Current crewing opportunities

Overview

Crewing can be an amazing experience - but it's not for everyone - and in particular we have to make sure we have the right people who can work together and gel as a team. We're always keen to talk to anyone who is interested in crewing so that they can find out if it's something they want to do and we can see if there is a place for them on the team. So if you're interested in one of the roles below, do get in touch with our crew manager Kate Rogers - we'll give you a quick interview and see if we can offer you a place on the team.

All our crewing roles are for volunteers - but you won't need a festival ticket, we'll feed you throughout the event, and there is a big crew party on the last day for everyone who is helping take the event down. Ultimately the real benefit of crewing is that you'll be part of an amazing team of people and can take pride in your role in creating the Empire events that players love. You'll be part of the biggest LRP event crew in the country (there are over 300 of us!), working with incredibly talented people, and hopefully have an amazing time.

The crew roles described below are specific areas that we are actively looking to fill at this time, so if they sound interesting then it's definitely worth contacting us to discuss it. If you're interested in helping with something that isn't listed below then it may still be worth getting in touch, but bear in mind that we may already have enough people helping out in that area.

Makeup (2 spaces)

We're looking for two more people to join our make-up team in the plot production department. The team are based in the monster tent and are essential for any roles that require make-up or prosthetics. These include orcs and characters with lineage, but they also include eternals and their heralds. The team plan complex make-up arrangements in advance of the event so that convincing effects can be created quickly in the field. They also help player volunteers don and remove make-up before and after the battles.

The make-up team work before the events helping to plan and arrange new make-up and prosthetic purchase in preparation for upcoming plots, but most of the work takes place during time-in of the event.

We need volunteers from an hour before time in on Friday up until an hour after Time out on Sunday. You'll be liasing with the rest of the make-up team to ensure we have appropriate cover during the event. While you may have some time on the field in character this role is not suitable for someone wishing to play the event.

How much of the event will you see?

• • You will be unlikely to play a character other than the occasional NPC, but may enjoy the event facilities around the responsibilities of your volunteering role

Requirements

• Crew throughout the event rather than playing
• Bring enthusiasm and energy to producing good quality make-up and prosthetics to a tight time schedule
• Be ready to fit in to an existing team and learn from their experiences

Crucially, you need to be confident that you will get more fun out of this backstage experience than your roleplaying experience is currently giving you. You will be joining the plot production department as a full time member of the team so balancing both will not be possible.

Referees (6 spaces)

Our referees are one of the most visible roles we have, helping players engage with and enjoy the game, throughout time in. They offer friendly advice, carry out functional tasks recording in game actions using our tablets, and step in to ask questions when it seems that someone might not be playing by the rules. These are full-time volunteer roles and whilst you will be able to take breaks when you need them, you will not be able to play a character taking part in the game alongside your role as a ref.

Many of our refs specialise either as a Field Ref - who build up an in depth knowledge of the most commonly cast rituals, or commonly used items, particularly those that interact with plots in order to answer queries quickly and efficiently - or as a Skirmish Ref - who are experts in watching combat and being able to see whether players are abiding by the rules; make judgements about how hard they are hitting; decide whether they are fighting in a safe location, and know to de-escalate conflict between players (rather than characters) if it arises. You may either request to join the team as one or the other type of Ref, or join as non-specialised and try out both. You will be given the opportunity to spend a good deal of your first event shadowing other referees to get used to reffing Profound Decisions style.

How much of the event will you see?

• You will be unlikely to play a character, but may enjoy the event facilities around the responsibilities of your volunteering role

Requirements

• Excellent customer service skills
• Have either a year's experience as an Empire player OR significant experience of reffing other systems and be prepared to learn the core Empire rules thoroughly before your first event
• Take instructions well, but be prepared to take your own initiative from one task to the next
• Be comfortable wearing a radio and earpiece at all times and using a tablet to record entries in a database
• Be comfortable walking long distances over the course of the event to reach the players who need a referee in all different areas of the field
• Be on site on Friday at 4pm until the end of the event at 3pm on Sunday afternoon

If you would love to ref, but can't meet the walking requirement do let us know. We have 1 place available refereeing from the Imperial Regio.

Security (4 spaces)

Live roleplaying events are generally relaxed and friendly environments so we work with a small SIA registered security team. We supplement that team with with volunteer marshals who work alongside security and help them keep a watchful eye on the site each night. We have spaces for both SIA registered security and volunteer marshals at present, in order to cover all our night shifts well and make it possible for each team member to have one night off.

The team covers Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights from 01:00 to 08.30 in the morning. Depending on your need for sleep, you can get quite a lot of play as a character in the game fitted in around your shifts, though you do need to make sure you save enough energy to do the job well. The team work closely with first aid, and with the conduct team and participant welfare, in order to make sure everyone stays safe whilst enjoying the event. In bad weather conditions they are also responsible for securing tent structures that are at risk, and dealing with other issues as they arrive.

How much of the event will you see?

• Whilst getting enough sleep to cover your shifts is a priority, you may spend time between shifts playing a character and enjoying the event"

Requirements

• Be able to work 1am - 8.30am shifts on security, either 2 (when we have enough cover) or 3 nights per event (Thurs,Fri,Sat)
• Be able to walk around the site as part of that shift
• Be sober for your shift in order to be a fully responsible team member
• Be able to do physical tasks such as assisting carrying a person

Crew Links

• Crewing
  • Current Openings
  • Site Crew
  • Event Crew
  • Plot Crew
  • Credits (2019)
• Management Team