Draven
Count
I hope you read the entirety of this post before moving on; if your immediate reaction is "No, I will never NPC," then maybe just stick with this post to the end.
There's been posts about "Why don't you NPC" or "Do games need more NPCs," yadda yadda. This isn't that. This is a post about why you should really, really consider NPCing.
There's certainly been a lot of responses about why people don't want to NPC; they have a long way to drive, they don't like feeling like crunchies, they really enjoy the story they have with their PCs, time with friends, etc etc.
They're all really reasonable. That being said, I would really appreciate if you, the reader, could take a minute to think about this in reverse; not why you shouldn't, but why you should.
What is it you enjoy about Alliance?
Is it the combat?
The dialogue?
The ability to create meaningful moments interacting with others?
I want to encourage you to consider how you could find that as an NPC. The contributions you can make by being part of the story's creation. Playing the roles that gives your fellow players the opportunity to respond to the setup you've created or enabled to happen, and find enjoyment in how they react to them (whether heroically, tragically, or often, hilariously).
Also, don't just do it by yourself. Get your friends to have a serious conversation of "Hey, want to do this together? We could really make some awesome experiences!" Do it as a team, just like you normally do.
Talk to your Plot team. Explain to them what you're looking for, and express what you don't enjoy. I've found that Plot teams are often flexible and will play to your strengths. That's not to say you won't have times of doing things you enjoy less, but by working with Plot, you can minimize those situations, if not eliminate it completely.
As a veteran player, you have a lot to contribute, and the game needs more of those to volunteer their time. Also, by picking up the torch, your chapter will be more likely to have others take it from you later.
Alliance grows and thrives with its volunteers, and I really hope you consider being one of them.
There's been posts about "Why don't you NPC" or "Do games need more NPCs," yadda yadda. This isn't that. This is a post about why you should really, really consider NPCing.
There's certainly been a lot of responses about why people don't want to NPC; they have a long way to drive, they don't like feeling like crunchies, they really enjoy the story they have with their PCs, time with friends, etc etc.
They're all really reasonable. That being said, I would really appreciate if you, the reader, could take a minute to think about this in reverse; not why you shouldn't, but why you should.
What is it you enjoy about Alliance?
Is it the combat?
The dialogue?
The ability to create meaningful moments interacting with others?
I want to encourage you to consider how you could find that as an NPC. The contributions you can make by being part of the story's creation. Playing the roles that gives your fellow players the opportunity to respond to the setup you've created or enabled to happen, and find enjoyment in how they react to them (whether heroically, tragically, or often, hilariously).
Also, don't just do it by yourself. Get your friends to have a serious conversation of "Hey, want to do this together? We could really make some awesome experiences!" Do it as a team, just like you normally do.
Talk to your Plot team. Explain to them what you're looking for, and express what you don't enjoy. I've found that Plot teams are often flexible and will play to your strengths. That's not to say you won't have times of doing things you enjoy less, but by working with Plot, you can minimize those situations, if not eliminate it completely.
As a veteran player, you have a lot to contribute, and the game needs more of those to volunteer their time. Also, by picking up the torch, your chapter will be more likely to have others take it from you later.
Alliance grows and thrives with its volunteers, and I really hope you consider being one of them.