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 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 having 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.
GOD Team
The Games Operation Desk (GOD) operates as the main contact point for players and crew throughout the event. We’re responsible for handling a wide variety of game administration, from handing out packs and recording rituals to recording lost property and helping new players create their first characters.
There are a variety of roles within the GOD team depending on your skills and interests. Some will be largely computer-based (our “front desk” crew), but not all. GOD crew handle large amounts of in-character resources and sometimes out-of-character cash, so it’s important that we’re known and seen to be trustworthy. Ideally, GOD crew will be around from Thursday to help with setting up GOD and handing out packs, but the key work is from Friday lunchtime to a few hours after time-out on Sunday.
How much of the event will you see?
- GOD operates throughout the event, although we have a rota to ensure everyone gets breaks and the chance for those who want to take some R&R
Requirements
- Good customer service skills
- Take instructions well, but be prepared to take your own initiative from one task to the next
- If you have an R&R character, being confident you can keep the information you learn in GOD separate from your character’s knowledge
While it’s unnecessary for all our GOD crew, being comfortable using a radio and a computer are significant bonuses.
Referees
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 3 pm until the end of the event at 3 pm on Sunday afternoon
If you would love to ref, but can't meet the walking requirement do let us know. We may be able to find a place for you to referee from a static spot like the Imperial Regio.
Crew Welfare Driver/team member
We’re looking for someone who will be comfortable driving a large luton van and helping in crew welfare when needed.
The main focus of this position is to drive to the Local Booker wholesale with a list from various departments and the deputy head of crew welfare to restock the tavern, crew welfare and any other teams who request items. This may include multiple stops.
If you are not required to drive for the event you will be asked to help out generally in crew welfare making sure the crew is fed and looked after. expect some sweeping, mopping and occasional evicting of spiders/wasps. Help Check stock expiry dates and setting out the hut in a manner that makes everything easy to find. Help redistribute booker stock. Preparing and putting out a lunch buffet and keeping it stocked up.
You don't need any experience to join the crew welfare team, you just need to enjoy talking to people. The hut is a very small area and can get quite busy at times, so volunteers with small children will need to find an area away from the hut to keep them occupied due to health and safety concerns.
Having your own van, is not required as there is a PD van available, but having your own would be an advantage.
How much of the event will you see?
- As a driver and member of crew welfare there will be plenty of opportunity to see the game. When required to drive you will be busy for a solid 3 hours but will then be able to rotate with the rest of the crew members to play the game.
Requirements
- Be on-site from early Friday morning until Sunday morning
- Be comfortable wearing a radio and earpiece when required
- A standard driving license
Security
Live roleplaying events are generally relaxed and friendly environments so we work with a small SIA registered security team. We supplement that team 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 1 am - 8.30 am 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
Encounter Tents
The Encounter Tent team is in charge of set dressing and creating spaces that represent different parts of the game world outside of Anvil. This allows multiple plots to run simultaneously for small groups of players, including Past Life Visions (PLVs) and Plenipotentiaries. Each tent usually has a predetermined theme for each event to support the needs of the plots, and these sets are changed multiple times during each event, whether it's changing color schemes and decorations or creating major rebuilds, such as a collapsed mineshaft obstacle course.
Our set dressing elements are shared with the set dressing department, any other smaller props can be retrieved from our props department in the monster tent, and the encounter tent team are responsible for returning anything used to it’s relevant home and keeping those storage areas tidy & accessible.
Whilst designing each set is a collaborative process with the rest of the team, working as a team and following instructions from department heads is vital to keeping up with the quick turnarounds we have each event. Being proactive and creatively minded with knowledge of the visual briefs of the Empire game world is beneficial. We’re especially interested to hear from anyone with experience in theatre set & stage crewing, as well as encounter design in other larps.
How much of the event will you see?
- Plot Production crew are very busy throughout every event. This means that it is impossible to play an event and be a member of the plot crew.
- You will still get a chance to take some time off and socialise with friends, most likely towards the end of each day once the last remaining plots are run out.
Requirements
- Be available from Friday morning to begin dressing the encounter tents
- Be available for an hour after time out for take down and packing
- Comfortable with lifting & shifting and occasionally working at height on ladders
Costume
The Costume team works closely with the NPC team to ensure they are maintaining the consistency of kit briefs entering the player field. During events the costume team manage the setup and take down of wardrobe, keep the kit rails tidy, accessible & organised. They are also in charge of creating, acquiring and repairing kit, typically during the downtime between events
How much of the event will you see?
- Plot Production crew are very busy throughout every event. This means that it is impossible to play an event and be a member of the plot crew. You will still get a chance to take some time off and socialise with friends, most likely towards the end of each day once the last remaining plots are run out.
Requirements
- Be available from Thursday afternoon to help setup the costume department
- Be available for an hour after time out for take down and packing
- Have a good understanding of the costume briefs for each nation
Props
The Props department is responsible for organising and maintaining PD's props and assisting with prop requests from the running plots of each event. Our props are sorted into numbered & labeled storage crates which many of the plot & plot production crew members will access throughout each event. Once the plot is finished the props team will return everything back into it’s boxy home.
Between events & occasionally during events specific prop requests will come in, and whilst it’s not the sole responsibility of the props department to facilitate these requests the role would suit someone with crafting skills.
There are also ongoing efforts to create a searchable photo database, with photos being taken at each event during any downtime.
How much of the event will you see?
- Plot Production crew are very busy throughout every event. This means that it is impossible to play an event and be a member of the plot crew. You will still get a chance to take some time off and socialise with friends, most likely towards the end of each day once the last remaining plots are run out.
Requirements
- Be available from Thursday afternoon to help setup the props department
- Be available for an hour after time out for take down and packing
- Comfortable with lifting & shifting some relatively heavy storage crates
- Have a good understanding of the visual briefs of each nation
Skirmish Team
We need more people to join our skirmish team - The Hundred - to bolster our numbers and help in delivering combat encounters at events. The Skirmish Team runs in two main groups to deliver large military engagements and smaller plot-heavy encounters for players. As the game has grown the need for more orcs, heralds, undead, and unusual monsters has increased. To continue improving on our current encounters we need a larger team to muster for skirmishes and deliver combat encounters so more players can participate and have fun fighting for the Empire!
The majority of the time we play barbarian orcs from the tribes that surround the Empire, but also portray magical heralds, fearsome creatures, shambling undead, the monstrous Vallorn, and unassuming human citizens with nothing to hide... It can be an exhausting experience but as a team we look after each other and make sure we don’t push ourselves too far. We stop work each evening by 10 pm, then run through a briefing for the battle the next day. After this is done there is time to rest and relax with the rest of the team, head in character to enjoy Anvil, or take on a volunteer role in late-night low-combat encounters. With a larger team, we will be able to support larger military encounters and additional slots for our Plot Team to deliver a whole host of plots in the skirmish areas, encounter tents and in Anvil itself.
Ideally, we are looking for people who already have experience playing or crewing LRP, both at large fests and smaller events. Experience of Empire LRP is not essential but will help make it easier to understand the encounters you are part of, and what we are trying to achieve. Being a competent fighter is useful, as is being able to lead others, but these are not essential; being able to roleplay is however an essential thing we need!
The extra cool bits: "You get to play the varied threats faced by the players; access to the Empire arsenal of weapons and armour for monstering with; support from the rest of the team on creating cool orc costumes and kit; training in how to safely fight and engage the players of the game in combat!"
How much of the event will you see?
- You will be involved in encounters during most of your event, but will have plenty of breaks for rest and food. There is a chance to play your own character after battle brief is done each evening.
Requirements
- This role involves considerable physical exertion, involvement in LRP combat, and frequent running
- This role includes frequent changes of kit, armour, and makeup
- This role requires wearing latex masks for extended periods of time
- You need to understand and follow the Empire LRP rules, especially those relating to combat and conduct
- You will work with team leaders our Battle Team, Referee Team and Plot Writers to deliver exceptional encounters
- You will assist with set-up and take-down of team kit and the battlefield areas before and after the event
- Where possible you should commit to crewing for an extended period of time (four events); it is not possible to alternate between playing and crewing as part of the Skirmish Team