Experienced Larpers, New To Empire

New Players
#1

Hi Everyone,

First of all, I just wanted to say how exciting Empire looks! My wife and I have been wanting to come for a while, but have held off due to financial reasons and uncertainty about not knowing anyone as we join. Recently though, we have seen a lot of really welcoming posts on here and through YouTube and similar things, and it’s really given us the push to give it a go, maybe around the first event of next year.

A little about us! My name is Josh, I’m 26 and live in Rotherham with my wife, Sacha. We’ve both done a little larping before in the form of Leicester’s Synergy, though that is more sci-fi futuristic in nature, set in a night club.

Sacha is really interested in exploring Empire as a more rogue-like character, dual wielding and treasure hunting, with inspiration from characters like Game of Thrones’ Arya Stark and Assassin’s Creed’s usual main protagonists. She’s really anxious about going in as we don’t know anyone that does it, but I know that after we get to know people, she’ll enjoy herself more.

On the flip-side, whilst I am interested in the combat side of the event, I am more interested in learning and playing in a support capacity, building a character with a combination of medical and magical healing that could perform as a battlefield medic or run a small medical clinic in whichever nation we settle into. The main thing that makes me anxious is just making sure I’m doing things properly!

Leading into that, our interests are drawn by nations such as Wintermark, Dawn and Highgaurd, but to be completely honest, any nation that is friendly enough, with a group willing to help and support a couple of nervous noobs is a win for us whilst we’re getting a feel for the game.

Thanks again for being such an inviting community!

Kind Regards,

Josh and Sacha x

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What would you tell experienced Larpers about Empire?
Highgaurd Wizard Heal Noob Costume Query
#2

Hello and welcome, to the game and the forums!

(But not to the hobby! I’ve heard of Synergy but know little about it.)

We are a pretty welcoming LARP, and I’m sure lots of groups would happily offer you a place :slight_smile: If you’re after more info on what it’s like to jump into the game, I can reccomend the “Noobs at Larp” podcast, which I’ve been listening to.

Your character sketch is a classic, there are healing spells and hand-on field surgery, and practitioners of both/either are very welcome. There are plenty of experienced people on this in every nation, and indeed the Imperial Hospital (player built and run) which acts as a triage station, medical clinic and surgery, and is positioned next the the Sentinel Gate (big round thing, deploy through it for quests, skirmishes, battles, it’s not a Stargate, honest).

Sacha may have to adjust a little. Plenty of room for light fighters, fast users of blade and crossbow and the like, but the classic “rogue” skills of hiding, pickpocketing, and doing horrendous damage via a backstab are not really present in the Empire game. Treasure hunting is a possibility, although there are few quests for treasure and the monsters rarely have loot. A thought occurs: the Artisan skill would allow her to start with several magic items, and make more in play. Combined with Hero points for such skill effects as CLEAVE, she could certainly be a very dangerous and well equipped light skirmisher, possibly doing the treasure hunting more in downtime?

I suspect you’ve looked at the nation pages. Have a read through, see which ones call to you. There are also, if you’re down to a shortlist, Facebook groups for each of the Nations’ players.

Empire is exciting. There’s a lot to do, on and off the battlefield, and it’s one of those games where you may wish there were more hours in the day at the same time as you’re desperate to sit down (although given the in-game pubs, bars, restaurants, newspapers and competitions, you could do a LOT of role-playing without moving much, and many do…)

I have friends in Highguard, and they seem to be having a great time.

I’ve found Wintermark to also be full of enthusiastic and friendly people, although perhaps a little large for some tastes (it’s the biggest nation in play by quite some way).

I’ve been happily playing in Dawn since the game started. I think it’s awesome fun, but I am rather biased.

If you’re planning to come along to E1 2020, you should have plenty of time to look over the game, pick out a group, sort out kit, and so on.

I do reccomend joining a group, even if you change your mind later, just to have some people to camp/chat/introduce the game. There IS a lot of New Player support, so if you want to go as a new group of two, that also works.

Additionally, keep an eye out for discounts on the event tickets. Established players get a recruitment code, giving a booking discount to new players (and themselves), there are other concessions as well.

I am happy to answer any further questions you may have :slight_smile:

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#3

And shedding my neutral moderator hat, I’d be happy to offer you a place in my group in Dawn, House Tour de Cendres. We are a group of 8 to 12 (depending on the season) nobles and yeofolk, resplendent in black and gold, who do a goodly amount of socialising, trading, and quests, with a focus towards harrying our traditional enemy, the Druj orcs.

More info and links on request :smiley:

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#4

Welcome to Empire! Geoffrey has given you some great advice, so I won’t add anything beyond saying Highguard is awesome (I’m biased as I’ve played in Highguard for 7ish years now).

Join the various national Facebook groups, I’m sure you’ll find a group to join! As a note, some groups prefer to recruit in-character, so I always advise turning up and walking around your chosen nation and meeting all th groups before asking to join your preferred group.

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#5

Hi, and welcome.
Geoff has said some of what I was planning to about treasure hunting etc. Because the game is pretty massive, there don’t tend to be very many smaller quests like you will get at a traditional small club larp where treasure hunting is such a thing.

If you are happy for some advice on nation, the Brass Coast is probably the best fit for that kind of game and where you are most likely to find it. Plus they are a small-medium sized nation where a roguish corsair can make a real impact and you will find like-minded people.

The other option where it might fit is, bizarrely, Highguard, because they have a certain inclination to ‘adventurer archeologist’ types, although that merges in an unusual way with their attitude to history. More of a ‘find lost knowledge in ancient tombs’ rather than finding baubles, but the core concept is similar.

Rather a lot of people have tended to go to Dawn and Wintermark, especially lately. If you fancy being surrounded by an especially big faction and that appeals to you, go for it. Personally they would not be my recommendation for exactly that reason, as I think it makes it harder to make a mark.

Turning to your comments on the battlefield, I should say at the outset that the battles and skirmishes are only a small amount of time at an event, relatively, so it really helps to have planned what you will be interested in other than fights. The game is at its core mostly social and political, so once you have decided on a nation I’d suggest reading up on their core concerns to pick some stuff you care about and might consider pushing. Having said that, the concept you suggest for a support character on the field is a very good one, as there is always a huge need for such. If it makes a difference to your choice then I would point out that each nation fights in an extremely different style on the battlefield, which can alter the type of fun you have there. And if you do want to spent more time fighting and risking your life, skirmishes are the way forward - there are a bunch of them every event and if you can get on to one or two of those it will drastically increase your opportunities to run towards or away from danger (or often both in the same skirmish, as they do tend to be risky).

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#6

Another medic, awesome!

So, it’s possible to be a regular medic and a mage medic but you will be sacrificing the ability to wear armour in battle, which makes you very squishy. That being said, Your squishiness should be counteracted by your guard if you are in a healing blob.

Looking at the wiki
You’ll need chirurgeon to get physic. So that’s 4 points total.
Honestly, it’s not worth picking up apothecary just yet, unless you are building a potion maker. Any group you join or fight alongside will have their own potion-maker, and if not, they are really simple to find on the field.
If you then grab Mage (2 points) thats 6 points spent.

Now here’s the tricky bit.
So you are a mage, and can only cast the 3 base spells (all useless in combat)
It would be good to buy more spells - as a healer, it’d be great to have Heal, Purify and Restore Limb (Mend is for weapons)

As a mage you get 4 personal Mana per day

So your options there are: buy 2 spells and have a more varied arsenal OR buy 1 spell and 1 [Extra mana] (Adds 2 personal mana). Gives you 2 more casts but only of 1 spell.
([Extra Mana] cost doubles each time you get it, so at creation you can only get 1)
Of course you can use crystal mana, but that stuff can be expensive

All that being said, don’t forget that you don’t NEED to spend all 8 points during creation. You can sit on some and allocate them mid-game or between games if you are unsure.

As for the clinic… I think it’s a great role-play idea, but not too many injuries tend to happen off the battlefield. There is a Hospital right outside the Sentinels gate (The portal where they come and go from battle) and they are always happy to have more hands, plus is a great place to learn about how healing works in the game.
The rogue idea is pretty good too, as you are experienced, you probably already know that a decent sneaky character needs fairly decent real-life sneaky skills - the amount of newbies I’ve seen who want to be a ‘Sneaky assassin poisoner’ is mad, as it’s hard-mode. If thats what your ither half is going for, but not wanting to say it out loud, make sure y’all read up on the poisons. They only last 15 mins from brewing, which mean you’d have to brew, run across the field the administer it without suspicion, pretty much immediately. So, not impossible, but certainly not easy.
Anyhow, I hope you are looking forward to it, I’m usually wandering around - Tom the Trader (Also a Physick/Mage healer like you) so feel free to say hi As a cool bonus, here’s a code you can use to get a cheeky discount when you both book - 3218.6752 - Gives you £15 off and I get a kickback too.

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#7

Thank you for all your responses guys n’ gals!

Currently, I get the feeling we’d be welcome regardless of which nation we chose, and even then be able to build bridges!

With the advice received so far, though I like the style of Wintermark, I’d much prefer a smaller nation I can make a bigger impact in.

As our budget is not particularly massive, I’m considering making my own initial costume to start out. Fits in with my meagre backstory, coming to Anvil to start a new life.

So far, I’m either going to settle on my medic/magic healer idea or go full Ainz Ooal Gown and battle mage it up.

Sacha on the other hand is still deciding what to do lol.

#8

Look to Varushka, and particularly the Ketsov of Ossium, newly added to the empire after years under the Druj

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#9

Just to be clear, it’s not currently possible to play as one of the Ketsov:

Ossium is on the list of territories new Varushkan characters can come from. For now however, the only appropriate character backgrounds for Varushkans in Ossium are “Imperial citizen from somewhere else starting a new life as a Varushkan in Ossium” or “freed human slave who has embraced Varushkan culture”. An obvious example of the latter would be someone who was freed from the Crawling Depths by the armies and introduced to Varushkan ways by the soldiers of the Golden Axe or the miners of Moresvah. It is explicitly not possible to start as a member of the Ketsov family, or similar group of Druj collaborators.

https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Ossium#Drownbark_Forest

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#10

Apologies. That was me mis-remembering that section. The freed slaves are effectively what I meant - I thought Ketsov referred to all the humans of Ossium rather that just the specific collaborator group.

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#11

You would indeed be welcome wherever! And there’s certainly a lot of cross-nation stuff for making friends etc in the other nations.

If you’re looking for “a bit like Wintermark, but smaller”, Varushka is a pretty good suggestion. You should be3 warned though, that the frequent fake-Russian accent is highly contagious :slight_smile:

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#12

I would argue that we’re nothing like Wintermark (apart from being used to the cold), thank you very much :wink:

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#13

I would recommend spending an xp on extra mana, as it let’s you heal 50% more people in a battle.
On the subject of getting spells, there are a few rituals, bluffs that are cast on you to give you extra abilities, that would help in this.

https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Illuminate_the_Higher_Mind. Is very cheap, easy to find someone to cast it and can give you a spell as well as letting you take extra mana.

https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Fountain_of_Life. This one gives you all of the “healer spells” at once. It’s a bit more expensive than the above, you’ll probably have a harder time finding someone to cast it but it is comprehensive

Keep in mind, you can only have one enchantment like these ar a time, so choose carefully and wisely :slight_smile:

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#14

Lots of sound advice fron very experienced players. Any nation will welcome new players warmly. Join the fb page of the nations you like the look and feel of. Read the 1st page of the nations breif on the wiki see whuch appeals to both of you.
The smaller nations will allow you to have a bigger impact on the nations mechanics and offer more opportunities imho.
Welcome to the fun!

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#15

Thanks to everyone for providing your support!

I thought I’d feedback on my final decision for our first game at e1.

Those of Highgaurd are unfortunate enough to be inheritting us into their camp lol. Thanks to everyone on the forums and facebook group that have answered more of our questions up to this point!

After much deliberation, i’ve settled on these stats:

  • Magician
  • Battlemage
  • 3x Extra Spells (Heal, Purify & Restore Limb)
  • 1x Spring Lore - Rituals (Hands of Sacred Life & Blood of the Hydra)

Additionally, decided to settle into Reikos with a Mana Site, so I now feel adequetely set up.

Sacha, on the other hand, is a lunatic set on jumping straight onto the front lines with her two-handed blades of madness.

She’s not settled yet, but is definitely looking at Ambidexterity and some Hero Skills.

I’m posting a separate thread here regarding kit and costume queries.

Thanks again everyone!

GreyFox137 / Josh Furlong

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#16

I am playing a similar build in Dawn, and would heartily reccomend dropping a point into Extra Mana when you can :slight_smile:

Unless you’re planning to use your Crystal mana for Hands of Sacred Life a lot… preaching your ritual on the field of battle to the Highborn?

For Sacha, Unstoppable is an excellent Hero skill…

#17

Just because I play a medic, I need to point out that magic is not the only way to supplement your healing. I play a combat medic, so I have the 4-pt combination of healing and surgery, but I went with hero points; you don’t get some of the flexibility of magic, but it gives a different style. The five-second heroic skills Stay With Me (gets dying players back on their feet) and Get It Together (heal 3 hits) are great for when you don’t have time for real healing. The trick is that you are now able to use hero points to ignore roleplaying effects, like fear or anger, which might otherwise get in the way of healing.

I also happen to have ambidexterity and that’s a hard skill really; great if you know how to do it, often considered a bad idea if you don’t. For 90% of people, a small shield is a better offhand tool; no player or monster can take more than one damage per second, so hitting more often doesn’t always help. The debates here tend to be civil and thoughtful, but the best you can say for Ambidexterity is that at least it is not Thrown.

Of course, Empire is like most good LARPs; you will enjoy yourself much more with an interesting character than with a ‘perfect’ one. A mage who likes cutting people open to see how they work, balancing magical healing with mundane surgery, could be good game. A character who wields two daggers just for the aesthetic? Why not?

I wear one pauldron and a billowing shirt, fighting rapier and dagger. Is it effective? Not really… Do I risk death each time I take to the battlefield? Probably… Do I feel awesome? Every time… Such is life in the League, where I have seen people take the field with no armour and a full-length dress.

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#18

Don’t worry about not being settled on a build.
If you have any character points left over because you can’t decide (Or are still in-between skills), you can spend them when you are on the field - There are Player computers at the GOD tent.

I didn’t bother with Purify and I’m glad I didn’t - I’ve needed to use it yet, and I’ve used Restore Limb once.
I grabbed Extra Mana, as I try not to use crystal mana if I can help it.

Anyway, read up on ‘Swift Cast’. Costs 2 Mana per cast, but only needs a few words instead of 30 seconds AND only needs to be in range of your implement (thatswhatshesaid). If you are a battlemage with a staff, it gives you amazing ability to recover people in an emergency, and can reach through your bodyguard (You’ll have a guard as a healer most probs)

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