The Hundred

Want to join us? We are the Centuria - a hundred warriors who fight against a thousand. No horn sounds for battle that we do not take the field. But we swear that whenever the Empire sets foot upon the field of battle we will match them boot for boot, blade for blade. We are slain but never die, defeated but never beaten, our banners are captured but never fall. We will become war.

Overview

The Skirmish Team are one of the most essential parts of Empire. Our game is built around the concept of exciting, dramatic battles against the enemies of the Empire - but we need scores of capable LRPers able to fill those roles. We need a kick-ass team of warriors to make the fights feel epic. Our ultimate goal is to build a group of roleplayers who can convincingly portray every threat the Empire might face - monstrous creatures, guardians summoned from the realms, brave Jotun heroes, disciplined units of Grendel soldiers, mages of the Thule, or the slippery and devious Druj.

Although we encourage the other crew to help with the numbers needed for the battles, the key roles go to the Skirmish Team - it's down to them to provide the leadership for player monster units and represent the elite of the barbarian forces during the battles. Their involvement makes the whole experience immersive and fun for all participants.

The Skirmish Team is led by Andy Connell and Tom Hancocks as part of their role in the Battle Team. They are responsible for organising, briefing, and deploying the Skirmish Team for the battles and skirmish encounters at the event.

We are looking for one hundred members of crew to join the Skirmish Team.

The Goal

The vision is to have the most effective, adaptable and experienced combat crew ever at larp. We know it will take time and dedication, from all involved, so anyone who is a part of the team will be encouraged to share their thoughts on how we can get there! The more input we can get from the team - at every level - the better it will be.

The team has a budget to purchase any materials and kit that we feel will help us run the most fun, emotive, dramatic and challenging skirmishes possible, so those conversations about ‘wouldn’t it be nice if we had x’ are now, what shall we get first! All members of the team will be encouraged to help out planning what to get next and helping to create it.

So please keep reading for the specifics of what will be involved. We fully acknowledge that it will require dedication from our team, especially at the beginning while we are still building, but if you want to help build and be a part of the coolest team in Empire then please get in touch!

Skirmish team in action

What is Involved

There will be plenty of fighting, so it's essential that you're enthusiastic about LRP fighting! Hard skills, roleplaying and fighting are really useful, but the experience is not essential. You'll soon get plenty of practice at the events, and we hope to have opportunities to drill and train as well. Most of the core hard work takes place during daylight at the event, so you will get evenings off, but there are opportunities for night-time encounters as well.

Being part of the Skirmish Team isn't just about fighting, you can help us create the visual look and feel for the elite units the Empire faces. It's down to the Skirmish Team to create the individual characters that bring the plots and campaign to life.

We are aiming to create a fun environment, with interesting fighting, and the chance to get involved in other areas of the game. We want to have a great crew area, where you will be able to relax and unwind, share tales of the day's exploits, dramatic combat, and glorious deaths!

It will be hard work to start with, but as the team grows and you gain experience, there will be opportunities to play more varied roles as part of other plot skirmishes and encounters that might not necessarily be combat-focussed. When the sun sets, team members have a chance to visit Anvil as a player character, join the NPC Team for other plot roles, or just relax around the crew camp.

We are asking for the following from the team:

• To fight in battles, skirmishes, and other encounters
• To participate part in other non-combat plot encounters as required
• To assist in setup and takedown of skirmish kit
• To contribute towards preparing and clearing the skirmish areas
• To help build the team into the most effective fighting force larp has ever seen
• To enrich the experiences we deliver through developing your own monster kit and roleplay

Team members will need to be available for, and commit to the full schedule of skirmishes across an event. However, we appreciate that this is a great physical demand, and it is totally acceptable to sit out an encounter to rest up.

What you Get

• Free event ticket
• Meal vouchers for every meal valid usable at all the onsite caterers
• Free soft drinks at the Tavern
• Acess to food and drinks in Crew Welfare
• Time off to rest and relax after 22:30 each evening

Empire crew get free entry, but you also get vouchers for your meals which you can use with the caterers onsite. There are free soft drinks for the crew in the bar, and free hot and cold drinks in the crew welfare area throughout the event.

Most of the skirmishes stop in the evening, so you'll have some time off if you want to join your friends in the field for a few hours to socialise.

What to Bring

As with the players turning up to monster, we request that all Skirmish Team provide some of their own a base kit. Suggestions include:

• Plain trousers – ideally linen or cotton trousers which allow you suitable movement for fighting in battle and which will keep you warm and dry quickly. However, plain jogging bottoms are fine, as well as being quite warm and quite cheap. Do not wear jeans or combats. You will likely want several pairs for when you get wet or muddy.
• Plain long sleeve top or tunic – it needs to be long sleeve to cover your arms when playing an orc. Many of the Team wear a vapour-wicking base layer such as Under Armour beneath more in-character layers of kit.
• Strong boots – army boots or hiking boots are strongly advised. The most important thing is having ankle support and protection for all of your feet. You will be fighting in the woods and possibly in a lot of mud. Having a pair of waterproof boots with good grip is better than having a pair of boots that look entirely IC and setting appropriate.
• Thermals – these will be useful to have at E1 and E4 when it can get cold at night.
• Neck covering - a neck wrap, scarf or snood - https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CU9V93G/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_i_OjTtEbB5HKYJ3?fbclid=IwAR2Dp4R671Nkl_3i4pw9HSY21PK8ipJXOzpdbbCDpmmF-Y5ctc6ghEcBgJk&pldnSite=1
• Gloves - hide exposed skin - https://www.screwfix.com/p/keep-safe-pu-palm-gloves-black-large/8612F?tc=ET6&ds_kid=92700048793290415&ds_rl=1244069&gclid=Cj0KCQiAqNPyBRCjARIsAKA-WFwQMnqqvRfJxwsxuXRC7lDvtF3wSmt-el7JMSVLh4OqsBBV8dnNMR0aAspAEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
• Weapons – if you have weapons then please bring them along, we can't provide everyone with them, and variety is always great to have!

What PD provides

The basic Orc costume is a coloured tunic over the (above) base layers, the orc breast plate, a snood, a mask and gloves. If you wish to improve your own kit and make items for your own sole use then the following are the best places to start;

• Weapons - we have a large armoury of various LRP weapons that you can borrow for various roles. There is not enough for everyone, so if you have weapons of your own please feel free to bring them along!

• Tunics - We have a limited number of tunics for each tribe, based on the tribe colouring, but if you want to make your own (which therefore will not be worn by anyone else), there is a great tutorial here and here is an example of how to make an orc costume for £10. As you have hopefully read there are two main tribes, the Druj (dark green), and the Jotun (deep red). Two other orc nations - the Grendel and the Thule - are currently at peace with the Empire.

• Armour – Profound Decisions has purchased breastplates and these are a specifically for the orc tribes. However, if you have any additional armour that would be appropriate, such as chain maile, and wish to wear that then please bring it to be worn as the plot allows. The standard amour rules apply.

• Snood / headcover – we have a number of snoods made out of stockinette. Again if you want to not have to share these with other fellow larp’ers a roll of stockinette is quite cheap and also works to cover arms / legs.

If you are interested in joining the Skirmish Team then please contact Andy Connell in the first instance.

Empire Skirmish