Playing the game

Creating a Character

Character Creation

• You must choose one of the nine Imperial nations or the Imperial Orcs
• Human characters may choose one of the six known lineages
• You have 8 points to spend on skills for your character
• You must choose one personal resource for your character

The character you create for Empire must be an Imperial citizen. This means you must choose one of the nine Imperial nations that your character is from or else play an Imperial Orc. Your choice represents the nation that your character is formally identified by the civil service as being part of. Your character may have travelled across the Empire and it is even possible to have been a foreigner who has taken citizenship in the Empire, but whatever your background you must begin play as an Imperial citizen who is a member of one of the nine nations or is an Imperial Orc.

If you are playing a human character then you may choose to possess one of the six lineages. Imperial Orcs do not possess lineage so you cannot choose a lineage if you are playing an orc.

You have eight character points to spend on skills for your character. Your choice of nation and lineage does not affect the cost or availability of the skills. If you are playing an Imperial Orc, then the skill costs are unchanged, but you cannot purchase religious skills for your character. Your skills represent your character's unique heroic abilities, the things that separate them from the common people of the Empire.

In addition to your skills, you pick one personal resource. Your resource will provide your character with wealth or influence at every event you attend.

Advancement

• Characters gain one experience point if they attend one or two events in a year
• Characters gain two experience point if they attend three or four events in a year
• Unspent points may be spent on a new character
• Points may be spent at an event

Players that attend one or two events in a year gain a single point to spend on new skills for their character after their first event. Players who attend three or more events in a year get a second point to spend on new skills after their third event.

Players can save experience points accumulated to buy expensive skills. If a character dies, then the player keeps any unspent points that were gained in play and may spend them on their new character.

Players can spend points on their character on the run up to an event using the website. Players can also spend points by training with another character at an event. The character should find a suitable mentor and then roleplay accordingly. After completing the roleplaying the player can come down to GOD from Saturday onwards at any event and register the points spent on their character’s new skills.

One Character at a Time

• Each player is allowed to play one character
• You must retire your current character if you wish to play a new character
• If you wish to take a break then you may volunteer to play a plot role

Players are only allowed to play a single character at any one time during the campaign. If you wish to begin playing a new character, then you must retire your current character. That character cannot be played again at a Profound Decisions event.

If you wish to take a break from your current character then you may volunteer to play a role designated by the plot team. Come to GOD and speak to the administration team and they will arrange for you to receive a new character role that you can play for a period of time.

Creating Characters at Events

• Please ask if you want help with ideas or costume for your new character

If you need to create a new character at an event then you can do so at any time by going to GOD. It can be difficult to source costume and create a concept at an event so if you would like any help with rules, ideas, costume, or make-up then please ask. Members of crew are available to help you create an interesting character that you can play straight away.

Disguises

• If you wear a disguise it is only as good as the phys-rep you use
• You must answer truthfully if you are OOC challenged about your disguise
• You must not disguise yourself as a member of a different lineage or species

It is perfectly acceptable for you to wear a disguise whilst in character (IC). Your ability to change your character’s appearance is only ever as effective as the phys-rep that you use; so if someone recognizes you then they may choose to recognize your character, regardless of the method used to change your appearance.

If you believe you recognize a character that you have met previously who appears to be in disguise then you may check out of character (OOC) by asking the player. You can ask if they are playing a character by name or by reference to a meeting you have had but you cannot simply ask if they are in disguise. You may ask a referee to check a character’s identity to avoid asking them directly. If another player asks you if you are playing a specific character in disguise then you must answer truthfully.

For example, you are playing a Freeborn merrow called Iago but you have disguised yourself as one of the merrow of the Kallavesi. If anyone asks OOC if you are playing Iago or ‘your merrow’ or ‘the merrow I met last night’ then you must answer truthfully.

It is much easier for a player to obtain prosthetics for a lineage or species phys-rep than it would be for a character to adopt that disguise. Because of this, you must not disguise yourself as a member of another lineage or species. You may disguise your character, but must actively avoid any make-up or prosthetics that could conceivably be confused with the phys-rep requirements of another lineage of species. This restriction does not apply if you are using magical means to disguise your appearance.

For example, your human character could glue foam horns to their forehead but this would not be sufficient for any sane character to think you were a cambion. Therefore, you must avoid putting horns on your forehead as part of a normal disguise.

Referees

• Refs are there to answer questions and ensure rules are being followed correctly

Referees at Empire are there to facilitate and assist with the rules of the game. If you have a question or need a decision about a character skill or action, then you should consult a referee. The referees will be wandering the IC field, but if you cannot find one then you can go to GOD and they will obtain a ref for you.

Empire ref costume

Identifying a Ref

• Refs wear a gold and black quartered livery coat
• Please avoid using a quartered gold and black livery coat as your costume

Our referees will be wearing basic costume and a gold and black quartered livery coat like the one pictured. On occasions where we need to put a large number of referees in the field at once then some refs may wear a gold and black quartered tabard instead. Anyone who is wearing a livery coat with this design should be treated as a referee. For this reason players are not allowed to wear this design of livery coat.

Referees in Empire are purely OOC. They do not exist in the game in any IC form. They are wearing a distinctive piece of costume so that they can be easily identified without breaking the visual immersion of the field, they should not be treated as characters.

When to get a Ref

• Try to get a ref before getting involved in combat
• The balance of doubt goes to the defender in a dispute if no ref is present

We would encourage you to get a referee to assist with:

• Attacking another character including poisoning or capturing them
• Stealing items or money from other characters
• Treating complex traumatic injuries
• Performing a Ritual

You don't have to get a ref before you attempt one of these actions, but the ref will help to ensure that all the rules are followed. As the defender has no chance to get a ref first (they don't know they are going to be attacked or robbed), if there is a disagreement between players then the balance of the doubt will go to the defender if there is no ref present.

Characters should have no need to attack a child but in the exceptionally rare circumstance where you need to initiate combat with a child then you must consult a referee first and follow their guidance. The referee will ensure that the child's OOC welfare is not compromised by your IC actions.

Roleplaying at Events

Time-in and the IC area

• Time-in begins at 10 am and ends at 1 am each day
• You are always in-character (IC) in the IC area during time-in
• The Imperial Senate chamber is time-in throughout the game
• You must not roleplay your character outside the IC area

Normal roleplaying begins at time-in, which is 6 pm on Friday and 10 am every morning thereafter. Normal roleplaying ends at time‑out, which is 1 am each morning and at 3 pm on the last day of the event. The IC area is the section of the campsite reserved for the game where all roleplaying must take place. Each event guide will clearly delineate the boundary of the IC area.

The exception to this rule is the Senate Chamber. The meeting place of the Imperial Senate is the political hub of the Empire and the building remains time-in from the start of the event until time-out at the end of the event. Players who choose to remain in the Senate building after time-out each night do so because they wish to continue roleplaying. Please avoid this area after time-out if you are no longer IC.

Everyone who is in the IC area during time-in is considered to be IC. You should avoid the IC area during this time unless you are playing your character. If you are in the IC area and you wish to stop roleplaying then out of courtesy to other players you must leave the IC area first unless there is a genuine emergency.

You may continue to roleplay with other characters anywhere in the IC area after time-out so long as you do not take any confrontational actions. You can talk and trade but you must not attack another character, steal from them, or use any ability.

For example, you are in a casino so you may continue to roleplay after time-out but you may not steal items or money from other patrons and you may not attack anyone.

You must not roleplay once you leave the IC site boundaries.

Behaviour while In-character

• Avoid inappropriate references while at events

The themes that exist within Empire include mind-influencing magic, drugs and addiction, human sacrifice, racism and prejudice, prostitution, violence, robbery, torture and murder. They do not include non‑consensual sex or sex with minors. It is not possible to know what real life experiences other players have suffered, so you must avoid IC references to either of these two subjects in play to ensure that you do not upset any of your fellow players.

Behaviour while OOC

• You must not use any information IC which was gained while OOC

You should do everything reasonably possible to ignore any information that your character has not gained IC. You should only act on the things your character knows.

It is usually inappropriate to tell another player something that their character might desperately want to know. If your character has been murdered for instance, you should avoid telling your friends who murdered your character, for they are likely to want to take revenge. If another player actively tells you something that you did not want to know while OOC and you believe that doing this has affected your ability to discern the information IC then speak to the head referee. The head referee will assess the situation and may give you permission to act on the knowledge your character has if they believe it is appropriate.

Cheating

• You should report anyone you suspect is cheating to a referee
• Get a referee before attacking another character

Profound Decisions make all reasonable effort to ensure that players are not cheating at events. Please do not make public accusations of cheating. OOC complaints during time-in ruin the atmosphere of the game and only exacerbate the problems caused by cheating.

If you think that another player is cheating then please report the matter to one of the referees as soon as possible and leave it for Profound Decisions to deal with. If referees find players cheating then they will deal with the issue as appropriate. It is advisable to get a referee to accompany you before attacking another character to ensure that all the game rules are followed. Please note that if you do not get a referee when you were able to do so then the benefit of the doubt will be given to the other party if there is any dispute.

GOD

• If you have a query then go to the Games Operation Desk (GOD)
• You can phone for security at night or in an emergency

All Profound Decisions events are administered from the Games Operation Desk (GOD) whose location is marked in each event guide. Members of the GOD crew are there to help you with any administrative or general queries that you may have about the event. If you need a referee then the referees have a desk that is always near GOD. The first-aid team operate from their own tent if you have any first-aid needs. For all other queries, you should enquire at GOD.

The Profound Decisions mobile phone number is printed on your character card. If you have an emergency such as a first-aid incident then you can call this number to get a quick response. You can also call this number if you need to contact security after time-out. Please do not use this number to phone for a referee; there are referees available in the field and at GOD at all times.