The Profound Decisions Podcast

Angus and Tom: A Mildly Cursed Podcast About Battles

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:01:07 +0000

Angus Foggie and Thomas Hancocks talk battles, skirmishes, and fighting. Unfortunately someone - possibly the Druj - cursed the recording forcing Angus to rebuild it from scratch so the audio quality is consequently a bit variable. Damn those Druj!

New Sites and Old Foes

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 20:37:48 +0000

Our own Matt Pennington talks to patient podcast host Angus Foggie about any number of things but mostly the new site, and also for some reason the Druj nation.

How To Persuade Eternals

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 10:25:22 +0000

Matt Pennington and Andy Raff talk to Angus Foggie about the ongoing updates to the Eternals and Realms pages on the wiki, as well as talking about ways to negotiate with Eternals, and shifting the terms unpalatable deals to something that suits the Empire better. Includes discussion of dishonesty and other game design choices in Empire’s magical diplomacy, and Angus also draws out some spicy details about secret pacts with sinister eternals made with villainous characters in the past!

Behind the Scenes with Clare (and Angus)

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 08:35:40 +0000

Clare Evans, Game Director at Profound Decisions, talks to Angus Foggie about her job and the work of the game team and the volunteers over the hedge that work all year to run Empire. Along the way she talks about kids in LARP, egregores, the civil service, new players, and the constant effort to make things fairer for femme presenting participants.

Angus and Andy

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 09:08:16 +0000

Angus Foggie takes the chair to chat with Andy Raff about Empire, plot writing, battles, assorted winds and a number of other things related to his work for Profound Decisions.

The Angus Interview

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 11:30:41 +0000

Angus Foggie takes the chair to interview Matt Pennington about Empire, Profound Decisions, dedicated sites, and any number of other live-roleplaying adjacent things.

Hedge Stuff - Episode 7 - Player versus Player

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 21:09:10 +0000

The February 2024 podcast in which Clare, Matt, and Andy talk about what it means that Empire is a player versus player game. Adapted from the YouTube presentation by Stephen Kirkbride using witchcraft.

Matt Chat - Episode 8 - Their Exits and Their Entrances

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 10:03:49 +0100

In the eighth, penultimate Matt Chat, he talks to Angus Foggie about 'good play ' - the tension between in-character PvP and out-of-character feelings. This chat was recorded at the start of 2020.

Matt Chat - Episode 7 - Without Three Good Friends

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 19:09:58 +0100

The seventh Matt Chat sees him talking to Tony Porteous about volunteering, about the relationship between organizers and volunteers, and about the ethos of volunteering. This chat was recorded at the start of 2020.

Matt Chat - Episode 6 - The Inconstant Moon

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 13:40:29 +0000

In this week's Matt Chat, Tansy and Matt talk about Then and Now and the changes and improvements for female players in LRP - those made and those still to be achieved.

Sticking with the established format, Matt and Tansy meander their way through a range of issues linked to topic. As the introduction says, these are subjects that are very personal and important to many people. It is a big topic and this barely scratches the surface of what could be discussed but it's already a pretty long podcast!

Matt Chat - Episode 5 - Uneasy Lies the Head

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 16:14:24 +0000

The fifth Matt Chat, sees Matt talking to Mike Kilburn about priests and Imperial titles. This chat was recorded at the start of 2020.

Hearth Magic

Sat, 25 Apr 2020 13:47:31 +0100

Matt, Wrenna, and Raff talk about the new hearth magic update which is now live on the wiki.

Matt Chat - Episode 4 - Remorse from Power

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 20:44:13 +0000

The fourth Matt Chat sees Matt talking to Luca Da Rè about the tension between PvP politics and the good of the Empire. Be aware that this discussion was recorded several months ago and some of the references may have dated a little.

All About Arcane Projections

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 10:53:23 +0000

Graeme and Andy chat about Arcane Projections; what they are, what they're for, how they work, and how to create them.

From the Archive - Religion

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 18:20:12 +0000

First published in February 2019, Matt and Andy are joined by Wrenna Robson to talk about religion in Empire - what has shaped it and what it's for.

From the Archive - International Relations

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 18:16:37 +0000

First published in January 2019, Matt, Andy, and Graeme talk about international diplomacy using examples from the real world rather than the Empire setting where possible - to try and make it less controversial...

From the Archive - Economics part Two

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 18:14:13 +0000

First published in July 2017, the second part of the Economics podcast with Matt, Andy, Graeme, and Elinor. Introduced by Ian Horne, this second half is more specifically about trade, the bourse, inflation, and monetary supply.

From the Archive - Economics part One

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 18:11:44 +0000

First published in July 2017, Matt, Andy, Graeme, and Elinor talk about the role of economics in the game. This podcast was so long it was split into two halves; this first part talks about the role value, worth, and economics play in Empire and how they shape the nature of the game.

From the Archive - Battle Chat

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 18:07:43 +0000

First published in March 2017, Matt talks with Andy Connell and Thomas Hancocks about war, why we have battles, and what we're doing to try and make them even cooler this year. Slightly shaky sound quality in places.

From the Archive - Changing Rules

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 15:56:36 +0000

First published in March 2017, Matt, Andy, and Graeme talk about rules updates, who makes them, why we make them and how the process works. Based on questions provided by players! Music is the Imperial Battle Anthem - Lyrics by Daisy and Jude. The tune is very roughly based on Debochadan by Severa Nazarkhan, from her album Sen

From the Archive - Player Support

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 15:46:55 +0000

First published in July 2016 Clare Evans talks with Lynette, Toni, Liz, and Matt Heath about Egregores, the Three Refrains and all things background, as well as giving loads of hints and tips to the newer players amongst our listeners. Music is the Imperial Battle Anthem - Lyrics by Daisy and Jude. The tune is very roughly based on Debochadan by Severa Nazarkhan, from her album Sen

From the Archive - The Pilot

Thu, 13 Feb 2020 13:22:50 +0000

First published in February 2016 Matt, Andy, and Dave Young are posed some interesting questions about Empire by Matt Heath. Music is the Imperial Battle Anthem - Lyrics by Daisy and Jude. The tune is very roughly based on Debochadan by Severa Nazarkhan, from her album Sen.

Matt Chat - Episode 3 - A little brief authority

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 00:38:28 +0000

The third Matt Chat sees Matt talking to Jamie Gibbons about the Empire nation briefs. What they are, what they are for, and how they work in the field.

Matt Chat - Episode 2 - More Things in Heaven and Earth

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 22:13:24 +0000

The second Matt Chat sees Matt talking with Beth Dooner about live roleplaying photography, the use of visual images, and the artistry involved in putting a costume together.

Matt Chat - Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace

Fri, 10 Jan 2020 20:13:11 +0000

In the first Matt Chat, Matt talks to Pel Pearcey about villainy in Live Roleplaying.

PD 2019 Retrospective

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 14:27:55 +0000

The Empire game team reviews the cool stuff that happened in 2019, and talks about the cool stuff they're looking forward to in 2020.