Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Non-Players in a Player's Game. A thought on NPCs

I should have had this branded on my sleeping bag during DR
Would have saved me the hassle during the
nightly raids
   Couple of Days ago, Skye from the Dystopia Rising Facebook group asked me to do a piece on NPC interactions. Sepcifically I was asked to write about "NPC to NPC interactions, NPC to PC interactions, and creating NPCs" I was already warming up to an NPC-centric blog to begin with, so I figured "Let's do it."

Lately, I've been thinking about what makes a decent NPC in a Roleplay game. NPCs are the Storyteller's way of communicating to the players in the world. These are the people who introduce Plot to you, or represent the actions and consequences of your players. Sometimes they are the random person who is walking down the street or alley. They set the tone of the world, the tempo with which the players need to match, or deconstruct as they see fit.

Think of it like Inception. The World is built, and it needs to be filled in. If it's just the players, they'd be playing with themselves...soak in that image. Go ahead.

NPCs represent the Storyteller in the World. That's a great definition, but even I think that's esoteric. The best way I can explain this is to show an example.

One of the tightest and most in depth games I've ever played has been New Yorks Changeling the Lost. It was built by long running players Chris and Warren, and is currently run by my friend Abby. Changeling is a game where each of the 12 Fae Courts, the Seasonals, Diurnals and Directionals are represented in some form or another. In each Court there is at least one or two NPCs available to round out the crew. Each of them has a deep, lush and varied history with the players that has been developed slowly and consistently throughout the years of play. the NPCs present give a sense that there is a City going on outside of just the players, that while the story focuses on them, it doesn't necessarily end with them. I consistently try to take notes on the various NPCs and how they function as characters for research of Next Chronicle.

In the New York Awakening game, things are interesting. The major setting of the game isn't focused on any Cabals or the Orders, it's focused on the Consillium, one singular body. As such, there is only one location of  import, an abandoned Train Station on 92nd. Magically speaking, the train station is the equivalent to a Nuclear Bunker. Short of doing some horrible shit, there is not going to be much going on in there that the players don't bring in themselves. And, as a rule, Mages are all big on conspiracy. So you have a bunch of people in a bunker, not trusting anything that happens to find it's way down and only really go out when shit's gone wrong. This is a challenge.

In the end, most of my NPCs have to be characters designed to draw them out, or at least act as an anchor out in the real world. Even my former PC, an Acanthus with the power to Speak to New York, has become such an NPC. My job is to make the Mountain move to Mohammad some times. It's a pain in the ass, and it feels contrived some times, but when it works, it works. This is a situation where the world is static, so you have to have people outside doing stuff to make it interesting.

In Requiem, it's more geared towards Player generated responses. There are NPCs in there who are clearly been around for years, but they become a "well, this is only to progress this" sort of thing. These NPCs generally only stick around if the ST remembers/cares to use them. They aren't necessary, as the Vampires are both affecting the world and each other almost as well (and sometimes TOO well) as any NPC.

In Dystopia Rising, I've noticed, there is a different tack to take. Of course, being in a 36 hour game with a team of people whose only goal for four hours to the whole weekend is to PLAY NPCs is a pretty sweet thing to have on deck. It also helps that there is an actual, literal world out there for PCs to interact with. All they have to do is populate the thing, and set the tone for game. Whether it's a module that sends players on a battlfield against Zed or Raiders, or an assault on the main House, or just random survivors trying to survive. These characters exist to remind you of the world you're in.


At last month's game, during NPC shfit. The Head ST for the Overall Plot, Shoshana, reminded us that it wasn't the NPCs goal to win. It was to give the players a challenge. There were moments to give them hope, and others to tire them out, and then to keep them on their toes.

So, to answer Skye's questions


1) NPCs interacting with other NPCs: Well, there I think it has a lot to do with preparation. If you're all a part of the same plotkit/module, the Storytellers needs to give you guys as much info as humanly possible to further the plot. Now, if your characters is just walking in without really that much in game (or written) history about them, then some leeway and improv is expected. Dystopia Rising is actually pretty good on that, they give you the gist of the plot, the goal, and let you fill in the blanks. They have to since the Storyteller can't be everywhere the NPCs are, which in Social LARPs is a lot easier. If these are NPCs from two seperate plots, then I figure it's something to sit back and watch.


I'm going to switch numbers and go to 3) When Creating an NPC, whether it's for Socal LARPs or boffer Larps or even RP, you have to ask yourself a few things. What is the purpose of this character's existence? What is the general reaction of the players going to be for this. What tone are they meant to set in the game? Are they there to be antagonists? Protagonists in a story that the PCs are following? Merely Messengers who are to deliver plot? Guides? I can spring out the entire Archetypal handbook out if you want. An NPC can fill that role.

2) and the ultimate gist. An NPC is to provide Ballast to the PCs. Where the Players push, the NPCs react. When an NPC pushes, the PCs react. They are there to fill in the gaps to plot, dynamics, geography, problems and considerations. If your players need a challenge to their physical, social or political play? Bring in an NPC threat. If players are punching too large of a hole into plot, you set an NPC or two to slow them down. If a player is in a canon-group with no real PC representation other than them? Build an NPC to give them someone to talk with and make their choices worthwhile.

I wrote in a previous post that Storytellers relinquish their characters and the City becomes their Character. The story you tell is told through these characters, they are yours, and they are the player's. If an NPC is getting the players interested in the game, they're doing their job and you yours.

Later.

2 comments:

  1. I definitely like this piece and agree with the observations. Sometime in the future, though, I'd love something more sculpted as to how to write and play good NPCs. A Wreck-It-Ralph post, if you will. For Dystopia, but especially for the Cam, where I think NPCing is a rare and lost art form these days.

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  2. That is DEFINITELY Something I can follow up on

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