General FAQ

Introduction

The following is a list of frequently asked questions that players have sent us. If you have any queries about Empire then it is worth checking the FAQs first, to see if the answer to your question is here. Otherwise email us at rules@profounddecisions.co.uk with any questions about the rules or empire@profounddecisions.co.uk with any other questions about the game. We'll answer as quickly as we can and we'll add your question to our FAQ if we think it is likely to be of interest to other players.

Obscure Questions

In addition to this list of frequently asked questions there is a list of obscure questions people have asked to which we have provided answers. They are included for completeness and for reference purposes and searches.

Questions about lineage and orcs

Questions about lineage and orcs are now maintained on their own lineage and species FAQ.

Questions about nations

Questions about nations are now maintained on their own Nations FAQ.

Costume

Can I use a modern tent as an IC tent if I dress it?

Modern tents made of obviously plastic materials like nylon cannot be used in the IC area at Empire, even if you have tent dressing for them. This means that dome tents and party tents cannot be used in the IC area as well as other similar tents. The reason we don't make an exception for tent dressing is that it changes the decision from one that is reasonably straightforward (is that a modern looking tent) to one that is utterly subjective (have you dressed it enough). All attendees on arrival are always adamant that they will fully dress a modern tent but the results vary dramatically. The issue devolves into an argument about how much dressing is required and what the minimum standards are.

In effect what we are doing is asking everybody who doesn't have an IC tent to make a sacrifice and do without an IC tent. There will be hundreds of IC tents on the field and your character will be able to use many of them. The OOC camp site will be nearby and you can sleep there and store vital supplies there. By excluding modern tents from the field we will achieve a much higher standard of IC immersion through the IC area, so everybody gains, but it does mean that folks without IC tents have to make that sacrifice so everybody can have that gain.

Rules

Why have I only got 1xp after two events?

If you attend one or two events in a year - then you get one xp in total after the first event.

If you attend three or four events in a single year - then you get two xp in total - one after the first event and one after the third event.

Can I use recorded music in my IC tent?

We have asked all players not to use background music playing from an electronic source in the IC area. Using music like this remains a controversial issue, some attendees like it - but some don't. In Empire we have worked as hard as possible to encourage the presence of IC musicians at events - and we want to continue that by encouraging players to hire IC performers if they want IC music in their establishments.

What are the restrictions on bows and crossbows

All bows must have a maximum draw weight of 30 lb at 28" (72 cm). All crossbows must have a maximum draw weight of 30 lb. We do not use bow competency tests at Profound Decisions events. You cannot parry or catch arrows that are fired at your character.

Bows and crossbows must be wielded in two hands. Pistol crossbows and wrist-mounted crossbows cannot be used in Empire.

Do I have to spend all 8 character points?

You do not have to spend all eight character points when making your character. Unspent points are saved and can be spent on that character later. However you cannot spend those points on a different character in the future. Only unspent points that have been earned by attending events can be spent on a new character.

Does the CLEAVE have to hit armour to be stopped?

Yes. The armour you are wearing on your torso and body provides additional global hits. But to protect you against a CLEAVE or IMPALE, the physical blow must strike an actual piece of armour. If it hits a part of your body (other than your head or neck) which is not protected by armour then you take the full affect of the heroic blow. If the blow strikes the actual armour itself and the armour protects against that blow then you just lose one hit.

Can I use steel armour that doesn't cover my torso?

To gain the benefit of increased hits, your armour must cover your torso and one other location, either your head, legs, arms or half your arms and legs. But you still gain the protection provided by the individual piece of armour, appropriate for its type, if it is struck.

E.g. I am wearing a soft leather vest and helm which counts as light armour and provides me with two extra hits. In addition I am wearing steel vambraces and a hardened leather hero belt. If a CLEAVE or IMPALE strikes my steel vambraces then I just lose one global hit. If a CLEAVE strikes my thick leather hero belt then I just lose one global hit. If the blows strike me anywhere else, then I am affected normally.

Can I wear mail under my costume?

Yes, you can wear armour under costume, or even other armour. Your armour does not have to be visible. If you wear a steel vest of mail under your costume or other armour then it would protect against IMPALE or CLEAVE as normal.

What happens to my hits when I swap armour?

If you are wearing armour and you have lost any global hits, then you drop to one hit when you remove your armour. If you have lost any hits when you put a suit of armour on, then you do not gain any hits by donning a suit of armour, until you are healed.

In theory it would be possible to use fractions to calculate how many hits you have, in practice this is needlessly complicated for a situation that will almost never arise (people removing armour while wounded and in danger). The rules above are as simple as they can be and ensure that there is never any advantage to swapping one set of armour for another.

Can my magician wear pieces of armour?

A character cannot cast spells while wearing any piece of regular armour. A magician with the mage armour skill may wear mage armour which provides two additional global his but does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE.

You may not cast spells while wearing pieces of armour, such as greaves or vambraces. You cannot wear anything that would protect against a CLEAVE or IMPALE and cast spells at the same time. You can wear costume or mage armour that includes some metal if it is part of your costume but it is better to avoid it looking like armour and it does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE. If you wish to wear a helm for safety reasons then you may do so.

Can I use a wand to cast heal?

You cannot use implements to change the stated rules for casting a regular spell like heal. This means that the regular rules apply, the spell requires you to touch the target for ten seconds while casting the spell and neither you nor the target attack or be attacked during that time. You can use a wand or other implement as part of your roleplay. The various magical wands, rods and other items that exist are intended to be used as aides to roleplay when casting these spells.

Can I master a new ritual I just performed?

It's not possible to master a ritual by casting it. A ritualist can attempt to cast any ritual effect at an event - effectively working without having mastered the spell. If the ritual is part of the Imperial lore (it is on the wiki) then it is easier to do that. But successfully casting the ritual does not make the ritual part of the Imperial lore - that takes a major effort and only certain characters can achieve it (the Dean of the Lyceum of the Imperial Conclave).

Only once a ritual has been added to the Imperial lore (put on the wiki) can you spend xp to master it.

Can you be fed a potion if you are dying?

Yes. You cannot drink a potion yourself, if you are dying on zero hits, but you can have one fed to you.

Setting

Who do I talk to about my background?

If you have any questions or want to discuss your Empire backgrounds, personal and group, please email empire.backgrounds@profounddecisions.co.uk, where a team of friendly and helpful people are waiting to assist. There will be a submission process provided alongside character generation when that goes live.

Can I email a longer background?

The character creation system allows you to submit a background which is up to 2000 characters (including spaces) long. We don't accept backgrounds longer than this because the workload involved in reading thousands of characters backgrounds is immense. The longer every player's background is - the less time members of plot team have to read any of them - and the less time they have for writing plot for the events. For this reason we refuse to accept any email for a background which is longer than 2000 characters.

Please appreciate that you are encouraged to submit a background as a series of bullet points. You are welcome to write your own epic version of the background - for your own enjoyment and characterisation - but a bullet point summary is all our plot team will accept as a submission.

Where is the world map?

The fully detailed maps are still being finalized by members of our team but higher-level maps can be found here.

Do mythical and real world beasts exist in Empire?

Most indigenous European fauna like boars or stags exist in Empire - but obviously they are unlikely to turn up at events. The notable exception are horses, which did exist but were wiped out centuries ago. Fantastic beasts, like trolls and dragons also exist in Empire, some of them as myths, some of them as creatures that you can meet.

Mundane details of the setting are broadly European in character, so non-European flora and fauna such as lions are not found in the Empire but are known of in foreign lands.

What beasts of burden exist?

Horses are extinct in Empire and oxen are used as beasts of burden instead.

What are the coins and what are they worth?

Imperial coinage is made up of rings, crowns and thrones. There are eight crowns to a throne and twenty rings to a crown.

It is effectively meaningless to talk about what coins are worth, since Empire will use a free market economy system in which players set the prices of items rather than the organisers. As a result we have no idea what things will be worth and prices will change from event to event. The starting income of a normal character is 18 rings, every normal character will receive that amount of money every event. We'll release more details about what money and items characters will start each event with once the rules are released.

What accents can/should we use?

We are not specifying accents for individual nations, because many players find accents difficult to manage and we wish to avoid any assumption that people need to use a specific accent. It is also important to appreciate that while a nation like the Brass Coast is inspired by the costumes of South America and Moorish Spain it isn't meant to be Moorish Spain - you can use a Spanish accent to help develop your character but you don't need to.

It is worth appreciating that caricatures of accents have been used to ridicule ethnic groups for decades. It is appropriate therefore to avoid the kind of misanthropic mangled accents of bad cliches of ethnic groups from the Orient and Arabian Peninsula, because they will offend some players. However LRP is fundamentally about the appropriation of cultural motifs to create context and setting, in the same way that these motifs are used in literature, theatre and film. So it is absolutely fine to make your best attempt at a credible Spanish accent for your Freeborn character or Russian for a Varushkan character if you wish to do so.

Can I invent a Paragon or Exemplar?

The current paragons and exemplars outlined are not intended to be an exhaustive list but illustrative and to be expanded on. You can create an exemplar for your background but you should avoid creating paragons as these are few in number. As with any part of the setting, this will need to be checked to ensure its consistent with the setting game (i.e. an Inspector Clouseau like character will not be accepted as an exemplar of Wisdom).

Group background submission will be available in the new year, so you can include details of any historic figures then. It is worth reading about the signs of the Paragon and Exemplar.

Can I play a priest of a False Virtue?

It is possible to be a priest of a False Virtue and it is possible for such a priest to dedicate others to their False Virtue - but you cannot start out that way, you have to try to achieve it in play. Of course you can start out as a person who believes in the False Virtue and is seeking to become dedicated and to spread it.

What is Hearth Magic?

The simplest possible definition of Hearth magic is magic that works in the world, albeit unreliably, without any skill. Hearth magic is useful in rituals, where it can sometimes be combined with "true" magic to make the effects slightly more potent. But Hearth Magic is a real potent force, it's a superstition in the same way that people in the real world believe that a piece of lodestone suspended in water will turn to point north.

Game Style

Will the concept "Find Out In Play" exist in Empire?

The idea will be irrelevant in Empire - all the rules for the game (skills, items, spells etc) will be accessible to every player through the wiki and alongside everything published by us about the setting. Empire is not a game of discovering new technology and any character that wants to know these things can.

There will be secretive things going on in the game that players can discover. There will be secret societies and cults, hidden agendas and powerful forces manoeuvring against the players - but players will be free to froth about the game afterwards.

Do I have to volunteer to monster?

The Empire events run by Profound Decisions will feature one or more large battles, involving hundreds of participants. We have ordered four hundred orc masks and are in the process of ordering four hundred sets of orc armour. We can't possibly operate with that many crew, so to ensure that there is an epic horde to fight against we will need volunteers.

Volunteering will only be required if you plan to fight as your character in the battles. If you don't wish to take the field as your character, then there is no requirement to monster any of the battles. If you do wish to fight in the big battles then you will be required to volunteer to monster every other battle. There will be two battles at each of the first two events to ensure everyone has a chance to play one battle and monster one battle at each event.

We are confident that we can make monstering every bit as fun as playing. We need volunteers to fill out the barbarian hordes to make the battles as epic as possible, but our intention is that the majority of players find crewing one of the battles to be nearly as enjoyable as playing them. We are deliberately designing our barbarian foes to make them fun roles to portray.

There will also be skirmishes and other fights with the barbarians and other threats the Empire faces. We are aiming to have enough crew to operate these smaller battles ourselves, so volunteers are welcome but are not required.

Can I monster the battle without playing an orc?

Initially, most of the hostile enemies the Empire faces will be orcs. We have ordered four hundred masks for these which use latex prosthetics applied to a thin fabric balaclava making them relatively comfortable and pleasant to wear.

If someone can't play an orc, because they have a latex allergy or are non-combatant, then there will be other opportunities to help with the battle, but they are likely to be less fun. They may be human captives, sacrifices, or it may involve simply helping carry water for the battle. Provided you volunteer to help for one of the battles then you are welcome to the other, but if you can't play an orc then we cannot guarantee that what you'll be doing will be as much fun as the orcs are having.

Can I get a friend to monster for me?

People who play non-combatants will be welcome to monster both battles if they wish to. However you can't play two battles just because your friend is monstering two, the onus is on the individual - if you want to fight in an epic battle, you have to personally play your part in helping those epic battles happen, quid pro quo.

How should parents handle monstering?

It's important that young children are supervised throughout the event, so two parents or carers who are attending an event together can share monstering responsibilities if they wish to. This exception to the normal rule about sharing responsibilities takes account of their other responsibilities. This means that one of them can play one battle and one monster the other battle at the same event if they wish to. We encourage them to swap over between events, but of course this is up to them.

How do battles work?

How will battles work? (I paraphrase) Battles at events will form part of a wider campaign against the barbarian enemies of the Empire. Players will have opportunities to make pivotal interventions to turn the tide of war in their favour - provided they can triumph. Battles will feature objectives for the Imperial forces to achieve rather than being "meat-grinders", achieving those objectives will improve the position of the much larger Imperial armies in the field. Things may be kept simple at early events to allow everyone to get the hang of the system but ultimately the intention is for those players playing Imperial Generals to decide where the Imperial armies are sent and to choose which battles to send the PCs to fight from the scenarios presented to them by their civil servants.

How dangerous will the main field be?

We are not planning to run camp attacks on the main field - the goal is to try and create the feel of a buzzing settlement right at the very heart of the Empire - a place of relative security. Our NPC magistrates will work to ensure the law is kept and the enemy is very far away. We want the field to feel like a place of relative safety, a place where characters can feel free to walk around without weapons or armour if they choose.

The idea is to contrast this with the very real danger that is present whenever the players leave the main field. Those characters that use magic to teleport to the Imperial battlefields will find themselves facing very real and very deadly threats. For the overwhelming majority of the time, players will know when they are heading into danger and those players who wish to avoid combat should find this easy provided they remain with the safety of the settlement.

Is PvP murder allowed?

We are quite explicitly setting out to make assassination as difficult to achieve as possible. The Empire has a legal system, run by NPCs, and it will make all possible effort to identify and execute assassins. Our intention is for the majority of conflict between players to be political and social in nature rather than combat based.

Assassination of characters is still acceptable out-of-character behaviour; what we are doing with the campaign is deliberately making that as difficult as possible for the assassins to get away with, so that it becomes a tool of last resort rather than the simplest way to deal with political enemies.

Downtime

When do I get the benefit of my upgrade?

If you upgrade or diversify a resource then you receive the new production straight away. The system does not show the changes in production (yet), but you will receive the updated production when your downtime is processed.

Can I make a two month item at the end of downtime?

Yes, if you select an item that takes two months as the last item you make in downtime then you will automatically complete this item as your first selection for your next downtime (this cannot be changed).

Can I give resources to a friend?

Yes. If you email us, we will move the resources from your inventory to your friends. We will introduce an automatic system for swapping resources later in the year.

Why isn't my ritual showing on my downtime?

We are still processing the rituals performed at the last event, this will take a few more days. Rituals do not provide additional downtime choices - they only change the production you get for your resource, so you should submit your downtime as normal. We will have your downtime shown correctly by the event.

Can I submit a free-text downtime?

No. The downtime system for Empire is very deliberately designed to be tightly defined in terms of using your characters assets and time to give them some valuable goods to take to the next event. This is the only thing that the downtime system can be used to do - to ensure that the focus remains clearly on the events themselves. There is no provision for submitting individual free text downtimes - the time for doing unique and interesting stuff is at the event.

What happens if I don't make an event?

When you attend an event your resource will produce materials in the following downtime. If you don't attend the next event then any money or resources gained are added to your character inventory - you receive them at the next event you do attend.

You only get resources and downtime following an event that you have attended. When you miss an event then you don't receive any resources (or the ability to craft items) in the downtime that follows that event.

Can I purchase a downtime ticket?

No. There is no option to purchase downtime only tickets for Empire.

When does the magic item duration end?

The year duration for magic items begins at the next event that your character attends following the downtime that you make the item. The item is valid for that event and the three events that follow it.

Booking

What is the requirement for concessions?

Anyone who is a full time student, a full time member of the armed services, or in receipt of unemployment benefits such as job-seekers allowance or is a pensioner is eligible for the concession on the ticket price. You only have to be eligible at the point where you provide the proof of your eligibility, so students or can claim the discount for the year even if their course ends in the Summer.

You must provide proof of your eligibility. The best way to do this is to email proof to us at admin@profounddecisions.co.uk after you have booked. We can then mark your entire booking as having the concession confirmed. If you don't do this then you will be forced to bring proof to the event and then queue up in a long queue at GOD before you can play. Please don't do this, it's bad for you and bad for us! Email us a scan of your proof and we will log it to your account.

Can I use a recruitment booking code for Empire?

Everyone is a new player for Empire, so the promotional discounts for new players are not valid this year for Empire. We may extend the scheme to cover Empire next year. Recruitment discounts are still valid for Odyssey, so if you are an existing Odyssey player then you can use the scheme to recruit new players for Odyssey.

How do I book my child on to the event?

The website has now been updated to allow players of all ages to book on to the event. Anyone who is attending the event must have their own account, regardless of age. Once you have created an account and entered your birth date then the ticket prices will be updated to reflect your age and booking options.