Costume

Overview

We would like Empire to be an aspirational game, one where every participant strives to have the best possible kit. Kit is more than just costume, it includes the props, set dressing and everything else that players bring into the in-character area at an event. The more effort every individual puts in to their kit, the better the game becomes for everybody. But kit is expensive to make and transport to events so it can become demoralizing to make this effort if people feel other players are not trying equally hard. To get the best possible game we need everyone who participates to agree to try their best.

But all aspirational games are at risk of appearing elitist, the assumption is that participants' costume will be judged against some unknown standard, which can be intensely intimidating to new players. We want Empire to be an accessible game that anyone interested in live roleplaying can feel confident about attending. We want the game to be inclusive, to be inviting and welcoming towards everyone interested in taking part.

An aspirational hobby is one where every participant aims for the best standards they can achieve - an inclusive hobby is one where those involved accept the different standards that others can achieve. What we want for Empire is for every player to agree to try their best - but for no player to ever feel embarrassed that their best effort is not good enough.

Rules

• Basic in-character costume that does not include trainers, jeans or t-shirts
• Dome tents and tents with obviously synthetic parts may not be pitched in the in-character area

T-shirts are acceptable if worn under costume and are not visible. These costume requirements are not intended to be aspirational; they are designed to allow players to attend the event with absolute confidence that their costume is good enough to play the game. Most of our players want to create fantastic kit, but the purpose of these simple rules is to make clear that these are the minimum standards that players can demand of each other. It is important to encourage everybody to make the best effort they can, but it is not appropriate to make other players feel unwelcome because their kit only meets these basic requirements.

We anticipate that the overwhelming majority of our players will not have any difficulty avoiding jeans, t-shirts or trainers. Anyone who is interested in attending a PD event but is not able to source costume that will allow them to achieve our requirements is welcome to get in touch. We have an extensive wardrobe of very basic costume and are happy to lend garments to any player who is interested in trying an event but who is unable to obtain their own costume.

Our events feature separate in-character and out-of-character camping areas, so players with modern tents are welcome to bring them to the event and use them in the out-of-character field. But modern dome tents and party tents may not be pitched in the in-character area. Some fabrics that are part plastic or impregnated with plastic are fine; materials like polyhemp are positively ideal for guy ropes at Empire. But tents that are obviously synthetic, such as those made of nylon or any material that is sufficiently plastic that it becomes glossy and reflective cannot be used in the in-character area.

The standards are much more demanding for tents in the in-character area because modern tents are very disruptive to the immersion of the event. Tents are for hire for events from the Profound Decisions website but no player who is interested in Empire should feel they have to have a tent to play the game. Period tents are expensive and we recommend that players focus on improving their kit in preference to getting a suitable in-character tent if resources are limited. The field will be filled with scores of in-character tents as well as the sets and structures that Profound Decisions build on the site.

Social Contract

• Players will try to get the best kit they can given their skills and resources
• Players commit to continual improvement of their kit between events
• Players accept that everyone else has the best kit they can get

A social contract is an agreement among members of a community defining the rights and responsibilities of each member involved. The idea is to benefit everyone involved by ensuring that everyone knows what behaviour is expected of them. We hope that these three rules can form the basis for a game that is deeply aspirational, and helps to encourage every participant to get the best possible kit.

Every individual has different amounts of time and resources available to them. Some players have enough disposable income to buy the costume they want to wear, the wiki lists scores of links for traders who sell good quality kit. Some players have the skill and spare time needed to make their own kit, so the wiki also includes pages of costume advice to help. And some players have neither. Because everyone who participates in the game contributes to making the game enjoyable for all, it's part of the social contract for the game that everyone tries to get the best kit they can. But because everyone has different levels of disposable time and money then it has to be down to the individual to work out what they can afford to spend on their hobby.

The idea of continual improvement is a central part of what makes these rules aspirational. Every costume from the simplest home-made tunic to the most expensive tailored outfit can be improved. You can add accessories to improve the overall look or replace parts of the kit with better items. Our kit includes everything we have with us in the in-character area - so the more we can eliminate modern out-of-character items from our costume and our camps then the more immersive the field becomes. These things take time and money, they are difficult and expensive to get perfect. But by committing to continually re-examining your kit between events then you can ensure that the kit you start with improves over time. Just as with creating your kit in the first place, the time and money you can spare to improve your kit has to be your own choice, not something that anyone else can dictate.

As well as asking everyone to make the best effort they can with their kit, we are also telling players to respect the efforts made by others. Individual players will always have different levels of costume and kit, but as everybody is trying to get the best kit they can afford then there is no valid basis for criticism of what they have achieved. It does not matter if a piece of kit is not the right period, or the right style, because the player in question has followed the rules and made the best effort they can. We do encourage all our players to ask each other for help and advice, and if you are asked then it is appropriate to give advice on how a costume could be improved. But the focus should always be on suggestions for gradual improvement, not on criticizing the kit a player has. Everyone involved in Empire should avoid criticizing other player's costume and kit.