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 festival 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 have 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.
Gate Crew
The gate crew are responsible for welcoming players to the site, checking bookings, and taking payments for the gate bookings as well as the early arrivals on Thursday. You're the first member of PD that most players will encounter when they get to site, often after a long drive, so it's important to be cheerful and friendly.
Being part of the gate crew means crewing from around noon on Thursday to Late Friday. Once your shift on Friday is complete you are then free to play the rest of the event.
How much of the event will you see?
- As gate crew you will be working for almost all of Thursday and Friday through to the evening. This will leave most the rest of the weekend to play a character.
Requirements
- Be on site by Thursday lunchtime
- Be personable and enjoy welcoming players to the site
- Be confident handling money and have strong numeracy skills
- Be prepared to work in all weathers
- Be prepared to time in late on Friday.
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 4 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 Links