NPC 101: What to Expect

A general guide to NPCing at Alliance LARP Denver

When you first arrive on site, there are a bewildering array of things going on. The lead-up to an event is frequently very fast-paced and if you don’t know what is going on, it can be hard to get direction as to what exactly you should be doing. This document is meant to ease your introduction to the site and provide a general overview of both how things flow and general expectations so that you aren’t caught completely by surprise through the course of the weekend.

This document assumes that you are arriving on site at or around 8 PM on Friday. If you are arriving on, say, Saturday morning, things look a little different, but many of the basics and the guidelines will still apply.

Before You Arrive/First Arrival

When you first get onto site you will go to our Logistics building (wherever that happens to be for the first event) and check-in as an NPC. There are two things required for check-in:

• Membership. This can be purchased at the door (with cash) or with PayPal ahead of time.
• Waiver. This can be signed at the door at or downloaded and signed ahead of time.

We also ask that all NPCs pre-register ahead of time so that we have an accurate count of how many people will be eating. This does not require paying or signing the waiver until you are on site, but allows us to make sure that money and food costs balance out appropriately.

This also means that if you aren’t going to be able to make it, let us know as soon as possible so that we don’t buy food for someone who won’t be there.

You will want to read NPC 101: Surviving Your First Weekend as an NPC for more information on what to bring.

At Check In

Once you have paid your membership and signed your waiver, you will be given a cabin (and possibly room) assignment for where you are sleeping. If you are new, you’ll also want to ask about when/where NPC Orientation will be run (this starts around 8:15—8:30 PM, takes about an hour, and takes place in the main living room area of the NPC cabin).

From there find your way to where you will be sleeping and pick an unclaimed bunk. If you have time before lay-on, you can unpack now or you can wait until it gets closer to time to sleep to do so. Regardless, it is a good idea to change into your basic blacks and head down to the main NPC building.

Basic Layout

The NPC camp has the following areas:

• The Living Room/Lounge. This is the main staging area. Communication around who/what is going out tends to happen in this room. We also keep a white board that indicates what times what events are scheduled to take place.
• The Desk. This is the area where Plot and designated NPCs will give out assignments. You will also receive treasure for when you go out from whoever is running the desk in here.
• Makeup Area. The area that has all of the makeup in it. Many of the things that we go out as require some sort of makeup, and this is the area where you can “green up” (or put on whatever other makeup is required).
• Costume Area. This is the area where the bulk of the NPC costuming is held. Masks, tabbards, etc are kept in this area.

Etiquette by room

Because we have had upward of 30 NPCs and the NPC cabin can quickly become unmanageable with that many people running around, here are some basic ground rules for each of the above areas:

The Lounge

Since this is a staging area, the primary role of this area is… to stage to go out. Try to keep it free of clutter and be in the state of going out, getting ready to go out, or waiting for instructions on where to to go out if you are in this area.

The Desk

The area where we place the desk is small. For the most part, don’t linger in this room since it can get very crowded very quickly. Please don’t put things down on the desk itself unless there’s a defined area for them: we have to keep it at least roughly organized so that we can find things. Extraneous water bottles, pieces of paper, etc tend to clutter up the desk and make it unusable.

There is a box/basket that we will put out on the desk for used monster cards, but nothing else should be put down on the desk. Unless you are running the desk or a member of plot then nothing should be taken from the desk at any time.

Makeup Area

The biggest things for this area:

• Keep this area clean! Tidy up after yourself.
• Don’t use makeup sponges that have been used by others.
• Close up makeup when you are done with it, don’t let it dry out.
• Only sit in the makeup area if you are either putting on makeup or helping someone else put on makeup.

Costume Area

The biggest thing here is to keep the area organized. To this end:

• Fold tabbards and clothes and put them back where they came from.
• Make sure weapons and spackets go back to where they belong.
• Wipe masks clean with a disinfecting cloth and put them back where they came from. The oil from your skin will destroy the masks and we also don’t want the next person to catch whatever you have.
• If you borrow someone’s personal costume (these are kept separate), make sure you have their permission to take it and make sure it gets back to them.
• If you can tolerate makeup and are going out with someone who is allergic then give them precedence on the masks.

If for some reason a mask or an article of clothing needs special attention (e.g., it broke, is filthy because of you rolling around on the ground as part of a character, etc), just let one of the head NPCs or a member of plot know and put it aside so that it doesn’t get lost or reused accidentally.

Before Lay-on

Be patient before lay-on: Plot doesn’t necessarily know what you will be playing yet either. Oh, sure, they may know what is going out but not necessarily who all is needed for it. Specifics will start to materialize as we get closer to 9—10 PM. The best thing you can do is attend orientation and, when that is finished, wait for instructions. Usually those instructions will come in one of three forms:

1. “You will be X roleplaying character.” Basically you will be going in immediately to do some sort of engagement with the players, usually as something that will add flavor to the world (e.g., a farmer who is down on his luck due to whatever the events are of that weekend or a mercenary who saw something on the road) or for a specific event (e.g., a guard for the Duchess). This will involve doing some roleplay for either a set amount of time–usually around thirty minutes–or until something specific occurs (e.g., the Duchess leaves) before reporting back to NPC camp.
2. “We will be putting together X for immediately after/at lay-on.” Whatever happens during lay-on, immediately thereafter there will be something either going out or already out, and we need it prepped and ready. The senior NPCs and plot members in camp will give you specific directions around what you need to be.
3. “We’ll give you instructions after lay-on.” This means that while there will be a role for you shortly, we don’t have it assigned just yet and don’t need you to start getting ready yet. This is a good time to go get your bunk ready or to read the rulebook.

Lay-On!

Now that the event has officially started, here’s some major things to be ready for. This is not a comprehensive guide–each one of these is an essay unto itself–but is meant to be a rapid crash course so that you aren’t caught off guard. Talk to one of the senior NPCs or a member of Plot for more information or for any questions.

General NPCing

• We are there mostly to facilitate Plot in telling a story over the weekend. So first and foremost try to follow Plot’s directions to help make the event successful.
• Makeup, masks, and costumes heavily contribute both the roleplaying atmosphere of the game. Please be mindful of this and if you need help making your makeup look good, then ask.
• When you go out you will be given a card that gives you your stats. This will tell you what you can and cannot do. If it isn’t on your sheet (e.g., “read and write,” “search and steal,” or “killing blow” being three big ones) then you can’t do it.
• As part of your prep you will frequently be taken through those stats by the encounter head, Plot, or by a senior NPC. Let us know if you have any questions.
• Unless you have been given specific instruction otherwise then when you have been sent out on your own or in a small group check back at NPC camp after an hour or so (if not before), even if your original task is not complete (e.g., if you have been given 3 lives and they aren’t used up, still report back). This way if we need you to do something else or change tactics we can let you know.
• If you need a break then let someone know and go lie down for an hour or two then come back or spend some time helping clean up the NPC cabin.
• Keep it in game! As NPCs we move in and out of character more than anyone else, which makes it especially important that when we are in game (or around those who are in game) that we keep ourselves in game as much as possible or, barring that, stay out of the way of the people who are in game. This includes when PCs can overhear you: Nothing breaks the spirit of an intense piece of roleplay like having a bunch of people complaining about their day jobs within ear shot.
• Make sure you read NPC 101: Surviving Your First Weekend as an NPC and the relevant sections of the rulebook.

Roleplaying Improvisation

You will frequently need to make up a character history on the fly for a role that you are going into town with. The PCs will be very curious and frequently pry into things that are outside of your script.

For this, in the interest of sanity, things that are made up are best when they:

1. Fit with what is going on in the world.
2. Represent a static state that the players are unable to change.
3. Any continuations on the character that aren’t anticipated by Plot are deferred.

This is one of the major ways that NPCs–usually without ever intending it–wind up “going rogue” and ending up in a situation that Plot doesn’t know about and didn’t anticipate. When you go in as a farmer and you are asked about your children, you can easily talk about how they died in the war that recently ended, how they are happy at home, or how they are off selling things in a far-off town depending on what makes sense for the character. These are static positions that the players are unlikely to feel compelled to change (or if they do, best get back to plot quickly). Saying how they have been kidnapped by an Evil Necromancer™ who will turn them into Death Knights™ if you don’t raise enough money to pay the ransom is not.

Similarly, if you go into town as a farmer and they want to purchase wheat (it has been known to happen), just ask that they come by your farm at some indeterminate later time, then tell Plot when you get back that they might have some PCs coming by to purchase wheat.

If all else fails–and sometimes despite your best efforts it will fail (players are very creative in this regard)–it is better to get back to Plot quickly before things get too out of control. Please don’t make up or narrate additional plot to try to fill in a perceived story gap.

Fishbowls

When you want to do some roleplay or there is nothing else going on for you, you can usually get what we call a “Fishbowl.” Fishbowls are short non-combat encounters that add flavor to the world or provide information around side plots. They are also a way to keep our PCs entertained when they aren’t out fighting things. Talk to whoever is running the desk about going out as one.

When you are given a fishbowl check it out and see if it is a good fit for you. If not, ask for another one and we will see if we can make accomodations.

Dinner Characters

For meals (not just dinner) we frequently go in as “Dinner Characters.” These are named characters that you get to make up and then will play every time you go in. This helps add some flavor to the world and provide some consistency. Good examples of these are going to be craftspeople, farmers, and other things of that nature. Talk to one of the senior NPCs about building one of these if it is your first event and we’ll make sure the information gets recorded for future events.

Combat: Winning and Losing

There is a lot that can be said about the attitudes and guidelines for combat as an NPC that I’ll save for a different article, but one major thing that is an adjustment from PCing that takes some getting used to is the matter of death.

As an NPC you will die. Repeatedly. You will die, walk away, and then come right back to die again. You will “lose” in the sense that the PCs will “beat” you. Repeatedly. This is expected and normal.

It also can take some getting used to. Just be prepared for this: It’s part of the nature of the game and, as NPCs, we are there to help the PCs have a good time.

Sometimes PCs will die or get dropped by you, but don’t equate that with “winning.”

Terminology

These are some of the specialized terms you will hear around NPC camp.

• Lives — Also known as “pops” (we prefer “lives” since it is clearer, but some still use this term) these represent the number of times you come in as a given creature. So if you die you will come back into game again until you run out of lives (including your first one) or until whatever other conditions are met.
• Respawn—To come back into game after dying. When you respawn it will usually either be from a designated “respawn point” or from far enough away that you break line of sight with the PCs.
• Popcorn—A form of respawning. When you die in a battle you go to your respawn point or get sufficiently far away (ask the encounter head or if unsure about which you are doing or how far this is) and come back in.
• Waves—A form of respawning. When you die in a battle go to a designated respawn point. When the entire group is back you will go in again as a unit.
• “Green Up”—Also “<other color> up” this means you are being asked to get ready to go into game with makeup (and usually tabbard) of a given color. If it’s green, for example, then put on green makeup or wear the species-appropriate mask.
• Cardiac Hill—This is the name the Girl Scouts gave the staircase that leads from NPC camp up to the tavern. It is very appropriately named.
• Going Rogue—When an NPC–usually without knowing it due to lack of clear direction from Plot or from the Monster Marshal–goes off in a direction that Plot doesn’t expect, accidentally or deliberately makes up plot, or otherwise takes the PCs off course.
• Mod—Short for a module, these are contained events that the PCs will go on.
• Hook—Used as both a noun and a verb. The process of getting a group of PCs to do go somewhere is referred to as “hooking” them. A “hook” as a noun is someone who is sent in to hook (as a verb) a group of PCs.
• Basic Blacks—The “uniform” of the NPC. As NPCs we wear a wide variety of costume, but frequently we need the ability to remain clothed while throwing on just a tabard or a tabard and a mask. For this purpose we try to emphasize black clothing, which we colloquially refer to as “basic blacks.” If you can, try to avoid wearing blue jeans, colorful or white tennis shoes, etc.

Conclusion

This is by no means comprehensive but will hopefully be a helpful guide to what to expect when you first come to NPC an event. Don’t worry about having it memorized–this is just a rough guide to help you get started and we’ll review/cover all of the details in person both at the orientation as they come up throughout the weekend.

NPCing is a lot of fun and extremely rewarding, so I hope you can join us!