PD Crew Wiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Battle Ref Guidelines

2026-03-30T18:34:55Z

Emmanovi: sp

=How to volunteer=
There are two main ways to volunteer
* Email [mailto:crew@profounddecisions.co.uk crew@profounddecisions.co.uk]
* Turn up to the ref preparation area at 09:30 on the day your nation is monstering - this will normally be behind the GOD tent
We run some internal checks on all referees e.g. for conduct etc so recommend the first option so that can be done in advance

=What to bring=
Wear a practical base layer of neutral or IC clothing and footwear that is suitable for battle terrain
* You will be given a two layer ref tabard to wear so factor that in for hot weather
* Avoid obvious character / group kit or makeup - there is no space to store your character kit in the prep area but you will be able to return to your tent or car to kit up after the battle
* Wear a belt to stop your tabard flapping and attach a radio to, plus something to store a notepad and pencil - radio, pad and pencil will be provided
* You will be exposed to the elements e.g. sun, heat, wind, cold and rain so consider sunblock, a hat, suitable layers etc

=What to expect=
Below is the typical running order for a battle but it might vary from battle to battle
* Ref preparation (09:30 behind GOD) - signing in, getting tabard radio etc and time to read briefing sheets and generally get kitted up
* Ref brief (approx 10:30) - prep closes and there is a short (roughly 20 min) ref brief on the battle, normally you will then be split into teams and may have further briefing or pre battle tasks
* Battle - starting at 11:00 and normally 60-90 mins
* Post battle debrief (optional) - a short (we aim for 20 mins), debrief to drop off tabards/radios etc, pass on individual write ups and group feedback
* Back into play - you will be able to head into the OOC area or quickly cut through IC areas to kit up and get back to playing

=How to ref the battle=
Below are some guidelines and terminology to familiarise yourself with, if this is your first time reffing Empire battles make this known during prep and to your team leader and they will provide additional guidance and support as needed

==General Guidelines==
*Chain of command - the lead referee(s) will be in overall command, and team lead refs will coordinate the activities and comms for small groups of referees, contact refs will provide where escalation is required
* Pronouns - avoid using gendered pronouns and where possible use generic terms such as person/people, player(s), monster(s), referee(s) etc
* Do not ref each other - if another ref needs help they will ask, be prepared to help on request but do not assume - note Contact refs are available if escalation is needed
* Avoid conflicts of interest where possible - try to avoid reffing your group or friends to avoid the perception of preferential treatment
== Combat Safety ==
Generally referees will not need to interfere in combat and participants will take care of their own safety. However some situations require the referees to act to prevent injury, typically where large numbers or poor perception of dangers put participants at risk of injury. The first two rules of combat reffing are:
* Do not put yourself in danger - you cannot ref from the first aid tent
* If you are the ref on the spot then make the call and other refs will back you. In most situations making a decision is better than no decision and combat is too fast to consult
Other items to consider
* Check the area for hazards and move debris if possible (preferably before combat moves into the area) – note fallen players and healer stations count as debris, if need be move them to a safer place
* Check your spacing from other refs and avoid clumping together – look for areas of combat with no refs and move to them
* Watch the flow of combat to predict where it will move to, check that the retreating side are not moving towards a hazard and adjust your position accordingly
* Pointing out hazardous areas to unit leaders will sometimes negate the needs for more intrusive measures by allowing them to move their unit to a less dangerous fighting area
* If you have to direct or reposition units try to avoid favouring either side but if that is not possible then err in the players favour.
* Crush lines and crush doughnuts usually need closer reffing than skirmish combat and may need more intrusive measures. They are more common in open field battles but can occur in the woods. Reffing them can be quite intense and physical and is very much a personal choice.
** If the crush is too thick to see the gully from the sidelines then a ref should move to either end of the gully, crouching in the middle or using any available cover.
** If the line is too long to see each side then more refs should move down the gully so they can see each other to ensure the whole length of the crush is covered.
** Move fallen players out of the crush to avoid them being trampled
* If a crushline becomes a doughnut then a ref should try to get in the centre or otherwise gain a view of how crowded it is.
** If the centre is getting too crowded then refs should puncture the outer ring and encourage the lines to peel back to allow space for the centre to move into. Do this even if you have to ask players to move
** Calling time freeze and expanding the outer ring rarely works as it will normally collapse back in unless the situation is changed.
* Picking up arrows is a courtesy, not a requirement. Never hold arrows in the middle, take them into a crush, or throw them
== First Aid (previously Man Down) ==
* Check that a person has actually been hurt, they may just be roleplaying or someone may have inappropriately called man down IC
* Call First Aid, if not already called, but do not spread the call if you cannot locate the casualty.
* Encourage everyone in the area to kneel to help you locate the casualty and secure the area from combat
* Assess the casualty;
** If they are conscious, lucid and mobile they may be happy to step to the side and allow combat to recommence, they may or may not want a medic to attend - always recommend one but it is their choice.
** If they are unconscious, immobile, have visible injuries (broken bones or excessive bleeding) or in excessive pain you will likely need to pause or move the combat, plus you have an urgent First Aid and must call a medic
* When calling a medic via radio, use geographical features to describe location not nearby player / monster formations and give indication of urgency based on your assessment above
* Refs in the area should help guide the medic to the casualty and help control the area keeping it clear of active combat
* Wait for the medic to assess the casualty and follow their direction as to whether combat can restart in the area or if the combat should be moved to a new location
* When the combat area is clear, check both sides are ready and restart the combat
** take care to ensure those involved are not unduly prejudiced by the incident e.g. ensure they have not been cut off by changes in the battle flow.
** it may be necessary to allow the casualty to re-enter play at a different point or directly back to Anvil if the battle has ended
== Radio Guidelines ==
* When transmitting
** move away from background noise and if windy cup your hand over the microphone
** consider what you are going to say, make it concise and check for geographical features if you need to describe your location (do not use groups of players/monsters)
** wait for conversation on the channel to clear – unless your call is urgent
** push and hold the transmit button then pause a second
** state your name, deliver your message then pause before releasing the button
** if you need to get someone's attention urgently then repeat their call sign three times
* Try to funnel updates or discussions via the team lead refs to minimise radio traffic
* Avoid swearing on the radio and do not make personal comments, radio is not the place to have 'sensitive' discussions.
* If you expect a long conversation invite the other person to switch to one of the conversation channels
* Take care you do not accidentally lean on the transmit button or allow the headset lead to work loose - this can tie up the channel. If this occurs the person transmitting cannot hear any radio calls so check neighbouring refs rather than try to use the radio to find them.
== Glossary ==
* Choke point - a feature that funnels participants into a smaller area e.g. a gate in the fence, a bridge over a ditch or the Sentinel gate
* Contact Ref – a ref nominated to assist other referees if they need backup when dealing with a situation
* Crush line or Crush – two lines of densely packed combatants that are relatively stationary
* Crush doughnut – a smaller force, encircled by a larger force, that is being forced into a tightly packed group
* Debris – a danger that can be moved e.g. fallen branch, dying character etc
* Hazard – a danger that cannot be moved e.g. barbed wire fence, ditch etc
* Gully – the gap between two sides of a crush line
* Lead Ref – the referee in charge of a given combat
* Plot Ref - the referee that will provide any plot clarifications and provide the definitive timings for the Sentinel Gate
* Team lead ref - the referee coordinating a tea of referees covering an area, nation or other feature

==Hots and Nots from the debrief==
[[file:Hots and Nots.PNG]]

Synod

2025-08-31T14:24:36Z

Emmanovi: /* Voting queue */

The [[EmpireWiki:Imperial Synod|Synod]] is the body of state responsible for religious matters. Its membership is every player character with a congregation.

The structure of the Synod is covered on the public wiki. This page focuses on the work and processes followed by the Synod department of the Civil Service team.

In-character, the Synod team is the Tribune of the Synod.

== Pre-event work ==

Before each event, we produce the following documents:
* The '''Assembly Lists''', which show all Members of the Synod pre-booked for that event, split out by Assembly
* The '''Mandate List''', which shows all available [[EmpireWiki:Mandate|mandates]] available that event
* The '''Synod Titles List''', which shows all titles appointed through the Synod & their occupants, and also lists all titles up for [[EmpireWiki:Appointment|appointment]]

These documents are produced via Google Docs and then converted to PDF for printing in Preston prior to the event starting.

=== Producing the lists ===

The most complicated is the '''Assembly Lists'''. This first requires accessing the "Voting Rights - Synod" from the "Data" tab of the PD database (if you don't have access, you can ask Jonathan to get this sorted for you). There's a Google Sheet that does most of the heavy lifting for us (which at some point could be improved even further with macros). You can use the previous event's Google Docs as a template for this event, just make sure you update everything.

# Paste the data from the database into the Google Sheet
# Do a quick sense-check - is there anything out of place?
#* very high or very low vote strengths
#* members of Plot crew with votes unless specifically warned ahead of time
# Using the pivot tables, sort each Virtue Assembly:
#* By Nation in Ascending order
#* By Name in Ascending order
# Copy and paste each Assembly list into a Google Doc and format it
#* Split over 2 pages as necessary
#* At the top of each Assembly list, in bold and larger letters, put the name of the Assembly
#* At the bottom-right of each page, put the name of the Assembly and, if more than one page, the page number in brackets
#* Where you have to go over 2 pages, keep each nation onto one page
# Do the same for National Assemblies
# Also export the total voting strength, greater majority threshold and number of priests for each Assembly into two tables, one for Virtue and one for National (with General as the "total" line for each)

The '''Mandate List''' requires going through every single Wind of Fortune and finding any mandates presented. We group them by Wind of Fortune they appear in. We don't capture the effects of the mandates, just:

* The text (which includes the cost) - this is critical to get exactly right
* Who submitted the wording, if it was done by a player
* What Assembly/Assemblies the mandate is for
* Whether it competes with any other mandate

For the '''Synod Titles List''', take the one from the previous event. Update it with all changes to incumbents, and add/remove titles from the list as needed. Then using the database, identify all titles up for election and list them along with how they're elected.

=== Pre-event printing ===

This is normally handled by Jonathan, but anyone could do it. All the below printing should be onto vellum as it's for IC use.

* Assembly Lists - 6 copies for each Virtue Assembly (2 for each Cardinal, 2 for the voting books, 1 for the primacy book, 1 for the wall), 1 copy of each National Assembly (for the primacy book) and 2 copies for the National Assemblies with dedicated tiles (currently Highguard, League and Wintermark)
* Synod Titles Lists - 2 copies, one duplex (for the book) and one simplex (for the wall)
* Mandate List - 3 copies, 1 for the main desk and 2 for the citizen's writing desk
* Judgement Sheets - print more as needed to top up supplies. General Assembly goes through the most, followed by some of the National Assemblies
* Voting Sheets - we should have about 500 for each event (c. 250 judgements with 2 sheets each), so generally print 500 unless we have a notable leftover from previous events
* Other notices - these currently include:
** Lectures and Assembly Change posters - confirm how different lectures will have changed Virtue Assembly membership, and highlight which elections people cannot vote in if they've moved assembly
** Virtue Fund posters - confirm total amount in Virtue Fund as at start of event, list donations from previous event, etc.

== At-event prep ==

At the event, we need to get everything ready before time-in. That includes:

* Setting up the assembly boards on the Judgement wall
** Put up all the assembly board headers
*** 10 National Assemblies in the Hub Annex
*** 8 Virtue Assemblies, Assembly of Nine, and two sets of General Assembly (one for judgements needing greater majorities and the other for everything else) in the main Hub
** Put a stock of blank judgement sheets for each Assembly on the relevant board

* Putting up notices
** Virtue Assembly lists in the main Hub, along with the assembly totals
** Synod Titles list in the main Hub
** Other notices wherever they fit

* Prepping the voting books
** Empty the two voting folders - "Book 1" and "Book 2"
** In the front of each, place one copy of each of the Virtue Assembly lists, plus a totals sheet
** Empty the "Competed" folders as well

* Prepping the primacy folder
** Remove any previous lists or totals
** In the front, place one copy of each of the Virtue Assembly lists, a copy of each of the National Assembly lists, and a totals sheet
** Stock the folder with 5-20 blank voting sheets

* Preparing initial judgements
** Judgements 1 & 2 - Appointments for the two Cardinals up for regular election this event
** Judgement 3 - Rewarding for True Liao
** Judgements 4+ - anything else due to be raised by the Tribune, such as -
*** Vacant Cardinal titles
*** Any [[EmpireWiki:Veto|Veto]] hanging over from the previous event
*** Any [[EmpireWiki:Recognition|Recognitions]] that were upheld with a greater majority by a Virtue Assembly at the previous event
*** Any Synod-appointed titles subject to [[EmpireWiki:Challenge|Challenge]] at the previous event
** Ensure voting sheets are prepped and put in the voting books
** Get the judgements up on the wall, unless there's a good reason not to (e.g. controversial veto wording), at which point put those up at time-in

* Preparing part-filled judgements for titles up for election
** Use the Synod Titles document and match the list of titles up for election
** Prepping these ahead of time saves a lot of time during the event and helps us avoid duplication

== During the Event ==

During the event, Synod is open during the following times (known as ''scrutiny periods''):

<table>
<tr><td>Friday</td><td>18:00-22:00</td></tr>
<tr><td rowspan="3">Saturday</td><td>10:00-14:00</td></tr>
<tr><td>15:00-18:00</td></tr>
<tr><td>19:00-22:00</td></tr>
<tr><td>Sunday</td><td>10:00-14:00</td></tr>
</table>

Outside of these times, unless there are pressing reasons otherwise, we should not accept new judgements or accept any votes.

Whilst Synod is open there are two "queues" we manage - the '''Judgement queue''' and the '''Voting queue'''.

=== Judgement queue ===

The Judgement queue leads up to the main desk. This queue is for:

* Submitting new judgements
* Asking to be added to an Appointment (standing as a candidate for that election)
* Invoking any other Synod powers
* Asking queries

At time-in on Friday, there is often a queue of 10-50 people that forms, but at most other times this queue is short, rarely more than 3 people.

==== Submitting new judgements ====

A Member of the Synod may submit a single Judgement each event for a single Assembly that they are a member of. They should bring to us a completed Judgement Sheet. If they haven't got one, help them find them (they're on the wall, next to the sign for that Assembly). If they have one but haven't completed it, help them complete it -

* After "The Synod Member" they should write their name
* After "Seeks a judgement of" we need the type of [[EmpireWiki:Judgement|Judgement]] as per the list on the wiki
* The main box should be completed with the text of their Judgement
* The majority type (lesser/greater) is driven by the type of Judgement
* The bottom-left space is for a short form of the date (e.g. Su So 387YE = Summer Solstice 387YE)
* The top-right space is for the closing time. These are the end of the scrutiny periods as in the table above - 2pm, 6pm and 10pm each day. They must pick a time that's at least 3 hours away.
* Finally the judgement number goes in the top-left. Fill this bit in last - ideally we will have numbered voting sheets available which will tell you what the next number is.

Validate the judgement before accepting it. Important considerations include -

* Is the judgement '''technically valid'''? For instance, we should reject a Recognition put into a National Assembly, or the Dawnish Assembly calling a Marcher to Inquisition.
* Is the judgement '''legible'''? If the text is quite small or the handwriting is difficult to read, then we should offer to assist them - either rewriting it ourselves, finding them someone else to do that, etc.
* Relatedly, is the judgement not '''too long'''? If the words go outside the box, or it's all crammed together affecting readability, then we should advise it's too long for us to accept and ask them to rewrite it.
* Does the wording '''breach any conduct rules'''? For instance, it misgenders someone, is an act of OC bullying, or contains unacceptable themes. If this is the case, we cannot accept it. Explain what's wrong with it and OC ask them to change it. If the breach is serious, refer to the team leader or a member of the Conduct team instead.

Once the judgement has been accepted, tell the Member the judgement number - at this point they can leave. Complete two voting sheets - one for each book, and pass these across to the voting desk (it's customary to ring a bell or say "ding" when you do this). Stamp the completed Judgement sheet with the horse stamp to show it's been accepted, initial the bottom-left, and put it up on the relevant wall.

==== Appointments ====

Appointments are the judgement type that are how the Synod does elections.

If someone wants to stand for a Synod-elected title (with the exception of Gatekeeper and Imperial Chaplain Consular, which are done by decision of a Cardinal instead), check whether it's already up on the wall by checking the main list in the green folder. If it's not up yet, it will probably be in the pre-prepared stack, unless we didn't know it was up for election or only became vacant at the event, at which point you'll have to prepare it from scratch. If it's up on the wall, go get it or ask the player to do this for you.

Appointments are raised by the Tribune, so for the "Synod Member" section, cross out "Member" and write "Tribune" instead. If you're completing a new sheet, add it into the list in the green folder. If you're doing a pre-prepared sheet, write the new judgement number into the folder.

Do a cursory check that the PC is eligible for the title (for example, if it's a Dawnish title, sense-check that they're Dawnish). Ask them for their name and write it in the box on the judgement sheet, numbering each as you go. Try to ensure the name is as clear as possible - ask for a full name if you need to.

Confirm the judgement number to the candidate and state that they're on the list.

If this is a new judgement sheet or pre-prepared sheet, also complete two voting sheets. Add the candidate's name to the voting sheets as well before passing these over to the voting table. If the voting sheets are already in the book, write a quick note for the voting table confirming the judgement number and the name of the candidate, then pass it to them.

Put the judgement (back) on the wall.

==== Other powers ====

The main two powers are -

'''Extend Scrutiny''' - a power of the Cardinals, each Cardinal title can do it once per event. They can extend scrutiny on any Judgement ''not'' raised by the Tribune that has not already closed. They pick a new end time for the judgement. Update the judgement sheet. Write a note for the voting table. Put the sheet back on the wall. Ring the bell and announce what's just happened, and invite the Cardinal to explain. If possible, get a message to the PC whose judgement has just been extended.

'''Custodian of Virtue''' - a power of the Throne, unlimited. They can pick any Judgement or Judgements that haven't closed yet that currently need a Lesser Majority to pass, and make them need a Greater Majority instead. Update the judgement sheet. Put the sheet back on the wall. Ring the bell and annouce what's just happened, and invite the Throne to explain. If possible, get a message to the PC whose judgement has just been affected.

No PC should take down a judgement sheet from the wall without being told to by the Tribune.

=== Voting queue ===

Members will line up to cast their votes. They should, ideally, have sorted their votes into ascending numerical order to make everyone's lives easier.

# Call for the next voter
# Locate them in the Virtue Assembly lists by asking for their virtue, nation and name as needed
# Identify the number of votes they have. You may wish to write down name/virtue/votes on a scrap of paper
# Ask the voter for the number of the next judgement they wish to vote on
# Write their name, virtue assembly and voting strength in the relevant columns under In Favour or Against (or under the name of their chosen candidate)
# Repeat steps 3-5 until they have voted on everything they care to
# Thank them and go back to step 1

Synod

2025-08-31T14:23:23Z

2025-03-27T18:59:58Z

Emmanovi:

Synod

2025-03-27T18:59:47Z

Emmanovi: Created page with "The Synod is the body of state responsible for religious matters. Its membership is every player character with a congregation. The structure of the Synod is covered on the public wiki. This page focuses on the work and processes followed by the Synod department of the Civil Service team. In-character, the Synod team is the Tribune of the Synod. == Pre-event work == Before each event, we produce the following documents: * The '''Assembly..."

Civil Service

2025-03-27T18:39:48Z

Emmanovi:

Civil Service

2025-03-26T15:31:01Z

Emmanovi: Starter for 10

File:JonathanK.jpg

2025-03-26T15:05:37Z

Emmanovi: Jonathan Kidger, Head of Department for the Civil Service team. Photo taken by subject and uploaded with permission

== Summary ==
Jonathan Kidger, Head of Department for the Civil Service team.

Photo taken by subject and uploaded with permission