Questions for NPCing & my First Ever Weekend!!

S

Stagermonkey

Newbie
Hi,
I am not currently a member of Alliance LARP, but I have been very interested in it for a few years. I am hoping to join your event on 10/17 and volenteer as an NPC (as your website suggests.) Though I am excited, I am also extremely intimidated since I will be coming up for the weekend by myself. I have some questions below and was hoping you nice people could answer them IN THE CONTEXT OF NPCing. It would really mean alot to me :)

Can I join and take care of all the necessary paperwork on the Friday night of the event?

Do I need to have read the rulebook prior to being there or can I reserve a copy and read it in my downtime?

What fees for the event will I need to pay if I'm NPCing for the weekend?

Will I have a place to sleep if I'm NPCing ?

What will I need to bring with me? (I don't have any costumes yet)

What about food if I'm NPCing?

Can I be something other then a monster? Ideally, I'd love to get some ideas for a PC backstory, but have no feeling for the flavor of your game.

Will I have a chance to buy stuff in preporation for my career as a PC (like a weapon so I don't have to worry about making one myself)?

What if my acting is terrible?

Um, I think that's all of my questions for now. Thanks in advance everyone. Hope to see you this weekend :)
 
WELCOME!!! we're glad to have you. There are a few events in the calendar for the 10/17 date depending on what chapter you intend to call home, so i won't assume you mean HQ. But whatever chapter gets you, you will be most welcome, because boy howdy, we all need NPCs :)

If you can let us know what chapter you intend to attend, we can better tailor our responses for you.
 
Stagermonkey said:
Can I join and take care of all the necessary paperwork on the Friday night of the event?
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Yep! I don't know what chapter of the Alliance you'll be playing this weekend (HQ?), but some chapters actually have the paperwork downloadable so you can take care of it pre-game.

Do I need to have read the rulebook prior to being there or can I reserve a copy and read it in my downtime?
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You don't need to have the rulebook read. You'll more than likely be given a 'welcome to Alliance' sort of speech, which gives you a run-down of he basics you'll need to NPC this weekend. Most chapters sell rulebooks on site -- but the rulebook is switching over next Spring, so you might be better off borrowing someone's copy and reading it in your spare time instead of buying one. :)

What fees for the event will I need to pay if I'm NPCing for the weekend?
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This depends on which chapter you're attending. If it's HQ, you'll need to pay your first-time membership fee, as well as whatever food you want to eat if you don't plan on eating off site. If you're playing another chapter this weekend, you'll have to check their information.

Will I have a place to sleep if I'm NPCing ?
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Again, this depends on the chapter. If it's HQ, you'll want to bring your own sleeping gear (sleeping bag, pillow, tent, etc), and you can set up your tent and sleep in NPC camp. Be aware that it gets pretty cold at night there. If you're playing another chapter, you'll have to check with them what they have for sleeping arrangements.

What will I need to bring with me? (I don't have any costumes yet)
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Here's a pretty basic rundown:

- Black clothes: The standard NPC gear. Each chapter has their own costuming, so you can layer on top of it. If you've ever worked in theater before, think tech crew. :)

- Comfortable shoes: With extra socks! Wet sock is the worst feeling in the world. But considering you're going to do a lot of running around this weekend, comfortable shoes are a must.

- Snacks: Not really a necessity, but a nice thing to have. Most NPC camps are equipped with their own snacks and drinks, but if you like something specific, you might as well bring it with you.

- Shower/bathroom supplies: Most sites have showers for you to use -- and you should take advantage of them. The mid-event shower is disturbingly refreshing.

- Yourself: the most important part. :)

What about food if I'm NPCing?
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Depends on chapter to chapter! If you're playing a chapter other than HQ, you'll have to ask them.

Can I be something other then a monster? Ideally, I'd love to get some ideas for a PC backstory, but have no feeling for the flavor of your game.
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Through-out the weekend, you'll probably get various roles from monsters, to bad guys, to commoners. If you're in the mood to roleplay, tell your plot staff and they might be able to accommodate you. Keep in mind that each chapter has race packets for their PCs, so when you're ready to make one, they can provide you a background of your race from that area.

Will I have a chance to buy stuff in preporation for my career as a PC (like a weapon so I don't have to worry about making one myself)?
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Some chapters sell costuming, prosthetics, and make-up, but most don't sell weapons. However, if you're worried about making one, there are a lot of people who make Alliance boffer weapons by commission -- you can post in the Marketplace forum about that when you're ready to PC.

What if my acting is terrible?
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Don't worry! There's more to the game than just acting -- and practice makes perfect. :)

I hope you have fun with your first weekend -- and welcome to Alliance!


- Kelsey
Caldaria Staff
 
Hi, I'm bill, got you covered.

Can I join and take care of all the necessary paperwork on the Friday night of the event?

Yep. Legal release and membership can be done at the door when you arrive.

Do I need to have read the rulebook prior to being there or can I reserve a copy and read it in my downtime?

You don't have to have read a rule book, but it cirtainly helps a lot. We usualy have a few floating around NPC camp that you can look at in between encounters, and as a new player there will be plenty of experienced players to follow and guide you. We are going to be experiencing a rules change soon so I do not know about the avalibility of our rule book currently. If its still for sale, you can find it on the http://www.alliancelarp.com site.

What fees for the event will I need to pay if I'm NPCing for the weekend?

Different for every chapter. in this case, $10 for a trial membership. NPC's generaly play for free in every chapter (unles they owe membership or something)

Will I have a place to sleep if I'm NPCing ?

Bring a tent. Each chapter is different, but the HQ (ashbury) chapter your speeking of dosent have cabins for npc's yet. There is a quite large barn used as npc camp where you can set up your tent, so your not outside, but its not a cabin either.

What will I need to bring with me? (I don't have any costumes yet)

NPC costumes and weapons are provided! The following is a good list of starndard npc gear. dark clothing. blacks and dark blues are best without logo's, or with logo's but that you can wear inside out. These should be able to get filthy. Layers for the cold, again dark if possible. You also want to bring extra's in case of rain. Tent and sleeping bag with additional blankets. I should strees the possibility of it getting quite cold at night (like below freezing), as we are in the mountains. Bring a towel and tolietries as the site has a pair of very nice showers. Thats what you need. I also bring pain killers, a spare pair of boots, and my rule book. Its also not a bad plan to bring snacks, which brings us to....

What about food if I'm NPCing?

Snacks and water are usualy provided via donations to NPC's. Bringing a case of water as a donation is ALWAYS a good thing. Some chapters provide food for free (real money free that is), but currently there is no kitchen set up at HQ, so meals are catered. as a result it costs real money. 5 for breakfast, and 10 for diner (served saturday night only) so 20 gets you in for each meal to be served. There are resturants and fast food about 10 mins from the site as well, and you can almost always hitch a ride with someone who is going off site for dinner if you need to.

Can I be something other then a monster? Ideally, I'd love to get some ideas for a PC backstory, but have no feeling for the flavor of your game.

If you are familir with video games or rpg's of any kind, you know that everything in the wold that isnt a player controled character is an NPC. Much of an NPC's time is spent as a monster yes, but they are also the farmers, the townsfolk, the merchants, and the vilans. Sometimes NPC's are sent in just to role play with people, to add atmosphere to the game. If you get to a point where all you have done is "swing pipe" as we call it (just being monsters all day) feel free to ask if you can get a rp role.

Will I have a chance to buy stuff in preporation for my career as a PC (like a weapon so I don't have to worry about making one myself)?

Not really, but you will get the chance to meet the people who can help you. You will get a full event worth of experience for your eventual PC. As for getting your own weapon reps and such, you will have to ask around or make it yourself.

What if my acting is terrible?

After Norden's entertainment skit at this year's team tourney, you really don't have much to worry about. On a serious note, ask how you can be better and remember, its a game, we are all here to have fun.

--bill
Caldaria (Alliance CT) Staff
Caldaria Rules Marshal
 
Bahahaha, beat you, Bill!

This is like some awful Caldaria Staff competition, and Jesse's always going to lose.
 
didnt realise there were multiple events that weekend, so my info was ashbury (hq) specific. Also, curse my slow work pc and people beeting me to the punch!!
--bill
 
Sorry, I didn't realize there was more then one event this weekend either. I was asking about HQ...and it looks like it's a good thing I have a tent to bring :)
 
I NPCed last event with an air matress and a good sleeping bag. it wasn't as cold as this weekend will be, but it wasn't warm, and i didn't mind not having a tent.
 
youthculture said:
Bahahaha, beat you, Bill!

This is like some awful Caldaria Staff competition, and Jesse's always going to lose.
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yeah but I will be on the magic school bus to taunt him for 4 hours, unlike someone I know *cough*.

--bill
 
One thing Bill forgot on the magical list O' NPC gear:

SOCKS.

At least 2 pairs per day - preferably 3, especially if your boots/shoes aren't waterproof. Between sweat and ground moisture (mostly dew) your feet will get wet, and especially on a cold weekend, wet feet will suck the energy out of you so fast you won't know what hit you.

As far as rules, yes reading ahead of time helps, and we will always have people around who will coach you. We have some pretty awesome NPCs that are great at teaching people, and you can ALWAYS ask questions.

And as has also been mentioned, you can be a monster or 20, but you can also be a farmer, a merchant, a bandit... all kinds of things. If there is something specific you'd like to try this weekend at HQ you can speak to me (head of plot aka HoP), Ali (assistant HoP) Toddo (full time plot guy and this weekend's director) or Tab (NPC master extraordinare). We may not be able to give you the desired role right that second, but we'll likely be able to work it in there at some point.

See you this weekend!
-Michelle
 
I would also recommend (as this event at HQ is going to be cold) Long johns, fleece, or Underarmor. AKA if you get cold, something to keep you warm. And change of socks is imperative.

-Ali
AHoP
 
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