What Is Empire?
Live Roleplaying Event
Empire is the UK's largest live roleplaying game welcoming players from all across the United Kingdom and beyond. We run four weekend-long Empire events each year.
Each event is a political summit held at Anvil, the Imperial capital. Players portray the influential figures coming together to make the crucial decisions that determine the actions of the Empire. Our game is about the fate of the Empire and the political battles to lead it.
Empire is designed to be a game of difficult choices. Success is not guaranteed, and one of your character's ambitions might be thwarted simply because other characters opposed you. It is a highly political game - most situations that you encounter have no perfect outcome, someone always has to compromise.
If you are new to live roleplaying then it's worth reading our new player guide to find out why more and more people each year are choosing to take part in this amazing hobby.
Unique Fantasy Setting
Empire takes place in an original fantasy setting, rather than a historical one. The world has its own defined canon; our wiki lays out what is and is not true in the game world. This makes Empire feel more real - as players have a common understanding of what does and does not exist in the world their characters inhabit.
There are ten nations in the Empire, and every player must belong to one of them. Your choice of nation is the most important decision to make when creating a character. Each nation has its own unique history, culture and clothing. Members of a nation camp together; take the battlefield together, and usually support each other politically. Our wiki has more information on each of the ten nations.
Faith is a powerful motivation in the setting, but there are no gods in Empire. Instead, the focus is on morality with priests debating philosophy and the seven virtues. Our wiki has more information on the Way, the official religion of the Empire.
Magic is a fact of life in the setting, rather than being mysterious or sinister. Magicians cast spells on the battlefield or perform powerful rituals to change the world. Artisans create valuable magical items, while apothecaries use magical herbs to create beneficial potions.
Character Driven
Empire is a sandbox game in the sense that you will be entering a completely open world that you are free to explore and influence. There is no grand narrative being created by us, rather the campaign consists of the stories that emerge from the responses of the player-characters to current events as collectively, they run the Empire.
You will be part of a game with thousands of participants all playing together at the same time. You work with - and often against - other player-characters to determine what happens next. In this sense we strive to make Empire like the real world; there is no predetermined outcome and you are free to make your own choices within the constraints of the setting.
Player Vs Player Politics
At its heart Empire is a game of politics that is deliberately player versus player (PvP). If you are active in the politics of the Empire then the majority of antagonists will be the characters portrayed by other players. The game is designed to encourage many different forms of political rivalry, so you'll need to find allies to help you as you seek ways to advance your agendas and defeat your rivals.
Player Vs Monster Battles
Our vast battles are player versus monster (PvM). You face off against hundreds of enemies there to give you a dramatic and difficult fight, where victory is possible but far from assured. All the combat is done for real, so you'll be trying to hit your opponents with your weapon and they will be trying to hit you! Taking part in battles is completely optional - around half of our players do so each event.
Player With Player Interactions
A huge part of Empire is focussed on the interactions between players which aren't directly political or confrontational. The city has an active nightlife - you might attend a play at The League theatre, or join in the music and singing at the Navarr camp during “Songs and Stories” Empire is a world you can live in - everything is on sale in Anvil!.