‘Bard’, ‘Adventurer’ or ‘Artificer’ – how to decide your experience class for the NEW MegaCon Live Cosplay Masquerades

We know the introduction of experience classes is brand new to the MegaCon Masquerade, and we’re keen to ensure that everyone who wants to enter themselves and their costume is able to. If you’re curious about which class you should enter, work your way through this list of questions:

• Am I younger than 12/16?
• Am I nervous about being on stage?
• Did I buy or commission my costume?
• Do I want to do a walk-on style performance for an audience without being judged?
• Do I have a busy schedule and want the flexibility of signing up on the day?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, consider entering the Cosplay Showcase. There’s no advance sign-up or application process, it’s all handled on the day of the show, and the process is a lot more relaxed than the Masquerade.

If you’ve handmade a percentage of your cosplay, or have a performance plan, you’re eligible for the judged Cosplay Masquerade, which now features three experience classes: Bard, Adventurer and Artificer. We introduced these classes to ensure that everyone feels welcome in the competition, and you’re competing against people with similar experience to you.

Guild tip: To help work out what percentage of your costume is made, break it down into big pieces. For example, if your costume consists of boots, trousers, a shirt, a coat, and a hat, if you’ve made the shirt and coat, modified the hat, and bought the trousers and boots, you’d be around 50% handmade. If you’d also made the trousers and made or heavily modified the hat, you’d be around 80%. For more information, read our blog posts here, or get in touch with us at guildofnerdscosplay@gmail.com.

To work out which class you should enter, ask yourself these questions:

• Did I make at least half of my costume?
• Have I entered fewer than five cosplay competitions (or never entered any) before?
• Have I won a Runner Up/Judges’ Choice award (or never won an award) before?
• Do I want to walk onstage and pose?
• Am I happy to have my costume judged?
• Would I prefer to win cosplay tools and equipment than money?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, consider entering the Adventurer class. Adventurers are novice cosplayers who don’t have a lot of stage or crafting experience, but know they enjoy being in front of an audience and are really keen to improve!

Guild tip: There is no cash prize for Best Adventurer, so if you want a chance at Best in Show you’ll need to enter the next class, Artificer.

To see if the Bard class is right for you, ask yourself these questions:

• Did I buy, thrift, commision or made less than 50% of my cosplay?
• Do I have a performance plan and am ready to detail that performance plan in my application?
• Do I want to perform in front of a large audince?
• Do I want to compete against other performers?
• Is my performance able to be accomplished in less than 2 minutes?

If you answered YES to these questions then you should apply for the Bard class.

Guild Tip: If you don’t want to perform in front of a large audience and just want to show off your cosplay, the Cosplay Showcase is a great option for you! It’s on the day sign-ups only, and a non-judged casual showcase styled as a walk-on event.

To see if Artificer class is right for you, ask yourself these questions:

• Did I make at least 80% of my costume?
• Have I entered five or more cosplay competitions before?
• Have I been cosplaying for five or more years?
• Have I won a Best Performance, Best Craftsmanship, or 1st/2nd/3rd award before?
• Do I have any professional training or experience?
• Do I want to do an exciting performance?
• Am I happy to complete an application form in advance?
• Do I want to be in with the chance of winning Best in Show?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, the Artificer class is probably for you.

Guild tip: If you’re cosplaying in a group of up to six entrants, your class is generally based on the most experienced member of your group. Groups are eligible to win any available award, including Best Adventurer or Best in Show, depending on their class.

Experience classes are mostly self-determined, so you can decide for yourself, but the Guild are happy to advise, and can move you around if we think you’re being far too modest! If you want to talk about your costume, your performance, or your specific circumstances prior to, or during, the application period, please reach out to us at guildofnerdscosplay@gmail.com and we’ll be happy to advise.