Playing a barbarian

Overview

It is not possible for anyone to play a barbarian character as your player-character. All the players at Empire are playing Imperial characters or characters welcome in the Empire. Barbarians are not welcome at Anvil and there are few long term roleplaying opportunities for them there. However everyone has the opportunity to play a barbarian at the event by joining the monster team for one or more of the big battles or the smaller quests.

Monstering one battle is a requirement for each battle you play in Empire, so even if you don't want to volunteer at other times it still makes sense to approach monstering in a way that will make the experience more enjoyable for you and the other players. Everything that follows is completely optional - but getting enthused about the opportunities to play barbarian roles doesn't just improve the event - it makes the experience of monstering more fun.

The Orc Tribes

In Empire, barbarians are classed as any people that the Empire is currently at war with.

There are several distinct barbarian powers which represent hostile tribes, kingdoms, and nations. The barbarians are designed to look cool in massive numbers in battles; to provide immersive, exciting and dramatic combat encounters; and to allow a range of interactions outside of combat. Most of the barbarian powers that currently surround the Empire are orcs.

There are scores of different orc tribes, all of whom have members spread throughout the barbarian orc lands and even some living as brigands within the Empire's borders. The four most powerful tribes control lands as large as a nation in the Empire and rule over the other tribes that live there.

• The Jotun are warlike but honourable, and occupy a large swathe of land to the west of Wintermark and The Marches.
• The Thule are dominated by their magicians, and engage in merciless reaving of any lands they invade. They are found across the mountains to the north of Varushka in an area called Otkodov.
• The Druj are a comparatively small tribe that uses fear to exert influence over a number of smaller tribes. They are found in the swamps and forests to the east of Dawn and Highguard and known for their treachery and their love of terror-tactics.
• The Grendel primarily occupy a land-mass to the south of the Bay of Catazar, and are kept at bay by the activities of the Freeborn corsairs. They are also found in numbers on the Broken Coast to the south of Urizen.

The orc barbarians are not a monolithic threat - the tribes may form temporary alliances, but they sometimes fight each other with as much ferocity as they show to the Empire. Smaller orc tribes are scattered across the Empire as bandits, or live outside its borders in numbers. The orcs of the hills between the Brass Coast and their foreign neighbours (Faraden and the Iron Confederacy) are a case in point.

Creating a Minor Tribe

Because there are many lesser tribes spread throughout all the barbarian lands, the armies of the Thule, the Druj, the Jotun and the Grendel will normally be led by two or three units drawn from the dominant tribe (played by our skirmish team) but include units from all the other tribes that exist. We have quite deliberately not listed all these minor tribes, so that players who want to get more involved in playing a barbarian can have the opportunity to create their own tribal identity.

Creating your own barbarian tribe works best if you are involved with a group of players who like to come and monster together at the events. You can agree a name and a simple background concept for who your tribe are, you can even write some simple history if you want to. You can email us if you want to check anything or discuss any ideas with us. When you volunteer to play your barbarian characters we'll encourage you to form up together as a unit so you can develop some common experiences from the battles your tribe has fought in.

Because of the way the setting has been created, if you are playing a member of a minor tribe, that tribe can still appear in every battle. There will be members of your Black Lion tribe living in the lands of every major tribe, so there is no reason at all that your tribe won't be fighting for them on the battlefield.

Making Barbarian Kit

One of the best ways to get the most out of live roleplaying is having nice kit for the characters you play, and many players enjoy making kit. We spend a lot of money buying new kit for our barbarians - but you don't have to rely on what Profound Decisions can supply - you can create your own costume for your barbarian role just as you might for your own Imperial player-character.

If your group have created their own minor tribe - then that creates many opportunities for creating costume for that tribe. You could choose appropriate tribal symbols for your group and create shield covers or tunics emblazoned with the symbol - you can create a banner with the device on it. Obviously this involves time and effort, but your group will look awesome when they are playing barbarians - and that means you'll get more prominent roles and you'll enjoy the experience more.

It doesn't have to cost much, there are guides online that show how to create a barbarian orc costume very cheaply. Even just adding a few touches to the armour provided to all the volunteers playing barbarians will make your group look amazing.

how do make a very basic orc monster kit for £10 - photo tutorial.

Playing the Tribe

The Imperial characters who take the battlefield are the strongest heroes in the Empire - they are not always victorious on the field of battle, but they are never outmatched by their barbarian enemies who usually fall like wheat before them. Realistically if you are playing a barbarian you can expect to die a lot. There isn't there much point in creating a detailed character identity with a complex back story and a long list of character goals - you won't have much chance to do anything but fight and you'll likely die quickly. Creating a detailed individual character is what playing an Imperial player-character is all about.

Playing a barbarian is about getting invested in the idea of your tribe's identity and not worrying about the individual characters. The character you are playing is going to get killed - but the tribe you are creating will have a place in every battle. They have a history that endures from one battle to another. If you capture a banner from an Imperial group during a battle in Karsk - you can carry that battle onto a later Varushkan battle to give them a chance to claim it back. By creating a strong idea for the group, you have something to roleplay with whenever you are playing your barbarian tribe that will make the experience more fun.