was posted.

===Contesting a Decision===
It is important to appreciate that moderation is not personal. Some of our rules are technical in nature - and people often have posts moderated or removed not because there was anything wrong with the content or the way they posted it but simply because they don't meet the strict guidelines we set for relevance to Empire. Everyone gets moderated from time-to-time, players and crew, so that we can keep our forums welcoming and full of relevant content. ''Being moderated is not a criticism of you or your post.''

Although you may be contacted by a moderator to inform you that a post has been moderated, please bear in mind that moderation decisions are taken collectively by the team, not by any one individual. You're welcome to discuss the matter with the moderator who is there to try and help ensure you understand why the decision was taken, but if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss a new issue, please use the appropriate methods to contact the whole team, rather than emailing or messaging an individual moderator. All of our crew are volunteers so they don't always have time to allocate to support you; this is why we have a team of people in place to deal with any issues. Please respect the system we have put in place and contact the team if you need to discuss something.

If you are not happy with a moderator decision then you are welcome to discuss that with us privately. Mistakes do get made and we are happy to look at any decision that has been taken and apologize if we have made a mistake and correct it where we can. If we stand by the decision after reviewing it, then we'll try to explain in more detail why we came to that conclusion so that you can better understand how the rules are being applied.

Please do not contest decisions in public - that is against our rules - and do not argue with our moderators or become hostile with one of them. They are members of our crew, and should be treated with the same courtesy and respect that you should show a referee at an event. All our crew volunteer their time to work hard on your behalf to provide a great game so we require everyone who attends our events to treat them with appropriate regard. There are no Empire events without our crew and we take their wellbeing very seriously.

Please [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk email mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss any issue. Private messages are not a good mechanism for contacting the team as they go to individuals who may not see them for several days or at all in some cases depending on the platform settings.

==Posting Rules==
* '''Treat each other with respect and assume best faith'''
* '''All posts should clearly relate to Empire'''
* '''Use the most appropriate forum or Facebook group'''
* '''Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month'''
* '''Report any breach of the rules to our moderators rather than responding yourself'''
* '''Don't start in-character conversations or post anything that is contentious in-character'''
* '''IC announcements, sales, adverts and letters are permitted'''
* '''You may cross-post winds of war and winds of fortune'''
* '''You may not post instructions or advice on military units'''
* '''No charity and fundraising posts'''
* '''Post links to photographs, don't repost them'''
* '''Do not post fanfiction'''
* '''Do not criticise other participants for their costume, roleplaying, or interpretation of the setting'''
* '''Do not discuss moderation decisions'''
* '''Do not post accusations of cheating or unsafe fighting'''
* '''Don't do stupid shit'''
* '''Streaming'''
* '''Smut'''

In particular, please note all the applicable rules for [[conduct]] also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

===Treat each other with respect and assume best faith===
We are proud that Empire players come from a diverse range of backgrounds and traditions of LRP. With well over 2000 players and crew, differences of opinions will occur and discussion of these is no bad thing, but needs to be handled carefully. Please respect people’s opinions, treat other participants as adults, and assume good faith. It’s easy to mistake someone’s intent over the internet and you may need to work a little harder to make yourself understood or be more patient when trying to explain something. Avoid making jokes about contentious subjects where the possibility exists to miss the humour and be offended as a result.

Don't harass other users, don't post anything that constitutes a personal attack and avoid forms of speech that could be interpreted as bullying or abusive. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. We will not tolerate any post that our moderators feel constitutes a personal attack on another live roleplayer - regardless of whether or not they use our official online forums/groups or are a regular attendee at our events. Avoid posting while angry; if you are disagreeing with participant then ensure that you remain polite and avoid [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem ad hominem] responses.

If you feel anything posted on our official forums or Facebook groups violates our rule prohibiting personal attacks then please report it to our moderators, do not respond in kind.

===All Posts Should Clearly Relate to Empire===
Please keep your posts on topic. Our forums and groups are for Empire, so if the discussion strays too far away the subject of Empire we will ask you to take it elsewhere. If the link to Empire is tenuous or would be unclear to a casual reader, our moderators may advise you that this would be more appropriate on your own wall or ask you to elaborate on the original post as to its relevance.

===Use the Most Appropriate Forum or Group===
Please ensure that your posts are in the most appropriate area. Do not duplicate the same or similar posts across multiple different forums or different groups. If your post is a bit more general but one nation may still have a special interest then ''at most'' you should post in the main Empire group and the single most relevant nation group. An example of this would be a Dawnish hosted player event, as Dawnish players may be especially interested, but other nations may also wish to attend. If multiple players all post the same or similar posts either in the same group or across multiple groups, the moderation team will remove the duplicate posts.

Duplicating a post on Facebook and the Forum is permitted as many participants may only use one of these platforms.

If you are a trader at our events then before each event, you may put a post into a single official nation group [[Forums & Facebook|Facebook nation group]] of your choice and/or the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotions Facebook group] to advertise your services or products. If you are not a trader at our events then using the same rules, you may post once advertisement a year, provided that the products or services offered are relevant to Empire players.
{{CaptionedImage|file=RougherMusic.jpg|align=right|width=350|caption=The Moderators are here to help you.}}

===Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month===
You can repost content up to once a month, if it's relevant to Empire. If you want to promote IC services or similar or you are discussing OOC arrangements relevant to the game then it's fine to repost them periodically - provided it is not too frequent. Our moderators will take down repeated posts if less than a month has passed since the last time it was posted. It's fine to update a post, but deliberately posting to 'bump' a post back to the top of the group is not in the spirit of the rules.

===Report any Breach of the Rules to our Moderators===
Each board has a couple of volunteer moderators and admins and we have a centralised place to discuss and document moderation decisions. Due to the high level of activity in our our official groups it is impossible for us to follow each and every interaction. Therefore, if you see someone infringing the posting rules, please help us by reporting this comment or post promptly rather than responding yourself. A moderator or admin will then respond as quickly as they’re able to.

Please don't call out other participants for posts that you think breach our guidelines, report it, and let the moderators handle it. On Facebook select "report to admin" by clicking in the top right hand corner of a post. On the forum click "...(show more)" then the flag icon on any post.

===Don't Post IC Conversations or Contentious Statements===
Please help us keep the game live and in the field as much as possible. Avoid starting in-character conversations about significant or controversial subjects so that discussion of important in-character issues can be kept for the live events. It is usually fine to post comments about events that have happened, provided that the posts are not contentious or likely to cause people to want to respond as their character. If you post something in-character that could be perceived as contentious on our official forums or groups, we’ll remove or edit this.

Empire is a game for people to say and do contentious things as their character - but we want those actions and the reactions to them to happen in the field when people are roleplaying.

===Post Links to Photographs, Don't Repost Them===
Profound Decisions are lucky enough to have a small team of volunteer photographers to document our events; there are also a number of players who take photographs in line with the [[photography|photography policy]]. These volunteers generously donate their time and energy to show our hobby in all its glory. To acknowledge their contribution you must link to the original photos rather than downloading them and re-uploading them on our forums.

Each photographer will have their own policy on using photos elsewhere (such as for profile or cover pictures). If in doubt, please contact the original photographer.

===IC Announcements and Adverts===
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. However, as the game has grown over time, we have needed to create a separate space for certain kinds of IC advert, so that our main Empire LRP Facebook group does not become overloaded.

It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, provided that you avoid posting anything that is contentious and only post it in the single most appropriate group.

You can use the main Empire LRP Facebook group to advertise free-to-attend uptime IC events such as meetings and festivals.

If you have an IC advert OR an OC advert for anything that costs IC or OC money, such as crafted goods your character is selling, you may use the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrppromo|Adverts and Promotions] group and/or the single more relevant Nation group.

Here are some examples of adverts the above rule applies to:

* IC items you are selling for money
* IC raffles, gambling houses, or tourneys which are pay-to-enter
* IC services such as poetry, fortune telling, or performance
* Artwork commissions such as character portraits
* IC snacks, meals, cafes and bars
* IC publications, papers and books
* IC auctions
* an IC business dealing in resources of any kind in uptime eg an apothecary service

All posts must follow the following rules:
* '''Do not add additional comments''' - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world, which is not permitted.
* '''Post at most once per month''' - Do not repost it more than once a month or deliberately bump your existing post to the top of a page.

You must follow the normal posting rules - don’t say anything in-character that would be contentious and put each post [[#Use_the_Most_Appropriate_Forum_or_Group|in the most appropriate forum or Facebook group only]]. Do not spam it across multiple groups or repost it more often than once a month. You can post an in-character advertisement in any of our Facebook groups up to once per calendar month. The most appropriate group for anything which costs IC or OC money is the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261|the adverts and promotions Facebook group] and/or one Nation Facebook group.

There are several guidelines that we ask participants to follow where possible when posting an advert of this kind:

* State your Price - Haggling or negotiation over prices must be left to the field.
* Use the Hub - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character.
* Provide a plain text version - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.

In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for individual characters you have met, or have a way of getting in touch with (eg specific Imperial title-holders, individual group leaders) to get in touch for separate IC letters. We ask people not to tag players of sought-after characters in order that they can decide for themselves whether they want to engage.

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

===You May Cross-post the Winds===
There is an exception to the normal rules on multi-forum posts for the official Profound Decisions event updates, the Winds of War, and the Winds of Fortune. It is fine to cross-post these updates to an Empire Facebook group or forum - but please only do that if you think it is relevant to that group and check to see if it has already been posted. There is no need to cross-post a Wind of Fortune update about trouble in Hahnmark to the Urizen group for example.

However please make sure you do not include any comment about the content of the Wind in the cross-post. If you want to comment on the issue, you are welcome to do that below your own cross-post, but we ask that players avoid making any comment when making the actual cross-post - just to ensure that there is a clear distinction between what an individual player thinks and the contents of the Wind itself.

===You May Not Post Military Updates===
Players are not permitted to post updates on the decisions of the Military Council, in particular on where the Council would like people to send their military units and fleets in downtime. This constitutes using an online forum to try and influence the choices being made by other characters, it is not compatible with the rules prohibiting the posting of contentious in-character material.

While we have turned a blind-eye to some of these posts in the past - the rules have now been tightened. When the game first started it was difficult for generals to communicate what their army was doing to players. However every player with a military unit or fleet can now see the precise wording of the order issued to each army or navy when they go to submit their downtime. There is no need to provide additional context to these orders.

===No Charity or Fundraising Posts===
We have taken the decision not to allow any charity or fundraising posts on our groups except where they are intended to raise money for things to be used at Empire events or where they are posted by us on the main Empire LRP page. Whilst LRPers are an incredibly generous community, applying the posting rules and deciding on whether a particular fundraising post is “Empire related enough” is an impossible task for our moderator team. Having to assess each one will inevitably cause friction whenever a post is deleted because it is not sufficiently on topic for the Empire forums.

Posts offering prizes must be compliant with the laws regulating such activities. We will remove any post if we are not confident that you are correctly licensed to engage in such activities.

===Do Not Post Fanfiction===
We understand that lots of people love to read and write fanfic - and the Empire community is no exception. However there is a small risk that players may confuse fanfic with canonical updates to the campaign if the fiction is posted on one of the main Empire Facebook groups. For this reason there is a specific Facebook group called [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165082270686010/?fref=gc&dti=470732939604433&hc_location=ufi Empire LRP: Fiction Sharing] which was explicitly intended as a place for Empire players to share stories they have created. All fanfic stories should be posted here, not in one of the main Facebook groups.

===Do Not Criticise Other Participants===
The Empire national briefs are designed to allow for a wide range of creative freedom whilst still maintaining that all-important, clearly identifiable, national identity. When offering support to other players in your nation please be aware that that are other interpretations of the brief which are different to your own but are still valid. Avoid telling other players that they are getting the brief wrong - and avoid presenting yourself as an authority on how the brief should be interpreted.

It is fine to identify parts of the brief that are relevant and encourage people to embrace them. What is not permitted is for players to tell other players what is and is not acceptable in-character. If you have any concerns about the way a player is interpreting the brief then you should report the matter to Profound Decisions who can issue a definitive ruling on the matter.

Likewise, our code of conduct asks all Empire participants to avoid [[Costume#Criticism|criticizing other player's kit]]. You should assume that the player in question has followed our guidelines and made the best effort they can. Criticism of other players’ costume will be deleted.

Crowd-sourcing answers about rules often ends up with a variety of responses and opinions on how the rules should be applied in that particular situation. The only definitive and official answers will come by emailing [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Do Not Accuse Other Players of Cheating or Unsafe Fighting===
Do not make public accusations of cheating or of unsafe fighting at Empire on social media. If you have witnessed either of these happen at an event, please either speak to a ref as soon as you are able to after the incident or contact [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk] after an event to report it.

===Do Not Discuss Moderation Decisions===
It is not constructive to discuss individual moderators or moderator decisions in public. We do however welcome discussion and debate of our posting rules and moderation policy provided the discussion remains civil, hypothetical and does not include references to individual examples. To discuss individual moderation decisions, please contact the Head of Moderation at [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk]; if not resolved to your satisfaction after this point, please contact [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Don't Do Stupid Shit===
Don't post anything that's illegal, racist, sexist, homophobic, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise objectionable. This includes links to such material as well.

===Streaming===
The [[Streaming|streaming]] rules are set out in full elsewhere. In summary:
* You may make one post per month to promote your streamed content
* You can edit that post if you want to update any information in it, but don't deliberately bump your own post back to the top

===Smut===

Following the [[Rules update 2023]], you must be mindful of the requirement to avoid sexualising the environment in a way that makes other players uncomfortable. Lots of players enjoy smutty publications - and lots of players don't want anything to do with that in their LRP. We have updated our conduct rules on sexual activity at events to make clear that anyone who wants to engage in that kind of roleplaying must ensure that it is handled discreetly and in a way that doesn't force other players to be involved with it against their wishes.

In particular that means you can't promote it on our Facebook groups, since that's incompatible with the need to handle it discreetly in a way that doesn't cause discomfort for other players. I've asked the moderators to take down posts promoting material that is smutty or explicit in the future.

==Traders==
* '''Traders who pay for a pitch at Empire may post adverts up to once a month'''
* '''LRP traders who don't have a pitch at Empire may post adverts once a year'''
We are happy to allow traders to make occasional posts to the Empire Facebook groups, particularly if the post is drawing attention to goods that are appealing to Empire players. At the same time we are keen to prevent the groups from becoming overburdened with adverts, and want to ensure that they do not become too repetitive. To give everyone a fair set of guidelines to operate to - we have decided that traders or groups who have a trade pitch at Empire may post one advert per month if they choose. If a trader isn't one of the Empire traders then they may post up to one advert a year. Any adverts posted more frequently than that will be deleted by the moderators.

A trader advert can be in the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotion] Facebook group and a single nation Facebook group provided it contains stock appropriate to that nation. Any advert posted across multiple nation groups will be removed.

==Hot Topics==
The areas below are topics that almost invariably degenerate into arguments, or are simply not appropriate or acceptable topics of discussion for our forums or Facebook groups. Some of these issues are controversial and tend to produce a lot of acrimony when discussed online giving the false impression that these issues dominate our events. Some of these issues are simply not appropriate or acceptable and will be deleted by our moderators as soon as they become aware of them.

Our moderators will closely monitor these "hot topics" and may pre-emptively delete any posts that they feel is highly likely to lead to an adversarial discussion of the issues.

===Politics, Religion, and Language===
Politics and religion are incredibly important subjects and the crew and players of Empire cover a lot of different religions and a wide spectrum of political opinions. However, our online community exists so that participants can discuss the imaginary politics of the world of Empire and not real world politics.

Discussions about inappropriate language, such as the use of gendered words, is a subject that we’ve learned from prior incidents rapidly degenerates into acrimony. We will allow positive discussion of ways that participants can embrace the gender-blind Empire setting and implement that in their roleplaying - but will delete anything that is negative, a personal attack or is based on criticism of other people's roleplaying or experiences.

In using our social media, participants are also bound by any applicable conduct rules, including those around gendered language. If you are concerned by a poster’s use of inappropriate language, then please bring it to the attention of a moderator and they will contact the other participant and remind them of our rules relating to this.

===In-character Debates===
Empire is ''not'' a system which employs "FOIP" - a requirement that you can only find things out in play at events. It is '''fine''' to ask simple in-character questions, things you think your character should know or any questions about the system. If the information you have asked for is not controversial in-character then other participants are free to give you the answer to your question or to encourage you to find their character at an event and seek out the information in-character.

However as per the posting rules we prohibit discussion online of important or controversial issues. These issues form part of the plot of our event and we ask everyone to respect that.

There are specific rules for [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Anything that breaches these rules - any post that contains trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse, or political discussions and appointments will be removed.

===Criticism of Empire and other LRP Systems===
Live roleplaying is an amazing community that is at its best when participants share original ideas and best practices between different systems. So it's fine to make a post calling out a positive example of something other games do well - or do better than Empire does - that gives us a basis for discussing ways to make Empire a better game. But please bear in mind when posting, that Empire is such a large system that we will have participants who love the game you are referencing as well as participants who tried it and did not enjoy it.

What is not permitted is ''anything'' that is critical or dismissive of other LRP systems. Most LRP systems have their own forums or Facebook groups for their players to post comments about their games - posts that are about other games should be posted on their Facebook page, ''not on our forum/groups''.

It is fine to use our Facebook groups and our forums to criticize Empire or Profound Decisions and we encourage people to post ideas for improvements to the game. Bear in mind that all LRP games are produced by the combined efforts of a team of volunteers who are passionately invested in the game they create. Criticism directed at named individuals will be treated as a personal attack and moderated accordingly and our rules requiring [[Feedback#Worst_Way|civility]] towards our volunteers apply on our forums and Facebook groups as well as at events.

We believe a good LRP stands on its merits, and benefits from analysis, critique, and discussion. We ask all participants to be mindful of the fact that just because you have not experienced a problem does not mean the problem does not exist. Our moderators will remove posts if they judge that their only contribution is to suppress criticism or silence debate about Empire.

Facebook is an excellent place to discuss Empire with other participants who use Facebook - it is not ideal for providing [[feedback]] to Profound Decisions. There is no guarantee that the people who can act on the basis of your feedback will even see it. We treat posts on Facebook as the basis for discussion between participants - the [[feedback|wiki page on providing feedback]] discusses the best ways to send actual feedback to the team.

==Unofficial PD groups==
There are a large number of unofficial Empire groups which people use for discussing issues and organising logistics, amongst other things. As these groups are not official, they are not moderated by us and they are not automatically covered by our rules on posting. However all our players are expected to observe the social contract and commitment to keeping the game live that prohibits online negotiations and discussion of controversial subjects.

Although these online Empire community spaces are not moderated by us nor covered by our rules, players who are use them are still bound by our rules on conduct and our equality and diversity policies that forbid harassment etc. Reported breaches of these rules in communal Empire spaces may result in action being taken by Profound Decisions. If you are experiencing online harassment by another Empire participant then we will take appropriate action if you report the matter to us.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Online

2023-08-06T14:56:38Z

Miranda: /* IC Announcements and Adverts are Permitted */

==Overview==
Empire has a large and active social media presence. Our main Empire LRP Facebook group alone has over 4,000 members. We also have dedicated forums as well as accounts on Instagram, Twitch and Twitter. Having an enthusiastic and engaged player base is important to us and we love seeing everyone discussing the game and enjoying the world of Empire. We welcome debate and constructive discussion in all these places, but any feedback should always be sent to [mailto:feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk ] so that the game team can consider it properly.

The [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrp/ Empire LRP Facebook group] is for general Empire related chat and queries. We also have nation-specific groups where people can discuss national festivals, collective projects, the national briefs, and the best places to source kit. Camp planning is also announced in these groups. Our national groups are a great community both on and off the field and we encourage people to get involved and to go see what’s being discussed. We also have a [https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport/ Player Support Group] which might be a good starting point if you are new to Empire or to live roleplaying in general. The [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Empire LRP forums] have separate boards for all these things, and a few additional ones.

Unfortunately, the nature of the internet is that it removes the element of personal interaction and can exacerbate differences of opinion. If we are not careful this turns discussions into hot-tempered arguments in a way that is detrimental to the debate and the community. For this reason we’ve chosen to implement a set of rules for everyone who uses our official groups and have a large team of crew moderators who can respond to any breaches that occur that are reported to them using the platform’s inbuilt tools or by emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk].

Counting players and crew, Empire has nearly three thousand participants at each event; it's not realistic to expect anyone to like every other participant. What we require is that people treat each other with respect regardless of their personal feelings. Our rules are designed to give our team a basis for judging when that is not happening and to take action accordingly. All the applicable rules for [[conduct]] at events also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

We ask that the community support our aim to keep the game live and familiarise themselves with the rules governing [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Remember, every in-character communication you have between events is one that cannot be had face to face.

==Moderators==
We have a team of crew who moderate our social spaces, led by our head of online moderation, Miranda Brennan. The team work collaboratively, discussing cases and coming to an agreed response to get the most consistent and fairest outcomes possible when exercising judgement. When a post/comment is reported, the moderators will review it and if necessary discuss together or escalate to the Head of Moderation. Moderation decisions and evidence are stored centrally in case we need to refer to them in future.
{{CaptionedImage|file=MirandaBrennan.jpg|align=right|caption=Head of Online Moderation: Miranda Brennan}}
===How to report===
Given the scale of the internet, we can’t keep track of every comment and subthread on our official social media. We therefore ask our users to be aware of the posting rules and if they see a breach, to report it by either:

* Using the reporting tools available on that platform
* Emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] and linking to the post/comment you wish to report.

===What happens when a post is reported?===
If a post/comment is reported and the moderation team decides that it breaks our posting rules, we may delete the post. If we do this, a moderator will endeavour to contact the poster to explain why. If the poster disagrees with the action taken, they can contact the [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk head moderator]. If the matter is not resolved to their satisfaction after this point, the matter can be escalated to [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk]. It is not appropriate to discuss individual moderation discussions on our social media and posts doing this will be deleted.

Depending on the situation we may warn people who have broken the rules, suspend them from our social media spaces either short or long term, or ban them permanently at our discretion. This includes potentially being excluded from the events themselves. We take our rules for online conduct very seriously; we do not make an absolute distinction between behaviour online and at events.

For some breaches of the posting rules, the moderation team may contact the poster privately and give them the opportunity to edit their post in order to make it comply with the rules.

If a contentious post is resulting in some heated debate, we may lock the post from further comments whilst we review it. This is particularly likely if we’re short on moderation cover at that time as our moderation team are all volunteers. If a post has dissolved entirely into unconstructive argument, we will delete the post in its entirety and either explain why privately to the poster or add a post to the group in which it was posted.

===Contesting a Decision===
It is important to appreciate that moderation is not personal. Some of our rules are technical in nature - and people often have posts moderated or removed not because there was anything wrong with the content or the way they posted it but simply because they don't meet the strict guidelines we set for relevance to Empire. Everyone gets moderated from time-to-time, players and crew, so that we can keep our forums welcoming and full of relevant content. ''Being moderated is not a criticism of you or your post.''

Although you may be contacted by a moderator to inform you that a post has been moderated, please bear in mind that moderation decisions are taken collectively by the team, not by any one individual. You're welcome to discuss the matter with the moderator who is there to try and help ensure you understand why the decision was taken, but if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss a new issue, please use the appropriate methods to contact the whole team, rather than emailing or messaging an individual moderator. All of our crew are volunteers so they don't always have time to allocate to support you; this is why we have a team of people in place to deal with any issues. Please respect the system we have put in place and contact the team if you need to discuss something.

If you are not happy with a moderator decision then you are welcome to discuss that with us privately. Mistakes do get made and we are happy to look at any decision that has been taken and apologize if we have made a mistake and correct it where we can. If we stand by the decision after reviewing it, then we'll try to explain in more detail why we came to that conclusion so that you can better understand how the rules are being applied.

Please do not contest decisions in public - that is against our rules - and do not argue with our moderators or become hostile with one of them. They are members of our crew, and should be treated with the same courtesy and respect that you should show a referee at an event. All our crew volunteer their time to work hard on your behalf to provide a great game so we require everyone who attends our events to treat them with appropriate regard. There are no Empire events without our crew and we take their wellbeing very seriously.

Please [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk email mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss any issue. Private messages are not a good mechanism for contacting the team as they go to individuals who may not see them for several days or at all in some cases depending on the platform settings.

==Posting Rules==
* '''Treat each other with respect and assume best faith'''
* '''All posts should clearly relate to Empire'''
* '''Use the most appropriate forum or Facebook group'''
* '''Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month'''
* '''Report any breach of the rules to our moderators rather than responding yourself'''
* '''Don't start in-character conversations or post anything that is contentious in-character'''
* '''IC announcements, sales, adverts and letters are permitted'''
* '''You may cross-post winds of war and winds of fortune'''
* '''You may not post instructions or advice on military units'''
* '''No charity and fundraising posts'''
* '''Post links to photographs, don't repost them'''
* '''Do not post fanfiction'''
* '''Do not criticise other participants for their costume, roleplaying, or interpretation of the setting'''
* '''Do not discuss moderation decisions'''
* '''Do not post accusations of cheating or unsafe fighting'''
* '''Don't do stupid shit'''
* '''Streaming'''
* '''Smut'''

In particular, please note all the applicable rules for [[conduct]] also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

===Treat each other with respect and assume best faith===
We are proud that Empire players come from a diverse range of backgrounds and traditions of LRP. With well over 2000 players and crew, differences of opinions will occur and discussion of these is no bad thing, but needs to be handled carefully. Please respect people’s opinions, treat other participants as adults, and assume good faith. It’s easy to mistake someone’s intent over the internet and you may need to work a little harder to make yourself understood or be more patient when trying to explain something. Avoid making jokes about contentious subjects where the possibility exists to miss the humour and be offended as a result.

Don't harass other users, don't post anything that constitutes a personal attack and avoid forms of speech that could be interpreted as bullying or abusive. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. We will not tolerate any post that our moderators feel constitutes a personal attack on another live roleplayer - regardless of whether or not they use our official online forums/groups or are a regular attendee at our events. Avoid posting while angry; if you are disagreeing with participant then ensure that you remain polite and avoid [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem ad hominem] responses.

If you feel anything posted on our official forums or Facebook groups violates our rule prohibiting personal attacks then please report it to our moderators, do not respond in kind.

===All Posts Should Clearly Relate to Empire===
Please keep your posts on topic. Our forums and groups are for Empire, so if the discussion strays too far away the subject of Empire we will ask you to take it elsewhere. If the link to Empire is tenuous or would be unclear to a casual reader, our moderators may advise you that this would be more appropriate on your own wall or ask you to elaborate on the original post as to its relevance.

===Use the Most Appropriate Forum or Group===
Please ensure that your posts are in the most appropriate area. Do not duplicate the same or similar posts across multiple different forums or different groups. If your post is a bit more general but one nation may still have a special interest then ''at most'' you should post in the main Empire group and the single most relevant nation group. An example of this would be a Dawnish hosted player event, as Dawnish players may be especially interested, but other nations may also wish to attend. If multiple players all post the same or similar posts either in the same group or across multiple groups, the moderation team will remove the duplicate posts.

Duplicating a post on Facebook and the Forum is permitted as many participants may only use one of these platforms.

If you are a trader at our events then before each event, you may put a post into a single official nation group [[Forums & Facebook|Facebook nation group]] of your choice and/or the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotions Facebook group] to advertise your services or products. If you are not a trader at our events then using the same rules, you may post once advertisement a year, provided that the products or services offered are relevant to Empire players.
{{CaptionedImage|file=RougherMusic.jpg|align=right|width=350|caption=The Moderators are here to help you.}}

===Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month===
You can repost content up to once a month, if it's relevant to Empire. If you want to promote IC services or similar or you are discussing OOC arrangements relevant to the game then it's fine to repost them periodically - provided it is not too frequent. Our moderators will take down repeated posts if less than a month has passed since the last time it was posted. It's fine to update a post, but deliberately posting to 'bump' a post back to the top of the group is not in the spirit of the rules.

===Report any Breach of the Rules to our Moderators===
Each board has a couple of volunteer moderators and admins and we have a centralised place to discuss and document moderation decisions. Due to the high level of activity in our our official groups it is impossible for us to follow each and every interaction. Therefore, if you see someone infringing the posting rules, please help us by reporting this comment or post promptly rather than responding yourself. A moderator or admin will then respond as quickly as they’re able to.

Please don't call out other participants for posts that you think breach our guidelines, report it, and let the moderators handle it. On Facebook select "report to admin" by clicking in the top right hand corner of a post. On the forum click "...(show more)" then the flag icon on any post.

===Don't Post IC Conversations or Contentious Statements===
Please help us keep the game live and in the field as much as possible. Avoid starting in-character conversations about significant or controversial subjects so that discussion of important in-character issues can be kept for the live events. It is usually fine to post comments about events that have happened, provided that the posts are not contentious or likely to cause people to want to respond as their character. If you post something in-character that could be perceived as contentious on our official forums or groups, we’ll remove or edit this.

Empire is a game for people to say and do contentious things as their character - but we want those actions and the reactions to them to happen in the field when people are roleplaying.

===Post Links to Photographs, Don't Repost Them===
Profound Decisions are lucky enough to have a small team of volunteer photographers to document our events; there are also a number of players who take photographs in line with the [[photography|photography policy]]. These volunteers generously donate their time and energy to show our hobby in all its glory. To acknowledge their contribution you must link to the original photos rather than downloading them and re-uploading them on our forums.

Each photographer will have their own policy on using photos elsewhere (such as for profile or cover pictures). If in doubt, please contact the original photographer.

===IC Announcements and Adverts===
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. However, as the game has grown over time, we have needed to create a separate space for certain kinds of IC advert, so that our main Empire LRP Facebook group does not become overloaded.

It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, provided that you avoid posting anything that is contentious and only post it in the single most appropriate group.

You can use the main Empire LRP Facebook group to advertise free-to-attend uptime IC events such as meetings and festivals.

If you have an IC advert OR an OC advert for anything that costs IC or OC money, such as crafted goods your character is selling, you may use the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrppromo/ Adverts and Promotions ] group and/or the single more relevant Nation group.

Here are some examples of adverts the above rule applies to:

* IC items you are selling for money
* IC raffles, gambling houses, or tourneys which are pay-to-enter
* IC services such as poetry, fortune telling, or performance
* Artwork commissions such as character portraits
* IC snacks, meals, cafes and bars
* IC publications, papers and books
* IC auctions
* an IC business dealing in resources of any kind in uptime eg an apothecary service

All posts must follow the following rules:
* '''Do not add additional comments''' - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world, which is not permitted.
* '''Post at most once per month''' - Do not repost it more than once a month or deliberately bump your existing post to the top of a page.

You must follow the normal posting rules - don’t say anything in-character that would be contentious and put each post [[#Use_the_Most_Appropriate_Forum_or_Group|in the most appropriate forum or Facebook group only]]. Do not spam it across multiple groups or repost it more often than once a month. You can post an in-character advertisement in any of our Facebook groups up to once per calendar month. The most appropriate group for anything which costs IC or OC money is the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261|the adverts and promotions Facebook group] and/or one Nation Facebook group.

There are several guidelines that we ask participants to follow where possible when posting an advert of this kind:

* State your Price - Haggling or negotiation over prices must be left to the field.
* Use the Hub - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character.
* Provide a plain text version - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.

In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for individual characters you have met, or have a way of getting in touch with (eg specific Imperial title-holders, individual group leaders) to get in touch for separate IC letters. We ask people not to tag players of sought-after characters in order that they can decide for themselves whether they want to engage.

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

===You May Cross-post the Winds===
There is an exception to the normal rules on multi-forum posts for the official Profound Decisions event updates, the Winds of War, and the Winds of Fortune. It is fine to cross-post these updates to an Empire Facebook group or forum - but please only do that if you think it is relevant to that group and check to see if it has already been posted. There is no need to cross-post a Wind of Fortune update about trouble in Hahnmark to the Urizen group for example.

However please make sure you do not include any comment about the content of the Wind in the cross-post. If you want to comment on the issue, you are welcome to do that below your own cross-post, but we ask that players avoid making any comment when making the actual cross-post - just to ensure that there is a clear distinction between what an individual player thinks and the contents of the Wind itself.

===You May Not Post Military Updates===
Players are not permitted to post updates on the decisions of the Military Council, in particular on where the Council would like people to send their military units and fleets in downtime. This constitutes using an online forum to try and influence the choices being made by other characters, it is not compatible with the rules prohibiting the posting of contentious in-character material.

While we have turned a blind-eye to some of these posts in the past - the rules have now been tightened. When the game first started it was difficult for generals to communicate what their army was doing to players. However every player with a military unit or fleet can now see the precise wording of the order issued to each army or navy when they go to submit their downtime. There is no need to provide additional context to these orders.

===No Charity or Fundraising Posts===
We have taken the decision not to allow any charity or fundraising posts on our groups except where they are intended to raise money for things to be used at Empire events or where they are posted by us on the main Empire LRP page. Whilst LRPers are an incredibly generous community, applying the posting rules and deciding on whether a particular fundraising post is “Empire related enough” is an impossible task for our moderator team. Having to assess each one will inevitably cause friction whenever a post is deleted because it is not sufficiently on topic for the Empire forums.

Posts offering prizes must be compliant with the laws regulating such activities. We will remove any post if we are not confident that you are correctly licensed to engage in such activities.

===Do Not Post Fanfiction===
We understand that lots of people love to read and write fanfic - and the Empire community is no exception. However there is a small risk that players may confuse fanfic with canonical updates to the campaign if the fiction is posted on one of the main Empire Facebook groups. For this reason there is a specific Facebook group called [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165082270686010/?fref=gc&dti=470732939604433&hc_location=ufi Empire LRP: Fiction Sharing] which was explicitly intended as a place for Empire players to share stories they have created. All fanfic stories should be posted here, not in one of the main Facebook groups.

===Do Not Criticise Other Participants===
The Empire national briefs are designed to allow for a wide range of creative freedom whilst still maintaining that all-important, clearly identifiable, national identity. When offering support to other players in your nation please be aware that that are other interpretations of the brief which are different to your own but are still valid. Avoid telling other players that they are getting the brief wrong - and avoid presenting yourself as an authority on how the brief should be interpreted.

It is fine to identify parts of the brief that are relevant and encourage people to embrace them. What is not permitted is for players to tell other players what is and is not acceptable in-character. If you have any concerns about the way a player is interpreting the brief then you should report the matter to Profound Decisions who can issue a definitive ruling on the matter.

Likewise, our code of conduct asks all Empire participants to avoid [[Costume#Criticism|criticizing other player's kit]]. You should assume that the player in question has followed our guidelines and made the best effort they can. Criticism of other players’ costume will be deleted.

Crowd-sourcing answers about rules often ends up with a variety of responses and opinions on how the rules should be applied in that particular situation. The only definitive and official answers will come by emailing [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Do Not Accuse Other Players of Cheating or Unsafe Fighting===
Do not make public accusations of cheating or of unsafe fighting at Empire on social media. If you have witnessed either of these happen at an event, please either speak to a ref as soon as you are able to after the incident or contact [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk] after an event to report it.

===Do Not Discuss Moderation Decisions===
It is not constructive to discuss individual moderators or moderator decisions in public. We do however welcome discussion and debate of our posting rules and moderation policy provided the discussion remains civil, hypothetical and does not include references to individual examples. To discuss individual moderation decisions, please contact the Head of Moderation at [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk]; if not resolved to your satisfaction after this point, please contact [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Don't Do Stupid Shit===
Don't post anything that's illegal, racist, sexist, homophobic, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise objectionable. This includes links to such material as well.

===Streaming===
The [[Streaming|streaming]] rules are set out in full elsewhere. In summary:
* You may make one post per month to promote your streamed content
* You can edit that post if you want to update any information in it, but don't deliberately bump your own post back to the top

===Smut===

Following the [[Rules update 2023]], you must be mindful of the requirement to avoid sexualising the environment in a way that makes other players uncomfortable. Lots of players enjoy smutty publications - and lots of players don't want anything to do with that in their LRP. We have updated our conduct rules on sexual activity at events to make clear that anyone who wants to engage in that kind of roleplaying must ensure that it is handled discreetly and in a way that doesn't force other players to be involved with it against their wishes.

In particular that means you can't promote it on our Facebook groups, since that's incompatible with the need to handle it discreetly in a way that doesn't cause discomfort for other players. I've asked the moderators to take down posts promoting material that is smutty or explicit in the future.

==Traders==
* '''Traders who pay for a pitch at Empire may post adverts up to once a month'''
* '''LRP traders who don't have a pitch at Empire may post adverts once a year'''
We are happy to allow traders to make occasional posts to the Empire Facebook groups, particularly if the post is drawing attention to goods that are appealing to Empire players. At the same time we are keen to prevent the groups from becoming overburdened with adverts, and want to ensure that they do not become too repetitive. To give everyone a fair set of guidelines to operate to - we have decided that traders or groups who have a trade pitch at Empire may post one advert per month if they choose. If a trader isn't one of the Empire traders then they may post up to one advert a year. Any adverts posted more frequently than that will be deleted by the moderators.

A trader advert can be in the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotion] Facebook group and a single nation Facebook group provided it contains stock appropriate to that nation. Any advert posted across multiple nation groups will be removed.

==Hot Topics==
The areas below are topics that almost invariably degenerate into arguments, or are simply not appropriate or acceptable topics of discussion for our forums or Facebook groups. Some of these issues are controversial and tend to produce a lot of acrimony when discussed online giving the false impression that these issues dominate our events. Some of these issues are simply not appropriate or acceptable and will be deleted by our moderators as soon as they become aware of them.

Our moderators will closely monitor these "hot topics" and may pre-emptively delete any posts that they feel is highly likely to lead to an adversarial discussion of the issues.

===Politics, Religion, and Language===
Politics and religion are incredibly important subjects and the crew and players of Empire cover a lot of different religions and a wide spectrum of political opinions. However, our online community exists so that participants can discuss the imaginary politics of the world of Empire and not real world politics.

Discussions about inappropriate language, such as the use of gendered words, is a subject that we’ve learned from prior incidents rapidly degenerates into acrimony. We will allow positive discussion of ways that participants can embrace the gender-blind Empire setting and implement that in their roleplaying - but will delete anything that is negative, a personal attack or is based on criticism of other people's roleplaying or experiences.

In using our social media, participants are also bound by any applicable conduct rules, including those around gendered language. If you are concerned by a poster’s use of inappropriate language, then please bring it to the attention of a moderator and they will contact the other participant and remind them of our rules relating to this.

===In-character Debates===
Empire is ''not'' a system which employs "FOIP" - a requirement that you can only find things out in play at events. It is '''fine''' to ask simple in-character questions, things you think your character should know or any questions about the system. If the information you have asked for is not controversial in-character then other participants are free to give you the answer to your question or to encourage you to find their character at an event and seek out the information in-character.

However as per the posting rules we prohibit discussion online of important or controversial issues. These issues form part of the plot of our event and we ask everyone to respect that.

There are specific rules for [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Anything that breaches these rules - any post that contains trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse, or political discussions and appointments will be removed.

===Criticism of Empire and other LRP Systems===
Live roleplaying is an amazing community that is at its best when participants share original ideas and best practices between different systems. So it's fine to make a post calling out a positive example of something other games do well - or do better than Empire does - that gives us a basis for discussing ways to make Empire a better game. But please bear in mind when posting, that Empire is such a large system that we will have participants who love the game you are referencing as well as participants who tried it and did not enjoy it.

What is not permitted is ''anything'' that is critical or dismissive of other LRP systems. Most LRP systems have their own forums or Facebook groups for their players to post comments about their games - posts that are about other games should be posted on their Facebook page, ''not on our forum/groups''.

It is fine to use our Facebook groups and our forums to criticize Empire or Profound Decisions and we encourage people to post ideas for improvements to the game. Bear in mind that all LRP games are produced by the combined efforts of a team of volunteers who are passionately invested in the game they create. Criticism directed at named individuals will be treated as a personal attack and moderated accordingly and our rules requiring [[Feedback#Worst_Way|civility]] towards our volunteers apply on our forums and Facebook groups as well as at events.

We believe a good LRP stands on its merits, and benefits from analysis, critique, and discussion. We ask all participants to be mindful of the fact that just because you have not experienced a problem does not mean the problem does not exist. Our moderators will remove posts if they judge that their only contribution is to suppress criticism or silence debate about Empire.

Facebook is an excellent place to discuss Empire with other participants who use Facebook - it is not ideal for providing [[feedback]] to Profound Decisions. There is no guarantee that the people who can act on the basis of your feedback will even see it. We treat posts on Facebook as the basis for discussion between participants - the [[feedback|wiki page on providing feedback]] discusses the best ways to send actual feedback to the team.

==Unofficial PD groups==
There are a large number of unofficial Empire groups which people use for discussing issues and organising logistics, amongst other things. As these groups are not official, they are not moderated by us and they are not automatically covered by our rules on posting. However all our players are expected to observe the social contract and commitment to keeping the game live that prohibits online negotiations and discussion of controversial subjects.

Although these online Empire community spaces are not moderated by us nor covered by our rules, players who are use them are still bound by our rules on conduct and our equality and diversity policies that forbid harassment etc. Reported breaches of these rules in communal Empire spaces may result in action being taken by Profound Decisions. If you are experiencing online harassment by another Empire participant then we will take appropriate action if you report the matter to us.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Online

2023-08-06T14:45:24Z

Miranda: /* Use the Most Appropriate Forum or Group */

==Overview==
Empire has a large and active social media presence. Our main Empire LRP Facebook group alone has over 4,000 members. We also have dedicated forums as well as accounts on Instagram, Twitch and Twitter. Having an enthusiastic and engaged player base is important to us and we love seeing everyone discussing the game and enjoying the world of Empire. We welcome debate and constructive discussion in all these places, but any feedback should always be sent to [mailto:feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk ] so that the game team can consider it properly.

The [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrp/ Empire LRP Facebook group] is for general Empire related chat and queries. We also have nation-specific groups where people can discuss national festivals, collective projects, the national briefs, and the best places to source kit. Camp planning is also announced in these groups. Our national groups are a great community both on and off the field and we encourage people to get involved and to go see what’s being discussed. We also have a [https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport/ Player Support Group] which might be a good starting point if you are new to Empire or to live roleplaying in general. The [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Empire LRP forums] have separate boards for all these things, and a few additional ones.

Unfortunately, the nature of the internet is that it removes the element of personal interaction and can exacerbate differences of opinion. If we are not careful this turns discussions into hot-tempered arguments in a way that is detrimental to the debate and the community. For this reason we’ve chosen to implement a set of rules for everyone who uses our official groups and have a large team of crew moderators who can respond to any breaches that occur that are reported to them using the platform’s inbuilt tools or by emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk].

Counting players and crew, Empire has nearly three thousand participants at each event; it's not realistic to expect anyone to like every other participant. What we require is that people treat each other with respect regardless of their personal feelings. Our rules are designed to give our team a basis for judging when that is not happening and to take action accordingly. All the applicable rules for [[conduct]] at events also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

We ask that the community support our aim to keep the game live and familiarise themselves with the rules governing [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Remember, every in-character communication you have between events is one that cannot be had face to face.

==Moderators==
We have a team of crew who moderate our social spaces, led by our head of online moderation, Miranda Brennan. The team work collaboratively, discussing cases and coming to an agreed response to get the most consistent and fairest outcomes possible when exercising judgement. When a post/comment is reported, the moderators will review it and if necessary discuss together or escalate to the Head of Moderation. Moderation decisions and evidence are stored centrally in case we need to refer to them in future.
{{CaptionedImage|file=MirandaBrennan.jpg|align=right|caption=Head of Online Moderation: Miranda Brennan}}
===How to report===
Given the scale of the internet, we can’t keep track of every comment and subthread on our official social media. We therefore ask our users to be aware of the posting rules and if they see a breach, to report it by either:

* Using the reporting tools available on that platform
* Emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] and linking to the post/comment you wish to report.

===What happens when a post is reported?===
If a post/comment is reported and the moderation team decides that it breaks our posting rules, we may delete the post. If we do this, a moderator will endeavour to contact the poster to explain why. If the poster disagrees with the action taken, they can contact the [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk head moderator]. If the matter is not resolved to their satisfaction after this point, the matter can be escalated to [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk]. It is not appropriate to discuss individual moderation discussions on our social media and posts doing this will be deleted.

Depending on the situation we may warn people who have broken the rules, suspend them from our social media spaces either short or long term, or ban them permanently at our discretion. This includes potentially being excluded from the events themselves. We take our rules for online conduct very seriously; we do not make an absolute distinction between behaviour online and at events.

For some breaches of the posting rules, the moderation team may contact the poster privately and give them the opportunity to edit their post in order to make it comply with the rules.

If a contentious post is resulting in some heated debate, we may lock the post from further comments whilst we review it. This is particularly likely if we’re short on moderation cover at that time as our moderation team are all volunteers. If a post has dissolved entirely into unconstructive argument, we will delete the post in its entirety and either explain why privately to the poster or add a post to the group in which it was posted.

===Contesting a Decision===
It is important to appreciate that moderation is not personal. Some of our rules are technical in nature - and people often have posts moderated or removed not because there was anything wrong with the content or the way they posted it but simply because they don't meet the strict guidelines we set for relevance to Empire. Everyone gets moderated from time-to-time, players and crew, so that we can keep our forums welcoming and full of relevant content. ''Being moderated is not a criticism of you or your post.''

Although you may be contacted by a moderator to inform you that a post has been moderated, please bear in mind that moderation decisions are taken collectively by the team, not by any one individual. You're welcome to discuss the matter with the moderator who is there to try and help ensure you understand why the decision was taken, but if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss a new issue, please use the appropriate methods to contact the whole team, rather than emailing or messaging an individual moderator. All of our crew are volunteers so they don't always have time to allocate to support you; this is why we have a team of people in place to deal with any issues. Please respect the system we have put in place and contact the team if you need to discuss something.

If you are not happy with a moderator decision then you are welcome to discuss that with us privately. Mistakes do get made and we are happy to look at any decision that has been taken and apologize if we have made a mistake and correct it where we can. If we stand by the decision after reviewing it, then we'll try to explain in more detail why we came to that conclusion so that you can better understand how the rules are being applied.

Please do not contest decisions in public - that is against our rules - and do not argue with our moderators or become hostile with one of them. They are members of our crew, and should be treated with the same courtesy and respect that you should show a referee at an event. All our crew volunteer their time to work hard on your behalf to provide a great game so we require everyone who attends our events to treat them with appropriate regard. There are no Empire events without our crew and we take their wellbeing very seriously.

Please [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk email mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss any issue. Private messages are not a good mechanism for contacting the team as they go to individuals who may not see them for several days or at all in some cases depending on the platform settings.

==Posting Rules==
* '''Treat each other with respect and assume best faith'''
* '''All posts should clearly relate to Empire'''
* '''Use the most appropriate forum or Facebook group'''
* '''Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month'''
* '''Report any breach of the rules to our moderators rather than responding yourself'''
* '''Don't start in-character conversations or post anything that is contentious in-character'''
* '''IC announcements, sales, adverts and letters are permitted'''
* '''You may cross-post winds of war and winds of fortune'''
* '''You may not post instructions or advice on military units'''
* '''No charity and fundraising posts'''
* '''Post links to photographs, don't repost them'''
* '''Do not post fanfiction'''
* '''Do not criticise other participants for their costume, roleplaying, or interpretation of the setting'''
* '''Do not discuss moderation decisions'''
* '''Do not post accusations of cheating or unsafe fighting'''
* '''Don't do stupid shit'''
* '''Streaming'''
* '''Smut'''

In particular, please note all the applicable rules for [[conduct]] also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

===Treat each other with respect and assume best faith===
We are proud that Empire players come from a diverse range of backgrounds and traditions of LRP. With well over 2000 players and crew, differences of opinions will occur and discussion of these is no bad thing, but needs to be handled carefully. Please respect people’s opinions, treat other participants as adults, and assume good faith. It’s easy to mistake someone’s intent over the internet and you may need to work a little harder to make yourself understood or be more patient when trying to explain something. Avoid making jokes about contentious subjects where the possibility exists to miss the humour and be offended as a result.

Don't harass other users, don't post anything that constitutes a personal attack and avoid forms of speech that could be interpreted as bullying or abusive. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. We will not tolerate any post that our moderators feel constitutes a personal attack on another live roleplayer - regardless of whether or not they use our official online forums/groups or are a regular attendee at our events. Avoid posting while angry; if you are disagreeing with participant then ensure that you remain polite and avoid [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem ad hominem] responses.

If you feel anything posted on our official forums or Facebook groups violates our rule prohibiting personal attacks then please report it to our moderators, do not respond in kind.

===All Posts Should Clearly Relate to Empire===
Please keep your posts on topic. Our forums and groups are for Empire, so if the discussion strays too far away the subject of Empire we will ask you to take it elsewhere. If the link to Empire is tenuous or would be unclear to a casual reader, our moderators may advise you that this would be more appropriate on your own wall or ask you to elaborate on the original post as to its relevance.

===Use the Most Appropriate Forum or Group===
Please ensure that your posts are in the most appropriate area. Do not duplicate the same or similar posts across multiple different forums or different groups. If your post is a bit more general but one nation may still have a special interest then ''at most'' you should post in the main Empire group and the single most relevant nation group. An example of this would be a Dawnish hosted player event, as Dawnish players may be especially interested, but other nations may also wish to attend. If multiple players all post the same or similar posts either in the same group or across multiple groups, the moderation team will remove the duplicate posts.

Duplicating a post on Facebook and the Forum is permitted as many participants may only use one of these platforms.

If you are a trader at our events then before each event, you may put a post into a single official nation group [[Forums & Facebook|Facebook nation group]] of your choice and/or the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotions Facebook group] to advertise your services or products. If you are not a trader at our events then using the same rules, you may post once advertisement a year, provided that the products or services offered are relevant to Empire players.
{{CaptionedImage|file=RougherMusic.jpg|align=right|width=350|caption=The Moderators are here to help you.}}

===Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month===
You can repost content up to once a month, if it's relevant to Empire. If you want to promote IC services or similar or you are discussing OOC arrangements relevant to the game then it's fine to repost them periodically - provided it is not too frequent. Our moderators will take down repeated posts if less than a month has passed since the last time it was posted. It's fine to update a post, but deliberately posting to 'bump' a post back to the top of the group is not in the spirit of the rules.

===Report any Breach of the Rules to our Moderators===
Each board has a couple of volunteer moderators and admins and we have a centralised place to discuss and document moderation decisions. Due to the high level of activity in our our official groups it is impossible for us to follow each and every interaction. Therefore, if you see someone infringing the posting rules, please help us by reporting this comment or post promptly rather than responding yourself. A moderator or admin will then respond as quickly as they’re able to.

Please don't call out other participants for posts that you think breach our guidelines, report it, and let the moderators handle it. On Facebook select "report to admin" by clicking in the top right hand corner of a post. On the forum click "...(show more)" then the flag icon on any post.

===Don't Post IC Conversations or Contentious Statements===
Please help us keep the game live and in the field as much as possible. Avoid starting in-character conversations about significant or controversial subjects so that discussion of important in-character issues can be kept for the live events. It is usually fine to post comments about events that have happened, provided that the posts are not contentious or likely to cause people to want to respond as their character. If you post something in-character that could be perceived as contentious on our official forums or groups, we’ll remove or edit this.

Empire is a game for people to say and do contentious things as their character - but we want those actions and the reactions to them to happen in the field when people are roleplaying.

===Post Links to Photographs, Don't Repost Them===
Profound Decisions are lucky enough to have a small team of volunteer photographers to document our events; there are also a number of players who take photographs in line with the [[photography|photography policy]]. These volunteers generously donate their time and energy to show our hobby in all its glory. To acknowledge their contribution you must link to the original photos rather than downloading them and re-uploading them on our forums.

Each photographer will have their own policy on using photos elsewhere (such as for profile or cover pictures). If in doubt, please contact the original photographer.

===IC Announcements and Adverts are Permitted===
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, provided that you avoid posting anything that is contentious and only post it in the single most appropriate group.

All posts must follow the following rules:
* '''Do not add additional comments''' - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world, which is not permitted.
* '''Post at most once per month''' - Do not repost it more than once a month or deliberately bump your existing post to the top of a page.

You must follow the normal posting rules - don’t say anything in-character that would be contentious and put each post [[#Use_the_Most_Appropriate_Forum_or_Group|in the most appropriate forum or Facebook group only]]. Do not spam it across multiple groups or repost it more often than once a month. You can post an in-character advertisement in any of our Facebook groups up to once per calendar month. The most appropriate group for anything which costs IC or OC money is the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261|the adverts and promotions Facebook group] and/or one Nation Facebook group.

The main Empire LRP Facebook group is only an appropriate forum for adverts for free IC meetings, free IC festivals, free OC support, or for player events.

There are several guidelines that we ask participants to follow where possible when posting an advert of this kind:

* State your Price - Haggling or negotiation over prices must be left to the field.
* Use the Hub - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character.
* Provide a plain text version - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.

In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for individual characters you have met, or have a way of getting in touch with (eg specific Imperial title-holders, individual group leaders) to get in touch for separate IC letters.

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

===You May Cross-post the Winds===
There is an exception to the normal rules on multi-forum posts for the official Profound Decisions event updates, the Winds of War, and the Winds of Fortune. It is fine to cross-post these updates to an Empire Facebook group or forum - but please only do that if you think it is relevant to that group and check to see if it has already been posted. There is no need to cross-post a Wind of Fortune update about trouble in Hahnmark to the Urizen group for example.

However please make sure you do not include any comment about the content of the Wind in the cross-post. If you want to comment on the issue, you are welcome to do that below your own cross-post, but we ask that players avoid making any comment when making the actual cross-post - just to ensure that there is a clear distinction between what an individual player thinks and the contents of the Wind itself.

===You May Not Post Military Updates===
Players are not permitted to post updates on the decisions of the Military Council, in particular on where the Council would like people to send their military units and fleets in downtime. This constitutes using an online forum to try and influence the choices being made by other characters, it is not compatible with the rules prohibiting the posting of contentious in-character material.

While we have turned a blind-eye to some of these posts in the past - the rules have now been tightened. When the game first started it was difficult for generals to communicate what their army was doing to players. However every player with a military unit or fleet can now see the precise wording of the order issued to each army or navy when they go to submit their downtime. There is no need to provide additional context to these orders.

===No Charity or Fundraising Posts===
We have taken the decision not to allow any charity or fundraising posts on our groups except where they are intended to raise money for things to be used at Empire events or where they are posted by us on the main Empire LRP page. Whilst LRPers are an incredibly generous community, applying the posting rules and deciding on whether a particular fundraising post is “Empire related enough” is an impossible task for our moderator team. Having to assess each one will inevitably cause friction whenever a post is deleted because it is not sufficiently on topic for the Empire forums.

Posts offering prizes must be compliant with the laws regulating such activities. We will remove any post if we are not confident that you are correctly licensed to engage in such activities.

===Do Not Post Fanfiction===
We understand that lots of people love to read and write fanfic - and the Empire community is no exception. However there is a small risk that players may confuse fanfic with canonical updates to the campaign if the fiction is posted on one of the main Empire Facebook groups. For this reason there is a specific Facebook group called [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165082270686010/?fref=gc&dti=470732939604433&hc_location=ufi Empire LRP: Fiction Sharing] which was explicitly intended as a place for Empire players to share stories they have created. All fanfic stories should be posted here, not in one of the main Facebook groups.

===Do Not Criticise Other Participants===
The Empire national briefs are designed to allow for a wide range of creative freedom whilst still maintaining that all-important, clearly identifiable, national identity. When offering support to other players in your nation please be aware that that are other interpretations of the brief which are different to your own but are still valid. Avoid telling other players that they are getting the brief wrong - and avoid presenting yourself as an authority on how the brief should be interpreted.

It is fine to identify parts of the brief that are relevant and encourage people to embrace them. What is not permitted is for players to tell other players what is and is not acceptable in-character. If you have any concerns about the way a player is interpreting the brief then you should report the matter to Profound Decisions who can issue a definitive ruling on the matter.

Likewise, our code of conduct asks all Empire participants to avoid [[Costume#Criticism|criticizing other player's kit]]. You should assume that the player in question has followed our guidelines and made the best effort they can. Criticism of other players’ costume will be deleted.

Crowd-sourcing answers about rules often ends up with a variety of responses and opinions on how the rules should be applied in that particular situation. The only definitive and official answers will come by emailing [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Do Not Accuse Other Players of Cheating or Unsafe Fighting===
Do not make public accusations of cheating or of unsafe fighting at Empire on social media. If you have witnessed either of these happen at an event, please either speak to a ref as soon as you are able to after the incident or contact [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk] after an event to report it.

===Do Not Discuss Moderation Decisions===
It is not constructive to discuss individual moderators or moderator decisions in public. We do however welcome discussion and debate of our posting rules and moderation policy provided the discussion remains civil, hypothetical and does not include references to individual examples. To discuss individual moderation decisions, please contact the Head of Moderation at [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk]; if not resolved to your satisfaction after this point, please contact [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Don't Do Stupid Shit===
Don't post anything that's illegal, racist, sexist, homophobic, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise objectionable. This includes links to such material as well.

===Streaming===
The [[Streaming|streaming]] rules are set out in full elsewhere. In summary:
* You may make one post per month to promote your streamed content
* You can edit that post if you want to update any information in it, but don't deliberately bump your own post back to the top

===Smut===

Following the [[Rules update 2023]], you must be mindful of the requirement to avoid sexualising the environment in a way that makes other players uncomfortable. Lots of players enjoy smutty publications - and lots of players don't want anything to do with that in their LRP. We have updated our conduct rules on sexual activity at events to make clear that anyone who wants to engage in that kind of roleplaying must ensure that it is handled discreetly and in a way that doesn't force other players to be involved with it against their wishes.

In particular that means you can't promote it on our Facebook groups, since that's incompatible with the need to handle it discreetly in a way that doesn't cause discomfort for other players. I've asked the moderators to take down posts promoting material that is smutty or explicit in the future.

==Traders==
* '''Traders who pay for a pitch at Empire may post adverts up to once a month'''
* '''LRP traders who don't have a pitch at Empire may post adverts once a year'''
We are happy to allow traders to make occasional posts to the Empire Facebook groups, particularly if the post is drawing attention to goods that are appealing to Empire players. At the same time we are keen to prevent the groups from becoming overburdened with adverts, and want to ensure that they do not become too repetitive. To give everyone a fair set of guidelines to operate to - we have decided that traders or groups who have a trade pitch at Empire may post one advert per month if they choose. If a trader isn't one of the Empire traders then they may post up to one advert a year. Any adverts posted more frequently than that will be deleted by the moderators.

A trader advert can be in the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotion] Facebook group and a single nation Facebook group provided it contains stock appropriate to that nation. Any advert posted across multiple nation groups will be removed.

==Hot Topics==
The areas below are topics that almost invariably degenerate into arguments, or are simply not appropriate or acceptable topics of discussion for our forums or Facebook groups. Some of these issues are controversial and tend to produce a lot of acrimony when discussed online giving the false impression that these issues dominate our events. Some of these issues are simply not appropriate or acceptable and will be deleted by our moderators as soon as they become aware of them.

Our moderators will closely monitor these "hot topics" and may pre-emptively delete any posts that they feel is highly likely to lead to an adversarial discussion of the issues.

===Politics, Religion, and Language===
Politics and religion are incredibly important subjects and the crew and players of Empire cover a lot of different religions and a wide spectrum of political opinions. However, our online community exists so that participants can discuss the imaginary politics of the world of Empire and not real world politics.

Discussions about inappropriate language, such as the use of gendered words, is a subject that we’ve learned from prior incidents rapidly degenerates into acrimony. We will allow positive discussion of ways that participants can embrace the gender-blind Empire setting and implement that in their roleplaying - but will delete anything that is negative, a personal attack or is based on criticism of other people's roleplaying or experiences.

In using our social media, participants are also bound by any applicable conduct rules, including those around gendered language. If you are concerned by a poster’s use of inappropriate language, then please bring it to the attention of a moderator and they will contact the other participant and remind them of our rules relating to this.

===In-character Debates===
Empire is ''not'' a system which employs "FOIP" - a requirement that you can only find things out in play at events. It is '''fine''' to ask simple in-character questions, things you think your character should know or any questions about the system. If the information you have asked for is not controversial in-character then other participants are free to give you the answer to your question or to encourage you to find their character at an event and seek out the information in-character.

However as per the posting rules we prohibit discussion online of important or controversial issues. These issues form part of the plot of our event and we ask everyone to respect that.

There are specific rules for [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Anything that breaches these rules - any post that contains trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse, or political discussions and appointments will be removed.

===Criticism of Empire and other LRP Systems===
Live roleplaying is an amazing community that is at its best when participants share original ideas and best practices between different systems. So it's fine to make a post calling out a positive example of something other games do well - or do better than Empire does - that gives us a basis for discussing ways to make Empire a better game. But please bear in mind when posting, that Empire is such a large system that we will have participants who love the game you are referencing as well as participants who tried it and did not enjoy it.

What is not permitted is ''anything'' that is critical or dismissive of other LRP systems. Most LRP systems have their own forums or Facebook groups for their players to post comments about their games - posts that are about other games should be posted on their Facebook page, ''not on our forum/groups''.

It is fine to use our Facebook groups and our forums to criticize Empire or Profound Decisions and we encourage people to post ideas for improvements to the game. Bear in mind that all LRP games are produced by the combined efforts of a team of volunteers who are passionately invested in the game they create. Criticism directed at named individuals will be treated as a personal attack and moderated accordingly and our rules requiring [[Feedback#Worst_Way|civility]] towards our volunteers apply on our forums and Facebook groups as well as at events.

We believe a good LRP stands on its merits, and benefits from analysis, critique, and discussion. We ask all participants to be mindful of the fact that just because you have not experienced a problem does not mean the problem does not exist. Our moderators will remove posts if they judge that their only contribution is to suppress criticism or silence debate about Empire.

Facebook is an excellent place to discuss Empire with other participants who use Facebook - it is not ideal for providing [[feedback]] to Profound Decisions. There is no guarantee that the people who can act on the basis of your feedback will even see it. We treat posts on Facebook as the basis for discussion between participants - the [[feedback|wiki page on providing feedback]] discusses the best ways to send actual feedback to the team.

==Unofficial PD groups==
There are a large number of unofficial Empire groups which people use for discussing issues and organising logistics, amongst other things. As these groups are not official, they are not moderated by us and they are not automatically covered by our rules on posting. However all our players are expected to observe the social contract and commitment to keeping the game live that prohibits online negotiations and discussion of controversial subjects.

Although these online Empire community spaces are not moderated by us nor covered by our rules, players who are use them are still bound by our rules on conduct and our equality and diversity policies that forbid harassment etc. Reported breaches of these rules in communal Empire spaces may result in action being taken by Profound Decisions. If you are experiencing online harassment by another Empire participant then we will take appropriate action if you report the matter to us.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Online

2023-08-06T14:41:06Z

Miranda: /* Use the Most Appropriate Forum or Group */

==Overview==
Empire has a large and active social media presence. Our main Empire LRP Facebook group alone has over 4,000 members. We also have dedicated forums as well as accounts on Instagram, Twitch and Twitter. Having an enthusiastic and engaged player base is important to us and we love seeing everyone discussing the game and enjoying the world of Empire. We welcome debate and constructive discussion in all these places, but any feedback should always be sent to [mailto:feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk feedback@profounddecisions.co.uk ] so that the game team can consider it properly.

The [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrp/ Empire LRP Facebook group] is for general Empire related chat and queries. We also have nation-specific groups where people can discuss national festivals, collective projects, the national briefs, and the best places to source kit. Camp planning is also announced in these groups. Our national groups are a great community both on and off the field and we encourage people to get involved and to go see what’s being discussed. We also have a [https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport/ Player Support Group] which might be a good starting point if you are new to Empire or to live roleplaying in general. The [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Empire LRP forums] have separate boards for all these things, and a few additional ones.

Unfortunately, the nature of the internet is that it removes the element of personal interaction and can exacerbate differences of opinion. If we are not careful this turns discussions into hot-tempered arguments in a way that is detrimental to the debate and the community. For this reason we’ve chosen to implement a set of rules for everyone who uses our official groups and have a large team of crew moderators who can respond to any breaches that occur that are reported to them using the platform’s inbuilt tools or by emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk].

Counting players and crew, Empire has nearly three thousand participants at each event; it's not realistic to expect anyone to like every other participant. What we require is that people treat each other with respect regardless of their personal feelings. Our rules are designed to give our team a basis for judging when that is not happening and to take action accordingly. All the applicable rules for [[conduct]] at events also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

We ask that the community support our aim to keep the game live and familiarise themselves with the rules governing [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Remember, every in-character communication you have between events is one that cannot be had face to face.

==Moderators==
We have a team of crew who moderate our social spaces, led by our head of online moderation, Miranda Brennan. The team work collaboratively, discussing cases and coming to an agreed response to get the most consistent and fairest outcomes possible when exercising judgement. When a post/comment is reported, the moderators will review it and if necessary discuss together or escalate to the Head of Moderation. Moderation decisions and evidence are stored centrally in case we need to refer to them in future.
{{CaptionedImage|file=MirandaBrennan.jpg|align=right|caption=Head of Online Moderation: Miranda Brennan}}
===How to report===
Given the scale of the internet, we can’t keep track of every comment and subthread on our official social media. We therefore ask our users to be aware of the posting rules and if they see a breach, to report it by either:

* Using the reporting tools available on that platform
* Emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] and linking to the post/comment you wish to report.

===What happens when a post is reported?===
If a post/comment is reported and the moderation team decides that it breaks our posting rules, we may delete the post. If we do this, a moderator will endeavour to contact the poster to explain why. If the poster disagrees with the action taken, they can contact the [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk head moderator]. If the matter is not resolved to their satisfaction after this point, the matter can be escalated to [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk]. It is not appropriate to discuss individual moderation discussions on our social media and posts doing this will be deleted.

Depending on the situation we may warn people who have broken the rules, suspend them from our social media spaces either short or long term, or ban them permanently at our discretion. This includes potentially being excluded from the events themselves. We take our rules for online conduct very seriously; we do not make an absolute distinction between behaviour online and at events.

For some breaches of the posting rules, the moderation team may contact the poster privately and give them the opportunity to edit their post in order to make it comply with the rules.

If a contentious post is resulting in some heated debate, we may lock the post from further comments whilst we review it. This is particularly likely if we’re short on moderation cover at that time as our moderation team are all volunteers. If a post has dissolved entirely into unconstructive argument, we will delete the post in its entirety and either explain why privately to the poster or add a post to the group in which it was posted.

===Contesting a Decision===
It is important to appreciate that moderation is not personal. Some of our rules are technical in nature - and people often have posts moderated or removed not because there was anything wrong with the content or the way they posted it but simply because they don't meet the strict guidelines we set for relevance to Empire. Everyone gets moderated from time-to-time, players and crew, so that we can keep our forums welcoming and full of relevant content. ''Being moderated is not a criticism of you or your post.''

Although you may be contacted by a moderator to inform you that a post has been moderated, please bear in mind that moderation decisions are taken collectively by the team, not by any one individual. You're welcome to discuss the matter with the moderator who is there to try and help ensure you understand why the decision was taken, but if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss a new issue, please use the appropriate methods to contact the whole team, rather than emailing or messaging an individual moderator. All of our crew are volunteers so they don't always have time to allocate to support you; this is why we have a team of people in place to deal with any issues. Please respect the system we have put in place and contact the team if you need to discuss something.

If you are not happy with a moderator decision then you are welcome to discuss that with us privately. Mistakes do get made and we are happy to look at any decision that has been taken and apologize if we have made a mistake and correct it where we can. If we stand by the decision after reviewing it, then we'll try to explain in more detail why we came to that conclusion so that you can better understand how the rules are being applied.

Please do not contest decisions in public - that is against our rules - and do not argue with our moderators or become hostile with one of them. They are members of our crew, and should be treated with the same courtesy and respect that you should show a referee at an event. All our crew volunteer their time to work hard on your behalf to provide a great game so we require everyone who attends our events to treat them with appropriate regard. There are no Empire events without our crew and we take their wellbeing very seriously.

Please [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk email mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss any issue. Private messages are not a good mechanism for contacting the team as they go to individuals who may not see them for several days or at all in some cases depending on the platform settings.

==Posting Rules==
* '''Treat each other with respect and assume best faith'''
* '''All posts should clearly relate to Empire'''
* '''Use the most appropriate forum or Facebook group'''
* '''Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month'''
* '''Report any breach of the rules to our moderators rather than responding yourself'''
* '''Don't start in-character conversations or post anything that is contentious in-character'''
* '''IC announcements, sales, adverts and letters are permitted'''
* '''You may cross-post winds of war and winds of fortune'''
* '''You may not post instructions or advice on military units'''
* '''No charity and fundraising posts'''
* '''Post links to photographs, don't repost them'''
* '''Do not post fanfiction'''
* '''Do not criticise other participants for their costume, roleplaying, or interpretation of the setting'''
* '''Do not discuss moderation decisions'''
* '''Do not post accusations of cheating or unsafe fighting'''
* '''Don't do stupid shit'''
* '''Streaming'''
* '''Smut'''

In particular, please note all the applicable rules for [[conduct]] also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[Conduct#Language|language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

===Treat each other with respect and assume best faith===
We are proud that Empire players come from a diverse range of backgrounds and traditions of LRP. With well over 2000 players and crew, differences of opinions will occur and discussion of these is no bad thing, but needs to be handled carefully. Please respect people’s opinions, treat other participants as adults, and assume good faith. It’s easy to mistake someone’s intent over the internet and you may need to work a little harder to make yourself understood or be more patient when trying to explain something. Avoid making jokes about contentious subjects where the possibility exists to miss the humour and be offended as a result.

Don't harass other users, don't post anything that constitutes a personal attack and avoid forms of speech that could be interpreted as bullying or abusive. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. We will not tolerate any post that our moderators feel constitutes a personal attack on another live roleplayer - regardless of whether or not they use our official online forums/groups or are a regular attendee at our events. Avoid posting while angry; if you are disagreeing with participant then ensure that you remain polite and avoid [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem ad hominem] responses.

If you feel anything posted on our official forums or Facebook groups violates our rule prohibiting personal attacks then please report it to our moderators, do not respond in kind.

===All Posts Should Clearly Relate to Empire===
Please keep your posts on topic. Our forums and groups are for Empire, so if the discussion strays too far away the subject of Empire we will ask you to take it elsewhere. If the link to Empire is tenuous or would be unclear to a casual reader, our moderators may advise you that this would be more appropriate on your own wall or ask you to elaborate on the original post as to its relevance.

===Use the Most Appropriate Forum or Group===
Please ensure that your posts are in the most appropriate area. Do not duplicate the same or similar posts across multiple different forums or different groups. If your post is a bit more general but one nation may still have a special interest then ''at most'' you should post in the main Empire group and the single most relevant nation group. An example of this would be a Dawnish hosted player event, as Dawnish players may be especially interested, but other nations may also wish to attend. If multiple players all post the same or similar posts either in the same group or across multiple groups, the moderation team will remove the duplicate posts.

Duplicating a post on Facebook and the Forum is permitted as many participants may only use one of these platforms.

If you are a trader at our events then before each event, you may put a post into a single official nation group [[Forums & Facebook|Facebook nation group]]of your choice and/or the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotions Facebook group] to advertise your services or products. If you are not a trader at our events then using the same rules, you may post once advertisement a year, provided that the products or services offered are relevant to Empire players.
{{CaptionedImage|file=RougherMusic.jpg|align=right|width=350|caption=The Moderators are here to help you.}}

===Don't repost the same post or content more than once a month===
You can repost content up to once a month, if it's relevant to Empire. If you want to promote IC services or similar or you are discussing OOC arrangements relevant to the game then it's fine to repost them periodically - provided it is not too frequent. Our moderators will take down repeated posts if less than a month has passed since the last time it was posted. It's fine to update a post, but deliberately posting to 'bump' a post back to the top of the group is not in the spirit of the rules.

===Report any Breach of the Rules to our Moderators===
Each board has a couple of volunteer moderators and admins and we have a centralised place to discuss and document moderation decisions. Due to the high level of activity in our our official groups it is impossible for us to follow each and every interaction. Therefore, if you see someone infringing the posting rules, please help us by reporting this comment or post promptly rather than responding yourself. A moderator or admin will then respond as quickly as they’re able to.

Please don't call out other participants for posts that you think breach our guidelines, report it, and let the moderators handle it. On Facebook select "report to admin" by clicking in the top right hand corner of a post. On the forum click "...(show more)" then the flag icon on any post.

===Don't Post IC Conversations or Contentious Statements===
Please help us keep the game live and in the field as much as possible. Avoid starting in-character conversations about significant or controversial subjects so that discussion of important in-character issues can be kept for the live events. It is usually fine to post comments about events that have happened, provided that the posts are not contentious or likely to cause people to want to respond as their character. If you post something in-character that could be perceived as contentious on our official forums or groups, we’ll remove or edit this.

Empire is a game for people to say and do contentious things as their character - but we want those actions and the reactions to them to happen in the field when people are roleplaying.

===Post Links to Photographs, Don't Repost Them===
Profound Decisions are lucky enough to have a small team of volunteer photographers to document our events; there are also a number of players who take photographs in line with the [[photography|photography policy]]. These volunteers generously donate their time and energy to show our hobby in all its glory. To acknowledge their contribution you must link to the original photos rather than downloading them and re-uploading them on our forums.

Each photographer will have their own policy on using photos elsewhere (such as for profile or cover pictures). If in doubt, please contact the original photographer.

===IC Announcements and Adverts are Permitted===
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, provided that you avoid posting anything that is contentious and only post it in the single most appropriate group.

All posts must follow the following rules:
* '''Do not add additional comments''' - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world, which is not permitted.
* '''Post at most once per month''' - Do not repost it more than once a month or deliberately bump your existing post to the top of a page.

You must follow the normal posting rules - don’t say anything in-character that would be contentious and put each post [[#Use_the_Most_Appropriate_Forum_or_Group|in the most appropriate forum or Facebook group only]]. Do not spam it across multiple groups or repost it more often than once a month. You can post an in-character advertisement in any of our Facebook groups up to once per calendar month. The most appropriate group for anything which costs IC or OC money is the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261|the adverts and promotions Facebook group] and/or one Nation Facebook group.

The main Empire LRP Facebook group is only an appropriate forum for adverts for free IC meetings, free IC festivals, free OC support, or for player events.

There are several guidelines that we ask participants to follow where possible when posting an advert of this kind:

* State your Price - Haggling or negotiation over prices must be left to the field.
* Use the Hub - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character.
* Provide a plain text version - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.

In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for individual characters you have met, or have a way of getting in touch with (eg specific Imperial title-holders, individual group leaders) to get in touch for separate IC letters.

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

===You May Cross-post the Winds===
There is an exception to the normal rules on multi-forum posts for the official Profound Decisions event updates, the Winds of War, and the Winds of Fortune. It is fine to cross-post these updates to an Empire Facebook group or forum - but please only do that if you think it is relevant to that group and check to see if it has already been posted. There is no need to cross-post a Wind of Fortune update about trouble in Hahnmark to the Urizen group for example.

However please make sure you do not include any comment about the content of the Wind in the cross-post. If you want to comment on the issue, you are welcome to do that below your own cross-post, but we ask that players avoid making any comment when making the actual cross-post - just to ensure that there is a clear distinction between what an individual player thinks and the contents of the Wind itself.

===You May Not Post Military Updates===
Players are not permitted to post updates on the decisions of the Military Council, in particular on where the Council would like people to send their military units and fleets in downtime. This constitutes using an online forum to try and influence the choices being made by other characters, it is not compatible with the rules prohibiting the posting of contentious in-character material.

While we have turned a blind-eye to some of these posts in the past - the rules have now been tightened. When the game first started it was difficult for generals to communicate what their army was doing to players. However every player with a military unit or fleet can now see the precise wording of the order issued to each army or navy when they go to submit their downtime. There is no need to provide additional context to these orders.

===No Charity or Fundraising Posts===
We have taken the decision not to allow any charity or fundraising posts on our groups except where they are intended to raise money for things to be used at Empire events or where they are posted by us on the main Empire LRP page. Whilst LRPers are an incredibly generous community, applying the posting rules and deciding on whether a particular fundraising post is “Empire related enough” is an impossible task for our moderator team. Having to assess each one will inevitably cause friction whenever a post is deleted because it is not sufficiently on topic for the Empire forums.

Posts offering prizes must be compliant with the laws regulating such activities. We will remove any post if we are not confident that you are correctly licensed to engage in such activities.

===Do Not Post Fanfiction===
We understand that lots of people love to read and write fanfic - and the Empire community is no exception. However there is a small risk that players may confuse fanfic with canonical updates to the campaign if the fiction is posted on one of the main Empire Facebook groups. For this reason there is a specific Facebook group called [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165082270686010/?fref=gc&dti=470732939604433&hc_location=ufi Empire LRP: Fiction Sharing] which was explicitly intended as a place for Empire players to share stories they have created. All fanfic stories should be posted here, not in one of the main Facebook groups.

===Do Not Criticise Other Participants===
The Empire national briefs are designed to allow for a wide range of creative freedom whilst still maintaining that all-important, clearly identifiable, national identity. When offering support to other players in your nation please be aware that that are other interpretations of the brief which are different to your own but are still valid. Avoid telling other players that they are getting the brief wrong - and avoid presenting yourself as an authority on how the brief should be interpreted.

It is fine to identify parts of the brief that are relevant and encourage people to embrace them. What is not permitted is for players to tell other players what is and is not acceptable in-character. If you have any concerns about the way a player is interpreting the brief then you should report the matter to Profound Decisions who can issue a definitive ruling on the matter.

Likewise, our code of conduct asks all Empire participants to avoid [[Costume#Criticism|criticizing other player's kit]]. You should assume that the player in question has followed our guidelines and made the best effort they can. Criticism of other players’ costume will be deleted.

Crowd-sourcing answers about rules often ends up with a variety of responses and opinions on how the rules should be applied in that particular situation. The only definitive and official answers will come by emailing [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Do Not Accuse Other Players of Cheating or Unsafe Fighting===
Do not make public accusations of cheating or of unsafe fighting at Empire on social media. If you have witnessed either of these happen at an event, please either speak to a ref as soon as you are able to after the incident or contact [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk] after an event to report it.

===Do Not Discuss Moderation Decisions===
It is not constructive to discuss individual moderators or moderator decisions in public. We do however welcome discussion and debate of our posting rules and moderation policy provided the discussion remains civil, hypothetical and does not include references to individual examples. To discuss individual moderation decisions, please contact the Head of Moderation at [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk]; if not resolved to your satisfaction after this point, please contact [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Don't Do Stupid Shit===
Don't post anything that's illegal, racist, sexist, homophobic, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise objectionable. This includes links to such material as well.

===Streaming===
The [[Streaming|streaming]] rules are set out in full elsewhere. In summary:
* You may make one post per month to promote your streamed content
* You can edit that post if you want to update any information in it, but don't deliberately bump your own post back to the top

===Smut===

Following the [[Rules update 2023]], you must be mindful of the requirement to avoid sexualising the environment in a way that makes other players uncomfortable. Lots of players enjoy smutty publications - and lots of players don't want anything to do with that in their LRP. We have updated our conduct rules on sexual activity at events to make clear that anyone who wants to engage in that kind of roleplaying must ensure that it is handled discreetly and in a way that doesn't force other players to be involved with it against their wishes.

In particular that means you can't promote it on our Facebook groups, since that's incompatible with the need to handle it discreetly in a way that doesn't cause discomfort for other players. I've asked the moderators to take down posts promoting material that is smutty or explicit in the future.

==Traders==
* '''Traders who pay for a pitch at Empire may post adverts up to once a month'''
* '''LRP traders who don't have a pitch at Empire may post adverts once a year'''
We are happy to allow traders to make occasional posts to the Empire Facebook groups, particularly if the post is drawing attention to goods that are appealing to Empire players. At the same time we are keen to prevent the groups from becoming overburdened with adverts, and want to ensure that they do not become too repetitive. To give everyone a fair set of guidelines to operate to - we have decided that traders or groups who have a trade pitch at Empire may post one advert per month if they choose. If a trader isn't one of the Empire traders then they may post up to one advert a year. Any adverts posted more frequently than that will be deleted by the moderators.

A trader advert can be in the [https://www.facebook.com/groups/998672144716261 Empire LRP Adverts and Promotion] Facebook group and a single nation Facebook group provided it contains stock appropriate to that nation. Any advert posted across multiple nation groups will be removed.

==Hot Topics==
The areas below are topics that almost invariably degenerate into arguments, or are simply not appropriate or acceptable topics of discussion for our forums or Facebook groups. Some of these issues are controversial and tend to produce a lot of acrimony when discussed online giving the false impression that these issues dominate our events. Some of these issues are simply not appropriate or acceptable and will be deleted by our moderators as soon as they become aware of them.

Our moderators will closely monitor these "hot topics" and may pre-emptively delete any posts that they feel is highly likely to lead to an adversarial discussion of the issues.

===Politics, Religion, and Language===
Politics and religion are incredibly important subjects and the crew and players of Empire cover a lot of different religions and a wide spectrum of political opinions. However, our online community exists so that participants can discuss the imaginary politics of the world of Empire and not real world politics.

Discussions about inappropriate language, such as the use of gendered words, is a subject that we’ve learned from prior incidents rapidly degenerates into acrimony. We will allow positive discussion of ways that participants can embrace the gender-blind Empire setting and implement that in their roleplaying - but will delete anything that is negative, a personal attack or is based on criticism of other people's roleplaying or experiences.

In using our social media, participants are also bound by any applicable conduct rules, including those around gendered language. If you are concerned by a poster’s use of inappropriate language, then please bring it to the attention of a moderator and they will contact the other participant and remind them of our rules relating to this.

===In-character Debates===
Empire is ''not'' a system which employs "FOIP" - a requirement that you can only find things out in play at events. It is '''fine''' to ask simple in-character questions, things you think your character should know or any questions about the system. If the information you have asked for is not controversial in-character then other participants are free to give you the answer to your question or to encourage you to find their character at an event and seek out the information in-character.

However as per the posting rules we prohibit discussion online of important or controversial issues. These issues form part of the plot of our event and we ask everyone to respect that.

There are specific rules for [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Anything that breaches these rules - any post that contains trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse, or political discussions and appointments will be removed.

===Criticism of Empire and other LRP Systems===
Live roleplaying is an amazing community that is at its best when participants share original ideas and best practices between different systems. So it's fine to make a post calling out a positive example of something other games do well - or do better than Empire does - that gives us a basis for discussing ways to make Empire a better game. But please bear in mind when posting, that Empire is such a large system that we will have participants who love the game you are referencing as well as participants who tried it and did not enjoy it.

What is not permitted is ''anything'' that is critical or dismissive of other LRP systems. Most LRP systems have their own forums or Facebook groups for their players to post comments about their games - posts that are about other games should be posted on their Facebook page, ''not on our forum/groups''.

It is fine to use our Facebook groups and our forums to criticize Empire or Profound Decisions and we encourage people to post ideas for improvements to the game. Bear in mind that all LRP games are produced by the combined efforts of a team of volunteers who are passionately invested in the game they create. Criticism directed at named individuals will be treated as a personal attack and moderated accordingly and our rules requiring [[Feedback#Worst_Way|civility]] towards our volunteers apply on our forums and Facebook groups as well as at events.

We believe a good LRP stands on its merits, and benefits from analysis, critique, and discussion. We ask all participants to be mindful of the fact that just because you have not experienced a problem does not mean the problem does not exist. Our moderators will remove posts if they judge that their only contribution is to suppress criticism or silence debate about Empire.

Facebook is an excellent place to discuss Empire with other participants who use Facebook - it is not ideal for providing [[feedback]] to Profound Decisions. There is no guarantee that the people who can act on the basis of your feedback will even see it. We treat posts on Facebook as the basis for discussion between participants - the [[feedback|wiki page on providing feedback]] discusses the best ways to send actual feedback to the team.

==Unofficial PD groups==
There are a large number of unofficial Empire groups which people use for discussing issues and organising logistics, amongst other things. As these groups are not official, they are not moderated by us and they are not automatically covered by our rules on posting. However all our players are expected to observe the social contract and commitment to keeping the game live that prohibits online negotiations and discussion of controversial subjects.

Although these online Empire community spaces are not moderated by us nor covered by our rules, players who are use them are still bound by our rules on conduct and our equality and diversity policies that forbid harassment etc. Reported breaches of these rules in communal Empire spaces may result in action being taken by Profound Decisions. If you are experiencing online harassment by another Empire participant then we will take appropriate action if you report the matter to us.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Construct House Bourné School of Couture

2022-04-11T14:01:40Z

Miranda:

[[Category:Senate Motion]][[Category:383YE Autumn]]
__NOTOC__
<ic>To create the House Bourné School of Couture in Sarvos. This would create the position of the Mirrored Maschieri. This folly will create the opportunity to see Sarvos rebuilt as the City of Masks. The folly will be funded in its entirety by the Looking Glass and prosperous citizens of Sarvos, with assistance from the Highborn Benefactors.<br>''Proposed by Sarvos, seconded by Weirwater.''</ic>
==Outcome==
* Construct a [[folly]] in [[Sarvos]] drawing on the [[The_DOOM_that_came_to_Sarvos#The_City_of_Masks|opportunity presented]] by the House Bourné.
* Passed
==Date==
* Autumn 383YE
==Cost==
* Non-standard costs apply as detailed [[The_DOOM_that_came_to_Sarvos#The_City_of_Masks|here]].
* 6 wains of weirwood
* 6 wains of white granite
* 45 thrones
{{CommissionProgress|Bourné_School_of_Couture}}
==Constitution==
* The Constitutional Court note that no information has been provided on how the new Imperial title of the Mirrored Maschieri should be appointed, nor their responsibilities.

==Campaign Outcome==
* Once completed this commission will be overseen by the title [[Mirrored Maschieri]]

Construct House Bourné School of Couture

2022-04-11T14:01:18Z

Miranda:

[[Category:Senate Motion]][[Category:383YE Autumn]]
__NOTOC__
<ic>To create the House Bourné School of Couture in Sarvos. This would create the position of the Mirrored Maschieri. This folly will create the opportunity to see Sarvos rebuilt as the City of Masks. The folly will be funded in its entirety by the Looking Glass and prosperous citizens of Sarvos, with assistance from the Highborn Benefactors.<br>''Proposed by Sarvos, seconded by Weirwater.''</ic>
==Outcome==
* Construct a [[folly]] in [[Sarvos]] drawing on the [[The_DOOM_that_came_to_Sarvos#The_City_of_Masks|opportunity presented]] by the House Bourné.
* Passed
==Date==
* Autumn 383YE
==Cost==
* Non-standard costs apply as detailed [[The_DOOM_that_came_to_Sarvos#The_City_of_Masks|here]].
* 6 wains of weirwood
* 6 wains of white granite
* 45 thrones
{{CommissionProgress|Bourné_School_of_Couture}}
==Constitution==
* The Constitutional Court note that no information has been provided on how the new Imperial title of the Mirrored Maschien should be appointed, nor their responsibilities.

==Campaign Outcome==
* Once completed this commission will be overseen by the title [[Mirrored Maschieri]]

The winds of fashion

2022-04-11T14:00:35Z

Miranda: /* The Lion's Academy Tournament */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:383YE Winter]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>Luca ducked under the heavy wooden beam the stevedore was carrying his shoulder. The woman spat a curse at him as he did so, so he threw two back, one for the morning and one for the night as Valentina always put it. She shook her fist at him as he danced away backwards, keeping his eyes on her as did so. She'd never catch him with that baulk of weirwood on her back, but if she cared enough to put it down, he'd have to hightail it out of here.

The sun was just rising on the dockfront. He liked to get up at Dawn. Enough light to see, not enough light for anyone to see what you were doing. Nothing illegal about it... but if he wanted to eat well this week, it was better if nobody saw him coming and going. The less people who knew where the pots were... the less chance one of them might suddenly go "missing".

Having reached the waterfront, he looked left and right to check no-one was looking then reached down to grab the rope he tied to the wharf. Hauling hard, he pulled up his home-made trap, hoping for a big lobster or a crab, but it was empty. These traps were his Pride and joy - he'd spent hours making them from flotsam and jetsam, after he'd watcher the professionals at work out in the harbour. One day he'd save enough to have a boat and be able to put his pots out in the bay, like they did. After that he'd have enough to buy a proper ship and be a captain. And after that...

His thoughts trailed off as he'd reached the pier. A year ago this had been his best spot for one of his pots. He could climb down under the pier and then get right out over the water. It was dangerous down there - which was great, meant thieves stayed well away from his pots.

Only problem was... the water just kept rising. When he'd first chosen this spot, the water was way down at low-tide, plenty of room for him to clamber across the piers support timbers without fear or getting wet. Recently it seemed like it was always high-tide. Whenever he got down here the dark water would be lapping at the pier side, the timbers all fully underwater. Nothing for it... he was gonna have to get wet. Again.

It was a nuisance, but this was his best pot. There was bound to be a fat lobster in there and Ma'Bella would pay 5 rings for a good one. Getting wet was a price well worth paying for that kind of money! So long as the water didn't keep rising... everything would be fine.</ic>
==Overview==
At the Summer Solstice 383YE, the [[The_Thrice-cursed_Court#Skathe|the Hag Queen]] found a way to inflict a terrible curse on Sarvos - shattering every mirror in the Jewelled City. The curse destroyed every shard of silvered glass to be found anywhere. It was not just the the countless elegant wall and vanity mirrors found in every wealthy Sarvosan home that were attacked.

Folk legend has long held that if the mirrors were shattered then the city would surely fall. A [[The_DOOM_that_came_to_Sarvos#The_Shape_of_the_DOOM|sense of impending doom]] hung over the city, with fears of flooding, fires and worse. Imperial magicians confirmed that Skathe's curse had run its course, but a powerful hearth magic threatened peril if the city's shattered identity could not be restored.

In response the city came together, not in restoration, but in renewal, resurgence and reinvention. The mirrors are gone, but Sarvosans do not mourn what is lost but instead celebrate what is gained. Once the [[Construct_House_Bourné_School_of_Couture|Bourné School of Couture]] is recognised, Sarvos will be reborn as the City of Masks.

First though there is just the small matter of a little doom...

==A Little Doom==
* '''A number of fires turn out to be the work of criminal arsonists'''
* '''A major conflagration damages the waterfront of Caricomare'''
The fears of the Doom of [[Sarvos]] soon proved to be nothing more than the over-wrought imagination of a few playwrights. Worries of the rising sea levels in Caricomare turned out to be nothing more than a few high tides caused by a full moon and a conjunction of the Drowned Man and they pass without incident. Concerns about the tide of rising corpses beneath the city were emphatically dealt with by the brave actions of the city's defenders as bravos and the like battled the creatures in the tight confines of the city sewers. And as for the overblown warnings that the entire city could go up in flames at any moment. Well it turned out the City just needed a little help with that... and a little help is exactly what it got.

In the months following the Autumn Equinox, the city is plagued by a series of fires, apparently beginning almost at random through the city. Several important buildings are badly damaged, but the worst conflagration is on the newly rebuilt dockfront in Caricomare, where the fire rages out of control for several hours and results in much of the waterfront being destroyed.

A few weeks later, just as the final work is being completed on the new school of couture, the source of these terrible fires is revealed. Three [[bravo|bravos]] working for the Carta du Incendio are apprehended attempting to set fire to the [[College of the Liberated]] in [[Sarvos#Bocche|Trivento]]. Caught in the act, the college suffers only minor damage and on questioning it soon transpires that the Carta du Incendio has been deliberately setting fires in Sarvos in the hopes of ensuring that contracts for their firefighting skills would be forthcoming. All the criminals involved are quickly apprehended and tried by magistrates, both the bravos and the Carta's leaders who put them up to it.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief that the Doom of Sarvos has been averted. People are finally able to relax and celebrate. The school of couture is complete and will open soon, and Sarvos has an exciting future ahead. For a month all is good and then, two weeks before the Winter Solstice... a stevedore accidentally knocks a bucket of burning coals over while unloading timber on the [[Caricomare]] docks. The coals are scattered into a pile of broken packing crates that the dockworkers were planning to burn to keep warm. The fire catches hold, spreads, and burns for five hours before it can be brought under control. By the time that happens, half the waterfront is gone.

Rebuilding will take time, but in the cool morning light it becomes clear that the damage is not as bad as it could have been. The docks still function - albeit under a pall of heavy smoke and a patina of ash. It could have been so much worse. There are a few jokes about Caricomare being ''the cursed district'' but they fall flat. This time the waterfront was damaged, but if the wind had been blowing in a different direction there's no doubt the fire would have swept inland, potentially turning Caricomare - and perhaps parts of the city proper - into a burnt wasteland.

==The School of Couture==
* '''The House Bourné School of Couture has been completed in Sarvos'''
* '''The Mirrored Maschieri will be appointed once the Senator for Sarvos decides how that is to be done'''
* '''The merchant-prince of House Bourné has prepared a letter to be delivered to whomsoever is appointed to the title'''
The new House Bourné School of Couture is not the largest building in Sarvos, but without doubt it is one of the most elegant. An extraordinary piece of architecture, no expense has been spared to ensure it reflects the very latest artistic styles. With its completion, the [[New_Imperial_titles|new]] [[Imperial title]] of the [[Mirrored Maschieri]] becomes available to be appointed. If Merchant Prince Genia Bourné di Sarvos was disappointed not to head up the new School, they show no sign of it. Quite the opposite in fact, the Prince seems to view the new position as a potential ally in her quest to ensure that Sarvos secures its position as the most dramatic, elegant and electrifying city in the world.

To that end the prince has written a letter addressed to whoever takes on the new title, outlining a proposal for the League's benefits. She has passed the letter to the [[League_Egregore|League egregore]] who should have it on her person at the forthcoming summit. Once someone is appointed to the position, they can collect the letter from the Contessa.

Of course that leaves the question of who is going to be appointed to the position. And how - the [[Senate motion]] to [[Construct_House_Bourné_School_of_Couture|commission the School of Couture]] provides no details on how the title will be elected. That question will have to be settled before anyone can benefit from the schemas. Since the details were not included in the original Senate motion, the authority to do that falls solely on the shoulders of the [[senator]] who [[Construct_House_Bourné_School_of_Couture|raised the motion]], the Senator for Sarvos, '''Nessetta Constanta'''.

==The Masks of Sarvos==
* '''The League can embrace Sarvos as the ''City of Masks'''''
Now that the school is complete, there is an opportunity for the city and the League to embrace a powerful new identity. The City of Mirrors is no more, but Sarvos could become the City of Masks. All the ingredients are there, but to complete the transformation requires the people of the League to embrace this new personae for the city. It is not just a matter of the people of Sarvos, how the city is seen by the other inhabitants of the League is almost as important as how Sarvos sees itself.

To achieve this metamorphosis requires the League Assembly to pass a suitably worded [[mandate]] with a greater majority. Genia Bourné has suggested the following wording, but she has made it plain that she is a designer not a writer and she encourages the priests of the League to word the sentiments better than she has been able to.

{{Mandate|mandate=We proclaim our Pride by how we conduct every part of our life. We send {named priest} with 50 doses of liao to urge the League to embrace the City of Masks.|assembly=League Assembly}}

If this mandate is passed then Sarvos will become the City of Masks and the ominous doom that threatens the city's future will be averted. There may be additional unlooked for effects, hopefully benefits, but the civil service advise that matters of faith are hard for the civil service to predict, because they are complex, nuanced, and can be heavily influenced by changing conditions.

==A Source of Celebration==
* '''There is talk of a new festival, a Masquerade, during the Summer Solstice'''
The hope of many is that if the League chooses to enact the mandate allowing Sarvos to become the City of Masks, then it will present an opportunity for celebration and festivities. The cities of the League has been buffeted by many headwinds in recent years, and Sarvos has suffered more than most, first with the piracy of the Grendel and now with the spite of the Hag Queen. What better way to show Skathe she has failed than by celebrating the triumph with a masquerade? A party where the dress code absolutely insists that everyone present wear a mask.

Masquerades and masked balls have always been a popular part of League culture. Masks are such an important part of League life, that most citizens need little excuse to don one. Some masquerades have complex rules on what masks can be worn and what each signifies - others simply invite people to don their finest clothes, put on their finest manners and enjoy the revelries. A well thought-out masquerade is regarded as an artform in itself. Genia and some of the merchant princes of Sarvos and Tassato are already making plans to host their own masquerade, each looking to capitalize on the flowering or Pride that will follow if the mandate is enacted, each hoping to outdo the other.

Both of the League egregores, the Contessa and the Harlequin suggest that now could be a perfect opportunity for those League citizens who attend Anvil to plan a masquerade of their own. The magical mirrors that his Grace, The Duke of Joy and Sorrow, used to bring to Anvil once a year were shattered along with the others when Skathe's curse struck Sarvos. It is not clear if the mirrors were in the city at the time, or whether their destruction is simply a reflection of the Jewelled City's fate. Either way they are gone... but could a masquerade not replace them?

Of course to do it well, such a thing would need a lot of planning, a lot of preparation. But the timing would seem apposite, if the mandate were passed at the Winter Solstice. That would mean the well-to-citizens of the League who attend Anvil would have a season to prepare if they wanted to hold the masquerade at the Spring Equinox and that would allow the new celebration to capitalise on the effects of the mandate and revel in the moment of League's triumph over the Hag Queen.

==Songs and Spices==
* '''Opportunities to build the Palace of Glass and the Greatest Taste still exist'''
On the run up to the Autumn Equinox Bethany Gustava von Sarvos and Martina di Sarvos presented alternative ideas for Sarvos, as the [[The_DOOM_that_came_to_Sarvos#The_City_of_Songs|City of Songs]] and the [[The_DOOM_that_came_to_Sarvos#The_City_of_Spices|City of Spices]] respectively. While passion for the City of Masks is already rising, it is not a fait accompli until the mandate is enacted. Either Bethany's plan to renovate the Glass Palace or Martina's dream to open a fabulous open-air restaurant could still provide a way to avert Sarvos' doom. Time is pressing, but the city could still decide to commission and build one of them and then the mandate could be attempted the season after. In fact, both of the two buildings could be commissioned were the League so inclined to support the advancement of the arts in the city.
==The Lion's Academy Tournament==
* '''The Lion's Academy plans to present a bridge-duelling tourney in honour of the House of Couture'''
The Lion's Academy is a school of swordfighting based in Holberg, inspired by the legacy of [[Adelmar the Lion]]. The founder, Brann von Holberg, has praised the creation of the School of Couture less for what it says about Sarvos, and more for the recognition that the virtuous should strive for excellence in every endeavour - something close to the heart of their beloved exemplar. As a consequence, Brann wishes to sponsor a [[Bravo#Bridge_Duelling|bridge-duelling]] tournament at the upcoming summit.

Eight [[free company|Free Companies]] of the League have been specifically invited to submit a participant. In addition, the tournament will begin with an open melee - open to any [[bravo]] who wishes to participate - with the last competitors left standing also earning a place in the tournament. Promotions for the tournament emphasise that the grand prize will not be determined solely by victories, but how fighters embody the ideal of the virtuous bravo and echo the inspiration of Adelmar. [[Ambition]], style, verve, and wit, as well as fighting spirit, are the traits that will win the day. Judges will be recruited to preside over the competition, and Brann hopes that the Mirrored Maschieri will be one of them.

Brann von Holberg will visit [[Anvil]] on Friday evening to finalise the particulars of the tourney, and will welcomes assistance with organisation and promotion. The tournament itself taking place at 3pm on Saturday.

==Further Reading==
* [[Sarvos]]
* [[The DOOM that came to Sarvos]] - Wind of fortune in which the DOOM is discussed

The winds of fashion

2022-04-11T13:59:50Z

Miranda: /* The School of Couture */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:383YE Winter]][[Category:Recent History]]
<ic>Luca ducked under the heavy wooden beam the stevedore was carrying his shoulder. The woman spat a curse at him as he did so, so he threw two back, one for the morning and one for the night as Valentina always put it. She shook her fist at him as he danced away backwards, keeping his eyes on her as did so. She'd never catch him with that baulk of weirwood on her back, but if she cared enough to put it down, he'd have to hightail it out of here.

The sun was just rising on the dockfront. He liked to get up at Dawn. Enough light to see, not enough light for anyone to see what you were doing. Nothing illegal about it... but if he wanted to eat well this week, it was better if nobody saw him coming and going. The less people who knew where the pots were... the less chance one of them might suddenly go "missing".

Having reached the waterfront, he looked left and right to check no-one was looking then reached down to grab the rope he tied to the wharf. Hauling hard, he pulled up his home-made trap, hoping for a big lobster or a crab, but it was empty. These traps were his Pride and joy - he'd spent hours making them from flotsam and jetsam, after he'd watcher the professionals at work out in the harbour. One day he'd save enough to have a boat and be able to put his pots out in the bay, like they did. After that he'd have enough to buy a proper ship and be a captain. And after that...

His thoughts trailed off as he'd reached the pier. A year ago this had been his best spot for one of his pots. He could climb down under the pier and then get right out over the water. It was dangerous down there - which was great, meant thieves stayed well away from his pots.

Only problem was... the water just kept rising. When he'd first chosen this spot, the water was way down at low-tide, plenty of room for him to clamber across the piers support timbers without fear or getting wet. Recently it seemed like it was always high-tide. Whenever he got down here the dark water would be lapping at the pier side, the timbers all fully underwater. Nothing for it... he was gonna have to get wet. Again.

It was a nuisance, but this was his best pot. There was bound to be a fat lobster in there and Ma'Bella would pay 5 rings for a good one. Getting wet was a price well worth paying for that kind of money! So long as the water didn't keep rising... everything would be fine.</ic>
==Overview==
At the Summer Solstice 383YE, the [[The_Thrice-cursed_Court#Skathe|the Hag Queen]] found a way to inflict a terrible curse on Sarvos - shattering every mirror in the Jewelled City. The curse destroyed every shard of silvered glass to be found anywhere. It was not just the the countless elegant wall and vanity mirrors found in every wealthy Sarvosan home that were attacked.

Folk legend has long held that if the mirrors were shattered then the city would surely fall. A [[The_DOOM_that_came_to_Sarvos#The_Shape_of_the_DOOM|sense of impending doom]] hung over the city, with fears of flooding, fires and worse. Imperial magicians confirmed that Skathe's curse had run its course, but a powerful hearth magic threatened peril if the city's shattered identity could not be restored.

In response the city came together, not in restoration, but in renewal, resurgence and reinvention. The mirrors are gone, but Sarvosans do not mourn what is lost but instead celebrate what is gained. Once the [[Construct_House_Bourné_School_of_Couture|Bourné School of Couture]] is recognised, Sarvos will be reborn as the City of Masks.

First though there is just the small matter of a little doom...

==A Little Doom==
* '''A number of fires turn out to be the work of criminal arsonists'''
* '''A major conflagration damages the waterfront of Caricomare'''
The fears of the Doom of [[Sarvos]] soon proved to be nothing more than the over-wrought imagination of a few playwrights. Worries of the rising sea levels in Caricomare turned out to be nothing more than a few high tides caused by a full moon and a conjunction of the Drowned Man and they pass without incident. Concerns about the tide of rising corpses beneath the city were emphatically dealt with by the brave actions of the city's defenders as bravos and the like battled the creatures in the tight confines of the city sewers. And as for the overblown warnings that the entire city could go up in flames at any moment. Well it turned out the City just needed a little help with that... and a little help is exactly what it got.

In the months following the Autumn Equinox, the city is plagued by a series of fires, apparently beginning almost at random through the city. Several important buildings are badly damaged, but the worst conflagration is on the newly rebuilt dockfront in Caricomare, where the fire rages out of control for several hours and results in much of the waterfront being destroyed.

A few weeks later, just as the final work is being completed on the new school of couture, the source of these terrible fires is revealed. Three [[bravo|bravos]] working for the Carta du Incendio are apprehended attempting to set fire to the [[College of the Liberated]] in [[Sarvos#Bocche|Trivento]]. Caught in the act, the college suffers only minor damage and on questioning it soon transpires that the Carta du Incendio has been deliberately setting fires in Sarvos in the hopes of ensuring that contracts for their firefighting skills would be forthcoming. All the criminals involved are quickly apprehended and tried by magistrates, both the bravos and the Carta's leaders who put them up to it.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief that the Doom of Sarvos has been averted. People are finally able to relax and celebrate. The school of couture is complete and will open soon, and Sarvos has an exciting future ahead. For a month all is good and then, two weeks before the Winter Solstice... a stevedore accidentally knocks a bucket of burning coals over while unloading timber on the [[Caricomare]] docks. The coals are scattered into a pile of broken packing crates that the dockworkers were planning to burn to keep warm. The fire catches hold, spreads, and burns for five hours before it can be brought under control. By the time that happens, half the waterfront is gone.

Rebuilding will take time, but in the cool morning light it becomes clear that the damage is not as bad as it could have been. The docks still function - albeit under a pall of heavy smoke and a patina of ash. It could have been so much worse. There are a few jokes about Caricomare being ''the cursed district'' but they fall flat. This time the waterfront was damaged, but if the wind had been blowing in a different direction there's no doubt the fire would have swept inland, potentially turning Caricomare - and perhaps parts of the city proper - into a burnt wasteland.

==The School of Couture==
* '''The House Bourné School of Couture has been completed in Sarvos'''
* '''The Mirrored Maschieri will be appointed once the Senator for Sarvos decides how that is to be done'''
* '''The merchant-prince of House Bourné has prepared a letter to be delivered to whomsoever is appointed to the title'''
The new House Bourné School of Couture is not the largest building in Sarvos, but without doubt it is one of the most elegant. An extraordinary piece of architecture, no expense has been spared to ensure it reflects the very latest artistic styles. With its completion, the [[New_Imperial_titles|new]] [[Imperial title]] of the [[Mirrored Maschieri]] becomes available to be appointed. If Merchant Prince Genia Bourné di Sarvos was disappointed not to head up the new School, they show no sign of it. Quite the opposite in fact, the Prince seems to view the new position as a potential ally in her quest to ensure that Sarvos secures its position as the most dramatic, elegant and electrifying city in the world.

To that end the prince has written a letter addressed to whoever takes on the new title, outlining a proposal for the League's benefits. She has passed the letter to the [[League_Egregore|League egregore]] who should have it on her person at the forthcoming summit. Once someone is appointed to the position, they can collect the letter from the Contessa.

Of course that leaves the question of who is going to be appointed to the position. And how - the [[Senate motion]] to [[Construct_House_Bourné_School_of_Couture|commission the School of Couture]] provides no details on how the title will be elected. That question will have to be settled before anyone can benefit from the schemas. Since the details were not included in the original Senate motion, the authority to do that falls solely on the shoulders of the [[senator]] who [[Construct_House_Bourné_School_of_Couture|raised the motion]], the Senator for Sarvos, '''Nessetta Constanta'''.

==The Masks of Sarvos==
* '''The League can embrace Sarvos as the ''City of Masks'''''
Now that the school is complete, there is an opportunity for the city and the League to embrace a powerful new identity. The City of Mirrors is no more, but Sarvos could become the City of Masks. All the ingredients are there, but to complete the transformation requires the people of the League to embrace this new personae for the city. It is not just a matter of the people of Sarvos, how the city is seen by the other inhabitants of the League is almost as important as how Sarvos sees itself.

To achieve this metamorphosis requires the League Assembly to pass a suitably worded [[mandate]] with a greater majority. Genia Bourné has suggested the following wording, but she has made it plain that she is a designer not a writer and she encourages the priests of the League to word the sentiments better than she has been able to.

{{Mandate|mandate=We proclaim our Pride by how we conduct every part of our life. We send {named priest} with 50 doses of liao to urge the League to embrace the City of Masks.|assembly=League Assembly}}

If this mandate is passed then Sarvos will become the City of Masks and the ominous doom that threatens the city's future will be averted. There may be additional unlooked for effects, hopefully benefits, but the civil service advise that matters of faith are hard for the civil service to predict, because they are complex, nuanced, and can be heavily influenced by changing conditions.

==A Source of Celebration==
* '''There is talk of a new festival, a Masquerade, during the Summer Solstice'''
The hope of many is that if the League chooses to enact the mandate allowing Sarvos to become the City of Masks, then it will present an opportunity for celebration and festivities. The cities of the League has been buffeted by many headwinds in recent years, and Sarvos has suffered more than most, first with the piracy of the Grendel and now with the spite of the Hag Queen. What better way to show Skathe she has failed than by celebrating the triumph with a masquerade? A party where the dress code absolutely insists that everyone present wear a mask.

Masquerades and masked balls have always been a popular part of League culture. Masks are such an important part of League life, that most citizens need little excuse to don one. Some masquerades have complex rules on what masks can be worn and what each signifies - others simply invite people to don their finest clothes, put on their finest manners and enjoy the revelries. A well thought-out masquerade is regarded as an artform in itself. Genia and some of the merchant princes of Sarvos and Tassato are already making plans to host their own masquerade, each looking to capitalize on the flowering or Pride that will follow if the mandate is enacted, each hoping to outdo the other.

Both of the League egregores, the Contessa and the Harlequin suggest that now could be a perfect opportunity for those League citizens who attend Anvil to plan a masquerade of their own. The magical mirrors that his Grace, The Duke of Joy and Sorrow, used to bring to Anvil once a year were shattered along with the others when Skathe's curse struck Sarvos. It is not clear if the mirrors were in the city at the time, or whether their destruction is simply a reflection of the Jewelled City's fate. Either way they are gone... but could a masquerade not replace them?

Of course to do it well, such a thing would need a lot of planning, a lot of preparation. But the timing would seem apposite, if the mandate were passed at the Winter Solstice. That would mean the well-to-citizens of the League who attend Anvil would have a season to prepare if they wanted to hold the masquerade at the Spring Equinox and that would allow the new celebration to capitalise on the effects of the mandate and revel in the moment of League's triumph over the Hag Queen.

==Songs and Spices==
* '''Opportunities to build the Palace of Glass and the Greatest Taste still exist'''
On the run up to the Autumn Equinox Bethany Gustava von Sarvos and Martina di Sarvos presented alternative ideas for Sarvos, as the [[The_DOOM_that_came_to_Sarvos#The_City_of_Songs|City of Songs]] and the [[The_DOOM_that_came_to_Sarvos#The_City_of_Spices|City of Spices]] respectively. While passion for the City of Masks is already rising, it is not a fait accompli until the mandate is enacted. Either Bethany's plan to renovate the Glass Palace or Martina's dream to open a fabulous open-air restaurant could still provide a way to avert Sarvos' doom. Time is pressing, but the city could still decide to commission and build one of them and then the mandate could be attempted the season after. In fact, both of the two buildings could be commissioned were the League so inclined to support the advancement of the arts in the city.
==The Lion's Academy Tournament==
* '''The Lion's Academy plans to present a bridge-duelling tourney in honour of the House of Couture'''
The Lion's Academy is a school of swordfighting based in Holberg, inspired by the legacy of [[Adelmar the Lion]]. The founder, Brann von Holberg, has praised the creation of the School of Couture less for what it says about Sarvos, and more for the recognition that the virtuous should strive for excellence in every endeavour - something close to the heart of their beloved exemplar. As a consequence, Brann wishes to sponsor a [[Bravo#Bridge_Duelling|bridge-duelling]] tournament at the upcoming summit.

Eight [[free company|Free Companies]] of the League have been specifically invited to submit a participant. In addition, the tournament will begin with an open melee - open to any [[bravo]] who wishes to participate - with the last competitors left standing also earning a place in the tournament. Promotions for the tournament emphasise that the grand prize will not be determined solely by victories, but how fighters embody the ideal of the virtuous bravo and echo the inspiration of Adelmar. [[Ambition]], style, verve, and wit, as well as fighting spirit, are the traits that will win the day. Judges will be recruited to preside over the competition, and Brann hopes that the Mirrored Maschien will be one of them.

Brann von Holberg will visit [[Anvil]] on Friday evening to finalise the particulars of the tourney, and will welcomes assistance with organisation and promotion. The tournament itself taking place at 3pm on Saturday.

==Further Reading==
* [[Sarvos]]
* [[The DOOM that came to Sarvos]] - Wind of fortune in which the DOOM is discussed

Impossible landscapes

2022-02-18T10:39:11Z

Miranda: /* Adamant */

[[Category:Winds of Fortune]][[Category:383YE Winter]][[Category:Recent History]][[Category:Plenipotentiary]]
<ic>
Jorgen glanced down at the page, covered in notes, at the top of which he'd written "EDMUNDO!?" and circled it three times with increasing agitation as the interview had continued. He sighed. He hadn't joined the Civil Service to end up as a glorified scrivener but it seemed to be how he spent an increasing amount of his time.

"So this is definitely in regards to the plenipotentiary of the Archmage of Autumn then?"

"Yes." The emissary was easily seven feet tall and while humanoid in outline, no real details could be made out beneath layers of cosmogone-yellow silk that shrouded them from head to foot. It was the arms that gave away the fact the visitor was something other than human. Jorgen's guest possessed four of them, with long, dextrously expressive many-jointed fingers that wove and twisted in the air when they spoke.

"I can't see them being very happy about this," said Jorgen in a moment.of unguarded candidness.

"Such a shame," said the emissary without a hint of sympathy. With a gentle susurrus of silk on silk, they pressed the delicate fingers of their hands together in two pairs, and politely inclined their head. "I think that concludes our business."

"I suppose," said Jorgen a little doubtfully, quickly rereading his notes again to make sure they were clear. "We are talking about murder here, are we not? Sorry but it's not entirely clear from..."

"I think it is important to note that while the business of the Sanguine Market is not pleasant," interrupted the emissary smoothly, "it is just another manifestation of supply and demand. If there were not people angry enough to want someone killed, if there were not assassins prepared to kill for payment, then the Market would close. The service of the hired killer is really no different to the service of the paid soldier - indeed it could be argued to be a more ethical form of service in fact. The assassin does not kill indiscriminately, and always knows why they are wielding their blade. Arguably contracted murder is one of the foremost tools of civilised society. "

Behind him, Jorgen heard the distinctive sound of Chief Magistrate Karkovitch choking on his breakfast. Jorgen bristled a little himself. He hadn't fought at the battle of Gildenheim for ''money'', he'd fought because it was his duty; because his people needed him. The sheer smugness radiating from this creature turned his stomach and.... He became acutely aware that the emissary was watching him closely, even if he could not see their eyes. It was clearly goading him, eager for another argument. He forced himself to swallow the angry outburst bubbling up inside him.

"I suppose you don't really have the leisure for a proper discussion," said the creature and Jorgen sensed disappointment in its voice. "I shall merely reiterate that the City has no interest in curtailing legitimate trade merely because it offends Imperial sensibilities. Nor will it place pressure on the Sanguine Market to disclose the details of their dealings. We consider the matter closed, and thank you for your time."

The emissary bowed again, a trifle more perfunctorily, and spun gracefully around. Before Jorgen could do much more than sputter a farewell, they were gone, bowing their head to pass through the low opening.

Dabbing his mouth with a napkin, Karkovich tapped Jorgen on the elbow. "I assume your guest will be returning via the Imperial regio?" he asked. His voice was level but the chief magistrate was very red in the face indeed and clearly spoiling for a "proper discussion" of paid-for murder.

"I assume so, but..." Jorgen was talking to empty air. Without really waiting for an answer, the Varushkan had hurried out to catch up with the four-armed representative of the City of Gold and Lead. The younger Civil Servant sighed, and looked back down at his notes. Tongue protruding slightly from between his teeth he carefully circled the name EDMUNDO for a fourth time and added another exclamation mark for good measure.</ic>
==Plenipotentiaries==
* '''Five eternals responded to plenipotentiary messages from the Imperial archmages.'''
* '''Four have agreed to meetings of one kind of another, either in person or via emissaries.'''
* '''While Adamant has declined a formal parley, he has sent his emissaries across the Empire as detailed in [[Stone and stone]], and plans to send a herald to Anvil once the Master of the koboldi is appointed.'''
Every season, each of the six [[archmage|archmages]] may send a single [[Archmage#Plenipotentiary|plenipotentiary]] message to an [[eternal]] of their realm. The eternals are bound to respond, although not always in a way the archmage may wish. Following the Autumn Equinox, five eternals responded to invitations to [[Archmage#Parley|parley]] via their emissaries. Due to the [[Cloud waves break|peculiar mist]] that has not spared [[Anvil]] from it's memory-altering caress, the details of ''when'' these emissaries delivered their responses is unclear - but the messages have been checked and double-checked and are certainly correct in their details.
{{CaptionedImage|file=SpringRune.jpg|align=right|width=100}}
===Lord Rain===
* '''Lord Rain has agreed to attend parley at (TIME)'''
* '''In addition to the Archmage of Spring, the eternal invites the Grandmaster of the Silver Chalice to send up to four members of the order (which may include the Grandmaster themselves).'''
* '''The Archmage of Spring is currently Ser Fabienne De Miel of Dawn'''
During the Autumn Equinox, a group of magicians under the watchful gaze of Spring Archmage Ser Fabienne De Miel of [[Dawn]], met with an eternal known as [[Ossegrahn]], Lord Rain, Ter Andzrev, or the Coomarta of the Rains. Lord Rain was apparently placed under [[amity and enmity#enmity|enmity]] by the [[Imperial Conclave]] during the reign of [[Emperor Giovanni]] and has had no involvement in Imperial affairs in 350 years - until last season when they [[A_pleasing_and_deceptive_face#An_Unexpected_Request|requested parley]] with the Spring Archmage and members of the Silver Chalice.

During the parley, Lord Rain's heralds explained that their master's renewed interest in the Empire came from the lasting [[interdiction]] against the foul, poisonous [[Rivers Run Red]] ritual, and passed along a request that an enduring state of [[Amity and enmity|enmity]] between the Conclave and the eternal be revoked. Eliene of House Tallstag raised a [[Declaration]] of [[Amity_and_enmity#Declaration_of_Neutrality|Neutrality]] after the meeting, which the Conclave [[383YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_sessions#Neutrality:_Ossegrahn|chose to uphold]].

In early Winter, as the first snowfall of the year saw Anvil draped in an ivory blanket, a representative of Ossegrahn emerged from the Imperial Regio in the form of a smiling young man, barefoot and wearing naught but a kilt of thick blue wool. The youth then proceeded to dance and sing in the regio until representatives of the milita were fetched - attracting quite a crowd some of whom joined the herald in his spontaneous performance, imbibing freely from a seemingly endless flask of sweet water the fellow brought with him that filled those who drank it with energy and a zest for celebration. A Civil Servant was fetched, and the impromptu party tailed off a little as the emissary focused their attentions on their task - delivering a message from Lord Rain.

The eternal welcomes the invitation of the Spring Archmage as the fields in Summer welcome the gentle rain. They agree to attend a sweet and pool-placid parley with them and with representatives of the newly established [[Silver Chalice]] [[Conclave order]]. Rather than rush forward in a tumult, Ossegrahn asks that the Archmage (or their representative) accompany no more than four members of the Silver Chalice, chosen by (and potentially including) the [[Grandmaster]].

The parley will occur '''(TIME TBC; likely Friday evening)''', and during that time Lord Rain will do their best to answer questions and discuss how they and the Silver Chalice can work together to preserve life and ensure the flow of good health to all living things in the Empire. In particular, they would like to continue discussion around the creation of a ritual using the power of the Endless Spring, which the herald believes was called "''From the Mountain to the Sea''". Apparently the eternal was in the middle of negotiating this ritual with the Spring Archmage and representatives of the [[Unfettered Mind]] when the Empire cut relations with them "a little while ago" (in this case "a little while ago" meaning three and a half centuries presumably).
{{CaptionedImage|file=AutumnRune.jpg|align=right|width=100}}

===Ephisis===
* '''Ephisis has arranged a meeting with agents of Prospero and Basileus Flint at (TBC; likely Saturday afternoon) to discuss matters of the Sanguine Market.'''
* '''The Archmage of Autumn (or representative) is invited to attend along with up to two aides.'''
* ''' Livia of the Spire of Celestial Cascade, Lord Colwynn de Rondell, and Astrid Fjellrevening Rezia di Tassato are also welcome at the parley, regardless of whether the Archmage atttends'''
* '''The Autumn archmage is currently Edmundo of Damakan's Forge of Urizen'''
A four-armed diplomat swathed in silken veils brings a message from [[Ephisis|the City of Gold and Lead]], in answer to the plenipotentiary of the Autumn Archmage. The emissary gives no name, and begins by offering assurances that no apology is necessary with regards to the [[I_heard_a_source|offers made]] during the Spring.

The main body of their message is an explanation that what Edmundo is asking for is impossible. Free trade is the lifeblood of any true civilisation, and the City will not restrict it in any way. Hearts are a commodity like any other; assassins have the same right to trade with the City of Lead and Gold as any other profession. Specifically, the arrangement between certain families of [[Faraden]] and the brokers of the Sanguine Market will remain unchanged, and should others approach them to secure similar services they will be welcome to do so. Furthermore, the request that the agents of Ephisis inform on those who make use of their services is rejected in the strongest possible terms. The confidentiality of the clients of the City of Lead and Gold is sacrosanct.

Reading between the lines, this appears to be a reaction to an attempt by the Autumn Archmage to address reports of a [[Small_but_nearby#An_Unpleasant_Altercation|bounty offered on Imperial citizens]] by the Modnos family of Faraden. Specifically, a 10 Throne reward is offered for anyone who places the heart of one of three Imperial citizens the Modnos believe have impugned the good name of one of the family heroes into a box used with the [[Ephisis' Scale]] ritual. In essence, agents of the City of Gold and Lead appear to be offering some form of escrow service to facilitate the payment of assassins prepared to work for the Modnos. Furthermore they are pointedly refusing to stop doing so.

However, the diplomat is keen to stress that the opportunity for profit still exists! The markets of the City of Lead and Gold bustle with buyers and sellers from every city in the realm. Two of them, agents of the [[Prospero|City of Bridges]], and the [[Basileus Flint|City of Locks]], have expressed an interest in meeting with the archmage to discuss what they could offer to help the Empire with this problem. To this end, the City has arranged for a chamber to be available from the Hall of Worlds on '''(TBC; likely saturday afternoon)''' where these agents will present their offers. The Archmage is invited to bring themselves and no more than two aides, should they wish to hear what the agents of Prospero and Basileus Flint have to say. In addition, any of those people endangered by the brokers of the Sanguine Market - specifically '''Livia of the Spire of Celestial Cascade''', '''Lord Colwynn de Rondell''', and '''Astrid Fjellrevening Rezia di Tassato''' - are also free to attend the meeting either alongside the Archmage or in their place.

Ephisis' emissary categorically assures Imperial citizens that the rules of the parley will be scrupulously observed; anyone attending this meeting will be safe from attempted assassination.
{{CaptionedImage|file=DayRune.jpg|align=right|width=100}}

===Roshanwe===
* '''Roshanwe has arranged a parley (TBC - likely Saturday afternoon).'''
*'''The eternal invites five very specific individuals to meet with her emissary.'''
* '''The current Archmage of Day is Skywise Gralka of the Imperial Orcs.'''
In the darkest hour of the night, a herald of the eternal Roshanwe arrives at Anvil via the Imperial Regio. She is dressed in the manner of a Highborn sailor, albeit in a style three centuries out of date, and carries a burning torch. Untroubled by the late hour, she unerringly seeks out a Civil Servant, rousing them from their bed to receive a message from the Weaver of Nets. When the Civil Servant politely draws attention to the lateness of the hour, the emissary reminds them that if one has light, one should take it into the darkness, not waste it at noonday. The civil servant remains unamused, but professionalism can fill even the grumpiest of hearts.

The emissary - who gives no name - indicates that Roshanwe is pleased to receive the message of the Archmage of Day. Regretfully, however, the herald apologises that the Beachcomber is simply unable to sponsor the Archmage's festival. Newness, novelty, inspiration - these things have their place but in general they are perhaps more suited to the dark shadows of Night than to the shining beacon of Day. While it sounds like it could be a worthy endeavour, unfortunately there is little in the idea of ''innovation'' for it's own sake that aligns with the Navigator's remit and nothing that they could help with. Moreover there is danger in such things, at least one great civilisation of past ages that valued innovation found itself devoured by catastrophe, it's heirs left to wander the trods for untold generations, and the Walker on the Littoral wishes no such fate for the Empire.

However, Roshanwe does seek a closer friendship between herself and the Empire and would welcome an opportunity to parley. She earnestly desires a meeting between some of her favoured and five Imperial citizens and hopes that the Archmage of Day will honour her wishes and arrange this. If she is prepared to do so, then the Navigator asks for a meeting with the Archmage of Day themselves or their representative; a [[torchbearer]] of good standing among their peers; a hero with a questing spirit; a beacon of wisdom; and a magician of the [[Sevenfold Path]] who speaks with the voice of their order. Each of the five seekers must be a different person; each of the five must come from a different Imperial nation; and each of them must be prepared to share a tale of seeking or discovery. The emissary is confident there will be plenty to talk about during the meeting; Roshanwe's interest in the Empire is deep and abiding.
{{CaptionedImage|file=NightRune.jpg|align=right|width=100}}
===Sung===
* '''Sung offers parley on (TBC - likely Saturday night).'''
* '''The eternal is particularly interested in meeting with a Wintermark Mystic and a Hakima of the Brass Coast; the Seer of the Gateway is also invited.'''
* '''The current Archmage of Night is Elyssiathain of Urizen.'''
As the sun sets over the snow-dusted fields, one final emissary from the eternal realms walks the streets of Anvil. A stout pilgrim bearing a dark lantern and a staff of feather-hung wood, the emissary wears the patchwork cloak of a [[Varushka|Varushkan]] [[Varushka_religious_beliefs#Storytellers|storyteller]]. He finds the Hub busy with preparations for the coming summit and waits patiently until noticed by one of the Civil Servants. Smiling gently, he delivers a message from [[Sung|the Rainbow Serpent]] for the ears of Imperial magicians; the eternal Sung will attend parley.
<div style="float:right; width: 400px; clear: right;"><box>The audience with Sung will take place in darkness, and there will be some lighting effects although no strobe lighting.</box></div>
The Archmage is invited to bring themselves (or their representative) and up to three others to meet with the ''Lord of Illusions'' who will speak to them of more mundane matters. Sung asks that the group include at least one [[Wintermark]] [[Mystic]]; at least one [[Hakima]] of [[the Brass Coast]]; and at least one [[Varushka|Varushkan]] who is wise in the way of mysteries. Finally she requests that Livia the Celestial Cascade, known to some as the Seer of the Gateway, also attend the meeting. The ''Everflowing River'' does not mandate or demand the presence of these people; it simply changes what topics will be discussed.
{{CaptionedImage|file=SummerRune.jpg|align=right|width=100}}

===Adamant===
* '''Adamant does not seek parley, but is dispatching some of his ''koboldi'' to speak with the Summer Archmage and the Master of the Koboldi once they are appointed.'''
* '''The current archmage of Summer is Brother Luke of The Navigators of Virtue'''
King [[Adamant]] has been busy in the Empire in recent years, offering the aid of his ''koboldi'' to construct great edifices of stone, or to work in the [[mine|mines]] of Imperial citizens. A small group of his little scaled servants arrives with due pomp and ceremony at the Civil Service Hub in Anvil, bringing with them a proclamation. The King on the Granite Throne thanks the Summer Archmage for their gracious words, and looks forward to many more years of friendship with the Empire.

The eternal is very pleased to see that the [[Construct_College_of_Engineering_and_Architecture|College of Engineering]] has finally been completed in Temeschwar. It may have taken a little longer than anticipated, but what is time to a creature as everlasting and unchanging as Adamant? The King 'Neath The Diamond Peak anticipates that the [[Imperial Conclave]] will be appointing the first [[Master of the Koboldi]] during the coming Solstice via the [[Candidacy|Declaration of Candidacy]]. He has arranged for his ''koboldi'' to deliver some ''regalia'' to the bearer of this historic title once they are confirmed. The emissary will chat with the Summer Archmage at the same time, if they are available.

More importantly, however, he has dispatched his servants to every corner of the Empire to see how they might combine their skills with Imperial wealth; the intent is to create a list of unique architectural projects that the Master of the Koboldi might find interesting. Over the next three months, ''koboldi'' pop up all over the Empire. Measuring, studying, asking questions and talking enthusiastically with Imperial citizens. They're enthusiastic about offering their aid to individuals in return for treasure - precious stones, gold, silver, and platinum for the most part - but mostly they are looking for opportunities. Chances to build imposing or valuable things to cement the bond between Adamant and the people of the Empire.

And quite a list of projects they come up with too! From [[Stone and stone#Three Great Beasts|statues of great beasts]], to an [[Stone_and_stone#Tower_of_the_Dragon|unbreakable tower]] and a [[Stone_and_stone#The_Gildenheim_Deepforge|magical forge]], the ''koboldi'' have over half a dozen suggestions for commissions the Master - whoever that ends up being - might want to give thought to. It's not all good news however - in addition to the opportunities the ''koboldi'' have presented, they've also discovered a potential threat to the Empire... a terrible force gathering in the depths of the [[Delver_of_the_Depths#Lorenzo.27s_Deep_Pockets|north-western sinkhole]].

You can learn more about what the ''koboldi'' have been up to in the [[Stone and stone]] Wind of Fortune.

==Timetable==
At the moment, these times are quite vague and represent a best guess. They will be finalised before the Winter Solstice. In each case, the parleys will take place in an encounter tent, which will involve a short walk from the Hall of Worlds.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Day !! Time !! Eternal !! Realm !! Note
|-
| Friday? || (evening) || Lord Rain || Spring || Parley
|-
| Saturday || (during day) || Ephisis || Autumn || Meeting with agents of other cities
|-
| Saturday? || (during day) || Roshanwe ||Day || Parley
|-
| Saturday ? || (after dark) ||Sung || Night || Dual Parley and storytelling in the Hall of Worlds
|-
| Sunday (?) || After Master of Koboldi appointed || Adamant || Summer || No formal parley
|-
|}

Online roleplaying

2021-07-25T16:43:45Z

Miranda: removed specific date of 11 June 2020 as these rules apply every time an event is covid-cancelled

==Overview==
It is important that the key in-character activity of the Empire world takes place at events. The game is busier and better if everything that can happen in the field, does happen in the field. Trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse and political discussions and appointments are all examples of activities that should happen at events. For this reason we generally discourage too much downtime roleplaying between events and put strict limits on what can be done online particularly using our forums and facebook groups.

With the coronavirus lockdown, however, there is no possibility of players meeting up to live roleplay. On weekends when we would have run a cancelled Empire event, we've decided to lift our normal restrictions on posting IC content to facebook and the forums for a short period. Across those weekends, what we'd like to see are posts from people talking about our game, either talking out of character about things you've enjoyed, or in character about things that you've done. We'd like to see it in text, and we'd like to see it in video, either done in or out of kit.

Although we are relaxing some rules, the rules outlined below '''still apply''' throughout this period. Please ensure that any posts you make to our forums or facebook groups abide by all these rules.

==Avoid Contentious Claims==
* '''If another character would want to rebut your claim - don't post it'''
You must take reasonable steps to avoid making contentious claims or statements in anything you post. It's fine to post details about your character, but you should avoid making claims for things being true which are not widely supported by the wiki. The underlying goal is to avoid in-character conversations that are better had at events - so the acid test is if another character in Empire might reasonably want to post a rebuttal to your claim then we will take it down.

So you can lay claim to be the Cardinal of Vigilance - if the wiki acknowledges that you hold that title. But you shouldn't claim to be the favoured of Jaheris - because that's a contentious issue. You can claim to be a disciple of Jaheris - that's not something anyone can easily dispute - but you shouldn't claim that Jaheris is coming to save the Empire from Eleonaris. That's not a statement of fact supported by the wiki.

==Do Not Push Agendas==
* '''Do not promote your character's agendas'''
Empire is a game of player-vs-player politics - the key conflicts of the game arise from characters who attend the event having competing agendas. Your agenda might be personal advancement - you might want to stand for Cardinal of Vigilance at the next event. It could be military - perhaps you want everyone to unit to drive the Jotun out of Sermersuaq. It might be religious - maybe you want to have the Axiou be publicly declared as heretics by the Synod.

All of these things are wonderful ambitions to have - they're part and parcel of what Empire is built to support. But if this kind of roleplaying shifts online it will be to the detriment of the game. So we take down anything which could reasonably constitute promoting a character's personal agenda, so that roleplaying can be saved for the field.

==Observe the Conduct Rules==
* '''The normal conduct rules apply at all times'''
The standard rules for [[conduct]] at events apply to all posts made on our forums and facebook groups. Anything that breaks our conduct rules will be taken down, so you must ensure that you follow the guidelines.

==Avoid Haggling or Agreeing Deals==
* '''You may advertize in-character services provided you do not haggle online'''
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar There are several guidelines that we ask participant to follow when posting an advert of this kind:

* '''Don't invite price negotiating''' - You can state a price or leave one off, but haggling or negotiation over prices must best left to the field
* '''Do not add additional comments''' - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world which is not permitted.

If possible, it is great if you can do both of the following:

* '''Provide a plain text version''' - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.
* '''Use the Hub''' - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

==No Forums purely for IC roleplaying==
*'''No IC forums for nations or Imperial political bodies'''
*'''Emails and group forums are fine'''
Our core goal is to ensure that important game decisions are taken at events, rather than between events. For this reason we are asking players '''not''' to create IC forums for one of the [[Nation overview|ten nations]] or for any of the core Imperial political bodies - the [[Imperial Senate|Senate]], [[Imperial Synod|Synod]], [[Imperial Bourse|Bourse]], [[Imperial Military Council|Military Council]] and the [[Imperial Conclave|Conclave]].

Although it is fine to send IC communications by email or use forums for groups, we would ask that you don't engage in important IC discussions of the kinds listed above unless you are at an event. It is ok to advertise IC services on the Empire Facebook group, provided you don't then get drawn into IC negotiations with other players for those services. Please save this for when everyone is in-character at the event.

==In-Character Emails==
* '''It is fine to send emails as in-character letters'''
* '''You may use the forums to request email contacts'''
It is fine to send emails to players representing letters you have sent to their character. In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for people. For example, if you wish to speak to all arbiters of Urizen, then it is acceptable to ask the arbiters to contact you with an appropriate contact method but not to post up a letter into a group/forum unless your character is issuing a public announcement to anyone who wishes to hear it.

Although it is fine to send IC communications by email or use forums for groups, we would ask that you don't engage in important IC discussions of the kinds listed above unless you are at an event. Please save this for when everyone is in-character at the event.

==In-Character Documentation==
* '''Other players are free to make in-character phys-reps of any in-character material you publish'''
If you send an email to another character that is an in-character letter then they are free to turn that into an actual in-character document, the phys-rep of the letter they have received from your character. Likewise, if you publish an in-character announcement on the forums or facebook groups, or if you post an in-character advert then any player can turn that into an in-character document and use it at the events if they wish to.

==Communication with NPCs==
*'''You cannot send winged messengers between events'''
*'''We ask our NPCs not to send IC communications between events'''
You are welcome to send IC communications to egregores and Anvil civil servants between events but all our staff have been asked '''not''' to respond until the next event. They may ''choose'' to bring such IC communications with them to the next event and act on them there.

Rituals cannot be performed in downtime so you cannot perform [[Call Winged Messenger]] unless you are at an event.

Please also appreciate that our crew are all volunteers. While they may choose to respond to questions, Profound Decisions do not expect crew to handle any OOC communications between events. If you need a response, please email Profound Decisions instead.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Online

2020-11-21T20:27:32Z

Miranda: /* Use the Single Most Appropriate Forum or Group */

==Overview==
Empire has a large and active social media presence. Our main Empire LRP Facebook group alone has over 4,000 members. We also have dedicated forums as well as accounts on Instagram, Twitch and Twitter. Having an enthusiastic and engaged player base is important to us and we love seeing everyone discussing the game and enjoying the world of Empire. We welcome debate and constructive discussion in all these places, but any feedback should always be sent to [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk ] so that the game team can consider it properly.

The [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrp/ Empire LRP Facebook group] is for general Empire related chat and queries. We also have nation-specific groups where people can discuss national festivals, collective projects, the national briefs, and the best places to source kit. Camp planning is also announced in these groups. Our national groups are a great community both on and off the field and we encourage people to get involved and to go see what’s being discussed. We also have a [https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport/ Player Support Group] which might be a good starting point if you are new to Empire or to live roleplaying in general. The [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Empire LRP forums] have separate boards for all these things, and a few additional ones.

Unfortunately, the nature of the internet is that it removes the element of personal interaction and can exacerbate differences of opinion. If we are not careful this turns discussions into hot-tempered arguments in a way that is detrimental to the debate and the community. For this reason we’ve chosen to implement a set of rules for everyone who uses our official groups and have a large team of crew moderators who can respond to any breaches that occur that are reported to them using the platform’s inbuilt tools or by emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk].

Counting players and crew, Empire has nearly three thousand participants at each event; it's not realistic to expect anyone to like every other participant. What we require is that people treat each other with respect regardless of their personal feelings. Our rules are designed to give our team a basis for judging when that is not happening and to take action accordingly. All the applicable rules for [[conduct]] at events also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

We ask that the community support our aim to keep the game live and familiarise themselves with the rules governing [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Remember, every in-character communication you have between events is one that cannot be had face to face.

==Coronavirus Update==
Commencing on the 11<sup>th</sup> June, we are again operating a relaxed set of rules regarding in-character posts, both text and video, online. Please see the updated rules for [[online roleplaying]] which apply until the end of the 14th of June ''only''.

==Moderators==
We have a team of crew who moderate our social spaces, led by our head of online moderation, Miranda Brennan. The team work collaboratively, discussing cases and coming to an agreed response to get the most consistent and fairest outcomes possible when exercising judgement. When a post/comment is reported, the moderators will review it and if necessary discuss together or escalate to the Head of Moderation. Moderation decisions and evidence are stored centrally in case we need to refer to them in future.
{{CaptionedImage|file=MirandaBrennan.jpg|align=right|caption=Head of Online Moderation: Miranda Brennan}}
===How to report===
Given the scale of the internet, we can’t keep track of every comment and subthread on our official social media. We therefore ask our users to be aware of the posting rules and if they see a breach, to report it by either:

* Using the reporting tools available on that platform
* Emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] and linking to the post/comment you wish to report.

===What happens when a post is reported?===
If a post/comment is reported and the moderation team decides that it breaks our posting rules, we may delete the post. If we do this, a moderator will endeavour to contact the poster to explain why. If the poster disagrees with the action taken, they can contact the [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk head moderator]. If the matter is not resolved to their satisfaction after this point, the matter can be escalated to [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk]. It is not appropriate to discuss individual moderation discussions on our social media and posts doing this will be deleted.

Depending on the situation we may warn people who have broken the rules, suspend them from our social media spaces either short or long term, or ban them permanently at our discretion. This includes potentially being excluded from the events themselves. We take our rules for online conduct very seriously; we do not make an absolute distinction between behaviour online and at events.

For some breaches of the posting rules, the moderation team may contact the poster privately and give them the opportunity to edit their post in order to make it comply with the rules.

If a contentious post is resulting in some heated debate, we may lock the post from further comments whilst we review it. This is particularly likely if we’re short on moderation cover at that time as our moderation team are all volunteers. If a post has dissolved entirely into unconstructive argument, we will delete the post in its entirety and either explain why privately to the poster or add a post to the group in which it was posted.

===Contesting a Decision===
It is important to appreciate that moderation is not personal. Some of our rules are technical in nature - and people often have posts moderated or removed not because there was anything wrong with the content or the way they posted it but simply because they don't meet the strict guidelines we set for relevance to Empire. Everyone gets moderated from time-to-time, players and crew, so that we can keep our forums welcoming and full of relevant content. ''Being moderated is not a criticism of you or your post.''

Although you may be contacted by a moderator to inform you that a post has been moderated, please bear in mind that moderation decisions are taken collectively by the team, not by any one individual. You're welcome to discuss the matter with the moderator who is there to try and help ensure you understand why the decision was taken, but if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss a new issue, please use the appropriate methods to contact the whole team, rather than emailing or messaging an individual moderator. All of our crew are volunteers so they don't always have time to allocate to support you; this is why we have a team of people in place to deal with any issues. Please respect the system we have put in place and contact the team if you need to discuss something.

If you are not happy with a moderator decision then you are welcome to discuss that with us privately. Mistakes do get made and we are happy to look at any decision that has been taken and apologize if we have made a mistake and correct it where we can. If we stand by the decision after reviewing it, then we'll try to explain in more detail why we came to that conclusion so that you can better understand how the rules are being applied.

Please do not contest decisions in public - that is against our rules - and do not argue with our moderators or become hostile with one of them. They are members of our crew, and should be treated with the same courtesy and respect that you should show a referee at an event. All our crew volunteer their time to work hard on your behalf to provide a great game so we require everyone who attends our events to treat them with appropriate regard. There are no Empire events without our crew and we take their wellbeing very seriously.

Please [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk email mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss any issue. Private messages are not a good mechanism for contacting the team as they go to individuals who may not see them for several days or at all in some cases depending on the platform settings.

<table class="wikitable" style="width:280px; float: right; margin-left:10px; margin-right: 10px; clear: right;">
<tr><th>Empire Forums And Facebook</th></tr>
<tr><td>
* [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Official Empire Forums]
* [https://www.facebook.com/empire.lrp Main page]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrp Main group]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport Player Support]
</td></tr>
</table>

<table class="wikitable" style="width:280px; float: right; margin-left:10px; margin-right: 10px; clear: right;">
<tr><th>Official Empire Nation Groups</th></tr>
<tr><td>
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/481197761897569/ The Brass Coast]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/401633306545071/ Dawn]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/208819129244083/ Highguard]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/158687267598665/ Imperial Orcs]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/459784360702068/ The League]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/146423572116922/ The Marches]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/476962795649090/ Navarr]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/470732939604433/ Urizen]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/459784360702068/ Varushka]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/301940076567407/ Wintermark]
</td></tr>
</table>

<table class="wikitable" style="width:280px; float: right; margin-left:10px; margin-right: 10px; clear: right;">
<tr><th>Unofficial Facebook Groups</th></tr>
<tr><td>
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1057225621015403 Stitching Squad]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/205372172927561/ Parents]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/285396931593899 Photography]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/359403560824018 Travel Arrangements]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/365552780230761 Kit Sales and Swaps]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165082270686010 Empire Fanfiction]

* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/2021929444528461 LGBTQ+ Empire Players]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/582931741870887 Spoonie + Disabled Larpers]

* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/218725734938296/ Briar]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/136200783196741/ Cambion]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/377347932346289/ Changeling]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/413971382005569/ Draughir]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/301021356671320/ Merrow]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/166705633475863/ Naga]
</td></tr>
<tr><td>Please note that these groups are unofficial so they are not moderated by us!</td></tr>
</table>

==Posting Rules==
* '''Treat each other with respect and assume best faith'''
* '''All posts should clearly relate to Empire'''
* '''Put each post in the single most appropriate forum or Facebook group'''
* '''Report any breach of the rules to our moderators rather than responding yourself'''
* '''Don't start in-character conversations or post anything that is contentious in-character'''
* '''IC announcements, sales, adverts and letters are permitted'''
* '''You may cross-post winds of war and winds of fortune'''
* '''You may not post instructions or advice on military units'''
* '''No charity and fundraising posts'''
* '''Post links to photographs, don't repost them'''
* '''Do not post fanfiction'''
* '''Do not criticise other participants for their costume, roleplaying, or interpretation of the setting'''
* '''Do not discuss moderation decisions'''
* '''Do not post accusations of cheating or unsafe fighting'''
* '''Don't do stupid shit'''

In particular, please note all the applicable rules for [[conduct]] also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

===Treat each other with respect and assume best faith===
We are proud that Empire players come from a diverse range of backgrounds and traditions of LRP. With well over 2000 players and crew, differences of opinions will occur and discussion of these is no bad thing, but needs to be handled carefully. Please respect people’s opinions, treat other participants as adults, and assume good faith. It’s easy to mistake someone’s intent over the internet and you may need to work a little harder to make yourself understood or be more patient when trying to explain something. Avoid making jokes about contentious subjects where the possibility exists to miss the humour and be offended as a result.

Don't harass other users, don't post anything that constitutes a personal attack and avoid forms of speech that could be interpreted as bullying or abusive. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. We will not tolerate any post that our moderators feel constitutes a personal attack on another live roleplayer - regardless of whether or not they use our official online forums/groups or are a regular attendee at our events. Avoid posting while angry; if you are disagreeing with participant then ensure that you remain polite and avoid [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem ad hominem] responses.

If you feel anything posted on our official forums or Facebook groups violates our rule prohibiting personal attacks then please report it to our moderators, do not respond in kind.

===All Posts Should Clearly Relate to Empire===
Please keep your posts on topic. Our forums and groups are for Empire, so if the discussion strays too far away the subject of Empire we will ask you to take it elsewhere. If the link to Empire is tenuous or would be unclear to a casual reader, our moderators may advise you that this would be more appropriate on your own wall or ask you to elaborate on the original post as to its relevance.

===Use the Single Most Appropriate Forum or Group===
Please ensure that your posts are in the most appropriate area. For example, if you are looking for a member of a Wintermark group on Facebook then you should post in the Wintermark Facebook group. If you want to put a post offering to sell or swap some kit on the [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Empire forum] then you should use the [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/c/trading/7 Trading forum].

Do not duplicate the same or similar posts across multiple different forums or different groups. If your post is a bit more general but one nation may still have a special interest then at most you should post in the main Empire group and the single most relevant nation group. An example of this would be a Dawnish hosted player event, as Dawnish players may be especially interested, but other nations may also wish to attend. If multiple players all post the same or similar posts either in the same group or across multiple groups, the moderation team will remove the duplicate posts.

Duplicating a post on Facebook and the Forum is permitted as many participants may only use one of these platforms.

If you are a trader at our events then you may put a post into a single official group of your choice before each event to advertise your services or products. If you are not a trader at our events then you may post once advertisement a year provided that the products or services offered are relevant to Empire players.
{{CaptionedImage|file=RougherMusic.jpg|align=right|width=350|caption=The Moderators are here to help you.}}

===Report any Breach of the Rules to our Moderators===
Each board has a couple of volunteer moderators and admins and we have a centralised place to discuss and document moderation decisions. Due to the high level of activity in our our official groups it is impossible for us to follow each and every interaction. Therefore, if you see someone infringing the posting rules, please help us by reporting this comment or post promptly rather than responding yourself. A moderator or admin will then respond as quickly as they’re able to.

Please don't call out other participants for posts that you think breach our guidelines, report it, and let the moderators handle it. On Facebook select "report to admin" by clicking in the top right hand corner of a post. On the forum click "...(show more)" then the flag icon on any post.

===Don't Post IC Conversations or Contentious Statements===
Please help us keep the game live and in the field as much as possible. Avoid starting in-character conversations about significant or controversial subjects so that discussion of important in-character issues can be kept for the live events. It is usually fine to post comments about events that have happened, provided that the posts are not contentious or likely to cause people to want to respond as their character. If you post something in-character that could be perceived as contentious on our official forums or groups, we’ll remove or edit this.

Empire is a game for people to say and do contentious things as their character - but we want those actions and the reactions to them to happen in the field when people are roleplaying.

===Post Links to Photographs, Don't Repost Them===
Profound Decisions are lucky enough to have a small team of volunteer photographers to document our events; there are also a number of players who take photographs in line with the [[photography|photography policy]]. These volunteers generously donate their time and energy to show our hobby in all its glory. To acknowledge their contribution you must link to the original photos rather than downloading them and re-uploading them on our forums.

Each photographer will have their own policy on using photos elsewhere (such as for profile or cover pictures). If in doubt, please contact the original photographer.

===IC Announcements and Adverts are Permitted===
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, provided that you avoid posting anything that is contentious and only post it in the single most appropriate group.

There are several guidelines that we ask participant to follow where possible when posting an advert of this kind:

* State your Price - Haggling or negotiation over prices must best left to the field.
* Use the Hub - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character.
* Do not add additional comments - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world, which is not permitted.
* Provide a plain text version - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.

You must follow the normal posting rules - don’t say anything in-character that would be contentious and put each post in the single most appropriate forum or Facebook group only. Do not spam it across multiple groups.

In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for people. For example, if you wish to speak to all arbiters of Urizen, then it is acceptable to ask the arbiters to contact you with an appropriate contact method but not to post up the letter itself into the group/forum.

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

===You May Cross-post the Winds===
There is an exception to the normal rules on multi-forum posts for the official Profound Decisions event updates, the Winds of War, and the Winds of Fortune. It is fine to cross-post these updates to an Empire Facebook group or forum - but please only do that if you think it is relevant to that group and check to see if it has already been posted. There is no need to cross-post a Wind of Fortune update about trouble in Hahnmark to the Urizen group for example.

However please make sure you do not include any comment about the content of the Wind in the cross-post. If you want to comment on the issue, you are welcome to do that below your own cross-post, but we ask that players avoid making any comment when making the actual cross-post - just to ensure that there is a clear distinction between what an individual player thinks and the contents of the Wind itself.

===You May Not Post Military Updates===
Players are not permitted to post updates on the decisions of the Military Council, in particular on where the Council would like people to send their military units and fleets in downtime. This constitutes using an online forum to try and influence the choices being made by other characters, it is not compatible with the rules prohibiting the posting of contentious in-character material.

While we have turned a blind-eye to some of these posts in the past - the rules have now been tightened. When the game first started it was difficult for generals to communicate what their army was doing to players. However every player with a military unit or fleet can now see the precise wording of the order issued to each army or navy when they go to submit their downtime. There is no need to provide additional context to these orders.

===No Charity or Fundraising Posts===
We have taken the decision not to allow any charity or fundraising posts on our groups except where they are intended to raise money for things to be used at Empire events or where they are posted by us on the main Empire LRP page. Whilst LRPers are an incredibly generous community, applying the posting rules and deciding on whether a particular fundraising post is “Empire related enough” is an impossible task for our moderator team. Having to assess each one will inevitably cause friction whenever a post is deleted because it is not sufficiently on topic for the Empire forums.

Posts offering prizes must be compliant with the laws regulating such activities. We will remove any post if we are not confident that you are correctly licensed to engage in such activities.

===Do Not Post Fanfiction===
We understand that lots of people love to read and write fanfic - and the Empire community is no exception. However there is a small risk that players may confuse fanfic with canonical updates to the campaign if the fiction is posted on one of the main Empire Facebook groups. For this reason there is a specific Facebook group called [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165082270686010/?fref=gc&dti=470732939604433&hc_location=ufi Empire LRP: Fiction Sharing] which was explicitly intended as a place for Empire players to share stories they have created. All fanfic stories should be posted here, not in one of the main Facebook groups.

===Do Not Criticise Other Participants===
The Empire national briefs are designed to allow for a wide range of creative freedom whilst still maintaining that all-important, clearly identifiable, national identity. When offering support to other players in your nation please be aware that that are other interpretations of the brief which are different to your own but are still valid. Avoid telling other players that they are getting the brief wrong - and avoid presenting yourself as an authority on how the brief should be interpreted.

It is fine to identify parts of the brief that are relevant and encourage people to embrace them. What is not permitted is for players to tell other players what is and is not acceptable in-character. If you have any concerns about the way a player is interpreting the brief then you should report the matter to Profound Decisions who can issue a definitive ruling on the matter.

Likewise, our code of conduct asks all Empire participants to avoid [[Costume#Criticism|criticizing other player's kit]]. You should assume that the player in question has followed our guidelines and made the best effort they can. Criticism of other players’ costume will be deleted.

Crowd-sourcing answers about rules often ends up with a variety of responses and opinions on how the rules should be applied in that particular situation. The only definitive and official answers will come by emailing [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Do Not Accuse Other Players of Cheating or Unsafe Fighting===
Do not make public accusations of cheating or of unsafe fighting at Empire on social media. If you have witnessed either of these happen at an event, please either speak to a ref as soon as you are able to after the incident or contact [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk] after an event to report it.

===Do Not Discuss Moderation Decisions===
It is not constructive to discuss individual moderators or moderator decisions in public. We do however welcome discussion and debate of our posting rules and moderation policy provided the discussion remains civil, hypothetical and does not include references to individual examples. To discuss individual moderation decisions, please contact the Head of Moderation at [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk]; if not resolved to your satisfaction after this point, please contact [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Don't Do Stupid Shit===
Don't post anything that's illegal, racist, sexist, homophobic, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise objectionable. This includes links to such material as well.

==Traders==
* '''Traders who pay for a pitch at Empire may post adverts up to once an event'''
* '''LRP traders who don't have a pitch at Empire may post adverts once a year'''
We are happy to allow traders to make occasional posts to the Empire Facebook groups, particularly if the post is drawing attention to goods that are appealing to Empire players. At the same time we are keen to prevent the groups from becoming overburdened with adverts, and want to ensure that they do not become too repetitive. To give everyone a fair set of guidelines to operate to - we have decided that traders or groups who have a trade pitch at Empire may post one advert on the run up to each event if they choose. If a trader isn't one of the Empire traders then they may post up to one advert a year. Any adverts posted more frequently than that will be deleted by the moderators.

A trader advert can be in the main Empire LRP Facebook group and a single nation Facebook group provided it contains stock appropriate to that nation. Any advert posted across multiple nation groups will be removed.

==Hot Topics==
The areas below are topics that almost invariably degenerate into arguments, or are simply not appropriate or acceptable topics of discussion for our forums or Facebook groups. Some of these issues are controversial and tend to produce a lot of acrimony when discussed online giving the false impression that these issues dominate our events. Some of these issues are simply not appropriate or acceptable and will be deleted by our moderators as soon as they become aware of them.

Our moderators will closely monitor these "hot topics" and may pre-emptively delete any posts that they feel is highly likely to lead to an adversarial discussion of the issues.

===Politics, Religion, and Language===
Politics and religion are incredibly important subjects and the crew and players of Empire cover a lot of different religions and a wide spectrum of political opinions. However, our online community exists so that participants can discuss the imaginary politics of the world of Empire and not real world politics.

Discussions about inappropriate language, such as the use of gendered words, is a subject that we’ve learned from prior incidents rapidly degenerates into acrimony. We will allow positive discussion of ways that participants can embrace the gender-blind Empire setting and implement that in their roleplaying - but will delete anything that is negative, a personal attack or is based on criticism of other people's roleplaying or experiences.

In using our social media, participants are also bound by any applicable conduct rules, including those around gendered language. If you are concerned by a poster’s use of inappropriate language, then please bring it to the attention of a moderator and they will contact the other participant and remind them of our rules relating to this.

===In-character Debates===
Empire is ''not'' a system which employs "FOIP" - a requirement that you can only find things out in play at events. It is '''fine''' to ask simple in-character questions, things you think your character should know or any questions about the system. If the information you have asked for is not controversial in-character then other participants are free to give you the answer to your question or to encourage you to find their character at an event and seek out the information in-character.

However as per the posting rules we prohibit discussion online of important or controversial issues. These issues form part of the plot of our event and we ask everyone to respect that.

There are specific rules for [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Anything that breaches these rules - any post that contains trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse, or political discussions and appointments will be removed.

===Criticism of Empire and other LRP Systems===
Live roleplaying is an amazing community that is at its best when participants share original ideas and best practices between different systems. So it's fine to make a post calling out a positive example of something other games do well - or do better than Empire does - that gives us a basis for discussing ways to make Empire a better game. But please bear in mind when posting, that Empire is such a large system that we will have participants who love the game you are referencing as well as participants who tried it and did not enjoy it.

What is not permitted is ''anything'' that is critical or dismissive of other LRP systems. Most LRP systems have their own forums or Facebook groups for their players to post comments about their games - posts that are about other games should be posted on their Facebook page, ''not on our forum/groups''.

It is fine to use our Facebook groups and our forums to criticize Empire or Profound Decisions and we encourage people to post ideas for improvements to the game. Bear in mind that all LRP games are produced by the combined efforts of a team of volunteers who are passionately invested in the game they create. Criticism directed at named individuals will be treated as a personal attack and moderated accordingly and our rules requiring [[Feedback#Worst_Way|civility]] towards our volunteers apply on our forums and Facebook groups as well as at events.

We believe a good LRP stands on its merits, and benefits from analysis, critique, and discussion. We ask all participants to be mindful of the fact that just because you have not experienced a problem does not mean the problem does not exist. Our moderators will remove posts if they judge that their only contribution is to suppress criticism or silence debate about Empire.

Facebook is an excellent place to discuss Empire with other participants who use Facebook - it is not ideal for providing [[feedback]] to Profound Decisions. There is no guarantee that the people who can act on the basis of your feedback will even see it. We treat posts on Facebook as the basis for discussion between participants - the [[feedback|wiki page on providing feedback]] discusses the best ways to send actual feedback to the team.

==Unofficial PD groups==
There are a large number of unofficial Empire groups which people use for discussing issues and organising logistics, amongst other things. As these groups are not official, they are not moderated by us and they are not automatically covered by our rules on posting. However all our players are expected to observe the social contract and commitment to keeping the game live that prohibits online negotiations and discussion of controversial subjects.

Although these online Empire community spaces are not moderated by us nor covered by our rules, players who are use them are still bound by our rules on conduct and our equality and diversity policies that forbid harassment etc. Reported breaches of these rules in communal Empire spaces may result in action being taken by Profound Decisions. If you are experiencing online harassment by another Empire participant then we will take appropriate action if you report the matter to us.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Online

2020-11-21T20:27:18Z

Miranda: /* Use the Single Most Appropriate Forum or Group */

==Overview==
Empire has a large and active social media presence. Our main Empire LRP Facebook group alone has over 4,000 members. We also have dedicated forums as well as accounts on Instagram, Twitch and Twitter. Having an enthusiastic and engaged player base is important to us and we love seeing everyone discussing the game and enjoying the world of Empire. We welcome debate and constructive discussion in all these places, but any feedback should always be sent to [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk ] so that the game team can consider it properly.

The [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrp/ Empire LRP Facebook group] is for general Empire related chat and queries. We also have nation-specific groups where people can discuss national festivals, collective projects, the national briefs, and the best places to source kit. Camp planning is also announced in these groups. Our national groups are a great community both on and off the field and we encourage people to get involved and to go see what’s being discussed. We also have a [https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport/ Player Support Group] which might be a good starting point if you are new to Empire or to live roleplaying in general. The [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Empire LRP forums] have separate boards for all these things, and a few additional ones.

Unfortunately, the nature of the internet is that it removes the element of personal interaction and can exacerbate differences of opinion. If we are not careful this turns discussions into hot-tempered arguments in a way that is detrimental to the debate and the community. For this reason we’ve chosen to implement a set of rules for everyone who uses our official groups and have a large team of crew moderators who can respond to any breaches that occur that are reported to them using the platform’s inbuilt tools or by emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk].

Counting players and crew, Empire has nearly three thousand participants at each event; it's not realistic to expect anyone to like every other participant. What we require is that people treat each other with respect regardless of their personal feelings. Our rules are designed to give our team a basis for judging when that is not happening and to take action accordingly. All the applicable rules for [[conduct]] at events also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

We ask that the community support our aim to keep the game live and familiarise themselves with the rules governing [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Remember, every in-character communication you have between events is one that cannot be had face to face.

==Coronavirus Update==
Commencing on the 11<sup>th</sup> June, we are again operating a relaxed set of rules regarding in-character posts, both text and video, online. Please see the updated rules for [[online roleplaying]] which apply until the end of the 14th of June ''only''.

==Moderators==
We have a team of crew who moderate our social spaces, led by our head of online moderation, Miranda Brennan. The team work collaboratively, discussing cases and coming to an agreed response to get the most consistent and fairest outcomes possible when exercising judgement. When a post/comment is reported, the moderators will review it and if necessary discuss together or escalate to the Head of Moderation. Moderation decisions and evidence are stored centrally in case we need to refer to them in future.
{{CaptionedImage|file=MirandaBrennan.jpg|align=right|caption=Head of Online Moderation: Miranda Brennan}}
===How to report===
Given the scale of the internet, we can’t keep track of every comment and subthread on our official social media. We therefore ask our users to be aware of the posting rules and if they see a breach, to report it by either:

* Using the reporting tools available on that platform
* Emailing [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] and linking to the post/comment you wish to report.

===What happens when a post is reported?===
If a post/comment is reported and the moderation team decides that it breaks our posting rules, we may delete the post. If we do this, a moderator will endeavour to contact the poster to explain why. If the poster disagrees with the action taken, they can contact the [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk head moderator]. If the matter is not resolved to their satisfaction after this point, the matter can be escalated to [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk]. It is not appropriate to discuss individual moderation discussions on our social media and posts doing this will be deleted.

Depending on the situation we may warn people who have broken the rules, suspend them from our social media spaces either short or long term, or ban them permanently at our discretion. This includes potentially being excluded from the events themselves. We take our rules for online conduct very seriously; we do not make an absolute distinction between behaviour online and at events.

For some breaches of the posting rules, the moderation team may contact the poster privately and give them the opportunity to edit their post in order to make it comply with the rules.

If a contentious post is resulting in some heated debate, we may lock the post from further comments whilst we review it. This is particularly likely if we’re short on moderation cover at that time as our moderation team are all volunteers. If a post has dissolved entirely into unconstructive argument, we will delete the post in its entirety and either explain why privately to the poster or add a post to the group in which it was posted.

===Contesting a Decision===
It is important to appreciate that moderation is not personal. Some of our rules are technical in nature - and people often have posts moderated or removed not because there was anything wrong with the content or the way they posted it but simply because they don't meet the strict guidelines we set for relevance to Empire. Everyone gets moderated from time-to-time, players and crew, so that we can keep our forums welcoming and full of relevant content. ''Being moderated is not a criticism of you or your post.''

Although you may be contacted by a moderator to inform you that a post has been moderated, please bear in mind that moderation decisions are taken collectively by the team, not by any one individual. You're welcome to discuss the matter with the moderator who is there to try and help ensure you understand why the decision was taken, but if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss a new issue, please use the appropriate methods to contact the whole team, rather than emailing or messaging an individual moderator. All of our crew are volunteers so they don't always have time to allocate to support you; this is why we have a team of people in place to deal with any issues. Please respect the system we have put in place and contact the team if you need to discuss something.

If you are not happy with a moderator decision then you are welcome to discuss that with us privately. Mistakes do get made and we are happy to look at any decision that has been taken and apologize if we have made a mistake and correct it where we can. If we stand by the decision after reviewing it, then we'll try to explain in more detail why we came to that conclusion so that you can better understand how the rules are being applied.

Please do not contest decisions in public - that is against our rules - and do not argue with our moderators or become hostile with one of them. They are members of our crew, and should be treated with the same courtesy and respect that you should show a referee at an event. All our crew volunteer their time to work hard on your behalf to provide a great game so we require everyone who attends our events to treat them with appropriate regard. There are no Empire events without our crew and we take their wellbeing very seriously.

Please [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk email mods@profounddecisions.co.uk] if you need to contact the moderation team to discuss any issue. Private messages are not a good mechanism for contacting the team as they go to individuals who may not see them for several days or at all in some cases depending on the platform settings.

<table class="wikitable" style="width:280px; float: right; margin-left:10px; margin-right: 10px; clear: right;">
<tr><th>Empire Forums And Facebook</th></tr>
<tr><td>
* [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Official Empire Forums]
* [https://www.facebook.com/empire.lrp Main page]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/empirelrp Main group]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/playersupport Player Support]
</td></tr>
</table>

<table class="wikitable" style="width:280px; float: right; margin-left:10px; margin-right: 10px; clear: right;">
<tr><th>Official Empire Nation Groups</th></tr>
<tr><td>
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/481197761897569/ The Brass Coast]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/401633306545071/ Dawn]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/208819129244083/ Highguard]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/158687267598665/ Imperial Orcs]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/459784360702068/ The League]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/146423572116922/ The Marches]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/476962795649090/ Navarr]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/470732939604433/ Urizen]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/459784360702068/ Varushka]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/301940076567407/ Wintermark]
</td></tr>
</table>

<table class="wikitable" style="width:280px; float: right; margin-left:10px; margin-right: 10px; clear: right;">
<tr><th>Unofficial Facebook Groups</th></tr>
<tr><td>
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/1057225621015403 Stitching Squad]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/205372172927561/ Parents]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/285396931593899 Photography]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/359403560824018 Travel Arrangements]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/365552780230761 Kit Sales and Swaps]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165082270686010 Empire Fanfiction]

* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/2021929444528461 LGBTQ+ Empire Players]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/582931741870887 Spoonie + Disabled Larpers]

* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/218725734938296/ Briar]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/136200783196741/ Cambion]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/377347932346289/ Changeling]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/413971382005569/ Draughir]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/301021356671320/ Merrow]
* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/166705633475863/ Naga]
</td></tr>
<tr><td>Please note that these groups are unofficial so they are not moderated by us!</td></tr>
</table>

==Posting Rules==
* '''Treat each other with respect and assume best faith'''
* '''All posts should clearly relate to Empire'''
* '''Put each post in the single most appropriate forum or Facebook group'''
* '''Report any breach of the rules to our moderators rather than responding yourself'''
* '''Don't start in-character conversations or post anything that is contentious in-character'''
* '''IC announcements, sales, adverts and letters are permitted'''
* '''You may cross-post winds of war and winds of fortune'''
* '''You may not post instructions or advice on military units'''
* '''No charity and fundraising posts'''
* '''Post links to photographs, don't repost them'''
* '''Do not post fanfiction'''
* '''Do not criticise other participants for their costume, roleplaying, or interpretation of the setting'''
* '''Do not discuss moderation decisions'''
* '''Do not post accusations of cheating or unsafe fighting'''
* '''Don't do stupid shit'''

In particular, please note all the applicable rules for [[conduct]] also apply when making posts on any official Profound Decisions forum or Facebook group. In particular please make sure that you have read and understand the rules for [[language]] and [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]].

===Treat each other with respect and assume best faith===
We are proud that Empire players come from a diverse range of backgrounds and traditions of LRP. With well over 2000 players and crew, differences of opinions will occur and discussion of these is no bad thing, but needs to be handled carefully. Please respect people’s opinions, treat other participants as adults, and assume good faith. It’s easy to mistake someone’s intent over the internet and you may need to work a little harder to make yourself understood or be more patient when trying to explain something. Avoid making jokes about contentious subjects where the possibility exists to miss the humour and be offended as a result.

Don't harass other users, don't post anything that constitutes a personal attack and avoid forms of speech that could be interpreted as bullying or abusive. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. We will not tolerate any post that our moderators feel constitutes a personal attack on another live roleplayer - regardless of whether or not they use our official online forums/groups or are a regular attendee at our events. Avoid posting while angry; if you are disagreeing with participant then ensure that you remain polite and avoid [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem ad hominem] responses.

If you feel anything posted on our official forums or Facebook groups violates our rule prohibiting personal attacks then please report it to our moderators, do not respond in kind.

===All Posts Should Clearly Relate to Empire===
Please keep your posts on topic. Our forums and groups are for Empire, so if the discussion strays too far away the subject of Empire we will ask you to take it elsewhere. If the link to Empire is tenuous or would be unclear to a casual reader, our moderators may advise you that this would be more appropriate on your own wall or ask you to elaborate on the original post as to its relevance.

===Use the Single Most Appropriate Forum or Group===
Please ensure that your posts are in the most appropriate area. For example, if you are looking for a member of a Wintermark group on Facebook then you should post in the Wintermark Facebook group. If you want to put a post offering to sell or swap some kit on the [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/ Empire forum] then you should use the [https://forums.profounddecisions.co.uk/c/trading/7 Trading form].

Do not duplicate the same or similar posts across multiple different forums or different groups. If your post is a bit more general but one nation may still have a special interest then at most you should post in the main Empire group and the single most relevant nation group. An example of this would be a Dawnish hosted player event, as Dawnish players may be especially interested, but other nations may also wish to attend. If multiple players all post the same or similar posts either in the same group or across multiple groups, the moderation team will remove the duplicate posts.

Duplicating a post on Facebook and the Forum is permitted as many participants may only use one of these platforms.

If you are a trader at our events then you may put a post into a single official group of your choice before each event to advertise your services or products. If you are not a trader at our events then you may post once advertisement a year provided that the products or services offered are relevant to Empire players.
{{CaptionedImage|file=RougherMusic.jpg|align=right|width=350|caption=The Moderators are here to help you.}}

===Report any Breach of the Rules to our Moderators===
Each board has a couple of volunteer moderators and admins and we have a centralised place to discuss and document moderation decisions. Due to the high level of activity in our our official groups it is impossible for us to follow each and every interaction. Therefore, if you see someone infringing the posting rules, please help us by reporting this comment or post promptly rather than responding yourself. A moderator or admin will then respond as quickly as they’re able to.

Please don't call out other participants for posts that you think breach our guidelines, report it, and let the moderators handle it. On Facebook select "report to admin" by clicking in the top right hand corner of a post. On the forum click "...(show more)" then the flag icon on any post.

===Don't Post IC Conversations or Contentious Statements===
Please help us keep the game live and in the field as much as possible. Avoid starting in-character conversations about significant or controversial subjects so that discussion of important in-character issues can be kept for the live events. It is usually fine to post comments about events that have happened, provided that the posts are not contentious or likely to cause people to want to respond as their character. If you post something in-character that could be perceived as contentious on our official forums or groups, we’ll remove or edit this.

Empire is a game for people to say and do contentious things as their character - but we want those actions and the reactions to them to happen in the field when people are roleplaying.

===Post Links to Photographs, Don't Repost Them===
Profound Decisions are lucky enough to have a small team of volunteer photographers to document our events; there are also a number of players who take photographs in line with the [[photography|photography policy]]. These volunteers generously donate their time and energy to show our hobby in all its glory. To acknowledge their contribution you must link to the original photos rather than downloading them and re-uploading them on our forums.

Each photographer will have their own policy on using photos elsewhere (such as for profile or cover pictures). If in doubt, please contact the original photographer.

===IC Announcements and Adverts are Permitted===
We believe that in-character announcements, such as those advertising a national event or offering an in-character service add more to the game for our players than they detract from it. It is fine to post an advert for a service offered by your character or group or for a meeting that you are arranging or similar, provided that you avoid posting anything that is contentious and only post it in the single most appropriate group.

There are several guidelines that we ask participant to follow where possible when posting an advert of this kind:

* State your Price - Haggling or negotiation over prices must best left to the field.
* Use the Hub - There’s a message board in The Hub which citizens can use - if you post online, please endeavour to also advertise in-character.
* Do not add additional comments - Do not say “You see this poster across the Empire". If you do this, you’re starting to narrate the reality of the world, which is not permitted.
* Provide a plain text version - Beautiful posters and images are wonderful, but endeavour to provide a copy of the text alongside your image.

You must follow the normal posting rules - don’t say anything in-character that would be contentious and put each post in the single most appropriate forum or Facebook group only. Do not spam it across multiple groups.

In-character letters should be sent privately - but you can use our social media to request contact details for people. For example, if you wish to speak to all arbiters of Urizen, then it is acceptable to ask the arbiters to contact you with an appropriate contact method but not to post up the letter itself into the group/forum.

Empire has an active economy and the costs of resources can be a powerful lever with which to influence the world. Therefore, discussion about the trading costs of resources, or statements about what things ''should'' cost are prohibited.

===You May Cross-post the Winds===
There is an exception to the normal rules on multi-forum posts for the official Profound Decisions event updates, the Winds of War, and the Winds of Fortune. It is fine to cross-post these updates to an Empire Facebook group or forum - but please only do that if you think it is relevant to that group and check to see if it has already been posted. There is no need to cross-post a Wind of Fortune update about trouble in Hahnmark to the Urizen group for example.

However please make sure you do not include any comment about the content of the Wind in the cross-post. If you want to comment on the issue, you are welcome to do that below your own cross-post, but we ask that players avoid making any comment when making the actual cross-post - just to ensure that there is a clear distinction between what an individual player thinks and the contents of the Wind itself.

===You May Not Post Military Updates===
Players are not permitted to post updates on the decisions of the Military Council, in particular on where the Council would like people to send their military units and fleets in downtime. This constitutes using an online forum to try and influence the choices being made by other characters, it is not compatible with the rules prohibiting the posting of contentious in-character material.

While we have turned a blind-eye to some of these posts in the past - the rules have now been tightened. When the game first started it was difficult for generals to communicate what their army was doing to players. However every player with a military unit or fleet can now see the precise wording of the order issued to each army or navy when they go to submit their downtime. There is no need to provide additional context to these orders.

===No Charity or Fundraising Posts===
We have taken the decision not to allow any charity or fundraising posts on our groups except where they are intended to raise money for things to be used at Empire events or where they are posted by us on the main Empire LRP page. Whilst LRPers are an incredibly generous community, applying the posting rules and deciding on whether a particular fundraising post is “Empire related enough” is an impossible task for our moderator team. Having to assess each one will inevitably cause friction whenever a post is deleted because it is not sufficiently on topic for the Empire forums.

Posts offering prizes must be compliant with the laws regulating such activities. We will remove any post if we are not confident that you are correctly licensed to engage in such activities.

===Do Not Post Fanfiction===
We understand that lots of people love to read and write fanfic - and the Empire community is no exception. However there is a small risk that players may confuse fanfic with canonical updates to the campaign if the fiction is posted on one of the main Empire Facebook groups. For this reason there is a specific Facebook group called [https://www.facebook.com/groups/165082270686010/?fref=gc&dti=470732939604433&hc_location=ufi Empire LRP: Fiction Sharing] which was explicitly intended as a place for Empire players to share stories they have created. All fanfic stories should be posted here, not in one of the main Facebook groups.

===Do Not Criticise Other Participants===
The Empire national briefs are designed to allow for a wide range of creative freedom whilst still maintaining that all-important, clearly identifiable, national identity. When offering support to other players in your nation please be aware that that are other interpretations of the brief which are different to your own but are still valid. Avoid telling other players that they are getting the brief wrong - and avoid presenting yourself as an authority on how the brief should be interpreted.

It is fine to identify parts of the brief that are relevant and encourage people to embrace them. What is not permitted is for players to tell other players what is and is not acceptable in-character. If you have any concerns about the way a player is interpreting the brief then you should report the matter to Profound Decisions who can issue a definitive ruling on the matter.

Likewise, our code of conduct asks all Empire participants to avoid [[Costume#Criticism|criticizing other player's kit]]. You should assume that the player in question has followed our guidelines and made the best effort they can. Criticism of other players’ costume will be deleted.

Crowd-sourcing answers about rules often ends up with a variety of responses and opinions on how the rules should be applied in that particular situation. The only definitive and official answers will come by emailing [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Do Not Accuse Other Players of Cheating or Unsafe Fighting===
Do not make public accusations of cheating or of unsafe fighting at Empire on social media. If you have witnessed either of these happen at an event, please either speak to a ref as soon as you are able to after the incident or contact [mailto:rules@profounddecisions.co.uk rules@profounddecisions.co.uk] after an event to report it.

===Do Not Discuss Moderation Decisions===
It is not constructive to discuss individual moderators or moderator decisions in public. We do however welcome discussion and debate of our posting rules and moderation policy provided the discussion remains civil, hypothetical and does not include references to individual examples. To discuss individual moderation decisions, please contact the Head of Moderation at [mailto:mods@profounddecisions.co.uk mods@profounddecisions.co.uk]; if not resolved to your satisfaction after this point, please contact [mailto:matt@profounddecisions.co.uk matt@profounddecisions.co.uk].

===Don't Do Stupid Shit===
Don't post anything that's illegal, racist, sexist, homophobic, pornographic, abusive, or otherwise objectionable. This includes links to such material as well.

==Traders==
* '''Traders who pay for a pitch at Empire may post adverts up to once an event'''
* '''LRP traders who don't have a pitch at Empire may post adverts once a year'''
We are happy to allow traders to make occasional posts to the Empire Facebook groups, particularly if the post is drawing attention to goods that are appealing to Empire players. At the same time we are keen to prevent the groups from becoming overburdened with adverts, and want to ensure that they do not become too repetitive. To give everyone a fair set of guidelines to operate to - we have decided that traders or groups who have a trade pitch at Empire may post one advert on the run up to each event if they choose. If a trader isn't one of the Empire traders then they may post up to one advert a year. Any adverts posted more frequently than that will be deleted by the moderators.

A trader advert can be in the main Empire LRP Facebook group and a single nation Facebook group provided it contains stock appropriate to that nation. Any advert posted across multiple nation groups will be removed.

==Hot Topics==
The areas below are topics that almost invariably degenerate into arguments, or are simply not appropriate or acceptable topics of discussion for our forums or Facebook groups. Some of these issues are controversial and tend to produce a lot of acrimony when discussed online giving the false impression that these issues dominate our events. Some of these issues are simply not appropriate or acceptable and will be deleted by our moderators as soon as they become aware of them.

Our moderators will closely monitor these "hot topics" and may pre-emptively delete any posts that they feel is highly likely to lead to an adversarial discussion of the issues.

===Politics, Religion, and Language===
Politics and religion are incredibly important subjects and the crew and players of Empire cover a lot of different religions and a wide spectrum of political opinions. However, our online community exists so that participants can discuss the imaginary politics of the world of Empire and not real world politics.

Discussions about inappropriate language, such as the use of gendered words, is a subject that we’ve learned from prior incidents rapidly degenerates into acrimony. We will allow positive discussion of ways that participants can embrace the gender-blind Empire setting and implement that in their roleplaying - but will delete anything that is negative, a personal attack or is based on criticism of other people's roleplaying or experiences.

In using our social media, participants are also bound by any applicable conduct rules, including those around gendered language. If you are concerned by a poster’s use of inappropriate language, then please bring it to the attention of a moderator and they will contact the other participant and remind them of our rules relating to this.

===In-character Debates===
Empire is ''not'' a system which employs "FOIP" - a requirement that you can only find things out in play at events. It is '''fine''' to ask simple in-character questions, things you think your character should know or any questions about the system. If the information you have asked for is not controversial in-character then other participants are free to give you the answer to your question or to encourage you to find their character at an event and seek out the information in-character.

However as per the posting rules we prohibit discussion online of important or controversial issues. These issues form part of the plot of our event and we ask everyone to respect that.

There are specific rules for [[Downtime#Roleplaying_Between_Events|roleplaying between events]]. Anything that breaches these rules - any post that contains trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse, or political discussions and appointments will be removed.

===Criticism of Empire and other LRP Systems===
Live roleplaying is an amazing community that is at its best when participants share original ideas and best practices between different systems. So it's fine to make a post calling out a positive example of something other games do well - or do better than Empire does - that gives us a basis for discussing ways to make Empire a better game. But please bear in mind when posting, that Empire is such a large system that we will have participants who love the game you are referencing as well as participants who tried it and did not enjoy it.

What is not permitted is ''anything'' that is critical or dismissive of other LRP systems. Most LRP systems have their own forums or Facebook groups for their players to post comments about their games - posts that are about other games should be posted on their Facebook page, ''not on our forum/groups''.

It is fine to use our Facebook groups and our forums to criticize Empire or Profound Decisions and we encourage people to post ideas for improvements to the game. Bear in mind that all LRP games are produced by the combined efforts of a team of volunteers who are passionately invested in the game they create. Criticism directed at named individuals will be treated as a personal attack and moderated accordingly and our rules requiring [[Feedback#Worst_Way|civility]] towards our volunteers apply on our forums and Facebook groups as well as at events.

We believe a good LRP stands on its merits, and benefits from analysis, critique, and discussion. We ask all participants to be mindful of the fact that just because you have not experienced a problem does not mean the problem does not exist. Our moderators will remove posts if they judge that their only contribution is to suppress criticism or silence debate about Empire.

Facebook is an excellent place to discuss Empire with other participants who use Facebook - it is not ideal for providing [[feedback]] to Profound Decisions. There is no guarantee that the people who can act on the basis of your feedback will even see it. We treat posts on Facebook as the basis for discussion between participants - the [[feedback|wiki page on providing feedback]] discusses the best ways to send actual feedback to the team.

==Unofficial PD groups==
There are a large number of unofficial Empire groups which people use for discussing issues and organising logistics, amongst other things. As these groups are not official, they are not moderated by us and they are not automatically covered by our rules on posting. However all our players are expected to observe the social contract and commitment to keeping the game live that prohibits online negotiations and discussion of controversial subjects.

Although these online Empire community spaces are not moderated by us nor covered by our rules, players who are use them are still bound by our rules on conduct and our equality and diversity policies that forbid harassment etc. Reported breaches of these rules in communal Empire spaces may result in action being taken by Profound Decisions. If you are experiencing online harassment by another Empire participant then we will take appropriate action if you report the matter to us.

{{Conduct_Further_Reading}}

Streaming

2020-11-06T11:22:32Z

Miranda: /* Promotion */

==Overview==
Using platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Soundcloud and Vimeo, several of our players and crew have created a growing streaming, podcast and videomaking community within the wider Empire participant base. We’re proud and delighted that participants have set up channels to make content about Empire. It’s great for new players discovering the game for the first time and it’s exciting to have discussions about the stories you’re creating.

We are happy to allow streamers, podcasters and videomakers to make occasional posts to the Empire Facebook groups, provided the stream is focused on topics related to Empire and that they follow these rules.
<table class="wikitable" style="width:280px; float: right; margin-left:10px; margin-right: 10px; clear: right;">
<tr><th>Official PD Streams</th></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/user/ProfoundDecisionsLRP/videos Youtube]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.twitch.tv/profounddecisions Twitch]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://shoutengine.com/Empirepodcast/ Shout Engine]</td></tr>
</table>

<table class="wikitable" style="width:280px; float: right; margin-left:10px; margin-right: 10px; clear: right;">
<tr><th>Unofficial Streams</th></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLVCuASLxKKRSXi8PXyTqkg Hefty Yeti’s channel]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.twitch.tv/wonkyroleplaying Wonky Roleplaying]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/c/SherlockHulmes/videos Tabletop Weekly Archive]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClo7lsGxBTd79R6Koa4wktw LRP Noobs Youtube]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://thelarpnoobspodcast.podbean.com/ LRP Noobs Podbean]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/c/TheOrcsPlanet/ Orc Planet]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2PELFA0GtC48u6o6Dt1IAQ/ Empire Audio]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCII1WXsS0fKqCsvJibsrwyw Luca Da Re]</td></tr>
</table>

==Promotion==
* '''You may make one post per month plus one extra in the week following each event to promote your streamed content'''
* '''You can edit that post if you want to update any information in it, but don't deliberately bump your own post back to the top'''
We understand that building a successful channel understandably requires a lot of self-promotion, but we are keen to prevent the groups from becoming overburdened with adverts or repetitiveness. To give everyone a fair set of guidelines, we have decided that people who are making regular serialised video or audio content on their own channel may make one post per month plus one extra in the week following each event.

This means that if your channel updates more often than once a month, you may either choose one piece of content to promote, or make a monthly ‘digest post’ summing up your recent updates. Any adverts or stream links posted more frequently than that will be deleted by the moderators. We know that you may want to promote your page more often than this, but for that we ask that you use your personal social media platforms or your channel’s official social media pages.

If you want to update your monthly post to add additional details about new content, you should edit the post rather than posting a response to your own post. The purpose of our streaming rules is to permit people to promote their streams, but ensure that the frequency of promotion is kept reasonable. It's fine to update a post, but deliberately posting to 'bump' a post back to the top of the group is not in the spirit of the rules.

Posts about streaming must follow the rules about posting in the most relevant group or forum area. A post can be in the main Empire LRP Facebook group and a single nation Facebook group provided it contains content most appropriate to that nation. Any advert posted across multiple nation groups will be removed. We understand that you want to build an audience, but we also want to respect our participants' decisions about what groups they join by ensuring that content is where it is most appropriate and is not repeated everywhere.

Streaming or videos run by traders to promote trading must follow [[online#Traders|the rules for posts by traders]]. That means one post per season for traders who trade at Empire events and one per year for traders who don’t.

==Content==
* '''All promoted content must conform to all our online and conduct guidelines'''
* '''Anything you post on our forums must include material specifically about Empire'''
All content that is promoted in an Empire space must comply with our rules for [[conduct]], [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]], and [[language]]. This includes out-of-game issues like being negative about other larp systems or kit-shaming others. If the content you have linked to violates our rules, then the post will be removed by the moderators.

There are streams for many similar or related hobbies, such as cosplay, reenactment, or general LRP, but if you regularly promote your channel on our groups then any linked content must be relevant to Empire players. That means it must include material that is specifically about Empire as a substantial part of the stream, blog, or post. People subscribe to Empire groups to talk, in the main, about things that relate to Empire, so we’d ask that you respect that and help keep that focus. Please contact mods@profounddecisions.co.uk if you’re unsure.

All the standard rules restricting in-character content apply to any streamed content that you promote. That means that you must not push in-character agendas or controversial in-character opinions on any content you promote in an Empire group. Anything that would cause other characters to take issue with what you are saying or oppose what you are doing should be avoided. Most out-of-character discussions are fine, as is reasonable in-character material that is not controversial or contentious such as singing IC songs or telling legendary stories.

Anything that reproduces material drawn directly from the wiki is fine, provided there is no editorialising. So it is acceptable to record a Wind of War for example, provided that you don't then also include your own character's views or recommendations as part of that.

Streaming

2020-11-06T11:12:07Z

Miranda: /* Overview */

==Overview==
Using platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Soundcloud and Vimeo, several of our players and crew have created a growing streaming, podcast and videomaking community within the wider Empire participant base. We’re proud and delighted that participants have set up channels to make content about Empire. It’s great for new players discovering the game for the first time and it’s exciting to have discussions about the stories you’re creating.

We are happy to allow streamers, podcasters and videomakers to make occasional posts to the Empire Facebook groups, provided the stream is focused on topics related to Empire and that they follow these rules.
<table class="wikitable" style="width:280px; float: right; margin-left:10px; margin-right: 10px; clear: right;">
<tr><th>Official PD Streams</th></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/user/ProfoundDecisionsLRP/videos Youtube]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.twitch.tv/profounddecisions Twitch]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://shoutengine.com/Empirepodcast/ Shout Engine]</td></tr>
</table>

<table class="wikitable" style="width:280px; float: right; margin-left:10px; margin-right: 10px; clear: right;">
<tr><th>Unofficial Streams</th></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLVCuASLxKKRSXi8PXyTqkg Hefty Yeti’s channel]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.twitch.tv/wonkyroleplaying Wonky Roleplaying]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/c/SherlockHulmes/videos Tabletop Weekly Archive]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClo7lsGxBTd79R6Koa4wktw LRP Noobs Youtube]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://thelarpnoobspodcast.podbean.com/ LRP Noobs Podbean]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/c/TheOrcsPlanet/ Orc Planet]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2PELFA0GtC48u6o6Dt1IAQ/ Empire Audio]</td></tr>
<tr><td>[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCII1WXsS0fKqCsvJibsrwyw Luca Da Re]</td></tr>
</table>

==Promotion==
* '''You may make one post per month plus one extra in the week following each event to promote your streamed content'''
* '''You can edit that post if you want to update any information in it, but don't deliberately bump your own post back to the top'''
We understand that building a successful channel understandably requires a lot of self-promotion, but we are keen to prevent the groups from becoming overburdened with adverts or repetitiveness. To give everyone a fair set of guidelines, we have decided that people who are making regular serialised video or audio content on their own channel may make one post per month plus one extra in the week following each event.

This means that if your channel updates more often than once a month, you may either choose one piece of content to promote, or make a monthly ‘digest post’ summing up your recent updates. Any adverts or stream links posted more frequently than that will be deleted by the moderators. We know that you may want to promote your page more often than this, but for that we ask that you use your personal social media channels or your channel’s official social media pages.

If you want to update your monthly post promoting your stream then do that rather than posting a response to your own post. The purpose of the new streaming rules is to permit people to promote their streams, but ensure that the frequency of promotion is kept reasonable. It's fine to update a post, but deliberately posting to bump a post back to the top of the group is not in the spirit of the rules.

Posts about streaming must follow the rules about posting in the most relevant group. A post can be in the main Empire LRP Facebook group and a single nation Facebook group provided it contains content most appropriate to that nation. Any advert posted across multiple nation groups will be removed. We understand that you want to build an audience, but we also want to respect our participants' decisions about what groups they join by ensuring that content is where it is most appropriate and is not repeated everywhere.

Streaming or videos run by traders, must follow [[online#Traders|the rules for posts by traders]]. That means one post per season for traders who trade at Empire events and one per year for traders who don’t.

==Content==
* '''All promoted content must conform to all our online and conduct guidelines'''
* '''Anything you post on our forums must include material specifically about Empire'''
All content that is promoted in an Empire space must comply with our rules for [[conduct]], [[Conduct#Equality_and_Diversity|equality and diversity]], and [[language]]. This includes out-of-game issues like being negative about other larp systems or kit-shaming others. If the content you have linked to violates our rules, then the post will be removed by the moderators.

There are streams for many similar or related hobbies, such as cosplay, reenactment, or general LRP, but if you regularly promote your channel on our groups then any linked content must be relevant to Empire players. That means it must include material that is specifically about Empire as a substantial part of the stream, blog, or post. People subscribe to Empire groups to talk, in the main, about things that relate to Empire, so we’d ask that you respect that and help keep that focus. Please contact mods@profounddecisions.co.uk if you’re unsure.

All the standard rules restricting in-character content apply to any streamed content that you promote. That means that you must not push in-character agendas or controversial in-character opinions on any content you promote in an Empire group. Anything that would cause other characters to take issue with what you are saying or oppose what you are doing should be avoided. Most out-of-character discussions are fine, as is reasonable in-character material that is not controversial or contentious such as singing IC songs or telling legendary stories.

Anything that reproduces material drawn directly from the wiki is fine, provided there is no editorialising. So it is acceptable to record a Wind of War for example, provided that you don't then also include your own character's views or recommendations as part of that.