Plot crew

Overview

Plot is the biggest department in Empire, as it incorporates all our NPCs, our plot writers and runners as well as characters like the nation bards, egregores, civil servants and magistrates and back room operations crew who work in costume and make-up. We need lots of people to help us fill out all these roles, so if you're interested in getting involved in the IC side of Empire then we're keen to talk to you.

The plot department is divided into dozens of different teams. Some crew are members of many teams, some are members of just one. Everyone who works in the plot department is expected to have a good familiarity with the campaign setting. The department is headed by Andy Rafferty.

Costume

• Work with the NPC and plot teams to equip and prepare any NPC encounters
• Plan new costume creation and purchase
• Sort and maintain PD's costume throughout the event
• Assist in preparing player volunteers for battles

The costume team are essential to dress NPCs and get them ready for encounters. Profound Decisions have two trucks full of costume and we are purchasing new costume all the time. The costume team use their knowledge of the costume inventory to dress NPCs for roles they are about to play, including the player volunteers for the battles. They also help them to change after an encounter and ensure used costume is put away. At the end of the event they help pack the plot room away and separate any costume that needs cleaning or repairing. The costume team also work before the events helping to plan and arrange new costume creation and purchase in preparation for upcoming plots.

Being a member of the costume team requires some skill with costume, since you need to be able to use the existing wardrobe to create an effective look for a character. It's a good role for people who enjoy working with costume and who want to help PD manage their costume wardrobe and acquire new costume.

We are looking for at least three crew to help us with the costume at events.

Make-up

• Work with the NPC and plot teams to prepare any NPCs that require make-up or prosthetics
• Plan new make-up and prosthetic creation and purchase
• Sort and maintain PD's make-up throughout the event
• Assist player volunteers before and after battles

The makeup team 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 makeup team plan complex make-up arrangements in advance so that convincing effects can be created quickly in the field. They also help player volunteers don and remove make-up before and after battles. At the end of the event they help pack the plot room away. The make-up team work before the events helping to plan and arrange new make-up and prosthetic purchase in preparation for upcoming plots.

Anyone can help with make-up, since some make-up requires only a basic colour application. More complex make-up arrangements require some skill and experience. An air-brush is available for make-up crew who know how to use it. It's a good role for people who enjoy working with make-up or prosthetics and who want to help PD produce some fantastic creatures.

We are looking for at least two crew to help us with the makeup at events.

NPCs

• Playing barbarians and other NPCs during encounters, skirmishes and battles
• Playing NPCs on the field
• Playing Eternals and heralds in off-field encounters

Our NPC team play all the roles that have been created and written for the event. We will be running skirmishes and encounters throughout the weekend where the NPCs play the barbarian enemies of the Empire, so most NPCs will be need to do plenty of fighting. But there are also NPC roles engaged in plot on the field and parts as eternals and their heralds for those who want them.

Anyone can be an NPC but it really helps if you have some experience of live roleplaying already. If you have never live roleplayed before, then it is better to play a few games before volunteering to NPC. It is a great role for anyone who enjoys roleplaying a character in a battle, but it is also good for anyone who enjoys working with writers to create enjoyable plot for players.

We are looking for one hundred and twenty crew to play NPCs for us at the event!

Bards

• Provide music and entertainment at events appropriate to the nation
• Encourage PCs to perform and entertain each other
• Encourage national identity through music, storytelling and dance
• Help to immortalize characters who have heroic deaths

Each member of our bard team plays a single role throughout the event as an active bard and performer in their nation. The primary responsibility is to produce music and entertainment in the evenings and to encourage and support PCs doing the same. The goal is to ensure that every camp has a festival feel with celebrations taking place through the event. They are also intended to encourage a strong sense of national identity in their nation, using their performances and roleplaying to encourage players to embody the brief. Their final responsibility is to collect stories of characters who have died in tragic or heroic circumstances and to try to preserve their tales so that all players are encouraged to live up to the heroic challenges the game presents. It is possible for a bard to play other roles some of the time if the wish.

Being a bard requires credible ability to perform and entertain. Story-telling, singing or instruments are all fine, but please don't ask to be a part of the bard team unless you have the out-of-character skills and confidence to play the role. You have total freedom to play your character as you please provided you bear in mind the out-of-character responsibilities of the role, so a bard is a great role for anyone who wants to get stuck into the game but also wants to be involved with performance and entertainment at the event.

Mark Chilvers is organizing and recruiting the bards for the event. Daisy Abbot and Jude Reid are playing Marcher bards. Jamie Wakefield is playing the Navarr bard. Anna Clifford-Tait and Steph Heath are playing Varushkan bards. David Silk, Mike Innes and Jez Hunt are playing Wintermark bards. We are looking to have at least one bard for each nation.

Egregores

• Are the first point of contact for players in each nation
• Source of plot in the nation
• Get new players involved in the plot and in the politics of the nation
• Encourage the players to maintain the visual and thematic identity of each nation
• Are the radio operator in each camp

Each nation has a single egregore that represents the personification of the nation created through ritual magic. The ritual was created by the Brass Coast to ensure that the nations of the Empire retained their independent character and culture. In the game they will act to encourage the players to maintain the visual and thematic identity of their nation. The egregores are an effective channel for plot writers to deliver plot "news" to the players about what is going on in their nation. They work particularly closely with the new player plot team to try to ensure that new players are involved in the plot and also involved in the politics of the nation. They are a point of contact for PD crew for players in a nation and will have a covert radio. They are not there to make decisions for the nation or provide leadership or direction. It is possible for an egregore to play other roles some of the time if the wish.

Being an egregore requires some charisma and personal presence. The egregores do not have any real power in the nation so their influence will primarily derive from what they can achieve through roleplaying. You need to be in touch with the politics of your nation to be able to get new players involved in it. Being an egregore is a great role for anyone who wants to play an evocative role in the heart of a nation but does not want to be in charge.

Dave McKenna is playing the Imperial Orc egregore. James Fishwick is playing the Wintermark egregore. Toni Badnall is playing the Urizen egregore. Liz Duggan is playing the Navarr egregore. Linette Withers is playing the Brass Coast egregore. We are looking for at least one egregore for each nation.

Magistrates

• Imperial character that conducts trials
• Engage players in the legal process
• Try to keep conflict between players political

The magistrates are official Imperial characters who operate the legal system, conducting trials and overseeing the application of the law. Their role is to involve players in the legal process as thief-takers, detectives and militia etc. The point of the magistrates is to do everything in-character, to make murder as difficult to get away with as humanly possible. The goal is to redress the balance of games in which murder is trivial and the cheapest solution to any political problem. Empire is intended to provide a PvM game for players combined with a PvP political game. The magistrates exist to try to ensure that most conflict between players remains political. It is possible for a magistrate to play other roles some of the time if they wish.

Being a magistrate requires some charisma and personal presence. The magistrates have the full backing of the setting, but that will not serve if they cannot get the support of the majority of players. Magistrates need to be unbiased and although they are encouraged to play the role on an ongoing basis they should avoid becoming embroiled in the politics of the game; like all civil servants they are compelled to remain honest and impartial by the magical power of the oaths they have sworn. Being a magistrate is a great role for anyone with an intuition for skullduggery and a sense of drama for making court scenes dramatic.

Jon Creek is our head magistrate. We are looking for one or two other magistrates.

Plot Writers

• Write plot for events
• Run plot at events

It is the job of the plot writers to create the plot lines that alongside the politics of the setting will help make Empire an exciting game to play. Plot writers need to write the plot before the event. They also need to run the plot at the event, or else convince another plot writer to do it. Running plot includes briefing and debriefing NPCs and helping to get encounters ready by liaising with costume and make-up. The plot writers will work in small independent teams. Plot writers may choose to play roles or perform other responsibilities during the weekend.

Each team will be led by an individual with experience creating and running LRP plot. You don't need to have a experience to write plot, everyone has to start somewhere - but we will want our team leaders to have proven experience creating plot for LRP events. Being an Empire plot writer is a great role if you enjoy creating plot and enjoy seeing players enjoy the game you have helped create. If you have ever wanted to create plot for a big game with over a thousand players, this is your chance!

We have produced a set of plot guidelines to let writers know what style of plot is appropriate for Profound Decisions Empire events. There are also some guidelines for how plot teams work.

Andy Rafferty is the overall head of plot for Empire. Alan Dent, Chris Edwards, Sam Sutton and Dave Young are running plot teams for Empire. We are looking to recruit at least eight independent plot teams.