Welcome adventurers to ConQuest, to LARP – the coolest hobby in the world, and the Mythodea Beginner’s Experience! We hope you will have an amazing time with us and go home rich with experiences. We at Burgschneider and the NPCs of the Crimson Company are incredibly excited to help and support you on your first steps into a new hobby, community, and world.
Some of you may have bought more than one ticket under the same mail. Please share this information with the people whom you have bought a ticket for.
This here is your info primer before you head into your first Conquest of Mythodea!
First off, two links. The first is to our ruleset, that covers both in-game and out-game rules. The second is a glossary of Mythodea and Larp words you might not know and will encounter both in this document and at the game.
Rules: https://mythodea.de/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/ENG-Conquest-Rulebook.pdf
Glossary: https://mythodea.de/en/larp-glossary/
A short introduction to the most important abbreviation you will encounter at Conquest: IT and OT.
IT means intime/in-game, meaning that what we are talking about or what is happening, is happening in the fictional world of the game itself.
OT means out of time/out-game, referring to everything that happens in real life and to you as a person, not the character. Sometimes what happens IT can affect us OT, without being an OT action.
It is important to distinguish these two, for the sake of your experience, your immersion and to avoid unnecessary conflicts.
Now, let’s begin with some practicalities!
Arrival
The actual LARP event begins Wednesday evening, with an in-game event and a big battle, however, we expect our participants to be on site a bit earlier than gamestart.
It is possible to arrive Sunday, Monday or Tuesday with early arrival tickets (early arrival for Tuesday is included in your Beginner Experience Ticket, please purchase early arrival tickets for Sunday or Monday, if you’re arriving earlier – you can also pay at the event).
Most participants like to arrive Monday or Tuesday, giving them time to set up camp nicely, go to the Tross (traders, shops and food tent village), meet friends from other groups and do the last preparations.
Where is my campsite?
You should already know where you will be camping – the tent hotel, Freies Lager (Free camp) or with the Wayfarers. You can find the Free Camp and Wayfarers on meadow 7, the tent hotel is located on meadow 5 in the “Tross,” the merchant / tavern / town play area.
If you don’t yet know where you should camp, head to the Wayfarers or Free Camp and check-in with an organizer there (red shirts).
We hope that you will join us at the latest 12:00 pm on Tuesday July 30th. This would give you time to settle in, find or pop-up your tent, before we start the Beginners workshops at 14:00.
Schedule
Before the game
Tuesday:
Before 12.00 – Arrival
14-15 – Workshop 1
16-17 – Workshop 2
17 – Free time, explore Conquest
Wednesday
11-12 – Workshops 3
12-14 Free time, to explore Conquest
14-15 – Workshop 4 – Free time to explore the Tross
19.00 – Briefing all player
20.00 – “Time In” – Start of the event!
During the game
Wednesday
20.00 – A short Ingame speech is held, by the Crimson Commander.
After the speech – Head to battle, explore Conquest ingame, do plots, meet people, go to the tavern
Thursday
09.30 – Crimson Morning Gathering
14.00 – Optional Midday Gathering
20.30 – Evening Gathering
Friday
09.30 – Crimson Morning Gathering
14.00 Optional Midday Gathering
20.30 – Evening Gathering
Saturday
09.30 – Crimson Morning Gathering
14.00 Optional Midday Gathering
20.30 – Evening Gathering and Ceremony of enrollment
Xx.xx – The game ends when you go to bed
Sunday
You must have left the event grounds and cleared the tent area for trash before 15.00
Notes on workshops
We will meet in the Crimson Camp (Meadow 6, in the harbor quarters) 5 minutes before each workshop and go to a place of shade, which the workshop host will have found beforehand. You will receive a flier with the event grounds map when you arrive.
Beginners Experience Garments
In case you have ordered the Beginners Experience Garments, you will be able to pick it up at Burgschneider shop, in the middle of the Tross.
About the ConQuest of Mythodea
Realms of Mythodea is a large-scale fantasy world, filled with magical creatures, nobility and clergy, evil overlords and so much more. The adventure of Conquest takes place on the continent of Mitraspera where settlers, who traveled through portals to this world, defend their homes against various enemies, some being ancient forces of the continent and some coming from beyond the great fog barrier around the continent.
Players at Conquest will all play individuals who traversed the magical portals from other realms and dimensions, to settle or seek glory in these formerly uncharted lands. They found themselves in a land that holds history, secrets and great magic to be wielded. Anyone who has ever imagined what it would be like to go into battle as a knight, to live as a powerful mage, hunt in the shadows as a shady thief, fight as a fearless mercenary or to be sung off as a noble lady by brave warriors is in the right place in live role-playing, because here you can do exactly this and so much more!
About the experience
With the Beginners Experience we aim to give you the tools, an introduction and a grip on the game, so that you can explore Conquest of Mythodea and grow to the hero or villain you are meant (and outgame want) to be.
As a part of the Beginners Experience, you will play a character that has somehow ended up in a small debt to the Crimson Company, that now needs to be paid off with labor (roleplaying quests).
You will start the game with a short speech from the leadership of the Crimson Company, explaining the expectation to a debtor (you), when and how you will be free of debt and what to do now. They will send you out on a series of missions catered to you, which will see you on an adventure through most guilds, camps and themes of the larp.
In these missions you will experience fighting, magic, rituals, trading, the criminal world, the awe-inspiring enemy factions and learning about the many player factions of Mitraspera.
The series of missions will begin with the beginning of the game Wednesday evening and we expect you to be done with them around noon on thursday. From there your character will have worked off their debt and will be presented with a choice – Either you can choose to go explore the event and world as you please on your own terms, team-up with some of the players you met during your missions or just relax in the Tross. Or you can choose to become a Crimson recruit.
As a Crimson recruit, you will continue playing in the Faction of the Crimson Company, take on tasks for your leaders and grow your renown within the company. Your character will grow in personality and gain new relations to play on. As a recruit you’re encouraged to seek out one of the branches within Crimson, to find your place under the Crimson sails.
About the Crimson Company
What is the Crimson Company (in-game)
The Crimson Company is a vast and multinational trading empire founded more than two hundred years ago. It was created by 22 merchants, privateer and pirate captains from all parts of the world, in the search for greater gains than what one ship could amass.
The purpose of the company was to have an organization large and powerful enough to be independent from nobility and their quarrels but to ensure trade and the profits of the Company’s members.
In the present, what the 22 captains sought for has been a success. The Crimson Company has grown to be one of the most influential and powerful trading organizations in the world of Mythodea. They have many captains and ships sailing under the Crimson sails, warehouses and docks around the world and important relations with nations and royalty.
As the Company has grown in size, it has also seen fit to expand its organization. Now it coordinates its members into four different branches, shouldering different but equally important parts of the business empire.
The branches are known as the Crimson Swords, Circle, Merchants and Hands.
The Crimson Swords are the armed forces of the Crimson Sails Company. Their main task is the protection of the Company, its members, goods and interests.
The Crimson Circle act as the keeper of lore and are in charge of maps and navigation, helping the captains in defining itineraries and diplomats in building bridges to new cultures encountered on the Company’s many expeditions.
The Crimson Merchants negotiate trading treaties, trading post foundations and custom fee reductions. It is their charge to manage the trading of goods and the control thereof.
Officially the job of the hands is maintenance of ships, sails, and gear of the Company. Unofficially, the Hands deals with espionage and all kinds of shady endeavors that the Company may have a use for
What is the Crimson Company (out-game)
The Crimson Company is a Realms of Mythodea faction with the distinct focus, to establish an entry point into the larp and world of Mythodea for international players and beginners alike. The faction is mixed between the players, you, who are here to experience Conquest and the many playoffers and the NPCs whose task it is, to create the ambience of the faction and be your guides towards the play you desire. They coordinate different missions, quests and plots all catered to you!
In the Crimson Company, all plots, scenes and play will happen in English to accommodate and overcome any potential language barrier. The Crimson Company also serves as a bridge to many of the larger plots, including the main plot, as the company is connected to all the different factions. There is always something for you to do… Trust us!
Engaging with the game
At ConQuest you will experience a lot of things and a lot of people, which can sometimes be daunting and overwhelming, and make it difficult to figure out what to do and how to find fun. In this part we will give you some tips on making sure you have fun and how to find play.
Seek out other players
First and foremost, it is important to remember that LARP or Live-Action Roleplay, is a co-created experience and type of play. This means that the most fun scenes, most engaging plots and most thrilling stories often happen in the interaction between your character and other player characters.
Solve the plots
At ConQuest, we produce hundreds of pages of plots and stories for all players to engage with, seek out and solve. Most often these plots require many people, with different skills and over several days. Engage in these stories and the overarching story of the event.
Find Friends!
ConQuest is a unique type of event for many reasons: our large NPC army, the co-creational output of our community and the sheer size of the event. With 10.000 participants, there are endless stories and scenes to be had with people from all over the world. And while it might seem a bit scary to seek out play with a stranger, you should remember that is where we find new friends and play opportunities, and everyone at Conquest is there exactly to find play opportunities – running into strangers and getting to know them is expected and welcomed by the community at Conquest.
Trust the experience
The Crimson Company is a deep faction with opportunities in almost any direction you could wish for your character. It is a huge curiosity for many other players, wanting relations with the Company. You have a team of NPCs within the faction, whose primary task for the entire event is to help you. They are there to guide you as a player, lead you into the kind of experiences you seek and help prepare you for it. They are there to give some veterancy and experience to your group.
Be responsible for your own experience!
While you have gone to an event, where the stories, plots and plans are made for you and you won’t get any closer to a plug’n’play experience, you must also remember to be responsible for your own experience. You must dare to engage, dare to meet strangers and interact with the plots you encounter. And if it isn’t working for you, let the Crimson NPCs know! They are there to help and won’t mind having an OT talk, helping you get back on track.
Weather
While Germany isn’t a tropical country or known for the most extreme weather on earth, we almost always get extreme weather conditions of some sort.
Most often it is sun and heat! Over the last couple of years, we have had heat averaging over 35 degrees Celsius and topping over 40 degrees, with only a few clouds to cover the sky.
It is important to drink water, eat salt and stay in the shade!!
We have also had a few years where our events were hit by storms. While this is very unlikely, it can happen that we all must weather the storm and live in mud. If you can, having rubber boots (discrete ones, if you want to wear them in-game) available as a backup has been a lifesaver in the past.
“Stop” command
The “Stop“ command or mechanic is the most important one to remember for the ConQuest event. When someone yells to stop, all bystanders stop what they are doing for a moment and wait OT for what is to be done and the situation is clarified. “Continue/Weiter“ cancels the command. Otherwise, break immersion as infrequently as possible, or as inconspicuously as possible. Try to help yourself and others stay in the fantastic world or get back into it as quickly as possible.
If you have any questions left unanswered, please don’t hesitate to ask us questions at regie@burgschneider.com
We are very much looking forward to seeing you all and for you to join our fantastic community, and the great adventure that is ConQuest of Mythodea! The Crimson NPCs are also super excited, preparing different play opportunities for you and just looking forward to helping you!
