Was just wondering what tips people had to make their ic tent look ic on the inside . Im thinking of getting a large faux fur blanket for wamrth and to cover my camp bed and sleeping bag but what else can i put in there ?
Also how do you secure the tent closed ? Any advice ?
Faux fur blanket is great, not just for the look but for warmth too! Personally, I use a couple of colourful throws on the floor, wooden or wicker baskets to keep my items in, and then scatter around a couple of IC looking items like glowstones, books, maps or small lockable chests. Even having things like IC eating/drinking utensils sitting out can immediately give it a more ālived-inā feel. There may be something more particular to your nation as well (like hand-washing bowls for Highguard), which nation are you in?
Also, when you say secure the tent closed, what exactly do you mean? PD ones come with a zip-up doors as far as I know. With regards to IC theft, if a tent is closed then others arenāt allowed to enter it without permission. Or is it OC theft youāre worried about?
Throws, blankets and sheets in nation appropriate colours. If you shove all the OOC bags under your campbed one sheet or blanket will cover that nicely.
If you plan to have visitors during the day then rugs, cushions or chairs to sit on are good, and a tray or table for putting things on. (Also good for containing food and drink mess to one place in your tent).
Some variety of enclosed lantern or LED lighting that looks the part is useful. You can just put a camping lantern down the back of your campbed, sat on the floor it will do a pretty good job of lighting the place and indirect light is better for your night sight anyway.
If itās an integral groundsheet tent - generally the bells, but not the marquees, a small cotton doormat is good for minimising mud transfer.
Designating a bin bag helps keep the mess contained, whether thatās a black sack tucked in the corner or something more in keeping, but better to plan that before you need it!
Im a lil but worried about oc theft , simply because i dont normally camp . Everyones been so lovely so far and i jnow the majority if us are there ti have a good time and rp but you only need one bad apple
Itās an understandable thing to worry about. As @Mark_Wilkin says though, itās not a common thing at Empire - yes it has happened, but itās very rare. If/when it does happen, itās normally someone nicking IC stuff who didnāt realise OC stuff was mixed in, and who then hands the OC stuff into GOD.
If youāre really worried though, then Iād say keep any OC valuables somewhere hard to get to (tucked right up underneath your camp bed for example), and keep your tent zipped up when youāre not in it. Nobody wants to risk being caught, especially if they donāt know in advance if it will be worth it, and having to faff with unzipping tents increases that likelihood.
Security: keep your wallet and car keys on you at all times, in an IC belt pouch.
My friend who introduced me to Empire also gave me this advice: ātake nothing that you arenāt willing to lose.ā I keep that in mind with any LARP or camping. However, as the others have said, Empire is generally safe, I feel safer there than I do in the outside ārealā world.
Tent dressing: depends on your nation. When I was Freeborn (ie Brass Coast), I used sari fabrics draped over the sleeping pod (because getting creepy crawlies on me freaks me out) to disguise it. I used coir mat for my flooring, topped with colourful rugs. I covered the cooler with a bright blanket. I had a low, modern camp table covered in jaipur tie-dye fabric, topped with tea lights, incense, and my apothecary stuff. I had baskets with colourful fabrics to hide the mallets and such, and stools to sit on to take off my wellies (you are bringing wellies, yes? good).
Even though I had a sleeping pod, I did cover my camp bed with colourful fabrics too, in case someone looked in whilst I had it open.
Iāve moved nations, and was going to launch a new character at the now cancelled E1, so Iām still trying to figure out how Iāll decorate my tent to make it more with my new nation. I am changing the colour scheme to something less sparkly and bright, so more wool, more (real) fur, but also a change in baskets and so on.