New to Empire, Starting as Wintermark Kallavesi – Looking for Tips

New Players
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Hey everyone! I’m new to larping, and Empire will be my first larp. I am finally taking the plunge now that the site’s moved closer to me. After a lot of back‑and‑forth (Months), I’ve settled on Wintermark - Kallavesi, and I’m starting lineage‑free so I can figure out who I am in play first. I’ve got a couple of questions:

1. Soft kit:

I plan to turn up with a basic “soft kit” tunic, trousers, cloak/hood, and a few accessories and then pick up armour, weapons, or extra bits at the event if I end up wanting them. The last thing I want is to buy loads of stuff and then realise I actually prefer healing, rituals, alchemy, or combat.

So what does a decent starter Kallavesi kit actually look like? Colours, layers, hoods, masks, feathers, anything that helps me look like I belong without going overboard on day one.

2. Skills:

I’m not sure what I want to do yet, so I’d rather take skills that let me explore a bit before committing to a full path. Is it normal to add skills later once you’re in play?

And are there any good “new player” skills that help you get involved without locking you in?

Really excited to try Larping for the first time. Any advice appreciated!

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Hello and welcome, to the hobby, the game and these forums :slight_smile:

  1. Good plan. Simple basic set-up, and there are LOT of accessories and similar traded on-site. Kallevesi is an interesting one, but dark colours and a feather motif are probably an easy start. A mantled hood (ie covers neck and shoulders as well), maybe with something featherlike in black around the edge?
    As well as the “Look and feel” section for them on the wiki, you may also want to ask on the Wintermark Facebook group?

  1. You don’t have to spend any character points at the start. In fact if you aren’t sure, it’s best not to.
    There’s a skill called “Appentice” that only those with 0 xp spend have. This allws you to use any skill under the direct supervision of those who have it.
    “Let me coach you through this basic spell…”
    “And that’s how you set a broken leg…”
    “Elbow down, push forwards from your hips on up, and down he goes…”
    Now while anyone can retrain skills (one at a time) after each event, as a new player, you ALSO get great leniancy from PD if you want to change things quickly.
    There are usually a few new players coming to GOD* every event asking if they can rebuild their character, it’s not quite what they wanted…
    So you aren’t going to get “locked in” whatever you do. Buy some skills, or do not, as you like…

  2. Basic advice:
    (a) You only need to know three things as a starting player:
    Your characters name.
    Their nation (and in your case, culture) and perhaps province of origin.
    What sort of skills you have (make stuff, spells, hit things…)
    And anything else you can pick up in play.

(b) Get a small notebook, small enough for your pocket, decorate it to taste, and use it to note down Stuff: names, places, rumours, prices, things to investigate, secrets, interesting skills, what your skills actually do, etc.

(c) “I’m new to Anvil”. This is a phrase that signals (without breaking immersion) that you are a new player. The veterans will then explain things as needed, take it a little slower, maybe give you a free sample (and likely try to recruit you to their group).

(d) It’s entirely fair to spend your first event wandering around as a tourist. It’s a tent city in 10 flavours, with a lot to see. The theatres of the League, the Summer Faire of the Marchers, the Glory Square of Dawn, the Songs&Stories circle of Navarr, the Tree of Names in Wintermark, and the CHapel of the Way in Highguard… off the top of my head :slight_smile: If you don’t get involved in huge plots and storylines or similar, that’s fine. Have fun, spend your resources, ask questions, listen to the stories…

And feel free to ask further questions, here or on the FB groups!

*Games Operation Desk. When you die, report to God to get a new life. It’s an old UK larping joke… :stuck_out_tongue:

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The only skill that makes a difference when you take it is artisan, which gives you some starting magic items if you have it at character creation. You can drop it later if you decide you want to do something else, but taking it has the disadvantage that you wouldn’t be able to apprentice.

Wintermark artisans get access to some magic items unavailable to characters from other nations (like Urizeni magicians get access to an extra set of rituals).

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